We Come Alive 5

"He Didn't Do Anything!"

Wednesday morning came around and the usual routine for Manny had begun. She woke up, took a shower and got dressed, and went into the nursery when Esmeralda started crying. She calmed her, bounced her, then fed her.

Unlike her usual morning where she'd go into the living room and watch tv while giving Esmeralda breakfast, Manny walked back into her room to see Esmeralda's dad, Bryce.

Bryce yawned as he sat on the end of Manny's bed and scrolled through his phone. He looked up at them, his face lighting up when planting his eyes on his little girl.

Esmeralda pushed her bottle out her mouth that Manny had given her and started squealing. Manny handed her off to Bryce so they could bond while Manny went to the living room to see her mom. The moment she walked in, she saw Kiara making herself some coffee since Mateo had already left for work. Kiara smiled as she sipped her coffee that was filling the house with its aroma.

"Buenos días." Manny yawned, adjusting Esmeralda in her arms.

"Buenos días, mija." Kiara beamed. "¿Cómo estás?"

Manny shrugged one shoulder. "Bien." She whispered. "Qué hay?"

Kiara watched her daughter sit down on the couch. "Your dad may need your help after practice."

Manny frowned. "Why? I was planning on spending the day with Bryce and Esmeralda. First day in...months that he hasn't had to work all day."

Kiara gave Manny a half smile. "Fine, I'll deal with your father, but you may need to start getting use to responsibility. You'll need a job soon."

Manny nodded her head slowly, listening to her mom speak. "I did have a job. I was an intern for a football team."

Kiara snickered at her daughter, but smiled brightly at her granddaughter rushing out the back hall in her walk-a-bout walker. Bryce walked behind Esmeralda as she giggled and bounced into the kitchen.

Bryce walked around Esmeralda and to Manny, flopping down next to her. "Hey." He breathed, smiling at her.

Manny smirked back. "Hey. What time you wanna go?"

Bryce looked back at Esmeralda then to Manny. "I'll shower and get her dressed, you can relax. It'll take me about..." He thought for a moment. "Fifteen minutes. Not too long."

Manny nodded her head, looking into his brown eyes when he stared back at her. "She looks just like you."

Bryce chuckled. "Good, cause I'm beautiful."

Manny rolled her eyes and tried to get up but Bryce wrapped his arms around her and brought her back down with a laugh. "I'm just messing with you. She's got that Sanchez attitude. So you know she's gonna be a great woman."

Manny playfully kissed Bryce's cheek then pushed him up to go get ready.

~**~

After being in school for hours, working out in the sun, and practicing for their baseball playoffs, the six star players joined Mateo, Ricky, Victor, Sam, Danny, Manny with Esmeralda, Kiara, and Andrew, who had came down to visit from college, in the athletic building for some down time.

Andrew sat back in his chair in the waiting area of the offices while Ethan continued his rant about the baseball team. When he finished, Mateo just shook his head and snickered.

"Alright as lovely as your hatred for working out in the sun is, y'all need to have another matchy matchy cutesy moment again at the first playoff game." Mateo informed them. "Y'all are gonna be showing tribute to the military. So, you'll be wearing some type of camouflage in honor of them or the American flag."

Mateo glanced over to Kiara who was sitting next to him. "Can you make that happen for me?" He smiled. "The games Friday. Away game."

Kiara glared at her long time love. "I have all of tomorrow? For twenty teenagers plus two coaches and a trainer? Way to give me a warning." She scoffed.

Mateo kissed her cheek then looked back at the teenagers and his co-workers around him. "Anyway, you'll stand on the field for the anthem, no kneeling and hats off. They fought for your rights."

Victor looked around at the teenagers and just saw them nodding their heads. He glanced next to him at Sam and snickered. "For once they're silent."

Sam smirked back. "I know. I always wondered what it's like not to hear their voices constantly."

"We can still hear you." Stephen scoffed. "You're three feet away from us! What the hell?!"

Sam and Victor laughed while the boys and Clover just complained. Danny snickered while standing up from his seat just as Esmerelda started fussing in Manny's arms. Manny bounced her, but ultimately decided to follow Danny to the infirmary so she could try and calm down Esmeralda in privacy. Danny just went into his office while Manny sat on one of the examination tables.

"Do you want kids?"

Danny froze in his spot as he grabbed his car keys and phone off his desk. "Kids?" He repeated. "I mean...yeah. I'd love to have kids but I don't think I'm ready yet."

By the time Danny turned around, Manny was standing in the doorway with Esmerelda in her arms chewing on a ball of gauze she found since she was teething. "I had her and I'm eighteen, I feel like you'd be a pretty good father. You do sit around here taking care of a bunch of testosterone filled football players. Now baseball, basketball, track, and whatever else stars? I think you could deal with a dirty diaper when you have to deal with concussions, broken bones, and whatever else happens to them."

Danny chuckled, kindly taking Esmeralda when Manny handed her over. "You got lucky, she's a cute one. She's a good baby, too. I could deal with having babies if she was mine."

Manny chuckled, but they all jumped when they heard someone banging on the athletic building door. When they walked out, they saw Victor opening the door while everyone else stood around behind him wanting to see what was happening. When Victor opened the door wide enough, they saw three police officers standing there in their uniforms.

"Can I help you?" Victor asked, gripping on tightly to the door.

The officer in the middle nodded his head. "Yes, is there a Richard Barnes here? His car is in the parking lot and we believe he works here. We have a warrant for his arrest."

Victor didn't have time to say anything before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Ricky gently moving him to the side.

"I'm Richard." Ricky sighed, holding his hands up.

The two officers on either side of the one in the middle grabbed Ricky's arms and pushed him against the nearest wall. Clover instantly pushed through the boys and ran to her boyfriend.

"You can't take him! He didn't do anything!" Clover screamed, but before she could reach Ricky, Diego grabbed her and pulled her back. "He's innocent! He didn't do anything!"

Ricky didn't say anything as they padded down his pockets and took out his keys, wallet, and phone. He let them put him in hand cuffs and pull him off the wall.

"Richard Barnes, you're under arrest for assault and violating your probation. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand your rights as I have read them to you?"

Ricky didn't reply.

"Do you wish to speak to me?"

Ricky didn't reply.

Clover ran outside trying to follow him, but Jose caught her before she could. "Ricky!" She cried. "He didn't do anything."

Jose gently let Clover go when Manny pushed past everyone and engulfed Clover in a hug. She turned her away so she didn't see them putting Ricky in the back of the squad car and drive away with him.