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Disclaimer - I do not own CSI New York or any of the characters.
Chapter Eight
Stella closed the door to her room, and wiped the corners of her eyes. She walked into the front room and flopped down onto the sofa. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled in Mac's number. The phone rang a few times before Mac finally answered.
"Hey, Mac." Stella said.
"Stella, is everything okay?" Mac asked. She could hear the concern in his voice.
"I don't have a teenage daughter, I have an emotional wreck. I don't know where it's coming from and I don't know how to make it stop." Stella whined down the phone. She heard Mac chuckle on the other end of the line.
"It's not funny Mac." She tried to protest but she, too, started laughing.
"I'm sorry, Stell. It's just I've seen you take down serial killers and you're struggling to control a crying 18 year old girl?" He laughed again.
"Something is wrong with her, something has happened to make her this way. I've never seen a person act like this Mac, it's freaking me out. I don't know, maybe its maternal instinct" Stella tried to keep her voice calm but it was starting to get pitchy.
"This may be an obvious question, but have you actually asked her what's wrong?" Mac questioned.
Stella sighed.
"Yes Mac, and do you think that did any good? All I got out of her was a rush of tears when I mentioned the word 'boys'. That was it."
"A break-up maybe?" he suggested.
"I thought that too, but something is telling it's more serious than just a break-up." Stella was frowning, even though Mac couldn't see her.
"You want me to arrest and interrogate her?" Mac laughed down the phone.
"You're very funny, Mac. Listen, do you think I could come in a little later tomorrow? I wouldn't normally ask but..." Stella started before Mac cut her off.
"Stella, I told you, you can have the whole week off if you want." He interjected.
"No, I really don't want the whole week off. Just promise you'll call me if you really need me?"
"Of course" Mac said.
"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Night Mac."
"Good night, Stella." Mac replied, and he hung up the phone.
Stella took a deep breath and got up off the sofa. As she walked into the kitchen, she could her Madeline crying quietly and every few seconds she would sniff and take a deep breath. Stella got herself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table. A million thoughts ran through her head. Was Madeline running away from someone, is that why she had come all the way to New York? Stella looked at her watch, it was quarter to midnight.
Tomorrow was going to be difficult. She had to find out what was wrong with Madeline. The worry of it all was driving Stella crazy. Stella thought back to when Madeline was a baby, and when she agreed to keep her distance. It made her think about everything that had happened to Madeline. If Stella had been in regular contact with her daughter, if she had known about every up and down she had ever had, the worry of not being there to help would've driven her to the brink of madness. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate on work, she would always been distracted by worry.
She finished her drink and got ready for bed. Inside her room she could hear Madeline, still sniffling. Stella opened the bedroom door. The soft light that shone in to the room lit up Madeline's face. Her eyes were still red and puffy but she had stopped crying. She had tissue scrunched up in her hands and the top of an old teddy bear was poking up out of the bed covers.
Stella smiled and walked into the room, closing the door behind her.
"Mum?" Madeline whispered.
"Yes sweetheart?" Stella replied quietly.
"Thank you."
Stella pulled back the bed covers and climbed in next to her daughter. Madeline rolled over and wrapped her arm across Stella's stomach. Stella picked her up and put it over Madeline's shoulder and held her tightly. Slowly, Madeline stopped sniffling and her breathing slowed down. Soon she was fast asleep. Stella looked at her now sleeping daughter and smiled. It made her think of everything she had missed. A single tear rolled down Stella's cheek and soon she, too, was asleep.
Stella didn't sleep much that night as Madeline tossed and turned for most of the night. It was like whatever was bothering her while she awake, was now creeping into her dreams. Stella spent much of the night just watching her daughter.
It has 7 o'clock when Stella's cell phone rang, waking her up. Stella groaned and rolled towards the bed side table. It was Lindsay. Stella glanced over at Madeline; she was sound asleep.
"Yes?" Stella muttered into the phone.
"Well good morning sunshine!" Lindsay laughed cheerily down the phone.
"Good morning." Stella replied through a yawn.
"I know you're not supposed to be working, but is there any chance you can get down here, even if it's for like 30 minutes, I'm on my own down here?" Lindsay pleaded.
"Ergghh." Stella grumbled. "Okay Linds. I'll get there as quick as I can. Can you text me over the address?"
"Sure thing, see you soon." Lindsay said before hanging up the phone.
Stella pulled back the covers and climbed out. She managed to get ready in less than 20 minutes. Before she left the apartment she wrote out a note for Madeline, in case she woke up.
"Madeline, don't go anywhere. I'll be back as soon as I can. Love, Stella x"
She stuck the note to the fridge door, kissed Madeline on the forehead and ran out the door. Stella jumped in her car and drove to the address Lindsay had texted her.