E L E V E N
The days that followed were quite a blur.
Jeffrey Hudson was no longer alive, causing chaos around making the streets a little safer for women. Harry, on the other hand, was thankfully found alive, but I couldn't quite say that he was fine.
The poor kid got abducted by a psychopath that tortured and almost killed his mother. Trauma and rebellion were bound to happen even when all the adults around him seemed oblivious to it. Still, May noticed some odd behaviors from him, according to the last text message she sent me this morning about her little brother.
Meanwhile, my sour mood has gotten worse as days passed to the point that I couldn't even stand myself. Everyone around me kept blaming the lack of sleep since we were rolling on a county emergency shift this past week, but I knew it wasn't just that.
My persisting irritation was also caused by the torturous thoughts in my head about Ian Moore. Despite not wanting to admit it, I needed to book an urgent appointment with my therapist soon before I decided to murder innocent people.
"Fuck me!" I groaned, putting another ice pack on the back of my neck as I tried to finish braiding my hair into a crown.
Even after getting out of a cold shower, I couldn't stand the feeling of the strands of my hair sticking to the nape of my neck. This heatwave was becoming more brutal with every day that passed.
I was more than grateful that the blackout was over, and so were our eternal shifts because that meant I could go home, relax in the tub and sleep in my comfortable bed while blasting the air conditioner.
Even though I love being a firefighter, if I had to spend another day here at the station with a thousand people in the heat, I was sure I would jump off the second floor.
"Uh— I don't think that's an appropriate thing to do at work."
Looking away from my reflection, I glared at Evan as he walked inside the common bathroom we all shared. Instead of staring back at me, unfazed by my deathly glares like he usually does, he looked away, looking somewhat embarrassed.
His eyes roamed around the room, avoiding looking over at me. I quickly noticed how the grip on his duffle bag tightened, his knuckles whitening.
Realizing the reason he looked away was that I was in jean shorts and a sports bra, I rolled my eyes and continued braiding my hair.
"Oh, you are shy now? You've seen more than this. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, I heard that you are back with your antics sleeping around with friends and stuff. Old habits die hard, huh?."
"Can you stop, Agatha? I'm exhausted and not in the mood for this conversation." He rolled his eyes, dropping the bag on the counter next to the sink.
I huffed, putting the last hairpin in my hair. "My apologies, my words are hurting you?"
"When are you going to let this go? We all get it. I fucked up. You hate me. I tried to fix things between us, and somehow now you hate me more."
"Let it go? You want me to let this go? The guy I trusted with my broken heart cheated on me after telling me he wanted to marry me, and you want me to let it go?" I said incredulously. The nerve this man had was beyond me.
"And I said I was sorry, Agatha! I don't expect us to be friends, but your constant throws at me are getting exhausting."
Taking the ice pack off my neck, I set it on the counter before turning around to face him. "Yeah, well, sorry doesn't cut it for me, Buck. I spent endless nights crying over you while you were over here screwing her in your bed."
"You think I don't still beat myself up every day about hurting the woman I love?" He said, stepping closer to me.
"You don't know what love is, and you never will."
"Oh, and you do?" He scoffed, standing a couple of inches away. Up this close, I took in the small dark circles under his blue eyes as he looked down at me intensively. "I know I messed up really bad, but at least I didn't run away from the person I love like a coward."
I crossed my arms against my chest, trying to hold back the urge to hit him across his face like I've wanted to do ever since he told me he kissed Taylor. "I will rather be a coward than a cheater."
Evan stayed quiet as he stared at me. We both looked at each other, pretending we couldn't feel the tense atmosphere around us. If he got any closer, I was sure that he would be able to listen to how fast my pathetic heart was beating against my chest.
We were so close I could feel his hot breath against my face sending shivers down my spine. This whole thing was ridiculous and confusing because I was furious at him, but seeing him this mad made me feel things I wish I didn't.
I wasn't entirely sure how we got here. One second we were at each other's throats, and the next, we were leaning towards each other. I felt myself getting hotter.
"Oh my God— I'm so sorry. I didn't know you two—"
Evan and I immediately stepped away from each other, snapping out of whatever bubble we were in.
Not daring to look at either Buck or Ravi, I grabbed my shirt and put it over my head without messing up my hair before grabbing my belongings and practically running out of the bathroom.
This was precisely the reason why I no longer wanted to work with the 118 and decided to continue my nursing career here in California. No matter how much Evan hurt me, he unconsciously had this power over me, and I hated every second of it. Being around him clouded my mind in such a way that I could no longer think straight.
"Momma!"
"My little monster! I missed you so much!" I exclaimed, watching my daughter run from my father's arms into mine. "Did you miss mommy?" I asked, kissing all of her face.
"Yes," she nodded, giggling. "Momma, Pooh too."
"Of course, I missed Pooh Bear too!" I kissed the stuffed bear's nose, making Maia smile big.
"She wouldn't stop asking about you all these days. Expect her not to leave your side even for a second." Dad passed me her baby bag.
Not wanting me to have to drive all the way to his house after this long shift, dad offered to drop Maia off at the station on his way to work.
