Next Steps
A week had gone by and Punk had decided that it was best for him and for his family to take the time off that he needed. He spoke to some higher ups who were more than willing to give him all the time he needed, giving the circumstances of what had happened. He appreciated how understanding they were.
He still hadn't had contact with Dean. He tried calling him and even randomly dropping into the station to see if he was there, but it was like he was just avoiding him, which was hurting him a little.
They'd also gotten news about Abigail and Bray's court trials as well as pre-trial hearings that were taken place. They thought it'd be sooner, but it was scheduled for in a few months' time. Neither had obviously been granted bail because of the nature of the crime.
Currently, Punk was at Nova's first therapy session with her. He and AJ had agreed to take turns of taking her, and since it was her first session, and AJ was still a little sore and tired, she opted to let Punk go with her whilst she stayed at home with Maggie who was almost coming up for being three weeks old.
Punk was probably more nervous than he should have been, taking Nova to the play therapy. He didn't know what to expect and was a little worried about how Nova would react to it all. There was a little improvement in Nova's behaviour since the visit to the doctors. She was managing fine at school again, but she still wasn't sleeping very well. Most nights Punk slept on the couch to allow Nova to sleep alongside AJ.
"You want me to take your coat?" Punk asked her, waiting outside the room after checking in for the appointment. Nova seemed to be overwhelmed already, and didn't really know why they were here. Punk had told her they were just going to see a friend who wanted to talk. He didn't really know what else to say.
"Uh… no thank you." Nova said wearily, squeezing his hand a little tighter and standing close to him.
Soon they were called for and were directed to the room down the hall from the waiting area, walking in as Punk saw a man sitting on a soft chair.
"You must be Nova." The man stood up cheerfully. He had a shirt and trousers on, and he looked cheery.
"I don't know you." Nova mumbled as she squashed against her father's leg as Punk just smiled to the man.
"Well that's ok." The man nodded, "My name is David. It's nice to meet you." He said, extending his hand down to Nova who looked up at her father. Punk nodded his approval with a smile as she let the man shake her hand, "And you must be dad?" David assumed as he looked up at Punk.
"Yeah. Phil." Punk nodded, shaking the man's hand.
"Well it's nice to meet you both. Please, come take a seat." He nodded over to the cushioned chairs that sat over in the corner.
Punk took a look around the room whilst walking over to the seats. It wasn't really what he expected. It was a lot more simple and cheerful than he thought it'd be.
Punk took a seat on one of the chairs, expecting Nova to sit down beside him but instead she just hovered beside him as David noticed and nodded.
"Nova, do you not like meeting new people?" David smiled to her.
"Mommy says don't talk to strangers." Nova said, holding on to Punk's knee with her good hand.
"Well your mommy is absolutely right." David nodded, "It's not good to talk to strangers." He said, "But me and you are gonna get to know one another, and we're not gonna be strangers soon. I promise." David nodded with a smile.
Punk didn't know how he was feeling about having someone talk to his daughter like they knew her, but now that he was here, the guy seemed pretty nice. He even looked comforting.
"You can sit here." Punk whispered to her, patting the seat next to him that was beside David as she just shook her head and continued to hold on to his jeans.
"It's ok." David nodded, "You're fine there." He smiled, taking note of how weary Nova was being of him. It was his job to spot different signs of her symptoms, so he could help her develop on them. Having her larger, fully tattoo'd father sitting watching everything was a little bit distracting, but nonetheless.
"She's always been like that with strangers." Punk nodded to David to let him know as he just smiled and nodded.
"Well Nova, I'm gonna tell you three things about me and then if you like, you can tell me three things about you. Any three things." David said as Nova just nodded, still holding on to her father's knee as he sat and she stood beside him, "Ok, so my name is David, I love pizza and I have a dog named Bullet." He said as Nova smiled a little, "If you want, you can go." He nodded. Punk was glad he wasn't hitting her with so many questions all at once. He already felt like this was therapeutic, even for him as Nova's father.
