The day before Carina's surgery was also Valentine's Day and just about every single one of their friends had offered to take the twins so they could have a night out together to celebrate the day of love, but Carina had been extremely insistent that she wanted to spend as much time as she could with the twins, knowing she was probably not going to see them for a few days while she was in the hospital and she wouldn't be able to pick them up for two months. The thought of that made her want to spend the entire day just holding them close and not put them down for the entire day. However, she knew that that would never happen because the twins were active two-year-olds who almost never wanted to be held for long periods of time.
Maya was pretty determined to make that Valentine's Day special for all her favorite ladies. She had worked pretty late the night before to make sure everything was done in preparation for her time off.
She had unfortunately worked though bedtime, Andy helping her type up her reports until 19 got called out. Luckily for her, Vic was on desk duty after a minor burn on her hand during their last shift and a bribe of coffee and cookies delivered via UberEATS, Maya convinced the younger woman to help her. They had worked until close to 11 pm before they got all the inspection forms filled out along with all the other paperwork Maya needed to have done.
As soon as they were done, Vic promptly kicked her out of the station, telling her that she needed to be at home with her wife. Maya nodded, heading out the door.
When she got home, instead of climbing into bed, she got to work making the spinach, bacon, tomato quiche her wife always loved. Once it was prepped, she put the unbaked pie in the fridge, making sure the kitchen was clean before finally heading up to bed close to 1 am.
She crawled into bed, Carina instantly moving toward her in her sleep, Maya pressing a kiss to her forehead as she wrapped her arms around her, wanting to hold onto this feeling forever, knowing that it was probably going to be hard to hold her wife for a while after her surgery.
It took the blonde close to an hour to fall asleep, her mind going through everything she had planned for the following day as well as what needed to get done before Carina's surgery to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Eventually, she did manage to fall asleep, sleeping until 5:30 when her body naturally woke her up. Maya knew she was racking up a significant sleep deficit at this point, but there wasn't much she could do.
She and Carina had both taken their prescription strength sleep aids when Andrew had the twins a few nights before because neither of them had been sleeping well which had helped a lot. However, she was still exhausted and knew that the next few nights, sleep was probably going to be complete garbage. She would have stayed in bed longer, knowing Carina loved waking up in her arms, but she had to go out and get flowers and a few other things before anyone woke up.
She carefully got out of bed, changing into her running clothes before heading out the door. She planned to run her normal route and then swing by the store that was only about a block away from where they lived at the end to get the flowers she had pre-ordered as well as some little boxes of chocolates for the twins. She had a box of specialty chocolates for her wife that she had had shipped from Italy by Carina's cousin that she had hidden in the only cabinet in the kitchen Carina never opened, the one containing Maya's protein shake mixes, pre-workouts, and vitamins. She grabbed the items from the store, also picking up some fresh fruit and some fresh squeezed juice before heading home.
The house was luckily still quiet when she walked through the door around 7. She quickly went into the kitchen, getting the flowers into the vases she had set out the night before, two small bouquets for the twins as well as a large bouquet of carnations for her wife. She put the flowers at each person's spot before setting out the chocolates and another small box at her wife's place as well.
She then started cutting the fruit, careful not to cut her finger again, taking a second to look at her stitches which were still doing well and healing nicely. As she cut the fruit, she stretched a little, knowing she probably didn't have long before everyone else woke up.
Once she had everything prepped for breakfast, she headed upstairs, finding Rowan and Nora miraculously still asleep. She quietly went into the master bedroom, going over to her wife and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
"Mmmm, Bambina," Carina said tiredly, "Did you just get home?"
"From my run, yes," Maya said, smiling as she watched Carina's beautiful brown eyes open slowly, "Happy Valentine's Day Babe."
"Happy Valentine's Day," Carina said, pulling Maya in for another kiss, "Are the twins still asleep?"
"They are," Maya nodded, "And I was about to get in the shower and thought if you were up for it, maybe you could join me?"
