Someone left this prompt a while back, and I finally wrote it: Maya forgets to get her flu shot and ends up getting sick. I hope you enjoy!
Maya meant to get her flu shot. She really did.
She and Vic had plans to go after work one day, but then they got called to a four alarm fire and by the time they were done, it was nearing 7 pm, and they were too exhausted to do anything by go home and sleep.
A few weeks later, Vic had asked Maya if she wanted to join her to get their flu shots, but Maya already had plans to go hiking with Carina so she said she would go later. And then, because no one was reminding her and things at the station got crazy, getting a flu shot completely slipped Maya's mind.
In the middle of February, just after Valentine's Day, Maya felt like she was coming down with a cold on her day off. She was congested, and she had a cough, but it was winter so she didn't think much of it.
The next day she woke up feeling like she had been hit by a bus, but she got up and headed to work anyway. She skipped breakfast, just grabbing some coffee before heading down to her office.
After only an hour, her head was pounding, and she found herself pulling on her sweatshirt because she was freezing even with her long sleeved undershirt on. She decided to go lay down in her bunk, just for a little while, to try to curb the headache.
About two hours later, she heard a knock on her bunk room door and opened her eyes as Vic and Andy walked in.
"Maya," Andy said, "Are you alright?"
Maya went to respond, but instead, a deep, painful cough came out.
"So not alright. Got it," Vic said, nodding as Andy stepped out.
"I'm fine," Maya rasped, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose.
"Oh, yeah, you sound fine," Vic said, shaking her head as she walked over to Maya, putting a hand on her forehead, "You are so hot."
Andy came back with a med bag.
"I'm just going to check you out really quick," the Latina said, "Is that ok?"
"Yeah," Maya said, nodding as she tried to get her brain to function around the fever cloud.
Andy did a quick exam, making sure Maya's lungs were clear and taking her temperature which was a shocking 103.1.
"Maya, did you ever end up getting your flu shot?" Vic asked as Andy put her supplies away.
"Shit," Maya said, "No. I completely forgot. I'm sure that's what this is. God, that was so stupid."
"Yes it was," Vic said, shaking her head, "But there's nothing you can do about it now, but go home. Come on. I'll drive you."
After Vic's incident with ending up trapped while she was sick on the side of the road with a full blown emergency in front of her, A shift made a group decision that if anyone ever got sent home sick from a shift, someone else would drive them.
Maya groaned but slowly sat up, pausing for a minute as her head swam.
"You alright?" Andy asked, Vic having stepped out to grab her keys.
"Just dizzy," Maya said, breathing slowly as she stood, vision going spotty for a second before clearing.
"You look really pale, Mai," Andy said, not wanting to leave her friend.
"I'm fine," Maya said, "I need to change out of my uniform."
"Alright," Andy said, "I'll be right outside if you need me."
It took way longer than Maya wanted to change back into her normal clothes because her body hurt and she was so dizzy, but she did manage to get back into her clothes before leaving her bunk.
"You alright?" Andy asked, putting a hand on Maya's shoulder.
Just then, the alarm started going off, calling for the entire crew.
"I will be fine here," Maya said, "Just go. I promise I won't leave. I'm going to go crash back in my bunk. I don't think I could drive right now if I wanted to."
"Alright," Andy said, Vic having walked in as Maya was talking, "We'll be back as soon as we can."
Maya nodded, watching her team leave. She normally would have thought about going with them, but she had been seeing two of Andy before the alarm went off so she knew that was really not an option.
She slowly walked back into her bunk, toeing off her shoes and laying down in her bed. She almost never actually slept here, her insomnia during shifts keeping her up, but she was happy she had actually put decent bedding on it after she started dating Carina and the OB/GYN would occasionally drop by when she was having a bad day or missed her girlfriend now fiancé.
Maya curled up under the covers, freezing cold. She did manage to fall asleep pretty quickly, not waking up again until she felt a hand on her forehead.
"Is this a fever dream?" Maya asked, opening her eyes and seeing Carina standing there, or rather what looked like 3 Carinas, "You are supposed to be at work."
"Well, I did work this morning," Carina said, "But it is almost 3 pm. Andy texted me and said they were at a three alarm fire and that you are paying for forgetting your flu shot this year."
