Fynleigh slowly stirred, rubbing her eyes and glancing around in confusion as to how she'd ended up in bed. She recounted last nights events as she tried to wake herself up more, she remembered so much of the movie and then..
Shit. The tired female mentally cursed herself as she realised she must have fell asleep and made things incredibly awkward for her foster parents. But how on earth did I get here? She couldn't remember walking herself and that's when it hit her.. Maya had carried her here.
Feeling suddenly awake and with a nervous breath, she unconsciously ran her hands over her body to check herself for injuries. Maya and Carina were super sweet but the first motto of being a care kid, never put your trust in your fosters.
She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding but still couldn't fight the sick feeling in her stomach for breaking her own rule - never leaving herself vulnerable. Lord knows what Carina and Maya would do to her for inconveniencing them.
She'd have to face them and her punishment at some point but for now she tried her best to stop the brewing anxiety attack. Digging her nails into her palms, leaving small arched marks as she chewed on her lip and forced herself to let out the breath that seemed stuck in her throat.
You've probably had worse, grow up. The inner monologue chimed in her head, only egging on her self doubt and diminishing her self confidence further. She had definitely faced a lot worse that Maya and Carina yet Maya was a firefighter.. Firefighter's had to be strong and she wrestled over how on earth she'd be able to fight back. If she did fight back.. maybe it would be easier just to let the women have their way and not annoy them further.
A small knock on the door drew her out of her daydream, immediately sinking herself further into the mattress and pulling the duvet cover up over her face. Some stupid childish thought that if they couldn't see her they couldn't hurt her.
Maya peeked her head round the door slowly after receiving no answer, a soft smile on her face as she noticed the bump under the duvet covers.
"Sorry if I woke you hun, breakfast is ready." The blonde smiled and was about to turn and leave before a small voice stopped her.
"W-wait please.. I'm sorry.." The timid girl almost whispered but the woman caught her words as she seemed to be listening out for them.
"Sorry for what hun?" She frowned, her expression not mad like what had been expected but visibly confused.
"I fell asleep and inconvenienced you both, I'm so sorry. I must have been really heavy to bring in here and you really didn't have to do that. Feel free to punish-" A small mop of read hair peeked out from the duvet, that was clutched tightly beneath her fingertips and blurted out all her words at once.
Maya simply smiled again but her eyes softened at the frightened eyes of Fynleigh despite how she tried to fake confidence in her voice.
"Fyn, you are safe here with us. I can promise you that, Car would say exactly the same thing. You're not going to be hurt here and you don't have to walk on eggshells hun. You were not heavy trust me, you're perfect the way you are."
Of course, the woman was stretching the truth ever so slightly - the girl was perfect in her and her wife's eyes but both women wished for her to grow to a healthy weight. She could do with gaining a few pounds or something that was for sure.
The red head nodded tightly, still waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did. Her blonde foster mother simply squeezed her leg under the duvet softly, in comfort as she reminded her about breakfast being ready.
Fynleigh nodded quickly and scrambled out of bed, almost tripping up as she got tangled in the duvet. Maya hadn't hurt her. It was entirely new to her and if possible she'd like it to keep it that way - not wanting to upset her as she quickly followed her into the kitchen.
She was met with her brown haired foster mother, setting some restaurant to go cups down on the kitchen table next to plated up pastries. She hadn't had to cook breakfast this morning as Maya had surprised her, bringing back breakfast from her wife's favourite Italian bakery down the street after her run.
"Morning bella." Carina smiled warmly, encouraging her to sit as she took her own seat and Maya sat next to her wife.
"I'm sorry about yesterday.. I shouldn't of fell asleep and made things awkward for you both." She apologised yet again but was physically waved off by Carina.
"Nessun problema Fynie. You're cute when you're sleeping." The Italian teased playfully as she picked up her coffee cup. Their foster daughter simply blushed in return and reluctantly sat down across from the two women.
"I got you hot chocolate. I hope that's okay hun." Maya said softly as she noticed the girl looking at the cup inquisitively but seeming afraid to ask. She received a small murmured thank you as the teen took a small sip and mentally sighed in content. It was just the right temperature and just rich enough. Maybe today could be a good day after all, just maybe.
She hadn't been hurt since she'd stepped foot in the Deluca-Bishop household and really hoped it would stay that way.
That wishful thought was soon interrupted by her Italian foster mother, who cleared her throat to get her attention and levelled her eyes with hers. Oh god that probably wasn't a good sign.