"My name is Nova." Nova said as Punk smiled, "My mommy and daddy have guns and I like monkeys." Nova said as Punk's smile faded as he quickly turned to David and shook his head.
"We're cops." Punk nodded immediately as David smiled and nodded.
"Well thanks for telling me that, Nova." David smiled, watching as Nova was slowly but surely coming closer to him, "So you go to school?" He asked her as she nodded, "What do you like about school?" He asked her.
"I like my teacher, Miss Kelly." Nova told him, sitting up on the seat beside him, still sitting nearer to her father, but beginning to feel a little comfortable around David, slowly but surely.
"And do you have friends at school?" He asked as Nova nodded.
"Yeah." Nova said, "I'm too warm." She whispered to her father.
"Ok, take your jacket off." Punk said, helping Nova take her zip up jacket off as David watched her.
"Oh, wow. What did you do to your arm?" David asked her once seeing her cast. He obviously knew of course. He had his notes written down from the doctor of everything that had happened to Nova, but he wanted her to tell him.
"Uh… I hurted it." Nova shrugged as Punk looked down at her.
"How did you hurt it?" David asked.
"I just hurted it." Nova told him a little angrier.
"Ok." David nodded, "When is your cast coming off? I see you have some signatures on it." He smiled.
"Daddy says in a few weeks." Nova said, "And yeah. All my uncles signed it. Uncle Dean even drew a little stick man. See." She showed David as David nodded with a smile.
"I see." David smiled, "So did you just fall over?" He asked, trying to encourage her to tell him.
Nova just looked up at Punk as Punk nodded, "It's ok." Punk nodded, "You can tell him."
"It was a bad man that hurted my arm." Nova said as David nodded.
"And what do you remember most about this man?" David asked her as Punk felt Nova squash into his side a little tighter.
"He had lots of hair." Nova frowned, looking away from David.
"Ok." David nodded, "Ok, do you want to come over and play with some of the toys here?" He asked her as Nova looked over at all the toys.
"Ok." Nova whispered, jumping down from the seat as Punk watched her wander away to the toys with David, sitting holding her jacket as he watched him talk to her and play with some of the toys with her. So far seemed so good.
The session continued for around forty-five minutes. Punk even saw the progression of Nova becoming extremely comfortable with David. At first, she was hiding by his leg and by the end she was playing with some of the toys with him, and answering near enough all his questions as he did so. It was pretty cool.
David left Nova to play for the remaining five minutes whilst heading back over to Punk who was sitting.
"She's great." David had to admit as he sat down beside Punk who smiled, "She's actually trying to forget about what happened on her own which is really cool. When I asked her earlier what happened, she immediately told me that she had just hurt her arm, and that was a way of her trying to forget about what actually did happen." David said, "It's like she's already been giving the therapy to herself anyway." He said.
"Well, she is stubborn. Likes to do things on her own." Punk nodded as David smiled.
"I can see that also." David laughed lightly, "The problem with her trying to forget about it is… she's not actually accepting what happened, she's just shoving it to the back of her mind, but it's still there, and it's obviously still bothering her in certain parts of her life." David said.
"She's five. How can she learn how to accept something like that?" Punk shook his head.
"With a little bit of talking and understanding." David nodded, "You'd be surprised." He said, "I already feel like I've broken a lot of barriers already with her. She cared to mention to me that… you've not always been here. Is that something you can get into with me-"
"Uh… it was just work. I missed four years with her." Punk said, "She said that to you?" He asked.
"Yeah, well I asked her what she liked to get up to at home and she told me that it used to be just her and her mother, but now you're here and she likes it better." David nodded as Punk smiled to himself, "A part of the way Nova is trying to cope with things does suggest that she hasn't had a male figure in her life for a very long time. She's very reserved that way."
"What are you trying to say she's acting the way she is because of me?" Punk asked.
"No. It's nothing you're doing or you've done. It's my job to assess Nova, try to understand why she's thinking the way she's thinking. It is a little bit more difficult when it comes to kids because their minds are still developing and changing, but it seems that she's very much relying on you now, because she's never really had the chance to." David said, "When she first walked in, the first thing she did was hide behind you."
