We Can See STARS

Future Chapter 19: February 2029

It had been weeks since I heard from Ana. Weeks!! It felt strange to not be a part of my best friend's life and I worried for her. I just tried to keep in mind that as a mother of twins she was busier than most. But even then, weeks? When they were born, I promised her I'd support in every way I knew I would be able to. She struggled with the decision but once they were here I could tell she had nothing but the deepest love for them. Benn too had sacrificed to show his dedication to his new family. Knowing she may not have had time or energy to get back to me, I still texted her encouragement without the expectation of her getting back to me. Finally, one day after the season had started, the team was on the road and I had decided I'd had enough. So I packed up my two and made my way to her house. I left them in the car as it was running and knocked on her door. Nothing. I knocked again. Still nothing. I peeked in their garage and her car was definitely there.

Worry flushed into my face as I realized this could be bigger than ignoring me. I knocked harder and louder, I texted and called. It was at that point I dug up their hide a key and let myself in. The house was a mess and I could hear her toddlers crying in the background. "Ana?!?!" I ran into her room. Just as I walked in she turned around, headphones on, and looked at me. "Hey D." Her smile didn't quite make it up to her eyes.

"Hey Ana, what's going on?"

"Oh, uh, nothing much. How are you doing?"

"Ana, what are you talking about? I haven't heard from you in MONTHS! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing great."

"Okay but just so you know, I don't believe you." Her face tightened a little. I got up and went to the window opening the black out curtains and light suddenly filled the room. All I could think as I took in the scene was that I was gonna kill Benn. He said nothing, even to Jamie. I went to the kitchen to get her something to eat and drink. When I came back to her room, she was hiding under the covers. I sat with her while she ate her food in silence. "So, here's what's going to happen; I'm going to call my nanny and have her take my kids for the next 24 hours. While I'm doing that, we'll run you a bath and you go freshen yourself up. Then we'll take care of your two." Still silent, she continued staring me down. "That's the decision. So go make it happen." As if she was a teenager again, she got up and stomped around the room. I just rolled my eyes at her and got the water running.

When I got back to her room, she was sitting on the edge of the bed again. So I pushed her up, pushed her to the bathroom and let her take care of the rest, trusting she could at least get in since everything else was done. In the meantime, I called my nanny while making bottles for the kids. My nanny agreed to this huge assignment and I promised her the moon in thanks.

With her kids now changed and happy with their bottles, I kissed the tops of their little heads and drove my own back home where the nanny was already waiting for me. "I honestly canNOT thank you enough for coming in such short notice. I just ran into an emergency and I trust you the most. Please don't hesitate to call or text for whatever. Thank you thank you!"

Rushing back to Ana's house, I took the chance to call my Jamie, knowing that he should have at least a few minutes to talk. "J?"

"Hey D- woah! What's wrong?"

"Make sure Benn is okay. Don't let him off easy."

"Okay...?"

"The kids are with the nanny. I'm with Ana. I love you."

"Wait! Wait! What's going on?"

"I don't think they've been doing too well lately. I'm over at their house taking care of Ana and the twins.

"Okay, kid. Love you." Even though everything in me wanted to bash Benn's face in, there was a good chance he was dealing with a fair amount of stress too. Walking back into the house, Ana was out of the bath and sitting on the edge of her bed in a bathrobe staring into space.