Ok, so I know I said this was over, but then I got some inspiration and decided to continue it a little more. I hope you enjoy this super long update.
Five days after the breathing tube came out, Maya got discharged from Grey Sloan, two and a half weeks after she had been admitted. Her lungs still weren't back to normal, but she didn't need any supplemental oxygen for her sats to stay above 95 and she was finally eating and keeping down her food without a feeding tube so she got released.
"I don't need a wheelchair," Maya grumbled as the nurse came in with the chair.
"Maya, you can barely make it to the bathroom without wearing yourself out," Carina said, "Just sit."
Maya grumbled a little but sat down, Carina leaving to go pull the car up. Soon enough, she was in the car with Carina.
"It's been almost a month since we were home together," Maya said as Carina took her hand.
"I know," Carina nodded, smiling at her, "I have been looking forward to both of us being there together for a long time."
"And Vic is at work so it's just the two of us," Maya said, trying to be seductive but coughing instead.
"Bambina, you spent a week and a half on a ventilator and more in the hospital," Carina said, "We are not doing any of that any time soon."
"How about a kiss?" Maya asked as they parked the car, "Please?"
"Of course," Carina nodded, leaning over and giving Maya a kiss, the first one they had shared in almost a month.
Maya tried to deepen it only to have to pull away quickly as her lungs disagreed with her desire to kiss her girlfriend.
"Ok," Carina said, rubbing her back as the fit passed, "Come on. Let's get you inside."
They both pulled on their masks before heading into the apartment.
"Where are you going?" Maya asked as Carina turned a different way than they normally went.
"Bambina, you cannot do the stairs yet," Carina said, shaking her head.
"I'm fine," Maya said, looking at Carina.
"Maya," Carina said going over to her, "A week ago, I did not know if I would ever see you breathing on your own again. You are, and I am so happy for that, but Bambina, your lungs took a big hit. You need to let them heal and rest and stairs are just not part of what you can do just yet. Please?"
Maya sighed but followed Carina to the elevator. They only lived on the third floor so the elevator always felt unnecessary to the former Olympian. They went up, Carina holding Maya's hand as they walked to their place, opening the door.
"I have never been so happy to be home," Maya sighed as they walked in.
"I have never been so happy to bring someone home," Carina smiled, "Do you want to go to the bed or the couch?"
"Can we shower?" Maya asked, "I feel grimy and icky from the hospital."
Maya had been given a sponge bath after her fever broke and had tried to take a shower the day after she woke up, but she had only gotten as far as getting wet before she got hit with a dizzy spell that almost had her flat on her ass.
"Si," Carina nodded, "But only if you tell me if you get too tired or dizzy."
"I will," Maya nodded as they made their way to the bathroom.
"You sit until the shower is ready," Carina said, turning on the water.
Maya obliged, sitting down, pulling off her shirt as she sat. Carina also took her clothes off before helping Maya up, the blonde slipping her pants off before getting into the shower.
"Relax Bambina," Carina said as Maya tried to grab her shampoo, "Let me."
Maya obliged, letting Carina wash her hair, mostly because her entire upper body was beyond achy from laying on her stomach for five days while she was on the vent to help her lungs.
"You doing alright?" Carina asked, noticing Maya sway a little.
"I think I'm getting tired," Maya said, looking at Carina.
"Ok," Carina said, making sure Maya was soap and suds free before turning off the water, grabbing towels for both of them.
"Do you need me to help you?" Carina asked as they stepped out of the shower.
"I'm good," Maya said, taking a few shaky steps before Carina wrapped her arm around her.
"I would like to keep you home with me and not back in the hospital because you fell down," Carina said, helping her into the bedroom, sitting her down on the bed.
"I'm ok," Maya said, rubbing her eyes as Carina grabbed out some pajamas for both of them.
"You are not alright," Carina muttered, shaking her head as she handed Maya her clothes.
"Car, they let me out of the hospital," Maya said, putting on her pajamas slowly, Carina already in her own and going out to the kitchen to grab something.
She came back a few minutes later with two glasses of water, finding Maya already under the covers.
"Thanks," the blonde said as Carina set the glass down next to her, "Are you joining me?"
"Of course," Carina nodded, "I could use a nap this afternoon too."
Maya smiled, moving closer to Carina, the brunette wrapping her arms around her girlfriend for the first time in too long, both of them drifting off.
