It was just an ordinary evening for Maya. After shift, she showered, changed, and drove back to the apartment.
Carina got off shift a little later tonight, so Maya decided to surprise her by making one of their favorite dishes; lasagna. This time, however, she knew to keep it in the oven for the right amount of time.
As she was cooking, a knock at the door stole her attention. "Babe? Did you forget your key again?" Maya asked, walking over to the door and opening it.
Maya froze.
It wasn't Carina, nor was it anyone she'd actually like to see. It was Lane.
"D-dad? What are you doing here," Maya asked, trying to put on a strong facade, "How do you know where I live?"
"I saw you got demoted. Didn't even bother to tell me yourself?" Lane replied, stepping into the apartment without an invite.
"It has nothing to do with you. Why are you here?" Maya shot back, watching as he grabbed an apple from the counter and took a bite.
"I wanted to see if it was true. If you really were a failure. Guess it's true." The older man said condescendingly.
"I'm not a failure. Get out of my apartment, Lane. You're not welcome." Maya said firmly.
"Ooh, first name basis now? Do I need to remind you who you're speaking to?" Lane snapped, closing the gap between him and his daughter. He knew that Maya was easily intimidated by him.
"I don't give a fuck who I'm speaking to. Get out!" Maya said, raising her voice.
"You're weak. Pathetic. I'm just here to make you be a winner. Do you want to be a winner? Or do you want to be a weak, pathetic loser?" Lane asked, looking down at his daughter.
"I'm not weak!" Maya shouted, shoving him backwards. "I'm not pathetic. I'm everything I am in spite of you! You ruined me, you broke me, and I put in the work to repair myself. You're nothing more than dirt on my shoe. Get the hell out of my apartment before I call the police." Maya yelled angrily.
"What the hell did you just say to me?" He yelled, pushing his daughter up against a wall, pinning her.
"Maya!" A new voice exclaimed, fear laced into it.
•••
Carina smiled to herself as she got out of the car and began walking into their apartment building. She had a good day, delivering 8 healthy babies and now she just wanted to spend time with her wife.
As Carina got closer, she noticed that the door to the apartment was slightly cracked open. That's also when she noticed the yelling coming from inside the apartment.
She didn't waste any time, throwing the door open and gasping at what she saw.
"Maya!" She exclaimed, heart racing as she looked at Lane pinning Maya up against the wall.
"Who the hell are you?" Lane sneered, loosening his grip from Maya's shoulders, giving Maya strength to shove him away.
"Doctor Carina DeLuca-Bishop. Now you need to leave this building right now. The cops have already been called." Carina said firmly.
"You're still a dyke? Wow. I really did fail." Lane said, laughing in disbelief.
"Get out. And don't ever come back." Carina said, following behind him as he left the apartment. She quickly locked the door and turned her attention to her wife, who was now sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, seemingly on another planet.
"Bambina? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Carina asked gently, dropping to her knees next to her wife.
Maya didn't reply verbally. She just began sobbing. Deep, painful sobs that cut straight through Carina's heart.
"Oh, Bella, it's okay. You're okay, you're safe. I'm right here." She murmured, wrapping her arms around Maya, the blonde curling into her body. She could feel the tears seeping through her shirt.
This went on for at least 10 minutes before Maya pulled away, her sobs diminishing into quiet hiccups.
"Did he hurt you, Maya?" Carina asked again. It was important to know that Maya didn't have any injuries.
"No, no, he just...scared me." The firefighter admitted, sniffling as she stood up. "I'm sorry, Bella." Carina said, standing up as well and wrapping the blonde into a hug once again.
Maya nuzzled her face into her wife's neck, arms wrapped tightly around her. "I want to get a restraining order. I can't deal with him randomly showing up at the apartment, the station. I can't do it anymore." She whispered.
"I think that's a very brave thing to do, bambina. I will call our lawyer tomorrow, si?" Carina replied, running her thumb over Maya's cheekbone.
Maya nodded, pressing her face back into Carina's chest. "I love you. More than anything." Maya said, muffled.
"I love you, too, Maya."