sliceitwithwind

Aya didn't think it odd to see Aunt Lenna's coworkers. A lot of them were parents too! It made sense. When the Principal started to wend towards the bus, that was normal too.

What wasn't normal was some kid dashing to intercept the boys as they came down. That was her job...so she hopped off the fence to start fighting through the crowd.

Dilan is silent, disbelieving, for a long moment. Then the principal and Lenna's co-workers come to surround them. Dilan just - collapses as the reality of it all sinks in, Braig catching him and staring.

Staring for just a minute before the screaming starts. Braig doesn't do well with people screwing up Dilan's head.

What. The. Hell? Aya couldn't see anything through the sea of people, but the screaming came through loud and clear. "MOVE IT! NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THEM? I SAID MOVE!" she screamed a bit frantically, starting to apply elbows and feet to the back of people's knees. Yes,m even adults. She had to get there.

Dilan's got his face in Braig's shirt and is just crying quietly, Braig is stuck between wanting to hit someone and wanting to hold his kitty-boy while the younger boy cries.

"Aya! Hit the red-head there!"

"Okay!" the target had the time for a brief yelp of shock before Aya was on him. If this was his fault? Aya was not letting him go. "What's going on?! What did this kid do?"

It was about then that one of Lenna's coworkers grabbed the back of Aya's shirt.

"He told Dilan that his mom died!" Braig says, and the principal breaks in with, "I'm sorry. Let's take this inside."

"She what?!" Aya clung to the red-head that much tighter as adults tried to pry her away. She'd been out of the loop on this one..."Oh water, that's not good." that was quieter as the fight suddenly went out of her.

Dilan's mom was gone. Sure, she wasn't a very good Mom, but she was still a mom and..."Let me go, I won't hit him anymore!" she just...had t get to Dilan now.

It's not like they didn't know where the kid lived.

She's let go, and Braig pulls her into the hugging. Dilan can't quite make himself stop clinging to Braig (he's afraid he'd fall down), but he shakes a little less when Aya is there to hold him too.

The adults start trying to herd the three kids inside, where Dilan can be taken care of better.

It took some careful coordination to get Dilan inside. It was more like carrying than helping him walk. That was okay though, it was better than letting him go. Since he was clinging to Braig, Aya took it as her job to pet his hair and whisper nonsense at him. It was all she could think of?

"Whre's Aunt Elcy and Uncle Tallis? Why aren't they here?" she finally asked the hovering adults.

"They're taking care of funeral things." one of the nurses, Sanni, informs Aya, "They'll be here as soon as they can.

"I shoulda been here." Dilan whispers.

"Oh..."

"NO!" Aya's denial of Dilan's whisper was sudden and fierce. And maaaybe her grip was just a little tighter. "It's not your fault! Being here...no! You'll make yourself sick thinking that!" she knew. She had experience.

"She needed me."

Braig just keeps rocking him, soothing noises the best he can do.

"Not every minute. Not every day! You keep telling me it's not my job to look after my dad, so it's wasn't your job either! She was an adult!" Aya would probably say this a lot...it'd taken her years to accept it, so, yeah.

"I - yeah - I - " he can't really come up with anything else to say.

"Yeah." Aya reiterated, just to be sure. "We're here. We're staying here. We'll take over the big bed at home again okay?"

"Okay. Don't leave."

The adults look at each other helplessly, then one of them murmurs, "Braig's parents will be taking you in, Dilan. They've already made arrangements."

"Not gonna leave." Aya promised fiercely. "Ever ever. Except maybe to the bathroom but I'll come right back okay?" she'd stay glued to him in one way or another until he didn't want her too.

"And see? You don't have to move! We're still staying with Braig!"

Dilan keeps clinging to them, "Okay." he says softly, "Okay."

"Pardon, excuse me, the children are still here?" Nevada had come back from his appointment fully expecting to be bombarded by excited chattering and camping stories. It had been disturbing to be unable to find the children...and phone call to Braig's fathe's cell phone yielded strained and tearful results.

"Kids?" he called, unwilling to push through the crowd of nurses. "I'll take you home...please, ladies?"

"Uncle Nevada!" Braig calls, "We're here!"

Nevada was glad to hear Braig's voice, even if 'Uncle' still threw him. Several years and it still threw him. Regardless..."Ladies, make a path." he started stepping through the nurses, fully expecting the women to move.

Once he could stand over the trio, he knelt "Dilan? Dilan I'm going to carry you to my jeep. Are you alright with that?"

Dilan wraps his arms around Nevada's neck, nodding. Braig pushes nurses away, making the hole bigger for Nevada's sake. "You can call later. Tonight."

Nevada cradled the boy carefully, making allowances for the fact that Aya wasn't letting go of Dilan's hand. "Thank you, Ladies." he offered quietly, incredibly relieved that Braig was clearing the way.

"Brea, Braig...where were your bags left? I'll get them once you're all strapped in." because it seemed best to let them all stay together.

"They're under the bus." Braig says quietly, "I can go get them, if you want."

"Nu uh." Dilan says, "Don't go away. Please."

Jeeps had easy access, he just swung Dilan up and over the side to settle him in the backseat. "No, Braig, I can handle bags easily enough. You two get into the back, you're needed." he turned to lift Aya in, then offered a boost to Braig.

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