"Yeah, but… she was just a little frightened. She would have done the same with her mother." Punk shrugged.
"She told me it's you she wakes up when she has a nightmare." David said, "Is that true?"
"Yeah, well my girlfriend just had a baby so… I've been encouraging her to wake me up and not her." Punk said.
"I see." David nodded, "You should know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Nova. She just needs to get past this little bump. I can help her express what she feels about her trauma, and I can help her, not just by shoving it to the back of her mind, but by accepting what happened and being able to move forward from it. There's a difference." He said as Punk just nodded, "She's a great little girl." He nodded, looking back over to Nova who was playing around with some of the toys, "You should be very proud of her."
"I am." Punk nodded, "I appreciate your help." Punk nodded, "We just want her not to be so afraid of what happened." He said as David nodded.
"I understand." He smiled, "Give me a few weeks with her. I'll do all I can." He said as Punk smiled and nodded, standing up and saying goodbye whilst Nova also said goodbye, putting her jacket on with her father's help.
It was only the first session, and it was really dedicated to her becoming comfortable with David and David trying to get to know her a little better, but Punk felt like it was a promising start. Finally. Something promising.
"So it went well?" AJ asked him, later that night getting into bed with him. Both Nova and Maggie were asleep, and since Punk got home he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to AJ alone having been prepping dinner for Nova and then attending to Maggie.
"Yeah. Really well actually." Punk nodded, "She was a little shy at first but she came around and answered his questions." He said as AJ smiled, so glad to hear that Nova had gotten on well at her first session.
"What was the guy like?" AJ asked curiously.
"Super nice." Punk nodded, sliding into bed with her and facing her, "You could tell he was good with kids, you know?" He said as AJ nodded, "But he said that he thinks maybe part of the reason why Nova is having trouble with everything, is because of me being gone for those four years." Punk said as AJ shook her head.
"What's that got to do with anything?" AJ asked.
"Well he's a therapist, he'll know why she says or does certain things." Punk said, "He said that the reason she always wakes me after her nightmares, or she comes to me is because she's never had the chance to." Punk shrugged, "Made me feel kind of bad." He admitted.
"Don't feed bad. If anything, it's a good thing, having her go to you. It means she trusts you." AJ said, "What else did he say?" She asked.
"Nothing much. Just that he'll work with her for the next few weeks and he's gonna help her accept what happened, and help her express how she feels better than just crying and screaming." Punk said, "I didn't know what to expect going into it but I feel better after it, which is stupid considering it's for her but… I do." Punk nodded as AJ smiled.
"Good." AJ smiled, stroking his cheek lovingly, "I'm actually looking forward to going with her next week." She admitted.
"You'll like the guy." Punk nodded.
"I will?" AJ smirked as Punk scoffed.
"Behave." Punk said as AJ playfully pinched his cheek, "How was Maggie?"
"She was a little sick after her feed when you left." AJ said.
"Aw she missed me that much?" Punk smiled as AJ laughed lightly.
"No, I think she just took her bottle too quickly." AJ smiled to him as he scoffed, "But yes, she missed you too." She smiled, "When are you gonna talk to Dean?" AJ asked him, "That's been a week now."
"Well every time I call him he doesn't answer and whenever I drop into the station he's out or he's busy." Punk shrugged, "I hope he's not avoiding me." Punk sighed.
"Maybe he's just busy." AJ shrugged calmly, "Renee text me earlier asking if I wanted to go out for drinks next weekend with her and Eve." AJ sighed as Punk looked across at her.
"That sounds nice." Punk nodded genuinely.
"I don't know." AJ sighed, "The thought of going out trying to have a good time makes me wanna be sick." She admitted, "And I don't drink."
"Yeah, well they you don't. I'm sure she just said it in that context." Punk said, "It might be a good night." He shrugged, "It was nice of her to ask."
"I know." AJ nodded, "I don't know. I told her I'd wait and see how I feel." She said.