Maya woke up in a full panic about two hours later, waking Carina in the process.
"Bambina," Carina said as Maya put her hands in front of her mouth, grasping at something before moving them to her chest, "Maya, are you alright?"
Maya looked at Carina, the brunette seeing a look of pure fear in her girlfriend's eyes.
"Hey," Carina said, realizing this was either a panic attack or heading that way, "Hey, eyes right here. You are home. You are safe."
It took a few minutes, and another coughing fit, but Maya did eventually manage to calm down.
"What happened Bambina?" Carina asked as she helped Maya take a sip of water.
"Nightmare," Maya shrugged, "I was in the ICU and they were intubating me, but it hurt and I was awake, and it was terrible."
"I am so sorry," Carina said, wrapping her arms around Maya.
"It's fine," Maya said, relaxing a little.
Carina nodded, making a note to keep an eye on the nightmares, knowing people who were in the ICU with COVID were often coming out with bad anxiety, depression, or even PTSD, and because Maya already struggled with anxiety and depression, she was worried this would make it worse. For now, though, she was just going to follow Maya's lead.
"Are you ready for some dinner?" Carina asked, looking at the clock, seeing it was already 6 pm, "I made soup yesterday."
"I guess," Maya shrugged, her appetite still not really back, her lack of sense of taste and smell not really helping anything.
"You need to eat," Carina said, pressing a kiss to Maya's temple before she got up.
Maya grabbed her phone, seeing she had a few messages from her friends, asking how she was feeling. She texted them back, finishing as Carina walked back in.
"Here you go," Carina said, "This is just chicken, pasta, and broth."
"Thanks," Maya said, trying to take the bowl, struggling to hold it.
"Here," Carina said, reaching for the bowl, "Let me help."
"I've got it," Maya said, shaking her head.
"I am going to go get some for myself," Carina said, backing off, "I'll be right back."
As she was grabbing herself a spoon, she heard a crash from the bedroom, immediately abandoning her bowl on the counter, running into the bedroom. She found Maya sitting in bed, soup all over the comforter, pajamas, and the floor, the bowl shattered.
"I'll get it," Maya said, moving to get up.
"No," Carina said firmly, "No, stay there. I don't want you to get hurt. Just stay there."
Carina left the room, coming back a minute later to find Maya sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her foot.
"What did you do?" Carina asked, seeing the blood running down Maya's foot.
"I tried to get up to get a towel," Maya said, "And I stepped on a piece of the bowl."
"I told you to stay in bed," Carina sighed, deciding to get the shards off the floor before dealing with Maya's foot, hoping it wasn't going to need stitches.
She quickly got the floor cleaned up before going to Maya.
"Let me see," Carina said, taking Maya's foot, gently wiping it with a wet paper towel, "Ok, it doesn't look too deep. This is what we are going to do. I am going to get you in the shower because you are covered in soup. You can sit on the floor so you don't pass out or agitate that foot anymore. I am going to strip the bed and then dress that foot. Ok?"
"I don't need to sit in the shower," Maya mumbled, "I'm fine."
"Maya, it is either that or you are going to sleep in the guest room alone tonight," Carina threatened, not wanting to fight.
"Fine," Maya agreed, sensing that Carina was not messing around.
"Good," Carina said, helping Maya up and to the bathroom, turning on the shower.
The blonde sat down on the floor of the shower, Carina handing her the bar of soap.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Carina said, "If you need me, call. And please, don't get up."
Carina went into the bedroom, sighing as she stripped the bed, realizing the mattress had soup all over it. She grabbed some fabric cleaner, spraying the mattress after she cleaned it up as best as she could. She threw some of the bedding into the washer that they were lucky enough to have in their place before going back to Maya. The blonde was just sitting under the hot spray of the shower, looking up as Carina walked in.
"I didn't stand up," Maya promised as Carina turned off the water, handing her a towel.
"Thank you," Carina said, smiling as she helped her out of the shower, helping her sit down on the toilet so Carina could properly dress her foot.
"Alright," the doctor said, pulling out their box of first aid supplies.
Soon enough, Maya had a bandage and some ointment on her foot, Carina giving her some clean pajamas.
"Now to the guest room," Carina said.
"I did what you said," Maya said, confused, "I didn't stand up in the shower."
"Oh, sorry, I am going to join you," Carina said, remembering that was the threat from earlier, "Our mattress is wet right now because I had to clean it to get the soup out."
