Chapter Text
Carina was aware that time was passing. She had checked on Lucia who, thankfully, had fallen asleep. Now, Carina sat on the floor between her unconscious wife and the dead man. She didn’t want the first thing Maya saw if she woke up to be the man she killed. She knew she could’ve left the room but she was also afraid of leaving Maya alone. Carina didn’t want to risk moving her or the bullet that was somewhere in her wife.
The Italian couldn't help but replay the events in her mind, from letting the stranger in thinking he was in need of help to watching her wife flinch at being shot because all she ever wanted was to keep her family safe.
Her eyes remained transfixed on Maya, paying attention to the rise and fall of her chest. Thankful for every breath. She wondered if she should be doing something else. Should she be cleaning up all of the blood? Who even was this man that almost killed them?
Carina crawled over to the body, finally looking at the pale, dead man. She wanted to feel bad but couldn’t find that emotion in her arsenal. All she felt was anger. Anger for the people who had kept her family apart and even more for those who tried to rip that away now that they were together again.
A knock on the door disrupted those thoughts. She had no clue how much time had actually passed. Hopefully it had been long enough.
Carina quickly stood up, her body tense with apprehension. The last knock on that door didn’t end well. She cautiously approached the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"It's the police," a voice responded from the other side. "We received a distress call. Is everything okay in there?"
Carina let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Relief washed over her as she realized that help had finally arrived. She quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing two police officers standing outside in the snow, the storm still raging behind them.
"No, everything is not okay," Carina replied hastily. “My wife has been shot! Please, she needs a hospital!”
She led the two officers down the hall to the bedroom. They were met by a gorey sight. One of the men checked the dead man while the other went over to Maya.
He carefully examined Maya's wound, assessing the severity and the need for immediate medical attention. Carina watched anxiously, hoping they weren’t too late.
"We need that ambulance here right away," the officer said into his radio. "We have a gunshot victim in critical condition. And another deceased.” The officer explained to Carina, who had picked up her sleeping daughter, that the ambulance wasn’t too far behind, but the roads and conditions were precarious which significantly slowed their progress.
As they waited for the ambulance, Carina provided the officers with a brief account of what had transpired. She explained how her and Maya had let the stranger in to rest but that a struggle ensued, and the moment when Maya was shot while trying to protect their family. She also explained about the syndicate and why they were targeted.
“You need to contact Agent Sanders of the FBI. He needs to be made aware of the situation,” the Italian said as the paramedics rushed into the room several moments later.
They carefully loaded Maya onto a gurney and told Carina to follow them to the ambulance. An officer offered to watch Lucia but Carina vehemently refused. She was going to keep her family together as long as she could.
Once they were all loaded onto the ambulance Carina kept a close eye on Maya’s vitals. They were bad, but they were there which meant she was alive. With one hand holding their daughter the other was gripping Maya's hand tightly.
She couldn’t understand how the Syndicate found them or why they were still trying to kill Maya. She just wanted her family to heal and move on, but there were too many obstacles preventing them from doing so.
The ambulance was moving slow, the hills of the mountains covered in ice and snow. Carina was worried about every bump in the road, fearing that every jolt would worsen Maya's condition, move the bullet so much that it hit something critical inside of her wife. She couldn't help but feel a sense of desperation. How much more did they have to go through until this was all over?
As they finally arrived at the emergency room, a team of doctors and nurses rushed to meet them, ready to take over Maya's care. Carina reluctantly let go of Maya's hand, hoping these people were as good as her friends.
She watched as they whisked her wife away, disappearing behind the doors of the operating room, leaving her standing there holding Lucia, covered in Maya’s blood.
“Would you like a change of clothes?” A nurse said apprehensively as she approached the mother and daughter. “We have some scrubs you could use.”
Carina nodded, grateful for the offer. The nurse led Carina to a small room where she quickly changed into the scrubs, discarding her blood-stained clothes. Lucia remained with the woman just through the doors, always within eyesight.
She felt the vibration on her phone that was now in her hands. Now that they were back within service she realized all of the messages that had come through, most of them from Sanders, some from Andy and the others. She didn’t get a chance to read them, however.
What caught her attention first was a news alert involving Sanchez and how he had escaped from prison. The article was no more than five hours old. Carina's heart dropped as she read the news. Sanchez, the man who had been responsible for tearing her family apart, for torturing her wife, was now on the loose.
As she stood there, lost in her thoughts, a familiar voice broke through her despair. It was Agent Sanders who had come through the door, had tracked her down. She realized she hadn’t yet looked through any of the messages or listened to the voicemails.
