Love Me Anyway

Chapter Twelve

Maya

"Carina!" I started to run into the building but I felt myself getting pulled back.
"Get the hell off! Carina!" I sobbed as the SWAT team stormed inside the hospital.
"Maya, look at me. Maya." Andy grabbed my face and made me look at her.
"Carina." I felt my knees give out but Jack held me up.
"Just wait. Give it time. She's gonna be okay. Okay, mija? She's gonna be okay." Andy whispered as she wrapped her arms around me.
"What if-"
"No. Shut up. She's gonna be okay Bishop." Jack said sternly.
"Jack." Andy nodded and he let me go. I wrapped my arms around Andy in a hug.
"I love her. I can't live without her." I cried.
"I know Maya. I know." She rubbed my back gently.

We stood there for what felt like hours, until Vic nudged my arm.
"Maya, look." She pointed towards the hospital, and I saw Carina walking out escorted by a member of the SWAT team.
"Carina? Carina!" I took off running, leaving my team behind and crashed into my girlfriend.
"Oh my God! I thought I had lost you!" I sobbed into my girlfriend's shoulder.
"Where's Caterina? Is she okay?" Carina asked as we were led off to the side.
"She's okay. She's with the daycare. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I pulled back as I stared into her eyes.

"Marry me." Carina breathed out.
"What?"
"Marry me bambina. I already knew that I couldn't live without you, but today confirmed it. I want to spend the rest of our lives together with Caterina. I want you. Please, bambina. Marry me."

I stared at her for a moment, and pressed our lips together. I pulled back with a smile, "Yes."
"Yes?" Carina laughed through her tears.
"Yes." I pressed my lips back to her's. I felt like the entire world stopped spinning. It felt like we were in our own world.

I pulled back and rested my forehead against her's.
"Mommy! Mamma!"

We pulled apart and saw Caterina running towards us. I knelt down and she jumped in my arms.
"Oh my baby. Are you okay?" I whispered as I rubbed her back.
"Mommy I was scared. A guy came in with a gun." She cried into my shoulder.
I stood up and looked at Carina with tears in my eyes.
"We're okay bambina. We're all okay." Carina whispered as she kissed the top of our girl's head.

A few days later

I walked into the Station dreading the pile of paper work that was waiting for me. Carina had taken the rest of the month off, but I could only get a few days off.
"Hey Cap. How is everyone?" Dean asked as I walked into the beanery.
"It's going. Cat can't get a good nights sleep. She keeps having nightmares about the hospital." I sighed as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
"Do you need us to come over and help? You know we don't mind." Andy asked.
"You've already helped enough. You handled this place for a few days."
"So, are we going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Vic asked.
I gave her a confused look, what the hell did I miss?

"Our Captain is getting married!" Vic shouted.
"Yeah!" Travis lifted me up in a hug.
"You're having a wedding, right?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. Carina never wanted to get married in the first place. I'm still shocked that she proposed." I chuckled.
"C'mon. You gotta have a wedding. For the team?"
"Please tell me we're having a lesbian firehouse wedding." Vic begged.
"We'll see. Be in the barn in ten for cleaning assignments."

Carina

"Mamma?"

I opened my eyes to see Caterina staring down at me with tears in her eyes and her lip trembling.
"Oh bambina. Did you have another nightmare?" I asked groggily.
She nodded with a sniff.

"Come here." I opened my arms and she settled down in them, grabbing onto my shirt.
"Better?" I asked.
She nodded wordlessly against my chest.
"Do you want me to sing you a song that I used to sing Andrea?"
"Sì."
"Okay. Close your eyes bambina." I whispered as I gently stroked her hair.