"Oh," Maya said, "Sorry."
"It's ok," Carina said, grabbing their phones and water glasses, "But you need to let me help you. Your body is still very weak from being sick. You cannot do everything you want right now. You will be able to soon, but not yet."
"Well, right now, all I want is to lay in bed with you," Maya said, already feeling tired again, "Can I do that?"
"Of course Bambina," Carina smiled as Maya climbed into bed, "I am going to go get some food because I am hungry. Do you want more? Or something else?"
"Maybe just a banana or something," Maya said, "Something I can't spill."
Carina smiled, going into the kitchen, grabbing Maya a banana and a protein bar along with her own soup before going back into the bedroom, finding a very sleepy looking Maya half sitting in bed.
"Ok," Carina said, handing her the banana and protein bar, "Eat something and then you can sleep."
Maya nodded, pealing the banana, taking a bite.
"Eating food with no flavor is not good," Maya said, chewing slowly, "This texture is weird. How long does it normally take for people to get their senses back?"
"Some people, a few days," Carina said, taking a bite, "Some people, it can be months. I have one patient who had Covid in March and still does not have her normal taste back."
"That was seven months ago," Maya said, eyes wide.
"Si," Carina nodded, "Lo so. She can taste some things, it's just not normal. Hopefully, you will get yours back soon."
"I guess I will take not being able to taste over not being able to breathe," Maya said, taking another bite.
Carina smiled sadly, nodding.
Once Maya finished eating, they both got ready for bed, Maya having to sit down to brush her teeth because her body was so tired.
"If you need anything, please wake me up Bambina," Carina said, giving her a kiss, "I love you."
"I love you too," Maya said, smiling sleepily, the two of them cuddling close to each other as they fell asleep.
Maya woke up with another nightmare around 2 am, Carina waking up with her.
"Bambina," Carina said, wrapping her arms around her, "Hey, you are ok. It was just a dream."
Maya slowly calmed down, allowing Carina's embrace to ground her in the reality of now.
"Sorry," Maya said once the tears stopped.
"Bambina, you just went through something very traumatic," Carina said, laying them down again, "It is perfectly normal to have a hard time with that. Maybe in the morning, we can call Dr. Lewis, get you an appointment to help, but right now, is there anything I can do?"
"This is good," Maya said, snuggling closer to Carina, "Thank you for being here."
"There is nowhere else I would rather be right now," Carina said, rubbing Maya's back, the blonde slowly falling back to sleep.
Carina, however, was struggling to get back to sleep. Her dreams hadn't been very kind tonight either, her mind flashing images of Maya in the ICU, barely hanging on. She just laid there, keeping Maya in her embrace, just watching her chest rise and fall, something her body was physically incapable of doing a week ago.
She couldn't fall asleep for the next three hours, just about there when Maya had another nightmare.
"Sorry I keep waking you up," Maya said, rubbing her eyes.
"I do not want you to apologize for your nightmares again," Carina said, shaking her head, "It does not bother me other than the fact that you are suffering. Are you ready to go back to sleep?"
"Can we listen to something?" Maya asked, "Music or something? I need to slow my brain down."
"Of course," Carina nodded, grabbing her phone.
Both of them drifted in and out of sleep over the next few hours until they heard the apartment door open.
"Vic's home," Carina said softly, knowing from the coughing that Maya was awake.
"Vic," Maya called, wanting to see her friend but not really having the energy to get up.
"You're home," Vic said, smiling as she walked into the room, "Oh my god, I can't believe you're actually home."
Vic ran over to the bed, Maya and Carina both sitting up as Vic wrapped her arms tightly around Maya, the blonde flinching a little.
"Sorry," Vic said, feeling it and pulling back, "Did I hurt you?"
"My upper body is just sore from how I had to lay to keep my lungs open in the hospital," Maya explained, "It'll go away."
"How are you feeling?" Vic asked, Carina getting up and leaving the room, "And why the room change?"
"Better than when I left," Maya said, shrugging, "I'm honestly exhausted and weak and just not feeling right, but I am fine. And I spilled soup in our bed last night. How was shift?"
"Good," Vic said, "Although being the only female most shifts kinda sucks. You and Andy need to get better."
"I'm trying," Maya said, yawning, "Hopefully it won't be too long."
"It will take as long as it takes," Carina reminded her, coming back in with a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of water for Maya, looking at Vic, "There is coffee in the kitchen if you want it. I wasn't sure if you were planning on sleeping or not."
