Girl Meets Second Chances

Three

Several stairs later and more than a little out of breath; Maya reaches the second floor of her building. She still hasn't decided anything when it comes to her father, but for now that's okay. She knows she'll figure things out eventually. And maybe figuring things out means giving him another chance? Life seems to finally be going her way. She has the family she always wanted, Shawn officially adopted her, and she has the greatest friends anyone can ever have. Maybe the universe is bringing her father back into her life too? She isn't so sure about any of it but as she rounds the corner and sees her father waiting outside her door she can't help but think maybe.

"Hey Maya," he says, getting up from his spot on the floor. "I wouldn't have waited but I really need to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what is it?"

He hesitates.

"Um...could we go inside and talk?"

She glances back at the door, knowing that her mom will be home soon.

"It might be better if we talk out here."

"Okay," he says, uneasily. "I uh... I actually wanted to bring this up yesterday when I came to see you but it never seemed like the right time. But um..." He struggles to get the words out, looking more uncomfortable than she has ever seen him and she can feel her own unease building in her chest.

"What's going on?"

He runs a hand through his hair, letting out a long, slow breath.

"Sophie has leukemia. She needs a bone marrow transplant and her doctors say that a donor who's a close relative is our best option. The only thing is me, her mom, and KJ aren't matches. I was hoping that you would get tested to see if you were a match."

It all comes out in a single breath and when he's finished it feels like every last bit of sound and air has been sucked from the small hallway. She stands there trying to process exactly what he's saying but she just can't wrap her mind around it.

"Maya..."

"So, that's why you're here," she finally says, more to herself than to him. "You know you could've just asked. You didn't have to pretend like you wanted to be in my life."

"It's not like that," he says. "As much as I want you to do this for Sophie, I was serious about wanting you to give me another chance."

"Really," she asks, unconvinced. "If you didn't need me to take this test, would you even be here right now?"

Her father gets quiet, his eyes moving to a spot on the ground. It's a long time before he's able to look at her again.

"I'd liked to believe that I would," he says, but she doesn't believe him. She has no reason to but she isn't going to stand in the way if this can save her little sister's life.

"I'll do the test," she says, struggling to talk around the lump in her throat. "I have to talk to mom first but I'll do it."

"Thank you," he says, and she can see that like her, he's holding back tears. She doesn't want to cry in front of him so she turns to the door, fumbling to get her key out. He remains behind her waiting for her to get inside.

"Maya," he says softly. "Please listen to me."

But she ignores him. As soon as she gets the door open she goes inside and shuts it behind her. That's when she breaks down. With her back against the door and tears running down her face, she can hear her father's footsteps as he walks away. It's a sound she's familiar with, one she's memorized as a little girl and it is still just as heartbreaking. But she isn't mad at him. This is who he is, at least when it comes to her. The only person to blame is herself. She let herself believe that her father actually wanted to be in her life. The tears continue to fall and behind her blurred vision she doesn't notice Shawn walking out from the kitchen.

"What's the matter kiddo?"

He approaches her cautiously, like the wrong move might scare her off but the first thing she does when she sees him is run and bury her face in his shirt. He wraps his arms around her.

"Whatever it is," he says. "We'll get through it together."

And that's all that she needs to hear because unlike her father, Maya knows that she can always count on Shawn.

After she stops crying and has taken some time to compose herself, Maya tells Shawn everything. And after she gets him to calm down, she drags him with her to Topanga's to talk to her mom. They find her behind the register counting the day's earnings and before her mom has the chance to even say hello, Maya blurts out the whole thing.

"What kind of man goes to a teenage girl with something like this," her mom says, pacing between her and Shawn.

"That's exactly what I said," Shawn chimes in, his earlier anger returning. "He's shouldn't have put this all on Maya."

"I want to do it," Maya blurts out, causing her mom and Shawn to stop and focus their attention back on her. Her mom sighs.

"I know you do," she says, moving over to Maya and putting her arm around her. "You're a good person and I'm willing to go along with whatever you want as long as you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Shawn moves to the other side of her, bringing his arms around them both.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he says, and for the first time Maya believes that it will. As long as she has her family, she's going to be okay. She's sure of it.