Maia shows hesitance to return to Ferndale after having the perfect life in Thames but after her friend kidnaps her baby JJ, Maia decides to move back. The Jeffries start to notice Maia showing no affection towards JJ and Maia eventually reveals JJ has been diagnosed with the same illness Ian has, with some help Maia comes to love her son. Maia develops a crush on both Brooke Freeman (Beth Allen) and good friend, Alice Piper (Toni Potter). When Alice's boyfriend Ethan (Owen Black) discovers Maia's secret, he publicly humiliates her and gets her suspended from work. Maia later finds out he is responsible for Yvonne getting bone cancer. In December Ethan is shot three times by an unseen gunman and dies.