"I actually probably will sleep for a while," Vic said, "We only had one night call, but my body is still not back to 100%, but I am way better than you or Andy."
"Go get some sleep," Maya said, smiling at her friend, "I am here to stay now."
"Good," Vic said, nodding, "I need you around."
Vic went to her room, Maya looking at Carina.
"Can I have some coffee?" Maya asked.
"You can have a sip of mine," Carina offered, "But you do not need the caffeine. The best way for your body to heal is sleep, and this is going to mess with that."
"But I want to be awake," Maya complained.
"But your body wants you to sleep," Carina countered, "Do you want some?"
"No," Maya said, "I can't taste it so there's no point if it's not going to help me stay awake."
Carina nodded as Maya leaned her head on her shoulder.
"Can we go for a walk later?" Maya asked, yawning a little.
"No," Carina said, confused, "Bambina, you cannot stay awake for more than a few hours doing nothing without being exhausted. You do not need to wear your body out by pushing it right now."
"Why are you being so cautious?" Maya asked, starting to get mad, "I am out of the hospital. I am fine."
"Maya, you are not fine," Carina said, feeling tears she had been keeping in for days start to fill her eyes, "I didn't want to tell you this, but day four or five of you being intubated, Meredith and Teddy sat me down and told me that if you got worse, they were out of options. That your body was too sick to keep going even with every medical intervention they had if it got worse. Maya, I almost lost you forever a little over a week ago, and your body is still trying to heal from that. So, no Maya, you are not fine."
Carina was sobbing at this point, Maya wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, just holding her as she also shed some tears.
"I'm sorry," Maya said as Carina pulled back, grabbing a tissue, "I…I didn't know how bad it was. I'm sorry I put you through that."
"You didn't do it," Carina said, handing the blonde a tissue, "It was the stupid virus. You had no control."
"I'm still sorry you went through it," Maya said, pulling Carina close again, "I can't even imagine. I would never leave you if I had a choice."
"Lo so," Carina said, sitting up, looking right at Maya, "But Bambina, you didn't have much of a choice. Your lungs, they looked so bad. They were so cloudy. You saw how your x-rays looked yesterday, the whiteness around the edges that Maggie talked to you about? That was your entire lungs last week, and just because that went away, it does not mean your lungs are not still healing from it. You have to rest to help them."
"I will," Maya nodded, realizing just how bad things had been for the first time and how terrible it must have been for Carina, "I promise."
"I did not tell you this to scare you," Carina said, seeing the look on Maya's face, "I just want you to let your body rest and heal."
Maya nodded as Carina leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I will try as hard as I can to listen to my body," Maya said, "I am not going to be perfect, but I promise to try as hard as I can."
"That is all I ask, Bambina," Carina nodded, smiling at her.
"I need a goal though," Maya said, knowing herself, "Something to remind myself of because this is going to be hard. I am not good at sitting still."
"I know," Carina laughed a little, often exhausted just watching Maya moving around the apartment, "How about when you can stay awake for three consecutive days with no naps, then we will try a walk? Does that sound reasonable?"
"Yeah," Maya nodded.
"But you have to let your body rest and not just push it to stay awake," Carina said seriously.
"I promise," Maya said, yawning a little.
"Good," Carina said, "Now, I think you are in need of another nap, no?"
"Yeah," Maya said, eyelids feeling heavy, "I think I do."
"Then sleep," Carina said, helping Maya lay down, "I don't work today so I will be here when you wake up."
"Love you," Maya mumbled, already falling asleep.
"Love you too Bambina," Carina said, rubbing Maya's back as she drifted off to sleep.
Carina got up, going into the kitchen and making herself a simple breakfast of toast and fruit, doing a quick clean-up of the kitchen before going to take a shower, having helped Maya yesterday, but not actually cleaning her own body. Carina allowed herself to relax a little under the hot spray of the shower, taking a few deep breaths to calm her anxious nervous system. She got out of the shower, checking on the status of the bed, happy that it was both dry and no longer smelled like soup. She quickly got dressed before making the bed, having finished washing the sheets when she had gotten up that morning.
Once that was done, she saw she had a text from Robert Sullivan. She and the older firefighter were not close by any stretch, but they were friendly considering how close their significant others were.
