Hold On To Me (Marina)

6.All You Wanted

6.

All you wanted was somebody who cares
(Michelle Branch-All You Wanted)

Carina was laying against the wall, pensive. Those last two weeks had been so intense. All she needed was a long, relaxing vacation. She sighed. She was at Grey's Sloan instead and she had to check on some patients.

"Carina!" Amelia greeted her, receiving just a small nod that caused her to frown. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Tired and worried."

"Robert told me what you did with those two siblings, I'm impressed." Amelia said.

"Sì, and I'm exhausted." Carina replied. "Wait, Robert?"

"Sullivan. He is a friend and asked me for some advice to help Raphael in the best way possible." the neurosurgeon explained. "I'm so sorry for him. He doesn't deserve to be so ill. Well, no one does." she said. "Anyway, what about the girl? How did she feel about it?".

"She doesn't know about the tumor." Carina answered. "Her brother asked us not to tell her.". Amelia rubbed her neck.

"What about her staying with you? How was it?". The Italian scoffed, thinking back to the day they had told Keira about her brother getting clean.

"If you really think I am going to stay here for ten days, well..."

"Keira, please, it's just for ten days. You will see your brother soon." Maya tried to talk some sense into the girl. "I will go check on him everyday, he is at my friend Robert and his... Well, at my friends' place." she explained, not knowing however how to talk about Chief Ross. How was she supposed to call her in such a case? Sullivan's girlfriend? Sullivan's partner? She was her chief, for God's sake.

"That's not the point." Keira replied. "You are kidnapping me!"

"We are offering you a place to stay while your brother is sobering up. That's it." Carina told her. Maya was stunned. How could she always be so calm?

"Can I at least leave this fucking house from time to time?"

"Keira..." the Italian replied. "Listen, you're not a prisoner. We are just trying to help you. Raphael asked us to take care of you and we'd love to do it. The alternative is calling CPS and no one of us wants to do so.". The girl didn't respond. She just turned on her heels and went to the guest bedroom, slamming the door. Maya glanced to Carina and squeezed her shoulder.

"Well, it's a start.".

"Yeah, she was so happy to spend ten days with us." Maya said. "Well, with me.". Amelia immediately jolted, concern in her eyes.

"You and Maya are doing fine, aren't you?" she asked, terror in her voice.

"We are happily married, Amelia." Carina reassured her friend. "But Sullivan already had to stay with Raphael, so I was the one who took some days off. Beckett would have never allowed Maya to stay home and they needed her. Especially Andy.". Amelia smiled, bitterly. Sullivan had talked at a meeting about Andy's situation. First Maya, then Andy, the Seattle Fire Department truly was the incarnation of sexism. She beckoned Carina to follow her outside and the two sat on the bench near the entrance.

"I fostered a teenager few years ago." she said. "We weren't friends at time, so I wasn't sure you knew.". Carina just shrugged. "Well, the point is that the first week was terrible. She couldn't stand me, we kept arguing, she used to lock herself in her own room. It's normal, it's not your fault. She didn't know you and kids like her are forced to grow up thinking that they can trust no one. It's how they survive. And she stayed with you for ten days, this means that she probably wasn't really interested in getting to know you better. And sometimes it's okay. Sometimes the victory is seeing them let us come in their bedroom.". Carina bit her lip, then looked up. She sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the gentle breeze to caress her face. And maybe Amelia was right.