I laughed, looking over at Maia, who was intrigued by the fire trucks behind me. "Dad, she's practically my tail already. I can't even go to the bathroom alone in peace at home. It can't get any worse than that."
Maia gasped, slightly kicking her little legs signaling that she wanted me to put her down. "Dada! Dada!"
Turning around, I noticed that Maia was excitedly pointing at a freshly showered Evan walking out of the locker room.
I stood still, not knowing how to process the fact that Maia had just called Evan dad for the first time. I could tell that Evan didn't know how to react either by the way he stood at his spot motionless.
Maia grew impatient and started kicking harder. Composing myself a little, I set her down and watched her run on her tiptoes towards Evan.
Putting himself together faster than I did, Buck threw his bag on the ground and squatted down to Maia's height waiting for her to wrap her little arms around him.
"Hey, Maybear," he said, holding the little girl closer to him while dad and I watched the little interaction between them.
As much as Buck tried to hide it, I caught him wiping a tear with the sleeve of his button-down shirt.
Not his daughter, my ass. Someone that didn't love Maia the way I know he does wouldn't say the stupidity that came out of his mouth that stupid day we argued or even cry when a two-year-old called him dad for the first time.
"You were saying?" I asked my father, clearing my throat in the process, not fully knowing how to react to the fact that my daughter called my ex her dad. I knew it would happen eventually, but I wasn't fully prepared for the moment.
Instead of finding the whole situation awkward, dad was laughing, watching his granddaughter babble Evan's ear off while sneaking kisses on his cheek from time to time.
"Guess some things will never change. We can't compete with the adoration Maia has for Buck."
- - - - -
After getting home, I barely got the chance to take a well-deserved nap considering Maia only slept for thirty minutes which wasn't even half the time she usually naps for. I was starting to believe that kids have a sixth sense that lets them know when their parents are exhausted to be more chaotic than usual.
Giving up on resting altogether, I took advantage of the fact that we had electricity again and started doing chores around the house that were put on pause due to the blackout. And by chores, I meant doing the laundry.
"Ook momma,"
Putting the towels in the washing machine, I looked down at Maia to see that she had doodled all over her arms with her washable markers.
"Maia, sweetheart, you are supposed to draw on the papers I gave you, not on your arms." I shook my head at her, taking the marker from her hand before she decided to go all Picasso on the walls. She pouted while looking down at the scribbles in her arms. "I also just gave you a bath." I sighed, rubbing the exhaustion out of my eyes with the back of my hands.
"Dada," she pointed at her arms, then lifted her shirt to show more scribbles on her chest and ribcage. "Momma,"
I stared at her trying to figure out what in the world she meant by that, until it suddenly hit me, causing me to burst out in laughter.
"Oh, you wanted to match Buck and mommy?" She nodded, staring at her arms, looking quite proud of her little artwork.
I picked her up, still laughing at this girl's occurrences.
"No Buck, Dada," she corrected me.
I shook my head at her and sighed. "Sorry. Do you wanna call daddy and show him your tattoos?"
"Yes!" She clapped her little hands together in excitement.
I laughed at her enthusiasm before setting her down on the sofa and grabbing my phone to FaceTime Evan.
"Here, don't drop the phone, okay?" I passed her the phone as the line rang until Evan answered.
Maia's face twisted in confusion as she looked down at the phone.
Going around the sofa where she was sitting, I leaned forward to see why she was not talking. Instead of Evan being on the screen, it was Taylor.
"Where's Buck?" I asked, swallowing hard. Out of all the people in the world, she was one of the last ones I wanted to see right now.
Evan was truly unbelievable. He swears left and right that he was no longer seeing this woman, yet here she was answering his phone like she owned him or something.
"Hi, Maia! Buck is—" Taylor's face got quickly removed from the screen and was replaced with the floor of Evan's apartment.
"Taylor, why are you answering my phone? Actually, what are you doing in my apartment?" I heard Evan question, his voice thick with sleep. "Give me the key, and please leave."
"Dada?" Maia shook the phone in her hands.
"Baby, he's talking with someone. Give him a minute, okay? If not, we'll call him back in a little bit." I explained, trying to take the phone from her, but she crawled to the other side of the sofa, not letting me grab the phone in time just as the doorbell rang.
"Dada!" She exclaimed excitedly after a moment. I sighed once I noticed Evan was now on the screen.
Making sure that Maia wouldn't move from there, I walked over to the front door to check who rang.
The second I opened the door, I noticed there wasn't anyone on the other side. Before closing the door, I looked around, making sure there was no one around until a box on the doormat caught my attention.
I couldn't remember if I ordered something in the past couple of days. Looking around once more, I picked the box up, noticing it wasn't heavy at all.
Ripping the tape off, I opened the box. A small scream left my lips before the box slipped from my hands, hitting the ground by my feet with a small thud.
Author's Note:
Happy New Year, my loves! I hope this year is filled with wonderful things for each and every one of you. Thank you for your constant love and support. It means a lot to me.
It finally happened, guys. Maia said the D-word, and I'm so happy she did.
Also, what the hell is in that box?
I hope you guys like the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment.
Love you all!