He asked if there was any way Andy could come over and spend the day with Maya and Carina during his next shift in two days. Andy's cousin Michelle had been spending the days Robert was working with Andy because she was still not okay enough to be alone yet. However, according to this text, Michelle had some work thing come up, and Robert didn't want her to be alone.
Carina said of course Andy could come over, Bailey having insisted she take the week off to help Maya.
Once she was done, she went into the other room, finding Maya thrashing around in bed. She quickly went to her, trying to wake her up. She realized these nightmares were rapidly becoming a problem, deciding, as she tried to calm Maya down once she woke up, the once Maya was relaxed again, she was going to have her call Dr. Lewis to see if she had any suggestions. Maya calmed down eventually, looking at Carina.
"More breathing tube nightmares?" Carina asked, kissing her forehead.
"This time I died," Maya said quietly, tears filling her eyes.
"Oh Bambina," Carina said, rubbing her back as she held her, "I think maybe you should call Dr. Lewis and get an appointment with her."
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "I think you're right. Where's my phone?"
Carina handed Maya her phone, the blonde texting Diane Lewis, knowing that was the best way to contact her. Diane texted her back quickly, saying she had an opening that afternoon, if Maya was up for it. Maya took it, knowing she needed to talk to her therapist.
"Do you have an appointment lined up to talk to yours?" Maya asked as she set her phone down, knowing Carina probably needed to talk to her therapist just as much as Maya did.
"No," Carina said, looking down.
"Get your phone," Maya said, looking at Carina, "Make an appointment."
Carina nodded, knowing Maya was right. She had been in therapy pretty consistently for over a year, needed help navigating the situation with her brother along with her relationship with Maya and other things There must have been something keeping people out of therapy that day because Carina also got an appointment for the same time as Maya.
"Now, are you ready for some food?" Carina asked, setting her phone down.
"I guess," Maya said, stretching a little, "I don't know. Food does not sound appetizing, but I know I need to eat."
"How about some pasta?" Carina asked.
"Ok," Maya nodded, rubbing her eyes.
"I am going to go make it," Carina said, "If you are feeling up to it, you can go back to our room. The bed is clean and remade."
"You are the best," Maya smiled, slowly moving to get up as Carina went into the kitchen.
Maya managed to make it back to their room, using the bathroom before climbing into bed. Carina brought her some pasta which she ate before falling asleep again. Carina woke her up for therapy, the Italian going down the hall for her own session.
"Maya," Diane said as she answered the video call, "Hello. It's good to see you."
"You too," Maya said, getting comfortable.
"I was at your station last week," Diane said, "Lieutenant Gibson called. He was worried about how everyone was dealing with how sick you were."
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "He texted me he did that. I obviously didn't see it when he sent it, but I saw it when I woke up. I'm glad he took the initiative and called. I hate that I put them through that."
"It wasn't your fault," Diane reminded her, "How are you doing?"
"Physically, exhausted, achy, weak," Maya admitted, "Mentally, exhausted, frustrated, anxious, guilty."
"What's making you frustrated?" Diane asked, hoping Maya was up for talking about it.
"I can't do anything," Maya said, "I shower and I need a nap, I can't work out, I can't do my job, my lungs still aren't back to normal. I literally dropped a bowl of soup last night because I couldn't hold it. I hate feeling like this. I feel useless."
"You are not useless," Diane said, "You are healing from an extremely traumatic illness. You will get back to where you were, but you have to rest too."
"That's what Carina keeps saying," Maya said.
"She's right," Dr. Lewis said, "Remember we have been working on letting yourself rest? Now you are getting a lot of practice with it."
"I guess," Maya mumbled, knowing Diane was right.
"And it's alright to be frustrated," Diane said, "Just remember your techniques for calming down, and try to focus on things you can do. Tell me five things right now."
"I can walk around the apartment," Maya said, "I can kiss Carina, I can eat real food, I can be at home, and I can breathe. Last week, I couldn't do any of those things."
"Good," Diane said, nodding, "And every day, you will get a little stronger. Try to remember that. You also said you were feeling anxious. What is making you feel like that?"
"Every time I fall asleep, I have a nightmare," Maya said, "About being intubated or dying or not being able to breathe. And when I'm awake, I just kinda always feel on edge. I don't know why."
"That is not uncommon in people who were hospitalized from COVID-19," Dr. Lewis said, "It's a lot to process both mentally and physically. I am going to teach you some different breathing techniques that you can use to calm down, and a massage technique you can use too. If these don't work, or if the nightmares get worse, I have other things we can try."
