Project Family: New Life

Month One

A week after Deborah told them all the news, they all made sure they did what they could to help her in any way they could. The men were the ones that stayed with her the most. Woodland didn't understand what was happening but could tell it was something important. Samantha and Benjamin were put in charge of watching over Woodland, feeding Bailey, and being backup in case the men couldn't be there for Deborah. For the first couple of days, Deborah stayed downstairs, but she ended up moving upstairs and staying in her room all the time. She told the others that she needed to stay near a bathroom, for many reasons now. No one pushed for an answer but understood why she would need that. After the first few weeks passed, the men were downstairs watching over the kids just as often as Samantha and Benjamin. Benjamin had gotten closer to Wesley over time. Benjamin enjoyed getting to know his father finally. However, he feels as though he is losing his mother now.

"What are you thinking about son?", he's snapped out of his thoughts and looks up to see Wesley standing close to him, looking slightly tired, patiently waiting for an answer with a kind smile.

"Oh, sorry. I got lost in thought.", Benjamin went to stand and leave, but Wesley placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and guides him over to the couch, sitting him down.

"I can tell something is going on in that mind of yours. Come on, tell me.", Wesley smirks softly, then leans his face into his propped-up hand. Benjamin looks at Wesley, takes a deep breath in, and answers truthfully.

"All right, you got me. I'm missing mom.", he cringes a bit and looks at Wesley to see his reaction. Wesley was looking back, sighing sadly, then nods, smiling warmly.

"I understand that, better than the others. I know it's hard, but there is a good reason for why you can't see her.", Benjamin nods his head, smiles under his mask, stands up, and walks away. Wesley sighs, hoping he got his point across without being too harsh. He then stands and walks over to Bailey and switches places with Matthew.

Matthew breathes out, then stands, and can feel that his stomach is calmer than it normally would be. Which means that Deborah is doing well today. He walks through the room to get to the kitchen and can hear sniffling down the hall near the stairs. He follows the sound and finds Benjamin to be sitting at the foot of the stairs, crying in his arms.

"Hey, kiddo. What are you doing over here? And crying?", Benjamin's head flies up, and he tries to wipe away all the tears he's cried.

"Hey, no, don't hide it. Syntec may have taught you that, but that's not how we roll.", Matthew smirks, trying to put Benjamin at ease. It works, as Benjamin nods and stops wiping them away.

"Sorry, Matt. I-I'm just missing Mom a lot. Wes said I can't see her for a reason. I don't want to bother her."

"I get that kid. I would miss my mom too if I couldn't see her for weeks. But let me tell you something. You know how I'm in-tune with her body right?", he watches Benjamin nod his head.

"Every day I know how she feels. And today, she is feeling the best she has in four days. If you are quick, quiet, and don't let Nosey Wesley know, you can run up there and talk to her for a bit.", Benjamin looks to Matthew with hopeful eyes and stands up, starting to move up the stairs. Matthew stands as well.

"Hmm, I just don't know where he went. It's a big house but I just can't seem to find Benji boy!", Matthew turns to Benjamin, winks, then walks off. Benjamin hid a giggle and ran up the stairs, taking this opportunity.

Deborah hasn't seen anyone in days. She had moved upstairs about two weeks ago and was left alone. She does see Matthew at times when he brings her food to see if she can consume it. She also sees Wesley. He comes in, checks on her, and sometimes would give her a back massage or help her with some self-care that she neglects sometimes. Deborah wished she could see the others more, but bathrooms are mostly based in bedrooms, not spread through the house at every turn. She wouldn't be able to make it to a bathroom in time if she was downstairs. However, she woke up this morning and felt better than normal. She called Wesley up and asked if she could come down, but he insisted that she stay in her room. He was too nervous that it could be temporary and didn't want her to get stuck in that situation. She was reading a book when she heard a soft knock on her door.