our daughter (marina fanfic)

Chapter 37

A/N: a shorter chapter today, hopefully you still enjoy!

Carina's POV

I woke up early to find Olivia asleep beside me. She came to our room in the middle of the night, and we didn't have the heart to turn her away, despite her being a little bit sick. When she slept, curled up in a ball she looked 10 years younger, especially because her face was always in a small pout when she slept. It was indeed adorable. 

During the night

I'm jolted awake by the sound of the door creaking open. I glance at the clock and see that it's just past 1 am. As I adjust my eyes to the darkness, I see a figure shuffling towards our bed. It's Olivia, her eyes heavy with sleep, looking fragile and vulnerable. She's still recovering from her illness and must be feeling uneasy and restless. 

"Bambina?", I whisper. 

"M- mama", she wimpers. "Can I sleep here", she asks quietly and coughs slightly. 

"Si bella, vieni qui", I reply with a yawn and shuffled a little bit to the edge of the bed. 

Without a word, she crawls into bed between Maya and me. I can feel the warmth of her body and the way she snuggles close to us, seeking comfort and reassurance. Even though she's 16, I know she still needs us and wants to sleep with us, especially when sick or stressed. And as her moms, we will always be there for her, especially when she's not feeling well. She shuffles a little to get comfortable, but when she does, she rests her forehead on my shoulder. 

Maya stirs slightly on the other side of the bed but quickly goes back to sleep, her arm instinctively reaching out to hold Olivia. I stroke Olivia's hair gently as she whines a little and I whisper, "It's okay, bambina, mom and mama are here". I feel her body relax, and soon she's asleep again, her breathing steady and calm.

"Ti voglio bene mama", I hear her sigh before turning around and placing her head on Maya's chest. 

As I lie there in the darkness, I'm filled with a sense of gratitude for this moment. I'm grateful for my daughter, for her trust in us, and for the love and connection that we share. And I know that as long as we have each other, we can face any challenge that comes our way

Present moment

Maya had left for work about an hour earlier and now it was just the two of us still in bed. I reached out to feel the bambina's forehead and fortunately, it wasn't too warm anymore. I didn't want to wake her up, so I slipped out of bed and went to get the thermometer from the bathroom. Sure enough, her temperature was almost back to normal. 

I had called Bailey the night before, letting her know I wouldn't be able to come in today. I wasn't going to leave Olivia alone while she was sick, even if she was already feeling better. Maya was already at work, so it was up to me to take care of our daughter.

I let her sleep in a little more, as it was only 8 am. I definitely could have used the extra rest since I was taking the day off. Olivia's head was next to my chest, and I had my arms almost wrapped around her. The room was quiet, except for the sound of the soft morning light filtering in through the curtains. She was snoring quietly, her lips parted a little and eyes fluttering occasionally. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to savour this moment. I know that as time passes, these moments with my daughter are fleeting and soon enough, she would be off to college and starting her own life. But for now, I just took in the time and lay here with Olivia, and enjoy the peacefulness of the morning.

After a while Olivia stirred a little and lifted her head, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She smiled at me and snuggled in closer. I started to stroke her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Good morning, tesoro", I whispered.

"Good morning, mama", Olivia says, her voice soft and warm, snuggling even closer to my body. 

We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other and enjoying the moment. We talked about our upcoming events and I told her about my coming surgeries and medical conferences, whereas she told me about all the drama going around at school. Fortunately, her throat wasn't sore anymore, so talking didn't hurt. After some time, we finally got up and made our way downstairs for breakfast and more rest on the couch. 

As the day progressed, Olivia started to feel better. Her temperature was normal again and she was more alert. She had more of an appetite and was able to keep herself hydrated. But I could tell that something was on her mind. She seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the ceiling the most day.

I decided to sit next to her on the couch and asked her how she was feeling. She looked up at me and smiled weakly.

"I'm feeling better", she said.

"I'm glad to hear that", I replied. "Is there something on your mind?"

Olivia hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"I'm scared, mama. I'm scared of growing up and becoming independent. I don't want things to change. I don't wanna go to college yet. I need you and mom."

"Bambina, college is still almost two years away. Why are you thinking this now?", I asked gently but confused. 

"I don't know. I'm just scared", she replied sadly. 

"Have you thought about where you would like to go to college?", I asked curiously. 

Olivia thought about it for a moment before replying. "I'm not sure. Any of the ivies would be amazing or somewhere warm in California, or Vanderbilt or something, but I don't wanna leave you and go somewhere far. I wanna be close to home. I haven't even really thought about what I wanna study. There are so many options", she thought out loud. 

I took her hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay to be scared", I said. "But change is a part of life. You're going to grow up, and things are going to change. But no matter what happens, we'll always be here for you. No matter if you are 6, 16 or 26, your mom and I are always here for you."

"And you still have plenty of time to think about college. Your mom and I can help you brainstorm if you want", I continued. 

Olivia nodded, and I could see the worry lift from her face a little. 

"I know," she said. "I just need to hear it sometimes."

We sat in silence for a few moments before Olivia spoke up again.

"Thanks for taking care of me today, mama. I like spending time with you" she said, giving me a small smile.

"Anytime, bambina," I replied. "That's what moms are for."

A/N: I have been thinking about how long I want to continue this story. I might stop at chapter 50 or something, but I'm kind of lacking ideas. I'm now gravitating more towards like "one shot" type of stories, so I might continue to do those after I finish this one. 

Also side note, I'm meeting Danielle on May 7th virtually and I am so excited. I was able to purchase a video from her, as well as a meeting room. I also bought a panel ticket. I'm so upset that I live in Europe but still cannot attend the cons this year either. They were so expensive though so I cannot go. 😩