Butterfly Effect

Forever & Always

Carina's Pov

"Doctor Deluca, I'd like to ask you a few questions" the judge asked and I stood up from my chair, probably knowing the direction where his questions were going...
"We know that Hailee Donovan is biologically your daughter, but why was she placed in the system for the first sixteen years of her life?" he asked and I took a deep breath, preparing myself to face the answer that scared me terribly.
The room was packed with our friends, most of whom didn't know about my past, who were about to find out about the darkest period of my life.
"I was twenty two years old and I was about to go back to Italy after one year of medical school here in the US. My life back at home wasn't easy... My father has bipolar disorder and he has always refused treatment, so he was a really abusive figure to me. I didn't want her to grow up in that environment" I explained and I could feel everyone's eyes fixed on me.
"And her father? Why didn't he have the choice to raise her?" he asked again, making me shiver in fear.
"He didn't... He doesn't know about her. He doesn't know that he technically has a biological daughter" I simply stated, gritting my teeth at the sound of the word daughter related to him. Hailee wasn't his daughter. She was my daughter. She was Maya's...
"Why?".
"Because the sexual intercourse that happened when she was conceived was not consensual, and I wasn't particularly keen on seeing my rapist again to tell him that I was pregnant..." I replied coldly, hearing a few gasps escape from my friends' lips in the background.
The judge didn't say anything else, he just made me sit down again and as soon as I did, Maya's hand was already in mine.
"Miss Bishop" he called out and my wife stood up "Were you aware of this part of Doctor Deluca's past?".
"If you are asking me if I knew about my wife's sexual assault, then the answer is a yes. I was aware that it happened... But if you are referring to Hailee being Carina's daughter, then no, I did not know about her. I've been told about my wife's pregnancy after we had already met Hailee, even though we didn't know who she was at the time" she answered, and I had trouble understanding why he asked that question.
"And how did you feel when you found out about her?" the judge questioned again.
"I was wretched by the immense quantity of guilt that my wife was, and still is, carrying. I felt anger about the fact that she had to go through all that suffering alone, and lastly I was worried for Hailee because I know that the system is not an easy place for a kid".
"Doctor Deluca mentioned that she didn't want to expose her daughter to her father's mental illness that resulted in abuse in her regard, but from what I can read from your file, Miss Bishop, you struggle with a mental disorder too. Don't you?".
"I do, Sir. I have borderline personality disorder" Maya stated calmly.
"Don't you find it hypocritical?".
I had to bite my tongue to not yell at him. I said that my father was abusive, my sweet and caring Maya wasn't. She was the exact opposite of what my father was.
"No Sir, It's not hypocritical for me" she started "I haven't met my father-in-law, since he is not involved much in my wife's life, but there is a considerable difference between the two of us".
"And what would this huge difference be?" he interrupted.
"He has never tried to get better. I've been working my ass off in therapy with the department's therapist, Diane Lewis, and I take my meds exactly when I'm supposed to. Because even if it's hard, I'm trying to be the wife that she deserves and the best mother possible for both of my children".
"Thank you, Miss Bishop. You can sit down now" he dismissed her "I want to ask a couple of questions to Hailee".
My daughter looked at me, her face whitening as she waited for some reassurance that came under the form of a nod and a soft smile. Then she stood up with shaky hands.
"Hailee, I heard that you asked them to be adopted. Is that right?" he asked and Lia asked with a nod "Why?".
"B-b-because I love them and they love me. They make me feel safe, and protected, and cared for, like no one has ever done before. They are my family, and I want it to be permanent" she responded, gaining confidence as she spoke to the judge.
"Well Hailee, then I'm happy to be the one who's telling you that both of you and your little brother are officially Deluca-Bishops and that these two wonderful women are, from now and forever, your moms" he concluded with a wide smile on his face.
"With this, I declare officially close the adoption cases of Hailee Benedetta Deluca-Bishop and her brother Rowan Andrea Deluca-Bishop".
The room full of our friends exploded in cheers and screams of joy, and I hugged my daughter as tightly as humanly possible, kissing her head as a couple of tears escaped from my hazel eyes.
I finally had everything that I've always wanted... God had answered my prayers after all...

Maya's Pov

We got out of that courtroom as a family for the first time ever, walking toward Carina's car between laughters and jokes.
"Deluca-Bishops, wait up!" yelled a voice that I recognized all too well.
We turned around, seeing my brother Mason coming up to us with something in his hands.
"Mason Bishop, what are you doing here?" Carina asked coldly and Lia waited for his answer with the same facial expression as her mother. God, they were so similar and stubborn with the idea of protecting me...
"Hi Carina" he started "I'm here for you... Because I wanted to apologize to my sister-in-law and to my niece and nephew for how I treated her wife and their mom".
Carina stared at him with a doubtful expression on her face, but she let him speak without interrupting.
"I talked with Maya a lot in the last couple of weeks, and she mentioned that the adoption hearing in court was today, so I made something for you... To celebrate their adoption" he explained, handing a medium size present to Carina.
"Look Mason, I know that you are trying to solve your mess, and I'm willing to give you a forgiving chance to be the man that my wife can't shut up about... But you have to know that it's gonna take you a lot more than a gift" she replied and my heart beated a bit faster at my wife's protectiveness.
"I know... But it's a baby step" Mason answered with a nervous smile.
"Yeah, baby steps are great" Carina said, looking at me with a smile, and I was immediately taken back to a day in the past when we celebrated her first American idiom together. That seemed like a billion of ages ago...
My wife opened the present, holding a canvas in her hands with a spectacular picture on it. It was my lockscreen picture of Rowan and Lia nose to nose with each other.
I already knew that he was going to paint that picture, but seeing the complete result in person made me shed a couple of tears.
"Wow Mason..." Carina mumbled "This is... Incredible".
"Thank you, Carina. It means a lot to me that you like it..." he thanked her with his usual, shiny smile "But now I have to go to a meeting with my sponsor. Congratulations again Deluca-Bishops".
I hugged him for a moment, feeling like the little kid that was scared of her dad's rage but still putting on a brave mask for her little brother.
We went our separate ways, but it still felt so nice to be able to see my little brother and feel like everything was going to be okay.
"Are we going home now, mom?" Lia asked, taking me out of my own thoughts and into reality. A reality that was so much better than memories.
"Yes Sunshine, we are going home" I answered "And now no one can take you away from us...".
"You're my moms now, and you'll be my moms forever and always".

A.N. I know I'm late and I'm sorry, but next week I have school exams to do, so I'm focusing on that at the moment, but I couldn't not post. Not after the terrible news that we had today.
I am sad, angry and I have a lot of confused mixed feelings about it, so I'm not gonna talk about it, but I want you to know that for as long as you'll read my stories, Maya and Carina will be kept alive in my words and in the pages that I write for you.