Running from the life that was.

Chapter Five

Mia heard doors opening and closing, followed by the sound of multiple voices talking and laughing. The voices gradually grew closer to the reception area, where Mia was still seated in a chair. She stood up and faced the door from which the voices were coming, feeling as if she might actually be sick at the rate her nerves were escalating.

"Montgomery! I hear the beanery is calling your name... Herrera said you were making us a midnight snack?" a male voice stated before bursting into laughter.

"Warren, you're dreaming, my friend. This guy is heading straight to his bunk for some well-deserved shut-eye. Maybe Herrera can finally get around to cooking up that beef chili she always raves about," another male voice, presumably Montgomery, replied.

"I mean, she has been talking about that chili for a long time now. I think it's about time we get to experience this famous Herrera chili," a female voice chimed in, a voice that Mia instantly recognized as Maya's. Her heart dropped to her stomach at hearing her sister's voice for the first time in four years.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe when you all stop harassing me. I told you I would find a time to make it, but that time, unfortunately, is not tonight. I have a date with an uncomfortable bunk bed," the voice of Herrera responded with a yawn.

The voices grew so close now that they sounded as if they were right in front of Mia. "I'd say I believe you, but you've been promising us that chili for over a year now, and it still hasn't happened," a male voice replied.

"Okay, okay, I tell you what: I will cook my famous Herrera chili next shift. Will that get you all off my back?" Mia could now see the group of firefighters from where she was standing. She spotted a Latina woman with her hands raised in surrender to the crew behind her.

Mia got her first glimpse of blonde hair, and she knew that must be Maya. She stood behind the group, so she wouldn't have seen Mia yet. As the group began to walk through the door directly in front of Mia, they all paused mid-step upon noticing the young girl standing there.

"We are going to hold you to tha—" Maya started to say before looking up and seeing the smaller blonde in front of her. Maya glanced at Jack, who was sitting at the front desk, then back to Mia, who seemed frozen in place.

Mia stood frozen, her heart racing as she faced the sister she had missed for so long. The overwhelming emotions of fear and hope collided within her, creating feelings that she struggled to contain. What if Maya didn't want her? What if she was just a burden, a reminder of the life Maya had escaped?

"Mia?" Maya looked at her younger sister with shock, her voice trembling. "Mia... How... Why... What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night?".

Maya could sense the eyes of her crew behind her. She had to admit that she never told her Station 19 family about her younger sister, and she felt terrible about it.

She had always planned to share this part of her life, but when she first started at Station 19, she was emerging from the emotional experience of deciding to leave her 'family' in the past. She wasn't ready to discuss any aspects of her upbringing, and unfortunately, that included her younger sister.

Andy knew little details, mostly about Lane, her father, but the only people she had fully opened up to about her childhood were her therapist, Diane, and her wonderful wife, Carina.

As Maya approached Mia, genuine concern etched on her face, Mia felt the walls closing in.

The room seemed to spin, she could hardly breathe, the air thickening around her like a suffocating fog. Jack, still standing close by at the reception desk, could feel the tension in the air as he watched the exchange.