"Bambina, I called my friend and colleague Arizona about getting a check up for you. Just to double check a few things and make sure your all healthy.. she can fit us in today if that's okay?" The woman watched the girl with concern in her eyes and a warm smile as she noticed she nodded far too quickly. She doubted she'd even took any of the information in and was just feeling the need to please them and not go against their wishes.
Fynleigh began to pick at the pastry, suddenly seeming uninterested in the flaky food on her plate. Carina worried it was because of her words and she felt guilt in the pit of her stomach at the possibility - it was almost like she'd flipped on a dime and was suddenly so shut off.
"Eat up please hun. The appointment is at half past so that'll give you time to get ready, to grab a shower and all that. If the appointment is truly okay with you, we can always wait." Maya said gently, not content with the girl just having a hot chocolate for breakfast. Old Maya would have freaked out at the thought of hot chocolate for breakfast, only smoothies were allowed if that - often she'd just run on an empty stomach and limit her food intake. Being with Carina had definitely taught her healthier habits, taught her she was worthy of food and worthy of love and a ton of other nice things.
The red head managed a couple of bites before the feeling of nausea became too much as she glanced at her fosters, silently asking permission to leave the table. The two women reluctantly agreed, sending her a warm smile as she departed from the table and into her "bedroom". No matter how many times the women would call it hers, she refused to believe it having so many false promises before.
Fynleigh eyed the new clothes that had been bought for her, carefully arranged in the drawers and the small standing wardrobe Carina and Maya had bought after receiving the phone call about getting a placement. She felt reluctant to engage with the items, chewing on her lip anxiously as she took out a pair of jeans with an oversized sweater, a short cropped white shirt for underneath and undergarments for the day. The couple had reinforced that they were hers and that they loved to treat her, until they were blue in the face but it seemed impossible to accept for her.
As much as she hated the idea of hospitals and doctors, she hated the idea of having to expose herself to her foster parents even more and thus decided on the shirt for underneath for easier access just in case. The foster kid was naturally dubious and didn't hold much trust in medical professionals after the abuse in her placements had been seemingly ignored or brushed under the carpet.
She wanted to drag her heels and whine, insist that she didn't want to go but instead she obediently took a shower - seeming visibly dazed and was soon dressed and ready to go.
Carina pulled into the Grey Sloan parking lot, using her staff parking space as she was staff after all. It was also closer to the hospital and she wasn't blind to how skittish her foster daughter seemed - worried that she would try to run if she had the chance.
Fynleigh chewed on her lip as she reluctantly followed her foster mother's into the hospital. Maya pressed the button on the elevator and the doors soon opened, much to her luck. She silently prayed that the lift would get stuck or the stairs would get swallowed up in a black hole. Anything that meant that she didn't have to go to her dreaded doctors appointment.
The red head seriously debated if she ran now - how far would she get and would the lift doors shut in time to stop the couple running after her. She decided she was probably being stupid and acting like a bratty child. They couldn't hurt her, they were legally not allowed (mind that hadn't stopped her other foster parents). Much to her surprise, she was slowly beginning to feel safe with Maya and Carina and really hoped they wouldn't break the trust forming. She, maybe stupidly, believed that they wouldn't put her in dangerous situations and Carina had explained about Arizona Robbins, her colleague and the doctor she would see.
"Fynleigh." Maya frowned, her voice stern but gentle as she pressed the lift button again and stuck her foot out to stop the doors that threatened to shut. She noticed the kids wandering eyes and nervous breathing and hoped to everything she wouldn't do a runner, meaning she'd have to go all olympian and sprint after her. The red head rolled her eyes and begrudgingly shuffled forward into the lift, her arms crossed with her lips in an unconscious pout.
Maya bit back an amused laugh, wrapping an around her shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze. The blonde was surprised when Fynleigh didn't pull away and rather seemed to lean closer to her for comfort. Maya could feel the rigid nature of the girls body that remained, her shoulders tense under the firefighters arm.
The red head finally shook Maya's arm off her and trailed behind her foster parents, Carina beginning a bright conversation with a woman sat behind the nurses station.
"Grazie. Exam room two." The woman smiled, seeming to finish her short conversation before she returned to her two loves and explained where they needed to go.
Their foster daughter traipsed behind them as Carina walked ahead, naturally knowing where most things were in the hospital, Maya following closely. She thought she'd gotten away with them not noticing she wasn't following before Maya stopped and turned. The blonde's eyes bore into her kids warm brown ones, almost silently communicating both concern and frustration at the same time as she silently waited for her to follow them.
