𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀, 𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘰𝘯𝘦

"i keep having nightmares about the factory," you say, cutting debbie off. debbie's mouth clamps shut as her expression softens. "matteo and that goddamn gun."

"you're dreaming about getting shot again?"

you purse your lips together. "i'm dreaming about you and i getting murdered."

debbie's eyes widen. she knew that your nightmares were bad, but not that bad. she watches you as you lower your head. these nightmares are taking a tangible toll on you. "how long have you had them?"

"since 'the incident,'" you honestly reply. "it's all i can think about, really. when i'm awake, when i'm asleep, it's just always plaguing my mind."

"it was a huge event that you're probably going to think about for a very long time. but these nightmares, you know that matteo is dead. he can't hurt us any longer. and i'm not going anywhere," debbie smiles, ruffling your hair.

you crack a toothy grin, bashfully moving your head away from her teasing touch. "i know, i just keep thinking about what could've happened if lou didn't show up."

debbie wraps her arm around your shoulders, hugging you to her side. "as bitchy as this is going to sound, there's no need to think about the 'what ifs.' you survived -- we survived and there's nothing we can go back and fix." she pauses, giving you a sympathetic smile. "you know?"

you nod your head in agreement. "i know."

debbie plants a kiss on the top of your head, standing up. "let me get you some more water, kiddo."

you watched as debbie filled another glass with water. she hands it to you with a gentle smile before turning around and cleaning up the mess on the floor. "oh, debbie, you don't have to clean that up. i can do it--"

debbie holds her hand up to you. "you are quite literally healing from your surgery. there is no way you're going to bend down and clean this."

you sigh, smiling into your drink. "yes ma'am."

you woke up to the smell and sound of bacon cooking. your eyes fluttered open as you slowly rose from your bed, glancing around. you furrow your eyebrows. debbie had carried you upstairs after you fell asleep watching a movie together. and her lecture about nightmares and trauma resonated with you, as you didn't have another crippling nightmare.

"(y/n), darling!" rose hollers from downstairs. "come eat some breakfast!"

you pull the covers off your body, shouting downstairs. "coming!" you quickly run a brush through your hair and pull on a sweatshirt, covering your tank top. you glance in the mirror, sighing. ever since 'the incident,' you had looked sickly pale -- and overall just like a tim burton character. the hospital diet did not help you in any way, it made you lose weight and the definition you once had. you quickly glance away, making your way toward the stairs.

you repeated the same action like you did last night, grasping onto the handrails of the stairs for dear life as you slowly made your way down, one step at a time. once you reached the ground floor, you felt eyes on you.

"good morning, sweetheart," tammy smiles. she's standing by the stove, flipping some bacon while simultaneously keeping her eye on some sizzling french toast.

"good morning, tammy. smells great," you say with a grin. 

tammy shakes her head with a small laugh. "you're buttering me up again, (y/n)."

you walk into the dining room where rose, daphne, constance, lou, and debbie were already sitting. the table was made and cleared of any type of mess from the party last night. they all say their good mornings to you, and you take a seat in between rose and debbie. 

debbie slides a cup of coffee over to you with a small smirk. "just the way you like it."

you take the warm mug in your hand, breathing in the steam emitting from the cup. "you know me so well," you playfully grin, taking a sip.

suddenly a knock echoes from the front door, causing everyone to stop talking. "i'll get it!" constance announces, practically jumping out of her seat. 

you turn towards rose and begin talking about her latest designs and upcoming plans. "do you know what style dress you're going to make for your london collection?" you and rose bonded over fashion, and you loved being able to talk about it with your all-time favorite designer.

"i'm thinking either a cocktail dress or a--"

constance rushes back into the dining room, her eyes landing on debbie. "uh, debs?" she glances around uncomfortably and shifts on her feet. "child protective services are here for you," she looks over to you with a worried expression. "you too, (y/n)."

( a.n - sorry for the short chapter, but the next couple of chapters are going to be crazy. also sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes, i'll probably edit it in the morning, but i just wanted to get something out. anndd in case no one told you today: i love you and i'm so so so proud of you (: )