"Hey, what's up?" Maria asked, answering her phone. It was rare for Naomi to call during the workday, though upon occasion she would find her day not as busy and call to see if Maria was free for lunch together later. Or, on the flip side, there had been a couple of times where they had had lunch plans and a particularly difficult case had come up, especially if it was a murder and Naomi was concerned the culprit would kill more if not apprehended right away, and she had to cancel. As a doctor, of course Maria understood; there were times where she had to go out and save people, and it ran into her lunch breaks, sometimes even enough that she ended up standing Naomi up with no warning. She always felt bad for that, but it really couldn't be helped; particularly as someone who used to be a surgeon, though, Naomi completely understood and wasn't bothered.

The hesitation before Naomi replied was Maria's first sign that something wasn't quite right. They didn't have any plans for today, so she definitely couldn't be cancelling, and she wouldn't hesitate to suggest them; they had never been terribly shy around each other, and they certainly weren't shy with each other now.

"I'm at Resurgam," Naomi said, and from her tone it was obvious it wasn't a social visit. Besides, she was in the middle of a case; Maria would have been very surprised if she had been randomly stopping by. And if she had asked Gabe to check something for her, she still wouldn't sound nervous like this. That was concerning. "I have an appointment with Gabe. Will you come with me?"

There was a slight shake to her voice that really alarmed Maria. First of all, the fact that she was here for an appointment with Gabe obviously meant something was wrong, but moreover, she sounded afraid. It was the first time she heard fear in Naomi's voice.

"Of course. I'll be right there. Where are you?" She tried to keep the worry out of her own voice, instead wanting to sound reassuring. It wasn't entirely successful.

"I just came in… I'll come to your office."

"Okay."

Naomi ended the call. Maria rearranged her chairs so that they could face each other without being on opposite sides of the desk, if they wanted to sit. She didn't just get scared over nothing; Maria knew it had to be something serious.

It was a few minutes later that Naomi came into the room. She didn't knock, instead just slipping inside, and her arms were wrapped loosely around her body. Concern was evident on her features.

It was enough to make Maria want to hug her, but she could sense this was one of the times Naomi wouldn't be open to that. Naomi liked to cuddle, but counterintuitive as it might seem to some, it was when she was upset that she was more likely to refuse hugs or anything else of that sort. It wasn't like Maria couldn't understand that, though. A combination of stubbornness, general discomfort with one's vulnerable feelings, and being more self-reliant than one should be. That said, when it was with Naomi, she did welcome hugs herself.

Naomi swallowed thickly, trying her best to keep her emotions at bay. Tears were threatening to fall, and she kept trying to blink them away. "This morning…" she began, pausing and taking a deep but shaky breath in an attempt to gather herself, "This morning, I vomited blood." She turned away from Maria, pretending to be interested in the potted plant in the corner even though they both knew the real reason. She was hiding her face, because tears were beginning to escape. "And… I've been having chest pains again." The tremble in her voice was unmistakable now, and her shoulders trembled as she continued to try to force herself back to calmness, or at least not to cry harder.

It was in barely more than a whisper that Naomi spoke again. "I can't die, Maria. Not now…" She took another shaky breath. "I have you, and Alyssa… I can't leave you." Alyssa couldn't lose any more family than she already had, and Maria needed her too.

Maria also wanted to cry right now, but was able to make herself keep it together for the time being. Naomi needed her, and she felt like it would be better if she were able to stay calm.

Maria came over to put her arms around Naomi, although she did so slowly enough that she gave Naomi time to object or move away if that was what she wanted. Instead of moving away, however, Naomi moved to face her, hugging her and hiding her face in the crook of Maria's neck.

She rubbed Naomi's back, trying to come up with words. She was usually not one to be speechless in crises, considering her line of work, but this was different. She loved Naomi, and… this wasn't a crisis she could solve, at least not alone.

"We'll get this figured out," Maria finally said, surprising even herself with how certain she sounded. "And then, we'll figure out what to do. None of us are- are going to let you die."

Desperately, Maria wanted to believe that, even as her voice caught partway through from fear. If she were to be completely honest, she was afraid that it might be to the contrary. When Naomi had been infected with the Twisted Rosalia before, she…she had survived by such a narrow margin. Maria had honestly been afraid her body wouldn't be able to handle surgery at all, let alone heart-stopping surgery… with no heart-lung machine. She didn't want to need another miracle; until that day, she hadn't really even believed in them. …But this time they were catching it earlier, right?

Naomi nodded against her, trying to let herself believe those words. She knew that Maria's certainty was a lie, but it was a comforting one. If she was going to hold onto any semblance of hope, she needed to let herself believe it.

With Maria there for her, Naomi was able to calm herself within a minute. Even after doing so, however, she didn't move. For once, she would accept comfort, and maybe she could then go into the appointment without being terrified.

Once she felt like she was as together as it was possible for her to be right now, Naomi pulled away, although she also moved to hold one of Maria's hands. More for her own comfort than anything else. "Alright. Let's go see Gabe."

Despite Naomi's typical desire to do everything by herself and depend on no one to whatever extent possible, she was honestly incredibly glad to have Maria by her side through this.