9th May- Sacramento, United States
Maria’s house
Letty’s POV
It had been two long days since I had told my mother everything. She’d kept her word while I spoke, and when I was done I expected world war three to break out but I got nothing. Just a blank look and three whispered words- ‘Give me time.’ As the second day was drawing to a close I was tossing the idea around about leaving and heading back to Dom and the gang. If she needed time I would give it her and when she was ready she knew where I was.
I tapped my fingers on Ava’s backpack as I thought about it. Ava played with James in the lounge room and I could hear both my ma and him whispering to one another but nothing loud enough to make out actual words.
“Can I come in?” I looked up when the door opened and I nodded to my mother as she waited in the doorway.
“Your house.” I shrugged with a small smile.
“I’m sorry for the silence but what you told me I… I wasn’t prepared… to hear that. I expected bad news just not all that. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing. You don’t have to say anything, you just needed to know.” I shrugged as I turned to fold up Ava’s clothes.
“Are you in any form of counselling?” She whispered and I nodded.
“Yes ma, both Dom and I go together then we both have separate appointments.”
“Can I go with you to one?” I paused mid fold as I looked at her.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Because I have questions.”
“I can answer your questions.” I frowned.
“I want professional opinions and answers Letty. Please just a couple, that’s all I’m asking, I need to talk this out too.” I was silent as I continued to fold, my mind racing as I thought her request through. My silence must have stretched for a while because eventually she joined me in folding the washing and we stood there in silence until it was done.
“Okay. I have an appointment tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
10th May- Sacramento, United States
Maya Fisher’s office
Letty’s POV
“Hi Letty, I’m Maya.”
‘Hi.” I spoke quietly as I shook her hand.
“I have all your notes here from Rosie so don’t worry we don’t have to start from the beginning or anything like that. You can just pick up wherever you want to okay?” She smiled warmly and I nodded with a small smile.
“My mother is here as well she wanted to sit in, she’s just waiting outside.”
“So the two of you have reconnected, that’s good Letty.”
“Well it’s not easy.”
“No I can imagine its not. Tell you what you and I have will have our session and in the last ten minutes we’ll bring her in, that sound okay?” She asked and I nodded, breathing out in relief.
“So, where did you want to start today?”
10th May- Sacramento, United States
Maya Fisher’s office
Maria’s POV
“Maria?” My head snapped up at the sound of my name, looking over to a tall woman with a kind smile.
“Yes?”
“I’m Maya Fisher, Letty’s doctor. You can come in ad join us now if you like?”
“Thank you.” I spoke quietly as I stood and followed her into her office.
“Sorry for the small wait but we had some things to discuss first. Letty and I have been talking and we’ve come to an agreement about you joining in on the last ten minutes of her sessions every week. It’ll give you a chance to ask questions and get some answers as well as some counselling for you. What Letty told you would have been quite hard to hear.”
“Immensely.” I muttered as I took a seat next to Letty.
“So Letty tells me you don’t like Dom?” Maya started and I frowned at her.
“I loved Dom like my own and a part of me I guess still does but at this particular moment in time, no I don’t like him.”
“You don’t think they should be together?”
“They have children together, he’ll always be in her life and I know I need to accept that but no right now I don’t think they should be together. I think Letty needs to be on her own and work at herself while being surrounded by family who love and care for her.” I finished.
“And you don’t class the team as Letty’s family?” She asked with a small smile and I glared.
“Yes I do but you know what I mean. I think it would be in Letty’s best interest to move in with me permanently until she thinks she’s ready to go back. I can take care of her, Ava and the baby.” I spoke as I cast a look over to Letty who was frowning at me.
“Is that what you want Letty?” Maya asked.
“I want to visit for a while ma, I’ve already told you that but I don’t have plans to move here.”
“Letty think about it, you can be free here. You can get a job, I can look after the kids and you can get some of your independence back.” I argued.
“And what about Dom ma? Where does he fit into your grand plan?” She snapped and I shrugged.
“He can come and visit Ava every second weekend and he can be here for the birth.”
“That’s it? That’s the best you have? He missed out on Ava being a baby and now you want me to take this one away from him too?”
“I’m not saying he can’t see the baby and Ava but I just think it would be best if he wasn’t around all the time. You need space and time away from him. He’s done nothing good for you and Ava and the baby would be a hell of a lot better without him.” I finally snapped.
“Okay before we get too heavily into this, Maria I understand as a mother you want to protect your child but this is Letty’s decision and you have to be there and support her through it. She took the step to first come here and make amends with you, correct Letty?” Maya asked her and she nodded.
“No one did that for you right?” She asked again and once again Letty nodded.
“No one tried to stop or talk me out of it, especially not Dom. He supported me in my choice.”
“And the contact you have with Dom while you’re here?” Maya asked making Letty turn to me to explain it.
“I rang him the first night we arrived here and every night he rings to speak to Ava and I. I don’t hear from him through the day because that something we discussed before I left, we’re giving each other space.” She explained to me and I grimaced.
“I just want what’s best for you and he’s not it.”
“Ma stop. That’s not your choice to make, that’s mine. Dom’s made his share of mistakes but so have I. He’s working hard, really hard, at his sessions with Rosie. Things are far from perfect and I’m not naïve to think they’ll ever be perfect but I love him. You can blame him all you want but if you blame him you have to blame me too, and Leon and Vince and Mia and everyone else because we all played our parts in the past. I’m not asking you to like him, I’m asking you to be civil and I need you to accept my choice because he’s here to stay for as long as I want him to.” Letty finished with a huff leaving us both sitting in silence.
“Maria?” Maya hinted.
“I’ll try.” I muttered.
