Finding home

Chapter One- Maya

Maya was sitting at home, her mind spinning from the day's events. Her father had shown up at work, and then turned up at the call at Pac-North and grabbed her and pulled her hair. She cut her hair and then apologised to Carina, who took her back. She had also cut her hair, which was lopsided and uneven but it took away the power that her father had over her.
The blonde fire captain was soon taken from her spiralling thoughts, by a knock on the door. Going over to the door and opening it she was met with the face of her girlfriend, who had a nervous smile on her face.

"Hi Bambina, I just wanted to stop to see if you were okay." Carina spoke, the nerves still evident in her voice. Maya smiled looking at the Italian, the love that she had for the woman made her heart swell, but also ached at the same time because how could she have hurt her in the first place.

"Hi, um... come in," Maya spoke quietly, in a very un-Maya like way, which shocked Carina. Maya had always had this confidence to her that Carina admired, however in this moment Maya seemed small and reserved and almost seemed scared.

"Are you okay Maya?" Carina questioned, bringing her hand out to take the blonde's hand in her own.

"I-I... um... I," The blonde stumbled over her words shrugging as she continued to speak, "I am fine I guess"

Carina raised her eyebrow looking at Maya, questioning the answer that Maya had given her. The Blonde shrunk into herself under the brunette's gaze, which worried Carina slightly. Carina guided the blonde over to the sofa by the hand and pulled the blonde down next to her and looked at the blonde taking in her features. Maya's ocean eyes were cast down to the hand that she had brought into her lap and began to play with her girlfriends rings, her blonde hair which was now at her chin which was a change from the long blonde ponytail that the blonde usually had.

"Can I ask you something, Bambina? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," the Italian's voice was quiet as she looked at Maya, whose eyes were still intently focused on her hands that she was still playing with. "Why did you cut your hair?"

Maya glanced up to look at the brunette, but quickly looked back down before speaking, " My dad came to see me at work today. He stopped by the station because he wanted to see how I was doing at being a Captain. While he was there we got called out, there was a bomb at Pac-North, so I left and asked him to stay at the station or go home and then I would talk to him when we got back from the call. But...he um... he followed us to the call. He called me over and I asked him to leave because he was distracting me, I can't be distracted when I am on a call because that means my team is in danger, my family is being put in danger," Maya began to tell Carina about her day, as soon as Maya mentioned her father, Carina was concerned. She was aware that Lane Bishop was not a good man, especially from what Kathrine Bishop had told her about him just a few weeks prior, when she first learned the extent of Maya's denial about his abuse. Maya continued, " He shouted at me, he told me that my family was falling apart and I was more concerned about playing fire captain, he asked if my mom had filled my head with drama, so I walked because I didn't want to cause a scene, he yelled at me for raising my voice at him, I told him that i was ordering him to leave the scene, and then he grabbed my hair and pulled. He was escorted away after that. When we got back from the station I cut my hair with kitchen scissors, so it wasn't the best but it was gone. The feeling of him pulling at my hair was gone, that reminder of him was gone. And then I went to Grey-Sloan. I think my mom was right, Carina, I think he is abusive..."

Carina's heart broke even more for her wife as she relayed the story of why she cut her hair, Maya's father had pulled her hair. It made her blood boil, how could he hurt the people he was supposed to love and take care of, she hoped for his sake that she would never come across Lane Bishop, because Carina was unsure what she would do if if she ever met the man but she could almost guarantee that it would not be pretty.

"Oh bambina... I am so sorry. I know it is hard to come to terms with but if you want to talk about it I am here," Carina told her, placing a kiss on Maya's head.

"Carina?" Maya spoke after a couple moments of silence.

"Si, Bambina,"

"I think I need to make a phone call." Maya told her girlfriend, which confused the brunette. Who did she need to make a phone call too? And why did she need to make a phone call to someone at 9:30 at night?

"Why do you need to make a call tesoro ?"

"My niece lives with my mom and dad. I know that my mom wouldn't do anything to her, but my dad would. I need to get her out of that house..." Maya spoke rapidly, telling Carina about her niece.

"Okay Bambina, we will make a call but I don't know if anything will be done right away and I don't think we will be able to do anything tonight because it is 9:30 but we will do it first thing in the morning. But I will help get her out of that house. Do you want to tell me about her?" Carina spoke, her voice was determined.

"Okay, but we make the call first thing. I don't want her to be in that house anymore, I know my mom has left him but he wouldn't let her take Kassie with her," Maya spoke softly.

"We will do everything possible, I promise. Tell me about her."

"Her name is Kassidy Maeve, she would be 13 now. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked so much like Mason the last time I saw her. When Mason was 15 he slept with this girl, her name was Eloise, and she ended up getting pregnant. Mason was already using drugs and Eloise used them too. I remember when Mason came home after finding out, he was terrified, I mean not that I blame him I would be terrified too. He told my mom a week after, and dad found out a week after that. I remember my dad's reaction, he went ballistic, he hit Mason. It was the first and only time he ever laid a hand on any of us, at least that I am aware of. Nine months later Kassie was born, she was adorable. Two weeks later Eloise OD'd, and Eloise's parents said they didn't want anything to do with her. So she lived with us. Mason looked after her with the help of my mom and then when he was 18 he moved out and took her with her. I didn't get to see her after that. When Mason OD'd the first time, Kassie was, she was the one that found him, she was taken and then placed with my mom and dad. She lost two parents to drugs in her first 6 years. CPS tried asking me if I would take her, but because I was in the fire academy shortly after so I wouldn't have been able to take her. I regret it, Car. But knowing what i know now I don't think she is safe, I don't think she was ever safe," Maya told her a bit about her niece, and it broke Carina's heart to hear that a little girl had lost her mother only two weeks after she was born, and then her father was taken from her only 6 years later. And on top of that she had been placed in the care of a man who abused her grandmother, her aunt and her father for years and it was highly likely that he abused her as well.

"She sounds lovely Bambina, and like I said before we will do everything we can to bring her home with you." Carina told her.

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A/N:

Also posted on Ao3 under @bee_rose19

I am going to start posting updates via twitter about updates and things to do with the story as well as any other things to do with writing.

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Thank you all for reading it means so so much!

Bee 🩷