Prompt 1: "Flaca and Maritza are dating and Maritza gets really sick, and Flaca freaks out because she never gets sick herself so she has no idea what to do (they are at Litchfield still)."
Prompt 2: "Maritza has asthma but never told Flaca because she was too embarrassed about it, but one day she suddenly has an asthma attack when they're together."
Since Flaca was a child, she could never remember getting sick. No cold or flu, no infections, no sore throats, no stomach viruses. The only thing she'd ever gotten was the chicken pox and even that wasn't as bad for her as everyone else had told her it would be. She must have an immune system of steel or something. Which is why she was at a loss when she woke up one morning to find Maritza still in bed, her tan skin pale, her skin sweaty, and her body shivering as it was clear she was running a fever.
Her first instinct was to wake the girl, but from the purple hue under her eyes she'd guess that the smaller latina didn't get very much sleep last night, and if the tenseness of her face was anything to go by then she was in pain, too, which Flaca didn't want her to be conscious for.
Her second instinct was to find Gloria, the token "prison mom" for the younger Spanish Harlem girls, and to see if she had any home remedies that would help bring her girlfriend back to health. But, before she could leave she heard painful moaning coming from Maritza's bunk which signalled that she was waking up, unfortunately.
Maritza tried to lift herself up on her bed, only for a splitting pain to rush through her skull and her weak limbs giving in, causing her to fall back onto the thin mattress with a thud. She groaned as she covered her eyes in an attempt to block out the light that was currently irritating her headache sensitive eyes. Flaca looked on helplessly as her girlfriend whined in pain, leaning over the edge of the bed and making a gagging noise.
Flaca sprung into action and grabbed their waste basket and jumped to sit next to her girlfriend, handing her the basket and then using one hand to keep her hair away from her face and the other to rub soothing strokes up and down her back as the smaller girl threw up.
"It's okay, Mari, just let it out." She comforted her sick girlfriend, pressing a kiss to the side of her head once she was finished with the basket. Laying her girlfriend back down and planting another kiss onto her flushed cheek she went to dispose of the vomit in the waste basket. "I'll be right back." She received a meek nod in return.
Once she had returned she saw Maritza sat up in bed with her legs hung over the side as she rubbed her eyes.
"Do you know if anyone has any painkillers?" She asks hoarsely, her throat sore from throwing up and from coughing up her lungs once Flaca had left the room. She hated being sick.
"I'll go check if Gloria has any, or knows someone who does." She said, putting the now clean waste basket within grabbing distance for Maritza.
When Flaca returned ten minutes later it wasn't empty handed, but Maritza had fallen back asleep, which Flaca was grateful for seeing as she had no idea what she was doing when it came to looking after her sick girlfriend. She placed the painkillers under her own pillow to hide them from the guard and left to go get some breakfast without Maritza, knowing the girl wouldn't be able to stomach normal food, never mind the slop they get nowadays that could make you barf without already being under the weather.
When Flaca returns from breakfast she sees that Maritza is up once again but is coughing violently into her hand, her other being used to grasp at her chest as if it was causing her pain. Her face was pale and sweaty and she looked to be struggling for breathe through all of her coughing. In a panicked state Flaca went to kneel in front of her girlfriend, resting her hands on her tense shoulders as she continued to cough and wheeze.
"What's happening?" Her voice is higher than usual and laced with worry with an underlying panic in her tone. Unable to verbally respond, Maritza makes a gesture with her hand in front of her mouth. Flaca just shook her head, having no idea what her girlfriend was gesturing for. "I don't know what that is." She said anxiously. "I don't know what to do!" She panicked as tears began to well in her eyes as Maritza seemed to only get worse.
Upon hearing the ruckus from her own bunk, Aleida walked over to the two panicking girls and upon noticing the state Maritza was in and the gesture she had made in front of her face upon seeing the older latina she rushed to get one of the guards.
"I need an inhaler in here!" She yelled, banging on their window. One guard rushed out and returned a few minutes later with an inhaler in hand, to which Aleida immediately snatched it out of their grasp and pushed through the crowd that had accumulated outside of Flaca and Maritza's room to sit beside Maritza, yelling a quick 'go away' to the bystanders who obeyed immediately. Aleida wasn't one to mess around with.
Placing one hand on her lower back to stop her from hunching over and constricting her airways further, she placed the one holding the pump in front of Maritza's mouth, allowing the younger girl to hold it herself and pump a few times until her breathing had regulated. Flaca continued to watch with an anxiety ridden expression, her left hand clutched tightly by her girlfriend's right, whilst her other hand rubbed soothing circles along her thigh.
With droopy eyes and sluggish movements, Maritza handed the inhaler back to Aleida, who then handed it back to the guard who had kept watch just in case an ambulance would have to be called if the situation had gotten worse. Once the smallest latina had closed her eyes and seemingly fallen asleep, Flaca turned to Aleida.
"How did you know what to do?" She asked, shocked at how prepared and informed Aleida was in this situation.
"Daya had asthma as a kid but she grew out of it once she got in her teens, and Maritza told me a few days after she arrived here that it could get pretty bad sometimes." The older woman revealed.
"Why wouldn't she tell me?" Flaca asked, slightly upset that her girlfriend had failed to tell her about something that was potentially detrimental to her health.
"That's something you'll have to ask her, kid." Aleida says with a pat to Flaca's knew as she gets up and leaves their room with one last glance at Maritza to check if she was okay. Flaca turned to watch her girlfriend sleep only to be met with tired brown eyes gazing at her intently, her head flicking back slightly to signal that she wanted Flaca to come cuddle her. Quickly obliging, the taller girl lay down and allowed Maritza to rest her head on her chest and cuddle into her side.
They lay in a comfortable silence, with Maritza idly twirling a strand of Flaca's between her fingers and the taller girl holding her girlfriend tightly whilst drawing random patterns on her back with her fingers. That was until Flaca broke the silence.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked quietly, still upset that Maritza had kept this from her.
"I was embarrassed." Came the mumbled reply, Maritza having turned her face into Flaca's chest to hide the shameful blush that had overtaken her cheeks.
"So you thought it would be better to not tell me?" Flaca asked with slight anger in her tone and Maritza removed herself from the embrace, too ashamed to meet her girlfriend's eyes.
"I'm sorry." She whispered sadly. Flaca just sighed and reached an arm around her girlfriend, pulling her back into cuddle her.
"No, don;t apologise. Just promise me something."
"Anything." Maritza replied immediately and earnestly.
"Just, no more secrets, okay?" The smaller girl nods in agreement.
"So, is now a good time to tell you that I'm the one who used your shampoo the other week?" She asked cheekily with a smile that showcased her dimples. Flaca reached forward and tickled her girlfriend, knowing she hates it.
"I knew it was you, you little shit."
Maritza just laughed.