"I need to start using that special soap I got for surgery prep," Carina said, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
"I can help you," Maya said, helping Carina stand up, "And maybe help you with some other things too, if you want."
"Oh, I want," Carina nodded, grabbing Maya's shirt and pulling it off as she gave her another kiss, "I always want."
Maya smiled into the kiss, moving them both to the bathroom without breaking their kiss. The blonde started the shower, both of them quickly stripping before getting in together, never breaking their physical contact with each other.
"We have to be fast," Carina said as Maya moved from kissing her lips to moving her lips down her body, "The twins are going to wake up any…"
Before Carina could even finish her thought, Maya was already making her move, sending the Italian into a state of pure and utter bliss. The two of them enjoyed their time in the shower together, both of them showing each other physically just how much they loved the other.
Just as they were about to move on to the actual shower part of the shower, they heard the bathroom door and in walked Rowan.
"Mommy, Mamma?" she said, walking over to the glass shower door.
"Give me one minute Patatina," Carina said, grabbing the special soap she needed to wash her abdomen with, "Can you go go get a book to read?"
Rowan nodded, disappearing.
"I can get out if you want to shower," Maya offered as Carina used the soap.
"No," Carina said, "I really just needed to use this wash. You get cleaned up and I will make breakfast."
Maya decided not to tell Carina that breakfast was already in the oven, instead just grabbing her shampoo and washing her hair.
"Book Mamma," Rowan said, holding up her book as she walked back into the bathroom, sitting down on the floor with it.
"Bene Patatina," Carina smiled as she rinsed off the wash before getting out of the shower, wrapping herself in her towel, "Can you read your book while I get ready?"
Rowan nodded, looking at the pictures in the book while Carina applied her moisturizer and lotion, running her comb through her hair that was wet from their shower escapades.
By the time she was done with that, Rowan was bored with her book, walking over to her and reaching to be picked up.
"I need to get dressed and then I will happily hold you," Carina said, "Do you want to help me pick out my clothes?"
Rowan nodded, taking Carina's hand as they went into the walk-in closet that was one of Carina's favorite features of their house. Rowan picked out a pink sweatshirt that Carina genuinely forgot she owned from a trip she and Maya had taken to Florida and it had been weirdly cold so she had had to get a sweatshirt at some little tourist shop and this was the only one they had left.
Carina probably hadn't worn it in years because she didn't love the color, but it was cute and Rowan really wanted her to wear it. Plus, it was Valentine's Day and pink was a good color to wear. She put it on along with a pair of yoga pants, knowing they were going to be spending the day at home, just enjoying time together as a family.
Just as she was finishing getting dressed, she heard the water turn off, signifying Maya was getting out of the shower. At the same time, she heard little footsteps coming down the hall, Nora walking into the bedroom with her little fingers shoved in her mouth.
"Come here Piccola," Carina said, reaching down and scooping Nora up in her arms.
"Me uppie," Rowan said, also reaching her arms up.
"Come here," Carina said, picking up the little blonde, "Should we go make breakfast?"
"Si," Rowan nodded.
"Alright," Carina said, heading downstairs with the twins.
As she walked into the kitchen, she was shocked to see flowers on the table. Just as she was about to go over to the table, she smelled something delicious, walking over to the oven, seeing it was turned on. She had no idea when Maya had gotten all of this done. She walked over to the table, twins still in her arms as they all looked at the table.
"Petty," Rowan said, pointing at the flowers.
"They are pretty aren't they?" Carina said, "I think Mommy got them for us."
"Mommy?" Nora said, cocking her head to the side.
"Si," Carina nodded, hearing her wife coming down the stairs, "And I think she is coming right now."
Maya walked into the kitchen, smiling when she saw all her girls.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Maya said, walking into the kitchen, "Did you all like your surprises?"
"When did you have time to do all of this Bambina?" Carina asked, walking over to her, Nora reaching for her Mommy as soon as she saw her.
