Maria Williams was her real name. She gave birth to Shay at age seventeen and due to problems at home, she had to give Shay up. It was written in the adoption papers that she couldn't visit Shay, and Val didn't see her until that one day in the park. Once she realized those two drug addicts had been looking over her own kin, she did what she had to to protect her daughter.
Shay listened to the whole story with an open mouth. Shock was too light of a term to describe what she was feeling. Though really, with the similar appearances and unusual amount of affection Val had for her, Shay should have figured it out.
Turns out, she wasn't a very good spy.
"I couldn't tell you because I was afraid you'd get upset and run again. We had such a good relationship when you came back and I didn't want to ruin it." Val explained when she was done with her story.
Shay stared at her for a couple of minutes as she processed this information. Val was her biological mother. It made sense, she supposed.
"I can't believe I have a family. And I didn't even know." Shay muttered, though really, did this revelation change much? Val was her stepmother and had been for a while now. She had treated Shay extremely well for as long as she'd been living there. It had taken a bit to get over Val murdering her 'parents' but realizing how much danger they'd put her in was almost enough to excuse the act.
And now, now that Shay knew the entire truth, how could she not sympathize with the woman sitting across from her after everything they'd been through?
"I know. I'm sorry." Val pleaded. "I'm trying not to keep secrets anymore. I want to be completely honest with you."
Shay blinked a couple of times and pursed her lips. Honesty. That might be nice. "Ok."
Val's hand went to Shay's knee, where she lightly squeezed. "I just wanted you to know that even though Noah is gone, you still have people here for you. Not just me, either."
Oh right.
Noah was gone.
Val's revelation briefly distracted her from the knowledge that her best friend had abandoned her. Upon remembering, she felt a familiar lump in her throat that wasn't going to go away.
"I appreciate that." Shay's voice was soft as she tried to squelch the impending tears of doom. Once she let one out, they would all break free like the white walkers at Winterfell.
"I'll let you get some more rest but you're getting up tomorrow, alright?"
"Ok."
After squeezing her knee one last time, Shay watched her mother leave the room. Then she finally released the dam holding her tears, letting them fall until the river ran dry.
*******
The next day was a blur, and not because of the concussion. Shay couldn't think about much else besides the fact that she felt alone again. Even though she felt better, and now knew she had a mother, she didn't want to leave her bed. She couldn't bear the thought of going to her room again and not seeing Noah in the one across the hall. She didn't want to use the sink and not worry about running into him. She'd rather stay here while the memories of that night came back, reinforcing her bad mood.
Summer came in at one point to check in. She expressed her relief at Shay's well-being and also mentioned how sad she was that Noah was gone. "He'll come back," she had said before leaving. She was so confident about it, and Shay wasn't sure if Summer was trying to convince Shay or herself. Jon and Eli had also visited her a couple of times but didn't say much. They seemed to do it more out of obligation, or maybe by Val's suggestion. Still, it did help to know that she had people that still supported her.
The day after that first conversation with Val, she came back in. The expression on her face was a little less compassionate and more serious, like usual. Shay actually preferred it.
"Get out of bed. You can't stay here forever." Val ordered.
"One more day."
Val sighed. "You can't give up on yourself, Shay."
Shay brought her gaze up to meet Val's. Her voice was soft. "Is there really nothing we can do to get him back?"
Val sighed before sitting at the foot of the bed. Her smile was sad, letting Shay know that she didn't want to hear what she was about to say. "Honestly, we probably could find him and bring him back. But we can't do that, do you know why?"
"No."
"The reason Noah left was solely to save you from Marconi. He threatened your life and Noah did what he had to to save it."
Shay let that sink in as a memory flashed behind her eyes: Noah's face when he saw her tied to the chair, furious and agonizing, his emotions so intense that he couldn't even look at her. Despite her concussion, she still remembered that face.
"But that doesn't mean we can't try to help him-"
"Yes it does." Val interrupted. "If we go after him, he'll have sacrificed himself in vain. You'd be in danger again and you know he doesn't want that."
She was right. Fuck. Shay hated how smart Val could be sometimes, how rational. All she had thought about was how badly she wanted Noah back, despite the cost.
"But I can't just let him go." Shay persisted. "I can't."
Val put a hand on Shay's thigh and squeezed lightly. "If you want to save him like he saved you, than that's exactly what you have to do."
Tears brimmed at her eyes, threatening to escape. Who was she, if Noah wasn't by her side? He knew more about her than anyone, understood her better than anyone, and knew exactly how to make her smile. She would never find someone like that again. Never.
"I know this is hard but you're not alone, Shay. No matter what, you'll never be alone again." Val smiled again before standing up. She moved to the door, opened it, and turned back around. "I hope we'll see you downstairs. Everyone's waiting."
Then she left, and Shay stared at the door until her heart started beating again.
With a new wave of energy, Shay moved her covers aside and stepped onto the white tile floor. Her muscles felt weak from having been dormant for so long but it felt good to be on her feet again. She walked slowly to the door dressed in a robe and a loose hospital gown, padding her way down the hall and into the kitchen.
Everyone was sitting at the breakfast bar when Val and Shay got there. All three heads turned to look at them with sly smiles on the face.
It was Summer who spoke. "Glad to see you're back."
Shay's lips turned up into a grin as she nodded. She looked at each of their faces, gratitude and positivity lighting her up at the show of support. Summer had been right all of those nights ago. When you're in, you're in. She had a family, or at least the makings of one.
"Go get dressed then, we gotta get your strength back up." Summer urged.
Shay shuffled past them and up the stairs, stopping when she reached her door. Hesitating, she turned around and opened Noah's instead.
His room was just as he left it. Bed unmade, random clothes scattered across the floor, and video games stacked up high on his desk. She pictured his face for a second, concentrating on the details of his strong jawline and the stubble that seemed to be always present on his face.
With a sigh, she stepped back into the hall and closed the door behind her. Noah was gone, and he couldn't come back. As hard as that was to swallow, Shay tried before continuing onto her room and shedding off layers of hospital clothing. She peeked at the marks on her body in the mirror before letting hot water wash over them in the shower. Then she put on fresh clothes, something badass, something that represented strength. She was here again, in this house, with her family. They had her back and she would have theirs, her loyalty finally matching that of her mother.
For the first time in her life, she knew exactly where she belonged.
And maybe, just maybe, the person she belonged with would find his way home as well.
The End
(for now)