ON HOLD | Adjustments | Station 19

11. There's A New Chief In Town!

"No. No. Stop-- Get off me! Stop!" Maddie's voice screamed through the apartment.

Carina woke up to panicked screams from across the hall. Taking the chance to immediately dive out of the bed, she ran across the hall into her daughter's bedroom to find her daughter still fast asleep, shaking violently and letting out painful screams that could deafen somebody.

"Bambina, wake up," The Italian woman began to shake her daughter gently in an attempt to wake up the teenager. "Wake up," she repeated.

"Mama?" Maddie's shaken voice spoke out as she tried to make herself aware of her surroundings.

"Hey, yeah, it's me," Carina told her daughter with a soft smile. "You were screaming," she added quietly, moving to sit on the edge of her daughters' bed and removing the hair out of her daughters' eyes.

"I was?" Maddie asked as she blinked in confusion.

Carina nodded her head and frowned slightly. "Yes, Bambina. Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. It's the same stupid nightmare all the time," Maddie grumbled, coming to terms with what happened as she woke with a shaken breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Carina offered.

"I'm fine, I guess I'm just on edge about what happened, like I know he's in jail now but I am still scared for when he gets out," Maddie admitted as she moved to shuffle up towards the head of her bed. "Like what if he decides to come and find me again? What if he actually does hurt the girls next time?"

"Oh Bambina," Carina exhaled a sigh and leaned forward to press a kiss against the top of her daughters' head. "He isn't going to hurt you or even get the chance to get near you again. Your Mom and I will make sure of that," she told her firmly.

"He won't?" Maddie questioned.

"He won't," Carina repeated with a swift nod. "Now, do you think you can try and go back to sleep?" she wondered.

Maddie nodded slowly and bit her lip anxiously. "Yeah but uh, Mama, will you stay with me?" she asked shyly.

"Of course, Bambina. Move over just a tiny bit then," Carina nudged her daughter slightly.

Maddie was happy to oblige and moved over in bed to make room for her Mama to join her. "Thanks, Mama," The teenager said gratefully.

"Just close your eyes. I'm right here with you Bambina," Carina told her daughter softly as the teenager shuffled back down into the bed and made herself comfy, leaning her head against the brunette's chest. "Just try and sleep,"

Across town, Maya was having her own battle with sleep as she lay on the bed in her bunk with her hands resting above her head, staring up at the ceiling while she got lost in her own thoughts.

All of the same thoughts swirl back to the weekend.

The mall.

Jake.

Almost losing her daughter.

Deciding there wasn't any chance of finding sleep anytime soon, she reached for her phone on the bedside table and texted her wife, wondering if she would be up as well, and was pleasantly surprised when there was an incoming call from her minutes later.

"Hello, love," Maya greeted her wife from her side of the phone.

"Hi, Bella," Carina's tired voice replied from the other side of the call. "Couldn't sleep?" she wondered.