"It's already 3 pm?" Maya said, trying to sit up, but almost collapsing back against her pillow, Carina catching her.
"Si," Carina said, nodding, "Wow, you are really warm. Let's get you home?"
"Over 103," Maya nodded, leaning on Carina as she stood, head swimming even more than earlier.
"You alright?" Carina asked, noticing how pale Maya was.
"Just dizzy," Maya said, "Let's go."
Carina helped Maya out to the car, the blonde having to stop about half way to let the dizziness settle a little.
"I can't believe I was so stupid," Maya said as she got into the car, "I should have just gotten my shot when I came to see you one day."
"You should have," Carina agreed, "But there is nothing you can do now, but drive this out."
"Ride it out," Maya mumbled, rubbing her eyes, "I have to ride it out."
"We are going to stop by the clinic at the hospital," Carina said as she started driving, "You don't even have to get out of the car. I called Jo who is helping in the clinic today, and she agreed to come do a quick flu test, just to make sure that's all this is."
"I don't have to move?" Maya asked, cracking one eye open.
"Only your head in her direction," Carina assured, glad Maya wasn't giving her any push back.
The blonde mumbled something Carina couldn't understand but took as a yes. They stopped by the clinic, Jo coming out a few minutes later.
"Bambina," Carina said, knowing from the snoring that Maya had fallen asleep and knowing that having a swab stuck up her nose would not be a kind way to wake her up.
"Tired," Maya mumbled.
"I know," Carina said, "Just let Jo take a quick swab and then you can sleep."
"Hey Maya," Jo Wilson said as the blonde opened her eyes, "Sorry you aren't feeling well."
"My fault," Maya said as Jo got the swab ready, "Forgot my flu shot."
"How long have you been feeling sick?" Jo asked as she quickly swabbed Maya's nose.
"Thought I was getting a cold yesterday when I woke up," Maya said, leaning back against the seat as Jo finished.
"So if this comes back positive, we can get you on some antivirals, maybe curb your symptoms," Jo said.
"No," Maya said, cracking her eyes open, "I took those in college and they made me so sick."
"Alright," Jo said, knowing she had had patients with the same issue, "Well, then, even if this is positive, there isn't really anything we can do for you."
"Ok," Carina nodded, "Well, it will still be good to know."
"I'll call you when I have the results," Jo nodded, "Feel better Maya. Carina, I can cover your service for the next few days if you need me to."
"Grazie," Carina said as Jo went to close the door, "I will call Bailey and let you know."
They drove home, Maya falling asleep again during the short drive. When they got home, Carina woke her up again, helping her upstairs.
"I feel so bad," Maya said, shivering as they walked into the bedroom.
"I know," Carina said, sitting Maya down on the bed before grabbing her a t-shirt, "I am going to get you something for the fever, and then you can sleep."
Maya nodded, clumsily putting on her girlfriend's long sleeved t-shirt as Carina left the room. She came back a minute later with a glass of water and some Tylenol.
"You need to drink all of this," Carina said, handing the glass to Maya along with the pills.
The blonde was shaking so much that she spilled some of the water as she tried to drink it.
"Let me help you," Carina said, holding the glass, helping Maya drink it.
"Thanks," Maya said as she finished the glass. "Do you need anything else?" Carina asked as Maya pulled the blankets up.
Maya shook her head, eyes already closed. Carina sighed, pressing a kiss to Maya's burning forehead before going out to the kitchen. She quickly put in a delivery order for some groceries, knowing they had almost nothing Maya would want while she was feeling this sick.
She thought back to the first time she had seen Maya sick. They had been together maybe four months, not long after their reconciliation.
Maya had been having a hard time sleeping, struggling with nightmares about her dad that had her up most of the night. That, combined with a bug going around the station that Miller brought in thanks to having a kid in daycare, had spelled disaster for the captain. Her already exhausted body stood no chance against the illness.
Andy had found her throwing up in her office trash can, not even bothering to argue with her friend about going home. Instead, she had simply texted Carina, asking if she could come pick her girlfriend up.
Carina had been off and had shown up at the station, expecting to find Maya sleeping in her bunk or, at worst, sitting on the bathroom floor. When she walked in and found her sitting at her desk, hair tied up, pale, sweaty, and just finishing throwing up, she had been shocked to say the least.
