Growing Up

Chapter 15

Chris was arrested by the NYPD, and taken straight to the nearest precinct. Mariska stood as she watched him get cuffed and hauled away to the police car. She was sad, surprisingly. She hated to see him so destroyed, but she couldn't let her daughter be scared to sleep every night because she wondered if Chris would come through her window again and take her from her bed.

"Mom?" Sophia whispered as she walked out of the living room and to where her mother stood next to the open front door.

"Chris showed up here." Mariska breathed, as she grabbed her daughter by her waist and drew her close.

"Is he in that cop car?" Sophia breathed, and Mariska nodded.

"Yeah, baby. That's him. He won't be coming back to scare you anytime soon." Mariska replied. Sophia turned to look at her mother and saw the tears that had welled in her brown eyes.

"Did they arrest Carly too?" Sophia whispered.

"What? Why would they arrest her?" Mariska asked.

"Never mind." Sophia breathed, before grabbing the door from her mother and shutting it before locking it.

"Soph, tell me." Mariska urged.

"She's pregnant with my baby brother or sister, and I can't let them get hurt." Sophia breathed, before turning and walking up the stairs slowly.

Sophia didn't want anything to do with Chris and Carly's baby, but it was still her sibling and she didn't need it to be born in jail.

===

Mariska tried to figure out what Sophia meant by asking if Carly had gotten arrested too. She wondered if Carly had been with Chris when he took Sophia. Or if she had helped him when he got Sophia back to the hotel room or wherever he had taken her.

"Soph." Mariska breathed, as she slowly opened her daughter's door. Koda and Donna had both went home, so it was just them alone in the brownstone.

"Mom," Sophia replied.

"Tell me what you were talking about this morning," Mariska ordered, but Sophia was stubborn and shook her head.

"Nope, not gonna happen, Mom," Sophia replied before she stood and walked over to grab her phone from where it was charging on her desk.

"Sophia Magdolna Hargitay, I swear to God that if you don't tell me what is happening and what you meant by what you said this morning then I will ground you until you do," Mariska replied, letting her anger seep into every word she said.

Sophia would've been scared, but she has changed and wasn't scared by her mother's warning.

"Ground me for the rest of my life, but I won't speak."

"You don't like, Carly, so why are you protecting her?" Mariska asked.

"I'm not protecting Carly, I'm protecting the baby I share some DNA with," Sophia replied.

"Did she help with kidnapping you?"

"Mother." Sophia huffed, before going to shove her phone into her pocket. But Mariska walked over and grabbed it from her daughter and smiled.

"Want this back? Then spill."

===

Sophia refused to tell her mother what she meant, and she didn't mind being grounded. Her mother didn't realize that she didn't need her phone nor her laptop. She had plenty to keep herself busy for the few days that Mariska kept her home after she was taken.

On Monday, Sophia headed to school with a book in her bag to read during break times at her school.

"Want me to drive you?" Mariska asked as she walked Sophia to the subway.

"No, I'm fine," Sophia replied.

"Want your phone back?" Mariska asked, a smile on her lips.

"No, I'm good." Sophia smiled back.

"Soph, please just give me the information that I want."

"Mom, I love you and all, but being desperate isn't looking too good on you," Sophia smirked, before stopping by the stairs. She kissed her mother's cheek before heading down the stairs.

"I love you, Sophia!" Mariska called, and Sophia held her hand up to tell her mother that she had heard what she said. Sophia continued to walk down the stairs, but once she was waiting for her train, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around and saw Carly standing there.

"Carly?" Sophia asked, quietly.

"Can we talk, Soph?" She questioned, which were the first words they exchanged when Sophia wasn't trying to get away from her and Chris.

"I have school soon. I need to catch this train."

"I know, and we can talk on your ride. Please."

"O-okay."

===

Sophia and Carly sat together on the train and talked quietly.

"So, why didn't I get arrested?" Carly asked, and Sophia frowned.

"Because I don't want you to be in jail when you are pregnant," Sophia replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah... you won't get proper care in jail... why do you care? Shouldn't you be happy that I didn't turn you in?"

"I am, I'm so thankful that you didn't turn me in. And your father is getting out soon. We are heading to LA once he gets the all clear."

"Leave me alone once he's out, okay?"

"We will. I don't want you to change your mind." She breathed.

"Carly, how far along are you?" Sophia asked as she glanced at her watch before noticing that the train was ahead of schedule.

"About 12 weeks. Why?"

"I want to know when the baby is born... before the rest of the world does. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, of course, I can. Sophia, I'm sorry that this is the first time that I'm talking to you. I really wanted to get to know you, but your father is just so forward when it comes to you and your mother."

"He loved my mother." Sophia breathed.

"I know, and he still does," Carly whispered.

"Leave him, Carly. Leave him and be happy. If he is still caught up on my Mom, it isn't good for you. Stay around here and I can help if you need me too."

"Soph-"

"Carly, I didn't like you. You really fucked up my life, but if you leaving Chris and being happy and being able to raise the baby by yourself, gives us a chance to be friends or something then I can like you."

"I love him, Soph."

"But he's not in love with you." Sophia breathed, before standing and tugging on the straps of her bag.

"Can I come and ride the subway home with you? So we can continue to talk?"

"Yeah. I have a half day today. I get out at noon."

"Is your mother picking you up?"

"No, she has to tape today."

"Okay. Cool, I'll meet you at the platform again. Have a good day at school, Sophia."

"Thanks, Carly."