tw: incredibly dysfunctional environment [drugs, criminal activity], parental death
[name_f]Haidee[/name_f] [name_f]Stella[/name_f] McCord (28) is Yusuf’s wife and a fellow friend of [name_f]Sofi[/name_f], who’s done her best to provide support following the disappearing incident. Working as an emergency medical technician, [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] has the right personality for handling stress - she’ll be upfront that her childhood gave her this skillset - however she does sometimes worry her cool head makes her appear disinterested or emotionally detached, something her husband works hard to ensure [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] knows absolutely isn’t the case. She’s made it explicitly clear that if [name_f]Sofi[/name_f] ever needs her, she’s just a phone call away, but doesn’t loiter or coddle her friend, respecting her independence and that recovery isn’t based on those around her. Given the circumstances, she has become a confidant of [name_u]Keeley[/name_u] as well, wanting to ensure the teen isn’t too impacted by what she witnessed and experienced [something [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] admits might be tied to her life and the circumstances she was raised in, lacking anyone to turn to in such a capacity].
The Longrove household was nothing short of madness to grow up in. Haidee’s father, [name_u]David[/name_u] " [name_u]Lonnie[/name_u] " Longrove, was a prolific car thief and brawler at local bars, who allowed his drug dealer brother - [name_u]Joseph[/name_u] " [name_u]Joey[/name_u] " Longrove - to laze about the property, exposing his two children [Haidee and her younger half-brother] to clients, several of whom were openly talking about racketeering and prostitution. Haidee’s mother passed away from an overdose when she was a toddler, and while her father never spoke of it, she has vague memories of that day, something to haunt her well into adulthood given the trauma of knowing her mom would pass away because of the company her father kept. Her unofficial stepmother was often in conflict with [name_u]Lonnie[/name_u] - due to his neglectful nature, being more focused on his criminal activity - and ran out with her brother several times, only to come back as she lacked much money and didn’t want to resort to solicitation to support them. It was because of their loud arguments that social services intervened in Haidee’s life when she was nine, almost instantly taking her away from her father and sending her to live with her maternal great-aunt, the last one of her mom’s family who was alive and in a stable state to assume responsibility of a child.
Sadly, [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] lost contact with her four-year-old brother due to this, as he was allowed to stay with his mom on the grounds she testified against their father and uncle, as well as attending parenting classes and keeping herself away from criminal associates. It would be when [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] was in college that she finally managed to track him down - with the help of her best friend, a data analyst who now works in home security - and he was in quite a rough state. At seventeen, he was often threatening to run away from home, fighting constantly with his mother and feeling condemned to limbo by their childhood, remaining in contact with their dad once he was imprisoned [Haidee had the occasional phone call but was much more protected by her great aunt, and also had less time for their dad thanks to being parentified frequently]. Through her help - having a bit of a tough love approach, given how he treated his mom, who had genuinely worked hard at turning things around - he managed to stabilise his mood more, and actively began engaging with therapy after rejecting it [not wanting to be teased or mocked by his friends].
The siblings are both now in a much better place, although they don’t have any relationship with their father, who’s still incarcerated. Haidee’s more focused on what she enjoys: scrapbooking, mosiac making, pottery and going for rides on her motorbike, the first vehicle she bought solely by herself, and takes a lot of pride in. Her great aunt always spends holidays with her and [name_m]Yusuf[/name_m], as [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] adores her for everything she did: getting her into counselling, encouraging her growing desire to pursue medicine and helping find her new interests that weren’t tied to behaving like a mini adult. This year her brother and his girlfriend will also be coming for boxing day, something she’s excited for given how much happier he is now, plus it means seeing their adorable golden retriever puppy, who everyone dotes upon and spoils. [name_f]Haidee[/name_f] does have a secret of her own she’s been keeping for [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] day…she’s pregnant!