It had taken half an hour, and another round of vomiting, but eventually, she had convinced Maya to come home and rest. Maya had fought her a lot about resting, insisting she could clean the apartment or do other random projects around the house.
It had been a frustrating few days as Maya's body tried to fight off the virus and Maya tried to fight her body. Carina had slowly learned how to help her sick girlfriend. It didn't happen all during that first illness. In fact, if she was honest, most of that was spent learning how not to help Maya, but after three years together, she had figured a lot out.
She learned that if she was still, Maya was more likely to rest because she wanted to be with her, that Maya liked a very specific kind of cracker that Carina thought tasted like cardboard with absolutely no flavor, that she hated chicken noodle soup, preferring chicken and rice or just plain broth though she did make an exception if Carina was making soup, that Maya preferred a lot of blankets instead of a lot of clothes, really only wanting to wear one of Carina's t-shirts if anything at all.
She hated tea unless it was chamomile with honey and lemon, and she only wanted that when she was really sick. She hated ginger ale and all other fizzy drinks as well as all sports drinks and anything with any kind of vague sweet flavor, though to both their surprises, she didn't hate the unflavored Pedialyte that Carina had brought home from the hospital on a whim during that first virus, telling Maya it was what they gave to babies who were struggling to keep down fluids and because the blonde was acting like a baby, maybe It would work for her too. Maya had almost fought her but tried it out of spite, to prove to Carina she wasn't being a baby only to find that she liked it.
Carina had made sure to order plenty of that, along with Maya's favorite crackers, soup, and a few things she needed to making pasta, knowing that if Maya's stomach wasn't upset, she liked plain fresh pasta when she wasn't feeling well.
She then filled Maya's favorite water bottle with some ice water before grabbing her laptop and going into the bedroom, deciding to work in bed next to her sick fiancé just in case she needed anything.
She changed into her own pajamas, knowing that she was probably going to spend the next few days exclusively in loungewear. Sometimes, when Maya was sick, she would still work, but considering Andy told her she didn't even try to come on their last call and how bad she seemed right now, Carina had no plans to leave unless she had to.
She texted Bailey, asking for the next few days off, telling her Jo had offered to cover for her. Bailey texted her back, asking if she was alright, and that she could have as much time as she needed. Carina told her that Maya was really sick, probably with the flu after forgetting her flu shot this year to which Bailey responded saying that she had seen a spike in the flu in the clinic lately, that this year's strain seemed to be vicious, and that she hoped the blonde captain felt better.
Carina knew this year's flu was bad. She had had a few moms she had had to admit when they came for appointments dehydrated or with fevers that were too high to be safe for the babies. The good news was that the shot had pretty high efficacy and was keeping people who got it relatively healthy so she wasn't worried about catching it from Maya.
As Carina put her phone down, she glanced over at Maya who was curled up in a ball, gentle snores telling Carina there was a good amount of congestion going on.
Carina got up, grabbing the humidifier out of the closet where it had been stored since Carina had had a bad case of bronchitis a few months back. She also grabbed a special tablet to add to the water that had the same ingredients as vapor rub that helped open up congested airways. Carina got the humidifier set up, pointing it at Maya, hoping it might help her breathe a little better.
She was trying to get everything done while Maya was asleep, knowing that if she was up when Maya was awake, the blonde would try to get up which was exactly the last thing she needed to do.
She then settled into bed next to Maya, getting to work on her charts. She worked for three hours until the groceries were delivered.
When she heard the knock on the door, she got up, thanking the delivery person before taking the groceries into the kitchen.
She had just gotten the last of the kitchen items put away, heading into the bathroom to put some meds she had ordered in the bathroom when she saw Maya lying in bed, awake and looking miserable.
"Hey Bambina," Carina said, ducking quickly into the bathroom before going to join Maya, knowing that if the blonde didn't get up when she realized she was in bed alone, she must be feeling really bad, "Do you need anything?"
"You," Maya rasped out, not really moving.
Carina immediately got into bed, Maya slowly rolling over to face her.
"Everything hurts," Maya said as Carina moved closer to her.