She was becoming frustrated that the red head seemed to be blatantly ignoring them and what she asked, hating the anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Maya had a horrible childhood with her father constantly being angry at her and she was determined to not treat her child like that. What the blonde didn't register is that the frustration was merely a guise for the worry, overflowing beneath the surface - worried that she would run and she could get hurt without them to protect her.
Fynleigh feared for upsetting Maya and silently followed her, Carina already in the exam room and obliviously unaware of the stand off happening outside. She reluctantly got settled in one of the plush chairs that sat off to the side from the exam table and pulled her knees up to her chest.
The room fell into a slightly awkward silence as the red heads anxiety radiated off of her and filled the air. The silence was soon interrupted by the door opening and both women's eyes moved from their foster daughter, to travel to the door. Arizona smiled at both women and the blonde pulled Carina into a quick hug, giving Maya a warm smile. Her bright blue eyes fell on the small red head scrunched up in the chair and she transitioned to her biggest "super magic smile".
"Hi! I'm Doctor Robbins, sorry it's busy here today. You must be Fynleigh. You can go ahead and call me Arizona." Arizona smiled softly, pulling a stool over and sitting down in front of the three females.
Fynleigh meekly lifted her head and gave her a reluctant smile in response, sinking her body further into her chair if that was even possible. She hated hospitals with a passion even if Arizona seemed nice. Maya and Carina did to but there was still the possibility of them turning on a dime - much like Arizona who seemed incredibly perky and a little too bright.
"So if I'm correct- it's a general checkup. Any major concerns? Anything that prompted this?"
"We're concerned about the possibility of Fynleigh being underweight since she seems to be a little small for her age." Carina explained, quieter than her usual confident tone. She clearly had her doctor head on but her mamma heart couldn't ignore how their girl had barely looked up from the floor since Arizona's greeting. The Italian had kept her words quiet and just to Arizona's ears if possible as she noticed the girl was clearly zoned out, not wanting to distress her further. Maya eyed their foster daughter with nothing but worry and love in her eyes as she seemed withdrawn from the conversation a little herself.
"Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and start off with getting your weight if that's okay. If you can just pop your shoes and sweatshirt off please."
Fynleigh let out a small huff but obliged, Arizona noticing how small she looked without the bulky oversized sweater. The red head hesitantly stepped foot on the scales as Arizona made sure that the girl couldn't see her weight as she wrote it down. She was underweight, not in the dangerous range but far from a healthy weight either.
"So Fynleigh is underweight but it can be fixed. I know it sounds alarming, it's not good but it can be helped with three meals a day and possibly some extra support to provide extra nutrients and get her vitamin levels up. I'm sure since she's been with you, you are encouraging her to eat and incorporating structure at meal times is essential to creating healthy habits around food. I can recommend a good nutrients shake." Arizona explained softly before noting down the details onto a tablet.
She asked to measure her height next, the red head propped up against uncomfortable support as Arizona brought the marker down on top of her head. Under the normal range for her age, which wasn't surprising to the three women, a little bit of a concern but nothing major to worry about yet. There was still time for her to grow and Arizona decided to let nature run it's course and intervene if necessary.
The next words made Fynleigh's blood freeze cold and her hands shake at her sides. Her warm brown eyes chilled with fear as they observed Arizona prepping everything she needed for said blood test and widened at the sight of the needle.
Without a second thought, her fight or fight instinct had kicked in and she chose flight - making a dash for the door and managing to reach the lift. She frantically banged on the lift buttons, her breathing speeding up and her body slowly starting to shake. She'd ran away from Maya and Carina, they were bound to be angry now and they'd show their true colours.
The three women in the room exchanged worried expressions as Maya was quickly on her feet and following. She spotted the red head huddled into herself by the open lift doors, visibly shaking and sobbing softly. Carina wanted to follow so badly but she didn't want to overwhelm their girl even more and so forced herself to stay put.
"Fynleigh, honey. I need you to breathe. Come on, please breathe with me." Maya softly pleaded, crouching down and placing a gentle hand on her foster daughters knee.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I ran away... it's okay you can hit me. I deserve it." The red head sniffled through ragged breathing, barely able to get her words out as her chest seemed to be dragging itself up and down.
"Hun, I'm not going to hit you. I just need you to breathe, you're going to make yourself sick and nobody wants that. Please breathe with me, 1,2,3. 1.2.3." Maya frowned as her heart broke in two and she tried her best to help (using Carina's method that she had used on Maya herself to calm her down).
Fynleigh tried her best to copy her and as she gulped down air greedily, her breathing became normal over time. Maya stayed in her crouching position and rubbed her hands over the girl's knees softly and watched her carefully.
