| Episode: | Season 1, Episode 1 – Chaos! At The Gala |
| Location: | Outside Stelvik Elementary |
| Written By: | Rhys Bennett Natasha Ross |
| Date: | 08/10/2026 |
| Word Count: | 1,144 |
The school day was nearly over, Rhys had been standing near the entry into the elementary school for, well he didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. His white coat was still over the top of his scrubs from an early morning shift. His hours at the medical center were always different, and he’d have the next two days off.
There was a layer of stress riding over his face as he watched the first group of students coming out of the school. Then he noticed the twins’ teacher coming down the steps and toward him. He looked up, seeing the very top of the station’s third petal above his head. Then Rhys looked back down as Ms. Ross got closer to him.
Natasha stopped, “Mister Bennett,” She said and waved him down as she practically swam through a pack of students that were in her way. Many of them were much younger students than the grade level Rhys’s children were in. “Do you have a moment?”
Rhys shrugged, he hadn’t really been there to talk to the teacher about his twin children. “I suppose.” He answered. The look on her face seemed to indicate to him that he had little choice in the matter anyway. He crossed his arms over his chest, “How can I help you Ms. Ross?”
Natasha managed to finally break free from the crowd, “Sorry to interrupt your wait for your twins they’ll be out shortly.” She said, “I wanted to just talk to you quickly about something. And please call me Natasha. I only have to be Ms. Ross inside the building.” She laughed somewhat nervously.
Rhys furrowed his brow, his face scrunching a little bit as he had done so. “Is there a problem with them?” He asked her. Both of his children were halfway through their fourth grade year, and honestly he was ready for them to enter middle school.
She shook her head, “No not really, though they both seemed really nervous today?” Natasha questioned, “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. Is everything at home all right?”
Rhys didn’t think it was really any of her business nor of any concern for the teacher. But, her questions seemed genuine enough, and he hardly doubted that this woman didn’t really care all that much. As long as she wasn’t prying into the personal business of his children, or him, he didn’t see any real issue with it.
Rhys also thought that, of course they are nervous they haven’t seen their mother in years and they’re about to visit her. Even Rhys thought this was a bad idea, but some judge somewhere thought it was time. If anything the woman belonged in the psychiatric center and not sitting in a prison cell on the station. But, Rhys thought that was an entirely different matter.
“I’m not surprised they were nervous today,” He told her calmly though he was trying to not grit his teeth at having to speak the words.
Natasha sensed a small amount of hostility, though she wasn’t sure if it was directed toward her or something else entirely. The man had also admitted he wasn’t at all surprised by the nervous behavior of his two children. “Is everything all right at home?”
Rhys stood there, he’d not answered either of her questions. Though, he felt as if he’d at least confirmed something for her. In the same moment his shoulders seemed to lower he also released a soft sigh from somewhere deep. “Yeah,” He answered. Another wave of children came out, but they weren’t fourth graders. Rhys watched them walk past, “Everything’s fine at home.” He told her and knew she’d inevitably pry further.
Before she had a chance to do so he just went ahead and said it, “Some judge somewhere on the station thought it would be good for the twins to finally visit their mother. They’ve not seen her since they were very little. I doubt they even remember her, that might be why they’re so nervous.”
“Oh,” Natasha said, “Where’s their mother if you don’t mind me asking?”
Rhys barely avoided rolling his eyes at the question. Not prying? He internally rolled his eyes and huffed a little bit. This really wasn’t her business or any of her concern, but since it seemed to be affecting his children in her classroom he spoke up about it anyway. “Their mother is in prison. She’s been in prison ever since she attempted to drown them as toddlers.”
Natasha stared blankly for a moment. That was a revelation she’d not exactly anticipated and given how her brother acted around their parents it was an effective revelation within the confines of that relationship as well. She drew a sharp breath, “Oh.” She managed to say finally but her mind was reeling from the comment.
Natasha wondered if the twins remembered it, that perhaps that’s why they were nervous about meeting their mother. Somehow she didn’t think Rhys would have told them why their mother was in prison, even now when they were both ten years old. Or, would he? “They don’t know why she’s there?”
Rhys shook his head, “Not unless someone told them, and I haven’t. I don’t want them to have a bad opinion of their mother. The time she’s spent in prison probably has painted a bad enough picture of her already, in their eyes anyway.” Rhys wasn’t nervous about his children meeting with their mother, he was nervous about them finding out the truth.
It was an event in their young lives that Rhys rather hated talking about. He nearly lost them both, had he not walked in and caught her in the act… He didn’t want to think about that anymore than he already did quite regularly. “They’re probably just nervous because of where she’s at.”
Natasha nodded her head slowly, “So… She probably doesn’t have much longer there does she?”
Rhys didn’t know the answer to that question, and he wasn’t about to speculate either. “I’ve been actively trying to get her sent to a psychiatric center for treatment.” He answered, “So far the judiciary has kept her in the prison.” He shrugged, then he saw the fourth grade class coming out. “If you don’t mind I would really rather not discuss this around them.”
Natasha nodded, she understood completely. “Thanks for at least being open about it,” She told him. “If any problems arise after the visit I’ll let you know at once.” And, Natasha left. Maybe it was time that she actually confronted her brother about his disdain toward their parents?
Rhys watched her walk way, before turning and seeing the bobbing head of his twins coming toward him. He breathed a sigh of relief, they had to talk to Ms. Gibson before the visit. But, that wasn’t until tomorrow anyway.