"Carina, I've been trying to reach you," Sanders said urgently. “Are you okay? Is Maya?”
Carina looked up at Agent Sanders, her eyes filled exhaustion and fear. "Maya’s been shot," she replied. "They're operating on her now. We-we don’t know what happened or why. One minute we were fine and then..."
“Sanchez escaped,” Sanders said bluntly. “He’s looking for anyone who could testify against him. Starting with Maya. That’s why I was trying to get to you, but the storm slowed me down.”
It felt like a cruel twist of fate, as if the universe was conspiring against them. She couldn't believe that after everything they had been through, after finally finding a semblance of peace, Sanchez had managed to slip away.
"What happens now?" Carina asked. She couldn't bear the thought of Sanchez finding them again, of him threatening their family once more.
Agent Sanders sighed heavily. "We need to get you all to safety," he said firmly. "You’re all going to go into protective custody until he’s found. You will need round-the-clock protection. We'll relocate you to a secure location, where you'll be under constant surveillance. Sanchez is dangerous, and he won't stop until he eliminates any threats to him. And he will use you and Lucia to get to Maya if he has to."
“If she makes it out of surgery…” Carina whispered.
“She will,” Sanders’s said fiercely. “And when she does we will all be on the move.“
“She’s not going to be okay,” the Italian looked into the agents eyes. “She was doing so well this week, but now…now it’s like all of her fears are coming true. I don’t know if I’ll be enough to bring her back this time…”
“Look, you have to take this one step at a time. The first step is your wife coming out of surgery. Let’s get there first.”
Carina nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She knew Sanders was right. She walked out the door and took her daughter back from the nurse.
“I’m not leaving your side until you three are in the safe house,” Sanders assured as they made their way to the waiting room. “Andy is packing some things for all of you as we speak.”
Carina thanked the man but couldn’t think of anything else to say. Her mind was a mess. She couldn't help but wonder how they would ever find peace and normalcy again. The thought of constantly being on the run, living in fear, was a heavy burden to bear.
“Mrs. Bishop?” The Italian heard several hours later. She saw the doctor approaching her. She didn’t even think of correcting the name, just being Maya’s wife regardless of the name was worth it.
“Is she okay? Is she alive?” Carina asked hesitantly. She was terrified of what the answer could possibly be.
The doctor gave Carina a sympathetic look before speaking. "Maya made it through the surgery," he said. "The bullet was successfully removed, but she lost a lot of blood. The cauterization you did probably saved her life, stopping the bleeding in time. The bullet did hit her liver, but we were able to repair it. She's in critical condition, and we'll need to closely monitor her. She's stable for now, but we will need to keep a close eye on her."
“Is she able to be transported?” Agent Sanders said from behind Carina.
The doctor looked at him cautiously. “It’s not advised. She’s still in critical condition and-“
“Is it possible?” The FBI agent asked again, this time more urgently.
The doctor looked at Carina if it was okay to answer to which she nodded. The man sighed. "Technically, yes, she can be transported," he said reluctantly. "But it's risky. She needs constant monitoring and specialized care. Moving her could jeopardize her recovery."
Carina looked between the doctor and Agent Sanders, her mind racing. She knew they needed to get to a safe location, but she couldn't bear the thought of putting Maya's life at further risk.
Agent Sanders seemed to read her thoughts. "Carina, I understand your concerns," he said gently. "But we have to consider the bigger picture. Staying here puts all of you in danger. We have the resources to provide the care Maya needs while keeping her safe. It's a difficult decision, but it's the best chance we have to protect your family. Believe me, I wouldn’t suggest this if there was another option.”
Carina took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. She knew Agent Sanders was right. Staying in the hospital was risky, and they couldn't afford to let Sanchez find them again. Maya's safety, and the safety of their family, was paramount. Still, everything seemed to be moving too quickly.
"Okay," Carina finally said. They needed that speed. They didn’t know how long before someone from the Syndicate found them. "If it's the best chance we have to keep Maya safe, then we'll do it. We'll go with you to the safe house. But only if the medical equipment and doctors are there before we get there and when we need them."
Agent Sanders nodded. "Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Carina. I know this isn't an easy decision, but I promise we'll do everything we can to ensure Maya's recovery and your family's safety."
Carina gripped her daughter a little tighter. “Before we go, can I please see my wife? I need to see her. I need to know-“
“Yes, absolutely. The sedation should be wearing off. You can follow me while your friend arranges the details,” the doctor responded.
Carina looked at Sanders, who promised to make this as painless as possible, then followed the doctor to once more see her wife lying in a hospital bed.