Maya nodded, listening as Dr. Lewis guided her through a few different things.
"Good," Dr. Lewis said, nodding as Maya completed the last exercise, "Over the next couple weeks or months, I need you to let me know if you feel like you're struggling more than normal. There is more and more evidence that COVID might be tied to and increased risk of anxiety and depression, and because you already have both, I just want to make sure we have them as under control as we did before."
"Great," Maya sighed sarcastically, "That's exactly what I want is to go back to feeling like I did eight months ago."
"We are going to try to keep that from happening," Dr. Lewis said, nodding.
Maya had really been struggling with her mental health when she had started seeing Dr. Lewis right after getting back together with Carina at the beginning of the pandemic. There was a month where the only thing that got Maya out of bed was work, and she was having panic attacks three or more times a week. Between therapy and medication, Maya had been doing really well. The last thing she wanted to do was to backslide.
"You said you were feeling guilty too," Diane said, "What about?"
"Scaring everyone," Maya said, "Carina's worried about me, and I know my team is too. And I feel bad for making everyone feel like that."
"Maya, you got sick," Dr. Lewis said, "That was not your fault. You didn't purposely get COVID, and you didn't end up intubated on purpose. It just happened. You should not feel guilty for that."
"I know," Maya said, feeling tears fill her eyes, "I just wish I had been stronger, able to fight it better so it didn't get so bad."
"Maya, you have no control over your immune system," Dr. Lewis said, shaking her head, "If it was Andy or Vic who ended up in the hospital, would you blame them?"
"No," Maya said, shaking her head.
"Then don't blame yourself," Dr. Lewis said.
Maya nodded, wiping the tears that were running down her cheeks as she yawned.
"Our time's up for today," Dr. Lewis said, "If the nightmares get worse or the techniques don't work after a few days, call me, and we can try something else. And Maya, remember, rest is good, not something to feel guilty about."
"Thank you," Maya nodded.
"I'll talk to you soon," Dr. Lewis said, "I hope you feel better."
"Thanks," Maya said, hanging up.
A minute later, there was a knock on her door, Carina cracking it open before walking in.
"How did it go?" she asked, noticing the tear marks on Maya's still too-pale cheeks.
"It was good," Maya said, "She gave me some things to try for the nightmares and anxiety. How was yours?"
"Good," Carina nodded, sitting down next to Maya, "I feel a little better."
"Good," Maya said, yawning.
"Is it time for another nap?" Carina asked, smiling as Maya put her head on her shoulder.
"I wish the answer was no, but I think so," Maya said as they both laid down, "I wish I could stay awake longer than a few hours."
"You will be able to soon," Carina reassured as Maya cuddled close, "But for now, just rest."
"Rest is good," Maya mumbled as she fell asleep, Carina smiling as she heard the mantra Maya often repeated when she was struggling to settle down. She suspected now it had another purpose, but she knew better than to press.
After about an hour, Maya had moved out of her arms, and Carina decided it was time to go make some dinner. She knew neither Vic nor Maya had much of an appetite these days because food didn't taste like anything, but she knew they both needed nutrition so she made some carbonara, knowing they both had told her that pasta had a good texture. She also made some roasted carrots and broccoli, Vic coming out of her room just as she finished rolling the pasta.
"Hey," Carina said, "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Vic said, nodding, "I kinda hate that I need to sleep all day even after a relatively easy shift."
"It will get better," Carina said as Vic grabbed some water.
"I guess I should just be glad I can make it through a shift," Vic said, shaking her head, "We facetimed Andy during dinner last night, and she told us the only thing she had done that day was shower and go downstairs to have lunch with Michelle, and that those two things made her so tired she had to sleep the rest of the day."
"Maya is the same right now," Carina nodded, "She had a therapy appointment, and slept for two hours before, and she is now back asleep. But rest is good for all of you right now. Covid is a nasty virus that is brutal on the body."
"I know," Vic nodded, sitting down at the table, "I am happy we all beat it, or are beating it I guess. What are you making for dinner? Do you need help?"
"Just carbonara," Carina shrugged, "And some roasted vegetables."
"Are you going to be offended if I pour hot sauce on all of it?" Vic asked, looking at her.
"I mean, as long as you don't put it on mine," Carina said, confused.