"I got the flowers this morning," Maya said, "And I made the quiche last night when I got home."
"You made quiche?" Carina said, "That is what smells so good?"
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "I know it is one of your favorite breakfasts."
"Thank you Bambina," Carina said, pulling her wife into a hug, "You did not need to do all of this."
"I wanted to," Maya shrugged, "I wanted to make all my girls feel special, to make today special."
Carina smiled, giving her wife a quick kiss before going back over to the table to show Rowan her flowers while Maya brought Nora over as well.
"Did you also get them chocolate?" Carina said, noticing the box by Rowan's flowers.
"I did," Maya nodded, "I got some for you too."
Carina walked over to her flowers, eyes widening when she saw the chocolate box at her place.
"Maya," Carina said, eyes wide, "You did not. You did not order chocolate from Sicily."
"I did," Maya nodded, "I actually ordered those like a month ago to make sure they came in time. I know they are your favorites."
"Thank you Bambina," Carina said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Thank you so much."
"Of course," Maya said, smiling at her wife, "And there's another small thing too, in the white box."
"What is this?" Carina said, setting Rowan down who was getting restless.
"It's just something small that I ordered last week," Maya said, walking over to her wife, "It's a stethoscope charm that has a…"
"The cervical cancer ribbon on it," Carina said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Bambina…"
"You don't have to use it if you don't want to," Maya said quickly, "But I just thought you could put it on your stethoscope and it could remind you of how much of a badass you are and if you hate it, you totally don't have to use it and…"
"Bambina, I love it," Carina said, smiling at her wife, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Of course," Maya said, pulling Carina into a hug.
Just then, a timer on Maya's phone started going off.
"Oh, that's the quiche," Maya said, going over to the oven, opening it up and taking out the egg pie, "And there is fresh fruit in the fridge and I need to make your coffee."
"You do not need to make my coffee Bambina," Carina said, wrapping her arms around her wife, "I can do it. You did so much already this morning. Go show the girls their flowers and relax."
"I want to take care of you," Maya said, pressing a kiss to her wife's lips.
"You have," Carina said, "But I promise, I can make my own coffee. I will let you make my coffee after my surgery, promise."
"Fine," Maya said, just hugging her wife tightly one more time before going over to the table where the twins had climbed into their chairs and were looking at their flowers.
"Pitty," Nora said, looking at the purple and pink flowers on the table.
"You like them?" Maya said, smiling at her.
"Si," Rowan said, nodding as she sniffed her flowers, "Pitty."
"Teat?" Nora said, seeing the box of chocolates also at her seat.
"Yeah, those are treats," Maya nodded, "After we eat breakfast, you can have one, ok?"
Nora nodded, looking at the box again.
"Milt?" Rowan said, looking at Maya.
"You want some milk?" Maya said, "Ok. And how about some fruit too? And some eggs?"
"Si," Rowan nodded.
"Me too," Nora said, looking up from her chocolates that she had just been staring at.
"Of course," Maya nodded, going over to the fridge and pulling out both the gallon of milk and the bowl of fruit.
"You spoil us too much Bambina," Carina said, brining two sippy cups over to her wife.
"It's only because I love you so much," Maya shrugged, pouring the milk into the cups while Carina got out plates for the twins, putting fruit on them before going over to the quiche, cutting into it, adding a little to each plate for the twins.
"Bambine, look what Mommy made for breakfast," Carina said, carrying the plates over to the table where Maya was already giving them their milk.
"Yum," Rowan said, grabbing a piece of strawberry, "De dou Mommy."
"You are welcome Patatina," Maya smiled, she and Carina both heading back into the kitchen to grab their own breakfast.
"This looks so good Bambina," Carina said as Maya gave her a piece of the quiche, "Thank you for making this."
"Taste it first," Maya said, "My cooking skills are sketchy normally, but at midnight, I am even less confident."