"I'm sorry.." Fyn apologised yet again to the blonde and finally met her eyes, her own eyes filled with sorrow and fear. Maya simply shook her head with a small smile and held out her hand to help the girl up, which she quietly took. The firefighter wrapped an arm around the girls shoulders as she still seemed a little unsteady on her feet and lead her back to the examination room.
The blonde sat in her seat again, silently offering their foster daughter the choice of her own chair again or the lap of the woman which she was surprised was accepted. Arizona eyed the red head quietly almost asking for permission with her big blue eyes. She received a silent, shaky nod and Arizona smiled softly at her in response.
"I promise I'll be quick sweetie." Arizona promised as she slipped on a pair of gloves after sanitising her hands. She wiped off her arm after the red head reluctantly gave her it, prepping the needle before positioning it by her arm.
Fynleigh scrunched her eyes shut and leaned backwards into Maya, Maya beginning to soothingly rub her opposite arm.
"A sharp scratch, 1, 2-" Fynleigh cursed under her breath at the sharp pain, Arizona positioning the tube underneath waiting for it to fill. The small blonde doctor gently removed the needle from the girls arm after the tube was filled, discarding the used items in the medical waste bin.
Maya was enjoying this close contact with the young girl who usually seemed so withdrawn from the two- so much so they worried they were doing something wrong. The blonde was slightly saddened after the blood test as their girl immediately withdrew back to her own chair and tucked herself up again.
"Fynleigh, I have to ask you some personal questions. I can ask Maya and Carina to leave if you wish." Arizona explained softly as she discarded her gloves. She received a quite shake of her head in response.
The doctor nodded before moving the stool closer so she could face the girl when she asked such personal questions - a matter of being respectful.
"Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"
"Are you actively taking part in sexual activity?"
Two small shakes of her head in response as the girl fidgeted with her hands.
"When was your last period?"
Fynleigh's face went betroot red as she stared down at the floor, feeling akward at all the eyes on her.
"I uhm... I haven't.. that."
"No worries, that is perfectly normal. Some people can just have later periods- we'll put a pin in that for now and check up on that in the future." Arizona smiled kindly, giving the girls knee a soft squeeze before she pulled back and typed up some notes onto a tablet.
The couple watched the timid red head blush even further, her cheeks practically matching her hair as she hid her face in her knees. Carina's inner doctor voice already having it's own thoughts about the situation, she had literally studied the female body after all.
"Thank you Arizona." Maya smiled softly, the appointment coming to an end, after they had agreed a date for a further check up. Arizona waved her off with a smile at the timid young girl who anxiously waited by the door - her teeth seeming glued to her bottom lip as she roughly chewed. The blonde doctor seemed to notice her colleague still lingering by the door as the Italian internally debated whether to verbalise her thoughts. Carina didn't want to label the sweet girl but she had a nagging feeling there was something..
"Grazie." Carina simply smiled at her colleague, deciding to keep her concerns to herself and do some more research before she dared to pin a label onto their foster daughter.
The small family made their way into the lift, Carina pressing the button for the floor on which her office was. She figured she may as well pick up some paperwork and work she had to catch up on while she was here.
"I just need to pick up some work bambina and then we can do something fun, si?" She smiled at her foster daughter and gently squeezed her shoulder.
With a quiet ding the doors opened and the red head reluctantly followed her foster mothers, dragging her feet and keeping her eyes cast to the floor. The Italian unlocked her office and gestured for the two to sit on the plush sofa that sat close to the door, figuring she might be a small while due to her time off throwing off her organisational system.
Fynleigh sat down quietly, crossing her legs as she silently took in the space with somewhat wide eyes. From the artwork on the wall, to small diagrams that sat on a shelf the woman really did seem to be obsessed with vaginas and babies.
"Woah, you have a lot of vaginas." She found herself blurting out, her cheeks growing red.
Carina simply smirked and let out a sweet, amused laugh from where she stood raking through her drawers.
"I do work with women bella, it's not that strange. Plus, sex is a beautiful, natural thing and people should never be made to feel embarrassed about it or their bodies." The Italian clicked her tongue lightly, her eyes lighting up as she found what she was looking for and quickly grabbed the selected folders.
"But you are far too young for that. It is beautiful but only when your age appropriate." Maya butted in, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the sofa cushions before she forced herself to relax.
"Si and consent is the most important thing, they should make you feel safe and loved. Comfort is key, you can stop at any time and they have to respect that." The brunette smiled at their teen, putting the files into her handbag and grabbing her keys. Maya glanced at her wife with concerned, frustrated blue eyes almost silently pleading that they stop talking about sex with their innocent fourteen year old as she stood up.