"I discovered that hot sauce makes things taste like something instead of nothing," Vic shrugged, "Warren said it's because the pain receptors in my mouth are still working or something like that, but it makes things not taste like flour and cardboard."
"So we need a lot of hot sauce," Carina nodded, chuckling a little, "Whatever you have to do to make food edible to you, do it."
"Do you need any help?" Vic asked.
"No," Carina said, shaking her head as she chopped the vegetables into smaller pieces, "Thanks though. Did you guys have any interesting calls last shift?"
"Nothing too crazy," Vic said, shaking her head, "Just you standard heart attacks, man stuck on a roof, small kitchen fire. It was a pretty run of the mill shift. We have a sub right now for Andy so it's nice to not have to do crazy calls with someone we don't normally work with."
Carina nodded, knowing Maya always complained when they had a sub who just didn't fit into their shift like whoever they were subbing for. It took Carina another thirty or so minutes to get dinner done, Maya shuffling out of the bedroom just as she was finishing it up.
"Hey Bambina," Carina smiled, finishing mixing the pasta for another second before going over to her girlfriend, "How was your nap?"
"I had another nightmare," Maya mumbled into Carina's shoulder as she held her, "But I used a breathing technique Diane gave me which helped me calm down."
"I'm sorry the nightmares are so bad," Carina frowned, kissing her forehead. Maya just shrugged, enjoying Carina's embrace for a minute before pulling back.
"Ready for some food?" Carina asked.
"I guess," Maya nodded, looking over and seeing Vic sitting at the table, "Hey Vic."
"I've been sitting here the whole time," Vic said, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry," Maya said, sitting down next to her.
"Alright," Carina said, setting plates down in front of both women, "Here you go."
"Thanks," both Vic and Maya said as Carina went into the kitchen, grabbing her own plate before sitting down, handing Vic a bottle of hot sauce.
"I thought you couldn't taste anything," Maya said, confused.
"I can't," Vic said, pouring hot sauce on her food, "But I can feel burning which makes everything at least have some type of flavor."
"That is genius," Maya said as Vic handed her the bottle, the blonde doing the same thing as her friend.
They all ate dinner, chatting a little, Vic filling Maya in on what had been happening at the station.
Once dinner was done, they moved to the couches, Carina turning on a movie.
About thirty minutes in, Maya, who was sitting in her lap, started shifting around a little.
After a few minutes of the blonde moving, seemingly unable to get comfortable, Carina looked down at her.
"You alright Bambina?" she asked, seeing a look of discomfort on Maya's face. "
My stomach doesn't feel very well right now," Maya said, shifting a little more, "I don't think the hot sauce is agreeing with me."
"Oh Bambina," Carina said, frowning, "I should have thought. Your body probably wasn't ready for something like that. You were on a feeding tube and IV for over two weeks, and everything you've had had been bland. Do you want some Pepto or something?"
"Maybe," Maya said, nodding.
"I'll be right back," Carina said, getting up.
"Everything ok?" Vic asked, noticing the shuffling.
"Just an upset stomach from the hot sauce I think," Maya said, "My body wasn't ready for it."
"Sorry," Vic frowned, "Are you alright?"
"Carina went to get some Pepto," Maya nodded, "I'll be fine."
Carina came back a minute later with two Pepto pills, handing them to Maya. The blonde took them, hoping they would help. It took another twenty or so minutes, but eventually, Maya's stomach calmed down and she relaxed into Carina, falling asleep.
Carina just let her sleep for a few hours, she and Vic watching another movie before Vic decided it was time to call it a night.
"Let me know if you two need anything," Vic said, heading down the hall to her room.
"Thanks Vic," Carina said, thinking about what she wanted to do with Maya.
She decided to wake her up so they could move into their room.
"Come on Bambina," Carina said, rubbing her back, "You need to wake up. It's time for bed."
"Tired," Maya mumbled.
"I know," Carina said, rubbing her back, "Let's go to bed and then you can sleep all night."
Maya groaned but let Carina help her up and walk her down the hall to bed.
"Sleep well Bambina," Carina said, kissing Maya gently as the recovering woman fell asleep.
Carina joined her a few minutes later, Maya instinctively moving closer to her. Carina held her close, knowing that the next few weeks were probably going to be a challenge, but happy to be right here as long as Maya needed her.
What did you think? Do you want more? I have some ideas swirling around. Should I flesh them out? Thanks for reading!