"You made this at midnight?" Carina said, "Bambina, you need to be sleeping."
"I know," Maya said, "And I did, but it's just not…sleep has not been good lately, and I have been trying, but it's just not happening."
"I know Bambina," Carina said as they sat down at the table, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," Maya said, grabbing Carina's hand.
Carina hummed, clearly not agreeing, but knowing better than to argue. They all ate breakfast, Nora asking probably ten times if she could have a piece of her chocolate. Finally, Maya caved and just let her have it despite the fact that she had only eaten a few bites of her actual breakfast.
"She is so your child," Maya said, shaking her head as she opened the box of chocolate for Nora, letting her pick out one piece that the toddler took a bite of, eyes wide, "Always wanting the sweets."
"She is smart," Carina said, picking up her own box of chocolates, unwrapping it carefully, "I cannot believe you got these for me."
"I know how much you love them," Maya shrugged, smiling at her wife.
Honestly, she had ordered the chocolates almost a month ago because she knew their fertility clinic meeting was the week after Valentine's Day and she was actually planning on giving her the chocolates after that appointment to celebrate the next part of their parenting journey. However, she was glad she had them to give to her today, knowing how much her wife loved them and that it would help make the day before her surgery just a little brighter.
Soon enough, breakfast was done, Carina disappearing as Maya cleaned the twins' hands and helped them down from their chairs. Maya then started clearing the dished from the table, only to be stopped by her wife walking into the kitchen with small box that was wrapped.
"What is this?" Maya said as Carina handed it to her.
"Just open it," Carina said, smiling at her wife.
Maya set the box down on the table, taking off the wrapping paper and taking off the lid from the box.
"I found that in an antique store Teddy dragged me to last month," Carina said as Maya looked into the box, "And it said Station 19 on it so I couldn't pass it up."
"Thank you," Maya said, taking the antique whistle out of the box, looking at it, "This is so cool."
"You're welcome," Carina said, smiling as she watched her wife inspect the whistle, "Also, I felt a whistle was very appropriate for you."
"True," Maya laughed, "I can't believe you found a Station 19 whistle."
"I was very surprised too," Carina said, nodding as Maya put the whistle down, hugging her wife, "And then I made Teddy help me look all over for more pieces, but this was it."
"It's perfect," Maya said, giving Carina a kiss, "Thank you."
An antique whistle would probably be a very strange gift for Valentine's Day to most people, but Carina knew that Maya wasn't a big fan of jewelry or sweets, but she loved old firefighting memorabilia and had an extensive collection in her office at the station.
Maya went to learn in for a kiss, but Carina pulled away after a second.
"Where are the twins?" the Italian asked, the two of them breaking apart and running to find their daughters. Luckily, they were just in their playroom, playing in their little kitchen.
"Ok," Carina said, "You stay here with them, and I am going to go clean up the kitchen."
"I can do that," Maya said, "I know you wanted to spend time with the girls today."
"But you made breakfast," Carina argued. "But you should spend time with them," Maya said, "I will be home with them while you are recovering. Go spend time with them and let me clean up, ok?"
"Ok," Carina conceded, knowing her wife was right.
The rest of the day was very relaxed. Maya spent some time packing a bag for the twins just in case she was able to convince Carina to let her stay with her the following night which the Italian was very insistent would not be happening.
The weather was surprisingly decent so they took the twins to the park, Carina running around with them a lot. Maya took pictures of them all playing, wanting to capture all these moments just in case something happened. The blonde tried as hard as she could to keep thoughts like that out of her head, but they just kept popping up.
While the twins napped, Carina packed a bag to take to the hospital, making sure she had comfortable clothes and her toiletries, leaving the bag in the bathroom to add all the last-minute essentials like her toothbrush after she used it in the morning.
Andrew dropped dinner off for them that night which included Mamma Deluca's lasagna along with tiramisu and some veggies. Maya let Carina do the entire bedtime routine because she knew it was something her wife was going to miss doing after her surgery.
