Maya's Next Step

Part 150

Maya POV

"Hey what is it? Is everything alright?" I asked, urgently needing to know that Winter was okay.

"Si si everything is okay with the bambina, she's sleeping," Carina assured me, meaning I could let out the breath I was holding.

"How's Elva taken the news?" She asked.

"As well as you'd expect," I sighed, glancing over at Elva curled up on the sofa with her juice bottle.

"Poor bella, she loves her sister so much,"

"I'm gonna give her a bath and make grilled cheese for dinner. Get her settled early with a movie," I said, telling Carina my plan.

"She'll like that, lots of time with her momma,"

"Anyway, did you ring to just check in or....?" I asked, wondering why she'd called.

"Si si, I have something to tell you," Carina said, almost sounding excited.

"Winter's social worker arrived just after you left," she informed me, making my stomach drop.

"What for?" I asked quickly.

"Mary had called them seeing as she couldn't leave all the other children. She had to inform them that a child in the home had gone to hospital so they came to check on her,"

"He was really nice and Winter seemed comfortable around him,"

That was something at least I thought, thinking back to some of the past social workers we'd had to come in contact with.

"He's called Ronnie and I introduced myself to him and explained our situation. I told him we were waiting on all the paperwork to go through,"

"He said if he can come to do a house visit before Winter leaves the hospital, he'll push all the paperwork through so she can come home to us instead of back at the group home,"

"Are you serious?" I asked, unable to believe this turn of events.

"Si bellina. He was very understanding that we wanted Winter back with Elva as soon as possible and I think it worked in our favour that we got to Winter when we did this morning. I know Mary has a lot to deal with but he didn't seem too impressed when Winter told him Mary didn't even check on her this morning before she left,"

"Carina," I breathed out.

"She's coming home?"

"Si Maya, she's coming home,"

I could practically hear Carina grinning down the phone.

"When is the house visit? I need to get everything ready, Elva's toys are everywhere and we've not cleared out the spare bedroom yet,"

"There's the boxes of old clothes we were going to donate and some of the gym equipment I don't use anymore,"

"Woahhh Maya," Carina laughed.

"Bellina breathe. We've got time don't worry. We've got a couple of days and the apartment is fine,"

"It's warm and homely and I don't think that he will mind seeing Elva's fire truck and legos and colouring books," she chuckled.

"But Winter's room isn't ready," I sighed, pacing up and down the hallway.

"Then we start there, take tomorrow off work and you'll have all day while Elva's in school," she suggested.

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to play out that scenario in my mind.

"Yeah okay,"

"That should work," I nodded.