"I'm sorry," Carina said, rubbing her back, "Do you want to try a shower? Maybe that would help."
"I don't think I could stand for one," Maya admitted, "Did Jo call yet? Because I have had the flu and don't think it's ever been this bad."
"She.. oh, she's calling now," Carina said, grabbing her phone, "Hello."
"Hey Carina," Jo said, "I've got Maya's results."
"She is here too," Carina said, "She was just asking if you had called."
"I would have called earlier, but we got slammed. I almost delivered a baby in the clinic."
"But why didn't they…" Carina started.
"Go to the ER across the parking lot, yeah, great question," Jo said, "The woman thought she had a kidney stone. She was 8 months pregnant and had no idea."
"Wow," Carina said, about to ask for more details but deciding the million questions in her head could wait as Maya shifted uncomfortably, coughing.
"Sorry," Jo said, remembering why she had called, "So I have Maya's results. She is positive for influenza A and B which is brutal. There's really not much to do besides hydrate, rest, fever reducers, you know, the standards."
"Alright," Carina said, happy they at least knew why Maya was feeling so beyond miserable at the moment, "Grazie Jo."
"Of course," Jo said, "Let me know if you guys need anything."
"Oh, I talked to Bailey, and if you could take my shift the day after tomorrow, that would be a big help," Carina said.
"Done," Jo said, "Feel better Maya."
"Thanks," Maya rasped out.
"Talk to you later," Carina said, hanging up the phone before looking down at Maya, "Well, Captain Bishop, you are quite sick."
"At least I know why I feel like this," Maya said, cuddling closer to Carina, "How long is this gonna last?"
"One to two weeks," Carina said, gently running her hand up and down Maya's back, "But hopefully, you won't feel this bad the whole time."
Maya closed her eyes, just relaxing into Carina's gentle touches.
"Do you need anything Bambina?" Carina asked, "I had groceries delivered, all your favorites."
"Shhhh," Maya said, eyes staying closed, "I'm sleeping."
Carina smiled, continuing to rub Maya's back until the blonde was asleep. She then went back to her charting, wanting to finish so she could give Maya her full attention when she needed it.
Around 7, she got up, heating up some leftovers from the night before for herself for dinner, eating in the kitchen so as not to disturb Maya before going back into the bedroom and continuing with her charts. She managed to get through most of them before Maya woke up again, coughing and groaning.
"You alright?" Carina asked, setting her laptop aside. Maya shrugged, rubbing at her eyes.
"Well, it's almost 9 pm," Carina said, a little surprised at how late it had gotten, "How about I get you something to eat and then you can take some more medicine and call it a night?"
"I'm not hungry," Maya said, shivering, "My stomach isn't feeling well."
"I'm sorry," Carina said, rubbing her back, "How about some Pedialyte? You need fluids with a fever this high."
Maya nodded, knowing Carina was right.
"I'll be right back," the Italian said, getting up and going into the kitchen.
She grabbed some of the drink for Maya, along with a box of crackers, just in case Maya changed her mind, before going back into the bedroom.
"Here you go," Carina said, handing Maya the glass of the rehydration solution.
"Thanks," Maya said, managing to hold her hands steadier than earlier as she took a few long sips.
"I also have these if you decide you are hungry," Carina said, setting the crackers down. Maya nodded, smiling a little as she took another sip.
"Take these," Carina said, handing Maya two pills.
The blonde complied, downing the two pills before laying back down.
"Do you need anything else?" Carina asked, rubbing Maya's back.
Maya shook her head, pulling the blankets up.
"Sleep Bambina," Carina said, pressing a kiss to Maya's hot temple, "If you need anything tonight, just wake me up. I have no plans for the next few days so don't worry about my sleep."
Maya nodded as she closed her eyes, "Thanks Carina. Love you."
"Love you too," Carina said, smiling as she went to use the bathroom and get ready for bed.
She then climbed into bed next to her fiancé, knowing that the next couple of days were probably going to be pretty miserable for Maya as her body tried to fight two different flu viruses, but Carina was going to be putting everything she had learned about sick Maya to good use to help her get through this.
Carina also vowed to herself that the next year, she was going to see to it that Maya got her flu shot, even if she had to do it herself.
What did you think? As always, any prompts are happily accepted!