Walker: Surrender

Chapter 18

Maddie was both excited and slightly nervous as Wednesday morning came around, having decided to take Mika and Elizabeth up on their offer of watching their photoshoot for Blaze magazine and their interview. It had been a week now since she had been given Sasha and every day, she was growing more thankful for the gift she had been given. Sasha was nothing but a miracle, a true god sent angel to her. 

For the first time since captivity, she’d begun to be able to sleep again and had even had a couple nights where she’d slept right through. Having Sasha at her side made her feel safe. She had someone there she could rely on when things started to overwhelm her. There was no need for her to be frightened or fearful anymore, Sasha gave her a sense of protection. Sasha was here for her.

Oh, that didn’t mean that everything had magically changed and she was now fine, without anymore struggles or demons to deal with; that couldn’t be farther from the truth. She still had the memories she had contend with, the nightmares didn’t just stop because she now had a service dog but with Sasha being able to interrupt her before the night terrors got really bad, it had really helped her take a step forward. When Sasha heard her whimpering or soft crying in her sleep the dog would jump onto the bed with her and gently nudge her awake, staying with her until Maddie fell asleep again. Her nightmare and panic attack interruptions were what Maddie was most thankful for, for now they were interrupted by Sasha and she could focus on her dog while she calmed herself down. 

The change in Maddie hadn’t gone unnoticed by her family either, her family commenting amongst themselves that the girl seemed to be doing a lot better now. Even Cordell could admit that her having Sasha was a good idea, especially after seeing the dog in action and calming Maddie down before she got really bad with a panic attack. She’d made more progress forward in the one week she’d had Sasha for then she had the past couple months. Slowly, the Maddie they knew and loved was returning to them. 

While she’d made some improvement, Maddie was still able to admit that she had a long road ahead. Going cold turkey and refusing to drink again after she’d ended up drunk was proving to be hard, her body was craving the alcohol but she stood fast to her decision. She didn’t need to drink to feel better. Drinking only provided a fleeting moment of relaxation. What she really needed was to be able to deal with and process everything that was causing her to feel so anxious and worked up in the first place.

Her time in captivity.

Though her father had apologized to her and was making an attempt to fix their relationship, Maddie knew it would take time. He was still distant from her but at least he was trying. He’d come spend time with her each night before she went to sleep. Sometimes they’d talk, sometimes they’d play chess or read a chapter together out of a book and other times they’d just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. Not another word was spoken about their conversation Thursday afternoon when he’d turned up with the mustangs but slowly, she was beginning to feel that her father was coming back to her. 

Liam too was doing better, having decided to keep continuing with the equine therapy and was now having sessions twice weekly with Donna, the woman that Chelsea had recommended to them. While he had invited her to join him, Maddie had politely declined. She knew Liam needed this time to work with the therapist in private and though she did want to go, decided against it. Her uncle needed this more than she did. After all, she now had Sasha.

Slowly too, she’d begun to take over the care of her horses again. Every morning she and Liam would head out to go do chores together, her uncle helping her with tasks she couldn’t complete in her current situation. It was bonding time for them, away from everything else. A time they could just enjoy each other's company and spend time with her horses. Maddie knew she needed to spend time with her horses, just as much as they needed the interaction with her. Hope was growing and needed training which Liam was happy to help her out with since she wasn’t quite strong enough just yet to deal with her foals’ rambunctious nature. It wouldn’t be long until she would wean herself off Bel and when that happened, Maddie had plans to bring her mare back into work.