While Carina was doing that, Maya went down to the kitchen, making breakfast and lunch for the twins for the next day. Carina had gotten the call that her surgery was scheduled for 8 am, meaning they needed to be at the hospital by 6.
Their plan was to basically just let the twins sleep until it was time to leave and then get them up and dressed at the last minute. Maya made sure she had the twins' bags packed and ready, also grabbing out their jackets and shoes, putting everything by the door. She pulled out her phone, debating back and forth with herself if she was going to go for a run in the morning, ultimately deciding against it because she wanted to be there in case Carina needed her.
Just as she was finishing cleaning up the kitchen, Carina came down from putting the twins to bed.
"Ready for some tiramisu?" Maya asked, knowing they had been waiting until the twins were sleeping to enjoy one of their favorite treats, but also knowing Carina was supposed to be NPO for 12 hours before surgery.
"Si," Carina nodded, smiling at her wife.
Maya served them each a piece before they went to the couch to enjoy eating their dessert and cuddling.
"How are you feeling?" Maya asked as they finished their sweet treat, Carina moving to cuddle in her lap.
"Nervous," Carina said, pulling Maya's arms tighter around her, "I'm just ready for this to be over."
"I know," Maya said, pressing a kiss behind her wife's ear, "Me too."
The two of them just sat there together, enjoying being close to each other. Around 10, they decided to go upstairs, Carina needing to take her second of three showers with her special soap which they both took advantage of like they had that morning.
Carina also took a proper shower, knowing that she was going to have to take one more quick shower in the morning, but not wanting to have to wash her hair or anything. It was close to eleven when they both climbed into bed.
"What time do you want to be up in the morning?" Maya asked, going to set her alarm.
"I was thinking 5," Carina said, "I just need to take a quick shower."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "Sounds good."
"Are you going to run in the morning?" Carina asked, knowing Maya liked to run when she was expecting a difficult day.
"I'm not," Maya said, shaking her head, "I want to be here for you and help you however I can."
"Are you sure?" Carina asked, brushing a piece of hair off her wife's forehead.
"I'm sure," Maya nodded, "Promise. Now, we should probably try to sleep."
Carina nodded, pressing a kiss to her wife's lips before they curled up in each other's arms. Neither of them expected to sleep much, but about an hour after they laid down, they heard crying coming from the twin's room.
"I've got her," Maya said, getting out of bed.
"Bambina, let me," Carina said, "I am going to be sleeping a lot tomorrow. You should try to sleep now."
Maya decided to just let Carina get up, knowing her wife was right. About five minutes later, Carina came back into their room with Nora in her arms, still fussing.
"What's wrong?" Maya asked, sitting up as Carina walked into the bathroom.
"I think she feels warm," Carina sighed, coming back with the thermometer.
"What?" Maya said, knowing this was the very last thing they needed tonight, hours before Carina had major surgery.
The Italian came over to the bed, handing the thermometer to her wife because Nora was laying on her shoulder.
"It's only 99.4," Maya said, looking at the device, "She was fine when we put her down."
"I know," Carina sighed, rubbing the little girl's back, "Nora, does something hurt?"
"Teef," Nora fussed, fingers firmly in her mouth.
"Damn it," Maya said, rubbing her forehead, "I bet she is cutting her two year molars. She hasn't yet."
"You are probably right," Carina sighed, rubbing Nora's back as the toddler fussed.
"I'll go get her some Tylenol," Maya said, getting out of bed, "Hopefully that will help."
It took until close to 2 am to get Nora settled back down, Maya and Carina deciding to just let her sleep in their bed because they didn't want to risk waking her by transferring her.
Both Maya and Carina tried to sleep but found it next to impossible, the anxiety about the surgery coupled with having a squirmy toddler in their bed making it hard.
At 5, both of them carefully got up, getting in the shower. This time, there was much less fun and everything felt much more somber, Maya carefully washing her wife's torso with the soap, Carina just staring at the wall.
