Gerald rolled his eyes. “Come on. Don’t pull out the custody card right now.”
“It’s not a ‘card.’ It’s the law. I am responsible for them.”
“Yeah?” Gerald crossed his arms. “And what ‘law’ is that now? The only rules that matter now are the ones that get us to tomorrow. But go ahead and leave if you don’t like it here.”
“Gerald.” Maya looked at Laura and Aiden. “Can we talk about this privately?”
“I’m leaving.” Reno looked at Luke, Cameron, Aiden, and Laura. “And anyone else who wants to live can come with me.”
“I’m not going without Dad,” Laura said.
Then Aiden started shouting at Laura. Luke tried calming down the kids while Maya stepped in between Gerald and Reno, who had started their own shouting match. Maya closed her eyes and put her fingers on each temple.
“Everyone, stop it! Now!”
The group went silent and looked at her. Maya took a deep breath, scanning the faces of her family and friends.
“I’ll be deciding whether my family goes or stays. And no matter what I do, you are all free to stay, or go.” She looked at Gerald and Reno respectively as she said those last words. “But I will make the decision for my children without anybody’s help, thank you very much.”
Maya brushed past Reno and Gerald on her way to the door, trying her best to be strong for the sake of her kids while hiding her tears.
33
She’d been in the bathroom for too long, and knew Laura or Aiden would come knocking, asking if she was okay. Still, Maya needed a few minutes alone, away from everyone, to clear her head and prepare herself for the battle she knew was coming.
After splashing some water on her face and weakly smiling into the mirror, Maya headed back to the room where everyone had been eating earlier, and where the argument between Reno and Gerald had broken out. She hadn’t had enough time to think about whether she would leave with the kids or stay, but she knew she would be forced to make the decision sooner rather than later. Reno would probably leave the base soon, but she hoped she could talk him into giving her the time she needed to decide what she wanted to do.
When she walked into the lounge, Maya heard water running and dishes clanking. She opened the door to the kitchen to see the room empty except for Cameron, who stood in front of the sink with a stack of dirty dishes in it. She glanced back when Maya opened the door, flashing a quick smile before returning to scrubbing the plate in her hand.
Shoving her hands into her pockets, Maya walked past the pile of dirty dishes and stood next to Cameron.
“How about you wash and I dry?”
Cameron grinned without looking up from the dirty dish water. “Sounds good.”
Maya grabbed a rag and started to dry the dishes as Cameron handed them to her.
“Where did everyone go?”
“Gerald and all three of the kids went to play video games.”
“You mean the four kids went to play video games. And Reno?”
Cameron shrugged. “Don’t know. He took off out of here right after you did. Probably went back to his room if I had to guess.”
Maya needed to talk to him, but she wasn’t ready. She didn’t know why, but her internal voice told her she had to figure some things out first.
“So, I guess you patched everything up with Gerald?”
“Yeah, I’m still pissed at him, but I’m mostly over it. He explained why he did what he did, and I still don’t agree with it, but life’s too short to be so angry. What about you?”
Maya scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over what he did.”
“I understand. I mean, I don’t have kids of my own, but I can see why you’d be upset.”
Maya couldn’t get Cameron to make eye contact with her yet, as if the woman was trying to avoid getting into anything deep or vulnerable with her. Maya wouldn’t relent, so she prodded. “But?”
Cameron sighed, and she set down the dish that was in her hand, then looked at Maya. “What would you have done if you were in his shoes?”
There wasn’t any spite in her voice. It was an honest question.
“I would have come after my kids. But I wouldn’t have kidnapped them, not telling Gerald where I was headed. And he left my mom helpless after treating her like shit. I would never have left her there the way he did.”
“And he regrets that. He feels awful about it.”
Maya took a step back and tilted her head to the side. “He said that?”
“He did. You really need to talk to him again. I know he put you through hell, but his intentions weren’t cruel. You have to know that.”
Maya sighed, looking down at the counter. As much as she wanted to keep her anger burning, Cameron made her pause. If she had been in Gerald’s position, she would have done nearly the same thing. But she still wasn’t sure she’d be able to forgive him any time soon. He’d caused her so much angst, so much pain. And maybe she was being selfish—the kids were fine, but she wasn’t. Maya had been taking his actions as a stab at her instead of as a parent looking out for his kids.
“Besides,” Cameron said. “Think about it. If he hadn’t done what he did, you wouldn’t have made such an awesome friend like me.”
Maya chuckled. “Yeah, I’d probably still think you were just a ho.”
“I highly resent that, bitch.” Cameron laughed, bumping shoulder to shoulder with Maya.
Maya laughed also before turning to Cameron and grabbing onto her hand. She used her other to lift Cameron’s chin until they were staring into each other’s eyes.
“You know, moving forward, I want things to be different. I had all the wrong ideas about you. You’re a good person, and I want to stay your friend when all this is over. Hell, the kids adore you anyway.”
“Oh, shut up.” Cameron gently slapped Maya’s hand away and refocused on a plate with spaghetti stuck to it. “No, they don’t.”
“They do. I mean, I tuned a lot of it out when they talked about you, but some of the better stuff made it through the filter.”
Cameron’s face twisted. “Thanks?”
Maya winked at Cameron before picking the dish rag up to dry the last couple of dishes.
“In all seriousness, it means a lot to hear you say that, Maya. And I want you to know that I think you’re a natural leader, and that whatever you decide, I’m going to support your decision. If you choose to leave with Reno, I’ll do my best to help convince Gerald that we should all go. And if you decide you want to stay, then I’ll support you on that, too.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate that.”
Cameron handed the last clean plate to Maya and then let her hair down as Maya dried it. She exhaled and stepped back from the counter.
“Now that this is done, I’m gonna go grab that shower I’ve been dreaming about.”
“Go enjoy it while you can. It’s quite nice.”
“I will. And you let me know if you need anything.”
Maya watched Cameron leave and felt a twinge in her stomach. She had begun to care deeply about Cameron, like she did her best and oldest friends, but something told her that Gerald would never leave the base, and that Cameron would fall back into old patterns.
34
Maya headed down the hallway toward Reno’s room. She regretted that she hadn’t spoken much to him since arriving at the base, but her mind had been occupied with other things—like her children. Seeing Reno had shaken her, too, because she’d thought he was dead. So, unfortunately, other than their initial conversation, she hadn’t talked to him. Maya knew her partner well, though, and it had become apparent that something had been troubling him. Something more than just the rotten situation they had all been thrown into.