"You should consider it. Night off from Maggie and Nova might do you some good. Go out and relax for a few hours." Punk shrugged.
"I'm not sure." AJ said, "I'll see how I feel." She nodded. She appreciated her friends asking her to come out for a few hours. It was nice of them to not just exclude her and assume she wouldn't want to, and maybe Punk was right, maybe a few hours out of the apartment would be good for her, but she just wasn't sure yet.
"Ok." Punk nodded.
"Do you think there will be a nightmare tonight?" AJ asked him, of course referring to Nova.
"I'm not sure." Punk said, "Maybe. Hopefully not." He said as AJ nodded.
"Well I for one, am exhausted." She said truthfully as he nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded, feeling her curl into him as he wrapped his arm around her, both of them falling asleep fairly quickly.
Through the night, the apartment was dead silent, but AJ woke up. She didn't know if it was spider sense or if she had just turned the wrong way and awoken, but when she did, she began to hear cries coming from Maggie's nursery across the apartment. She turned to Punk and he was still fast asleep, so she got out of bed and left their bedroom, walking across the living room and into Maggie's nursery as she saw two figures standing over her daughter's crib, and she knew exactly who the figures were
"Put. Her. Down." AJ spat slowly, watching as Abigail slowly turned around with Maggie in her arms, whilst Bray stood behind.
"We're here for my daughter, April." Abigail whispered softly, "She's finally safe now."
"Phil!" AJ screamed frantically as Bray chuckled.
"He cannot hear you." Bray chuckled, "The child is with us now. You can't have her back. Ever." He said.
"You bastard. Put her down." AJ spat, "Please, she's… she's my baby." AJ begged with a lump in her throat, her heart pounding as Abigail looked down at Maggie.
"No, no no no." She hummed, "She is my baby. She is all mine. You're unfit to look after her, April. You and Phil. Between you both, you're unstable. You were never fit to be a mother." Abigail shook her head as AJ shook with fear, keeping her eyes on Maggie the entire time, "You're unwell, April. You can't look after her. Neither can Phil." She said as AJ shook her head, walking towards them without fear as Bray took out a knife and drove it through AJ's stomach as AJ came to a halt as she gasped, looking down at the knife in her stomach as blood began to seep out.
"W-What…" AJ looked down, her blood covering her hands as she took sharp, painful breaths, looking up at them both as Abigail cradled Maggie into her gently whilst Bray stood behind smiling.
"They should have left you to bleed out the first time." Abigail spat, taking hold of the knife in one hand whilst Balancing Maggie into her chest in the other, twisting the knife around as AJ screamed, grabbing onto Maggie's crib as the blood ran down her body and began pouring out of her mouth.
"You're nothing but a foster mother." Bray said, "We are her parents." He spat as Abigail let go of the knife in AJ, watching as AJ bled over the side of Maggie's crib, choking on her own blood as she watched them leave the nursery with Maggie, trying to shout and speak but not being able to, bleeding out everywhere and…
"April!" Punk yelled loudly as AJ shot up in bed suddenly, looking around in their bedroom and turning to Punk who had been sitting up shaking AJ for a few minutes after waking up with her cries and pleads in his ear.
"Where… Where is she-" AJ leapt out of bed, running out of their bedroom as Punk shook his head and followed after her.
AJ sprinted across the living room, bursting the door opened into Maggie's nursery as she ran over to her crib, pausing as she looked down at Maggie fast asleep in the crib. She looked around the room with alert eyes whilst Punk followed her into the nursery.
"April, what the hell is going on?" Punk asked her softly, after entering Maggie's nursery, not wanting to disturb the sleeping baby.
"I was…" AJ paused, placing her hand on her stomach which wasn't stabbed after all, looking down at Maggie who was so peaceful in her crib, "It was a bad dream." AJ shook her head, looking over to him, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly, pressing her face into his chest, "It was a bad dream." She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her head and rubbing her back gently as he looked over at Maggie asleep in her crib. Safe.
A/N: Let me know what you think!