“Thank you.”
Maria’s house
Letty’s POV
It had been two long days since I had told my mother everything. She’d kept her word while I spoke, and when I was done I expected world war three to break out but I got nothing. Just a blank look and three whispered words- ‘Give me time.’ As the second day was drawing to a close I was tossing the idea around about leaving and heading back to Dom and the gang. If she needed time I would give it her and when she was ready she knew where I was.
I tapped my fingers on Ava’s backpack as I thought about it. Ava played with James in the lounge room and I could hear both my ma and him whispering to one another but nothing loud enough to make out actual words.
“Can I come in?” I looked up when the door opened and I nodded to my mother as she waited in the doorway.
“Your house.” I shrugged with a small smile.
“I’m sorry for the silence but what you told me I… I wasn’t prepared… to hear that. I expected bad news just not all that. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing. You don’t have to say anything, you just needed to know.” I shrugged as I turned to fold up Ava’s clothes.
“Are you in any form of counselling?” She whispered and I nodded.
“Yes ma, both Dom and I go together then we both have separate appointments.”
“Can I go with you to one?” I paused mid fold as I looked at her.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Because I have questions.”
“I can answer your questions.” I frowned.
“I want professional opinions and answers Letty. Please just a couple, that’s all I’m asking, I need to talk this out too.” I was silent as I continued to fold, my mind racing as I thought her request through. My silence must have stretched for a while because eventually she joined me in folding the washing and we stood there in silence until it was done.
“Okay. I have an appointment tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
10th May- Sacramento, United States
Maya Fisher’s office
Letty’s POV
“Hi Letty, I’m Maya.”
‘Hi.” I spoke quietly as I shook her hand.
“I have all your notes here from Rosie so don’t worry we don’t have to start from the beginning or anything like that. You can just pick up wherever you want to okay?” She smiled warmly and I nodded with a small smile.
“My mother is here as well she wanted to sit in, she’s just waiting outside.”
“So the two of you have reconnected, that’s good Letty.”
“Well it’s not easy.”
“No I can imagine its not. Tell you what you and I have will have our session and in the last ten minutes we’ll bring her in, that sound okay?” She asked and I nodded, breathing out in relief.
“So, where did you want to start today?”
10th May- Sacramento, United States
Maya Fisher’s office
Maria’s POV
“Maria?” My head snapped up at the sound of my name, looking over to a tall woman with a kind smile.
“Yes?”
“I’m Maya Fisher, Letty’s doctor. You can come in ad join us now if you like?”
“Thank you.” I spoke quietly as I stood and followed her into her office.
“Sorry for the small wait but we had some things to discuss first. Letty and I have been talking and we’ve come to an agreement about you joining in on the last ten minutes of her sessions every week. It’ll give you a chance to ask questions and get some answers as well as some counselling for you. What Letty told you would have been quite hard to hear.”
“Immensely.” I muttered as I took a seat next to Letty.
“So Letty tells me you don’t like Dom?” Maya started and I frowned at her.
“I loved Dom like my own and a part of me I guess still does but at this particular moment in time, no I don’t like him.”
“You don’t think they should be together?”
“They have children together, he’ll always be in her life and I know I need to accept that but no right now I don’t think they should be together. I think Letty needs to be on her own and work at herself while being surrounded by family who love and care for her.” I finished.
“And you don’t class the team as Letty’s family?” She asked with a small smile and I glared.
“Yes I do but you know what I mean. I think it would be in Letty’s best interest to move in with me permanently until she thinks she’s ready to go back. I can take care of her, Ava and the baby.” I spoke as I cast a look over to Letty who was frowning at me.
“Is that what you want Letty?” Maya asked.
“I want to visit for a while ma, I’ve already told you that but I don’t have plans to move here.”
“Letty think about it, you can be free here. You can get a job, I can look after the kids and you can get some of your independence back.” I argued.
“And what about Dom ma? Where does he fit into your grand plan?” She snapped and I shrugged.
“He can come and visit Ava every second weekend and he can be here for the birth.”
“That’s it? That’s the best you have? He missed out on Ava being a baby and now you want me to take this one away from him too?”
“I’m not saying he can’t see the baby and Ava but I just think it would be best if he wasn’t around all the time. You need space and time away from him. He’s done nothing good for you and Ava and the baby would be a hell of a lot better without him.” I finally snapped.
“Okay before we get too heavily into this, Maria I understand as a mother you want to protect your child but this is Letty’s decision and you have to be there and support her through it. She took the step to first come here and make amends with you, correct Letty?” Maya asked her and she nodded.
“No one did that for you right?” She asked again and once again Letty nodded.
“No one tried to stop or talk me out of it, especially not Dom. He supported me in my choice.”
“And the contact you have with Dom while you’re here?” Maya asked making Letty turn to me to explain it.
“I rang him the first night we arrived here and every night he rings to speak to Ava and I. I don’t hear from him through the day because that something we discussed before I left, we’re giving each other space.” She explained to me and I grimaced.
“I just want what’s best for you and he’s not it.”
“Ma stop. That’s not your choice to make, that’s mine. Dom’s made his share of mistakes but so have I. He’s working hard, really hard, at his sessions with Rosie. Things are far from perfect and I’m not naïve to think they’ll ever be perfect but I love him. You can blame him all you want but if you blame him you have to blame me too, and Leon and Vince and Mia and everyone else because we all played our parts in the past. I’m not asking you to like him, I’m asking you to be civil and I need you to accept my choice because he’s here to stay for as long as I want him to.” Letty finished with a huff leaving us both sitting in silence.
“Maria?” Maya hinted.
“I’ll try.” I muttered.
“Thank you.”