"You ok?" the blonde asked as she rinsed off the soap.
"Si," Carina said quietly, rubbing her tired eyes, "Just thinking."
"I love you," Maya said, giving her a kiss.
"I love you too," Carina said, wrapping her arms around her wife, burying her face in her neck.
They just stood there for a minute before breaking apart, knowing they needed to get moving. They got out of the shower, Carina setting to work braiding her hair while Maya went to get dressed. When she came back into the bathroom, she had a very grumpy looking Nora with her.
"Oh Nora," Carina frowned, tying off her braid, "Are you not feeling good?"
Nora just reached for Carina.
"I need to get dressed," Carina said, "Give me one minute."
The Italian quickly threw on her clothes before taking Nora, the toddler settling quickly on her shoulder.
"I am going to go get her clothes," Maya said, "Do you need anything?"
"No," Carina said, "But I don't know how she is going to do in daycare today if she is this miserable."
"Maybe I'll keep her with me," Maya sighed, "I'll probably try to drop her at daycare this morning, but tell them to call if she's not doing well."
"Ok," Carina nodded, rubbing Nora's back.
Maya disappeared, grabbing clothes for Nora along with a clean diaper, Carina changing the little girl while Maya made the bed.
By the time all of this was done, it was nearing 5:30, meaning they needed to be heading out the door. Maya grabbed Carina's bag once she was done, going to load the car while Carina went to get Rowan up and dressed.
By 5:40, they were heading to Grey Sloan, Carina a ball of nerves as Maya held her hand tightly. When they got there, they loaded the twins into the stroller, Rowan still very sleepy while Nora was just cranky, not letting Carina put her down.
"If she won't do to daycare, she can come with us," Carina said, trying to get the toddler to calm down some.
Nora was notoriously their miserable teether and they had had to keep her home from daycare before because of her teething.
"We'll see," Maya said, grabbing Carina's bag out of the car before they headed into the hospital.
They stopped at the daycare first, Carina holding each of the girls a little tighter and longer than normal today.
"You guys are here early," Nicole said as Maya got the twins checked in.
"Carina has her surgery today," Maya said, "So I will be here all day. Also, Nora is cutting teeth. There is Tylenol in her bag, but she has been up half the night and if she is really miserable, just call and I will come get her. I will be back to get them this evening if they don't need to get picked up earlier. Nora last had Tylenol at midnight which is also the time she woke up so she can have more at 8, but like I said, if she is miserable, just call me."
"Ok," Nicole said, able to tell the battalion chief was nervous just by how fast she was talking, "I promise we will."
"Ok Car," Maya said, glancing at the clock and seeing it was already almost 6, "We have to go."
"Ok," Carina said, squeezing each of the girls one more time, "Maya, you are going to have to take them from me because I cannot let them go. I love you so much Rowan. I love you so much Nora."
"Ok," Maya said, first taking Rowan, giving her a quick hug and kiss before handing her to one of the daycare workers.
Maya then took Nora, the little girl fussing a little as Maya gave her a quick hug and kiss before giving her to Nicole.
"Mamma," Nora cried, rubbing her eyes, "Mommy."
"Let me see if I can get her to settle," Nicole said, "If she's not calmed down in fifteen minutes, I will call, ok?"
"Ok," Maya nodded, looking at her wife and seeing the tears in her eyes, immediately pulling her into a hug "It's ok. They will be ok. Come on."
"I hate leaving them when they are upset," Carina said, wiping at her own tears, "And even more so today."
"I know," Maya said, letting go of her wife, "But they will be ok. Come on. We need to get upstairs."
They headed over to check-in for Carina's surgery, the entire check-in process taking about half an hour. Luckily, they did get a text from daycare, but it told them that Nora had settled down and was napping in Nicole's arms.
"See, she is ok," Maya said, showing Carina the picture of Nora asleep while they sat in the waiting room, waiting for her to be taken back to pre-op.