Carina silently agreed sending her wife an apologetic smile, as much as she did believe sex to be perfectly natural and healthy, even empowering sometimes - their bambina was so small and far too young to even be thinking about the act. Although, she definitely had a whole talk up her sleeve when the time was right about the birds and bees if you will (she never understood the term or how Americans were such prudes when it came to discussing sexual topics with their children).
As she locked her office and dropped the keys into her handbag, a familiar voice called out to her in a scolding tone.
"Deluca! What are you doing here, what part of time off don't you understand? You should be spending time with your baby girl." Miranda scolded, her hands on her hips as she crossed the floor to stand by the taller woman.
"Oh Miranda, I was just picking up some files since we were already here for an appointment for Fynnie anyway. We are heading out now, promise." Carina smiled and at the mention of we it was as if Bailey finally noticed the two females beside her.
Bailey gave Maya a smile in greeting before her eyes turned to the young girl, seeming much more interested as her eyes lit up and she smiled bright.
"Hey sweetie, I'm Miranda. You must be Fynleigh. I love that hair, it's beautiful." She complimented softly, noticing the females timid nature and how she refused to look her in the eye.
"Mhm, thank you.." Fynleigh murmured back, a little smile emerging and her cheeks heating up. She'd never been complimented much, rather put down and in a crazy way she found insults more natural and easier to deal with.
Miranda was about to open her mouth before her pager beeped and she had to excuse herself.
"Lovely to meet you sweetheart. Come for dinner sometime soon, now get out of here Deluca!" Directing her comment first to Fynleigh and then extending a dinner invitation to the couple behind her as she rushed off to her patient.
"Let's get out of here, si?" Carina laughed softly, as the teen became sandwiched between the two women as they walked to the exit and out to the car park.
They somehow found their way to a small movie theatre, Maya asking her wife to pull over on their drive home. The usually reserved woman had a childish grin on her face as warmth filled her, at the thought of creating a new core memory with their girl.
Carina didn't take much convincing after asking the small red head if she'd like to go and she'd practically whispered that she didn't know because she'd never experienced it. Plus, she'd just been through a stressful doctors appointment and both women thought it would be good to do something fun. She loved seeing her wife so care free and loving to the young girl, such a contrast to the Maya who thought she'd never want children. Clearly a certain red head was missing from her life and that's what it had took to light up their lives again, like the perfect puzzle piece added to their jigsaw.
The blonde grinned, her arms laden with snacks as she ordered a mix of popcorn with extra butter while Carina bought the movie tickets.
"Woah, are we feeding the five hundred?" Carina laughed softly, earning a confused look from her wife.
"Five hundred...? It's the five thousand my love." Maya smirked, earning a timid smile from their foster daughter which she caught out the corner of her eye.
The Italian simply sighed playfully and grabbed the tray with the popcorn and drinks on, approaching the entrance to the screens. A middle aged woman with thick blond hair pulled into a ponytail smiled softly at the three as she clipped their tickets.
"Such a cute family. That will be screen six, enjoy the movie."
Fynleigh flinched at the word family and hurried forward as if the woman had just slapped her across the face. They weren't a family, right..? She had to stop reluctantly, her cheeks heating up as she realised she had zero clue how this whole thing worked. Her foster mothers soon caught her up and they found the right screen, getting settled into their seats.
The young girl glanced around the movie theatre almost in awe at the large screen and the plush seats they sat on. She jumped slightly as the lights dimmed and the obnoxiously large screen was lit up with bright and loud moving images.
"These are just the trailers hun, they're a bit boring." Maya whispered, leaning over to the girl where she sat in between her and her wife. Fynleigh would disagree that they weren't boring, her eyes never leaving the screen as the different characters danced across the screen.
Carina smiled softly, almost in awe at how the girl seemed to find magic and interest in such tiny things. The Italian didn't dare to think of the reality of why she found wonder in everything, how much hurt and suffering she'd had to go through.
The movie finally started playing but the older woman wasn't paying much attention, her eyes were stuck on the young girl. She watched the small girl staring at the movie intensely and munching on various snacks that Maya offered her. She'd initially been faced with some reluctance as Fynleigh insisted she was okay and didn't need anything else. Maya could be equally as stubborn, but clearly much less than the stubborn personality that was emerging from the girl over time.
They had made a small crack in the wall she'd built up around her heart, to protect herself. So innocent and sweet, nobody would hurt her ever again.
She was safe with them, safe forever. Carina's eyes locked with Maya's over the younger female's head and she found her silently communicating the same thing.
Forever.