little love

75

Authors note:

I am really struggling with writers block on this story... i have a handful of chapters that I've already written, but im not super happy with them and im struggling where to take this next. So, my posting will likely be delayed and a bit inconsistent for a bit while i figure out what to do with the story.

Thanks for your patience, i will keep trying to make updates as often as i can.

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Maya wheeled Maddie into the station where they were greeted by Travis who was on desk duty.

"Little Bishop!! Long time no see!" He greeted Maddie enthusiastically

Maddie said nothing, but did force a smile and wave at him. Maya left Maddie in the lobby and ducked into her office to get changed for the shift. When she returned to the lobby, the whole team began to file in and greet Maddie with the assortment of nicknames. Maddie seemed to brush most of it off until Jack said "What's good hotwheels?" Everyone froze. Maya knew how much of a touchy subject Maddie in the wheelchair was for her sister.

To everyone's surprise, Maddie chuckled and high-fived jack. The two shared a weird and slightly dark sense of humor and maya was certain that had anyone else made that joke, it wouldn't have ended in laughter. Regardless, it was nice to hear Maddie laugh again, even it it was a shell of her usual one.

"Alright 19- line up in the barn, let's go!" Maya called and the team jumped to attention and filed into the barn for line up. Maddie wheeled herself into Maya's office and got comfy in her bunk before pulling her phone out and scrolling through instagram. Her feed was mostly made of all her friends at tournaments and playing soccer. It made Maddie feel sick with jealousy. She locked her phone and put it away and just laid there for a while.

"Maddie, mija?" Andy called for the girl

"In here" Maddie grunted and her tia Andy came into the bunk area. Maya had asked her best friend to check in with Maddie. Maybe if Maddie wouldn't talk to Carina or her, she would talk to Andy. Maddie needed to talk to someone, and luckily all the firefighters thought of her like a niece and were more than willing to try and understand what was going on in that little blonde head.

"Can I sit mija?" Andy asked as she approached Maddie. Maddie nodded and shifted a bit so there was room on the bed for her aunt. "I've missed you around here kiddo!"

"Yeah I've mostly been hanging out at home. Not much I can really do" Maddie replied. Andy studied the girl for a moment, it was clear that things were bugging her, but Maddie wasn't offering much up.

"You can always come hang out here, or come to my place mija! You know that" Andy knew Maddie had been isolating herself and was desperate to help.

"Yeah yeah" Maddie rolled her eyes. Before Andy could reply, the klaxons went off. Andy gave Maddie one more sad look before rushing out to the barn to head to the call.

On the engine, Maya asked Andy how it went.

"I didn't get much out of her honestly before the call came in" Andy confessed. "But she is definitely acting weird. She definitely seems bummed with how much her activity is being limited. I told her we miss having her around here and that she can always come to my place if she needs out of the house. But she just rolled her eyes and then the call came in."

Maya nodded along. "Thanks for trying Andy. Can you keep trying? Maybe if she wont talk to Carina and I, she will talk to you... she trusts you"

Andy assured her that yes, she would keep trying to get Maddie to open up. And they arrived on the scene.

Back in the station, for lack of anything better to do, Maddie pulled out a sketch pad and began to doodle. Her drawings had been dark much like her thoughts, and luckily Maya and Carina hadn't looked at it. She kept this sketch pad hidden under her mattress if it wasn't on her person. This was private. This time, she pulled it out and sketched how she felt. She felt trapped, and backed into a corner, so that's what she drew. She drew how she saw herself, which was small, and backed into a corner. Lane's voice got louder in her head, but she couldn't stop it in her usual ways, not here, when maya could be back at any minute. She put the sketch book away after a while, and tried to sleep, but her thoughts continued to race.

On the way back from the call, Maya called her wife.

"Ciao bambina, everything okay?" Carina answered the phone.

"Hi my love" Maya felt some of the stress instantly leave her body, just at hearing her wife's voice. "I was thinking, before you come pick Maddie up, do you think you could do something for me?"

"Of course, what do you need bella?" Carina answered without hesitation.

Maya bit her lip, she didn't want to ask Carina to do this, but she was getting desperate to understand what the hell was going on with her sister. "Can you swing by home and maybe take a look through Maddie's room? I'm worried, and she's not talking, so we need to figure out what the hell is happening" maya spoke quickly, nervously.

"I don't know bambina." Carina hesitated. She too was worried about Maddie, but this felt like a betrayal of trust, an invasion of her privacy.

"I know, it's a lot, but we need to protect her. Car I'm worried and she's not talking" Maya said, biting her nails

"Bella, I know I'm worried too. But going through her things seems extreme. We know she's feeling upset about not being able to play, what if this is all it is? If we do this, we cannot take it back." Carina answered

"Car, but what if it's more than that?  I don't think we can take that chance." Maya answered

"Si. Si bambina. You're right, I will do it" Carina conceded. Maya was right. They needed to know what was going on with their girl, and Maddie wasn't talking. Her last couple sessions with Diane, Maddie had just sat in silence. So, they stopped making appointments for now. Something was very wrong and as much as they didn't want to betray Maddie's trust, they needed to protect her and this was the only way they could think of to do that right now.