Over the next hour and a half, Carina was taken back, getting weighed, into a gown, and put on an IV. Dr. Cho came to talk to her, making sure both Maya and Carina had all their questions answered before leaving the wives alone to wait.
"Can you come sit in the bed with me?" Carina asked, suddenly wanting to be as close to her wife as possible.
"Of course," Maya nodded, getting up and getting into bed, holding her wife close, "I will never say no to sitting with you."
"If something goes wrong…" Carina started, but Maya cut her off.
"No, we are not talking about that," Maya said, "You will be ok."
"But if I'm not," Carina said, trying hard not to cry, "I need you to promise me you will still take the girls to Italy to see my family. And that you will be happy again one day. If something happens to me, I need to know that you and the girls will be ok. I need you to promise me that you won't grieve for the rest of your life, that you will go on for our girls."
"Carina, nothing is going to happen to you," Maya said, shaking her head, "Do you hear me, nothing."
"Bambina, I need you to promise me," Carina said, keeping her jaw square, not letting her tears fall.
"I promise," Maya said, wiping at the tears in her eyes, "I promise you that I will give those girls the best life ever, but I won't have to keep that promise alone because you are going to be fine."
It was then that Carina allowed her tears to start, the two women burying themselves in each other. They both cried for a good ten minutes before breaking apart, Maya grabbing tissues for both of them.
"Ok," Carina said, "No more crying."
Maya nodded, offering her wife a smile as best as she could. They spent the next few minutes just holding each other before the nurse came in.
"Alright Carina, it's time to go," the nurse said, Maya getting down off the bed, "Maya, you can walk with us to the red line."
"Ok," Maya nodded, grabbing Carina's hand as the nurse unlocked the bed.
They walked down the hall, Maya and Carina keeping their hands laced together. When they got to the red line, Carina looked at her wife as Maya leaned down and gave her a big hug and kiss.
"I love you," Maya said, putting a hand on Carina's cheek, "So much. I'll see you in recovery in a few hours, ok?"
"Ok," Carina nodded, looking down at her hand, realizing her wedding ring was still on her finger, "Oh, Bambina, can you take this for me?"
"Of course," Maya nodded, slipping the ring on her right ring finger, "I'll give it back when I see you again, ok?"
"I love you Bambina," Carina said as Maya leaned down, giving her another kiss.
"Alright," the nurse said, "Ready?"
"Ready," Carina nodded as the nurse pushed the button to open the doors to the OR area.
As the doors opened, Carina and Maya were both shocked to see all their friends and many of Carina's colleague's standing there, smiling at them.
"We've got her," Amelia said, walking forward, "I know you can't come with us Maya, but we've got her until you can be with her again, ok?"
"Thank you," Maya said, nodding as she tried hard not to start crying, "Carina, I will see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too," Carina said as the nurse pushed the bed down the OR hall, Maya watching until the doors closed.
She just stood there for a few minutes until the doors opened, Teddy coming out from the OR area.
"Come on," the cardio surgeon said, "Let me take you somewhere to wait."
"I told Dr. Cho I would be in Carina's office," Maya said, wiping her tears.
"Ok," Teddy nodded, "Come on."
They made their way to Carina's office, Maya confused when she saw the lights on in the office. She opened the door, finding Andy sitting on Carina's couch.
"Hey," the Latina said, getting up and walking over to her best friend, "I'm here to wait with you if that's ok. And if you don't want me here, I can go."
"No," Maya said, shaking her head, "No, please stay."
"I'm right here," Andy said as Teddy left the two friends, already knowing what the plan was for the day.
"Thanks," Maya said, feeling tears suddenly welling up in her eyes as she and Andy sat down.
"Of course," Andy said, putting a hand on Maya's back, "I'm right here."
Maya nodded, leaning her head on Andy's shoulder as she started what felt like the longest wait of her entire life.