Maya's Relieved of her Duties as Captain
Maya stared at the door of their apartment, her arms hanging loosely at her sides, the key ring held between her thumb and forefinger. Carina was likely sitting on the balcony, taking in the sunset, the crisp evening air. Maya had often found her doing just that when she got home from work. However, the thought of having to tear Carina from that with the news she had; it made Maya want to turn around, go to a bar, and drink away her entire memory of the day. There were only a few times in Maya's life when she'd felt the urge to do that, and she'd always come across Carina before she'd done it. She could go right to the bathroom, Carina would think she was taking a shower. She could turn the water up as hot as it would go and sit on the floor, letting the scalding water burn away the memory. But Maya wasn't that person anymore. She hadn't been that person since the moment Carina had asked her if she was okay that day at the track. So instead, Maya unlocked the door, and walked into the apartment.
"Hi, bella, how was work?" Carina was setting a glass of wine down on the kitchen island. The door to the balcony was open, and Maya could see an empty cutting board and Carina's book resting on the chair. She could lie, say it was great, act as if it had been just like any other day, full of paperwork and putting out apartment fires. She couldn't do that either though.
"The fire chief came to visit today," Maya said instead. Carina looked at her expectedly, her eyes widening, waiting. Maya had applied for the Battalion Chief position awhile back, hoping that it would allow more leeway for the possibly of children. "It wasn't about the promotion, although I highly doubt that will be an option now." Carina stepped closer, preparing for what was next.
"Maya, what happened?" Maya looked down at her hands, desperate for a way out of this. Desperate for a reason not to have to tell her wife that Battalion Chief might never be in the cards again. She looked up, her baby blues connecting with brown.
"I was relieved of my duties as captain."
"Bambina," Carina sighed. She was next to Maya, and pulling her into to her arms before Maya could even register that'd she'd told her.
"I'm sorry." Maya aggressively wiped away the tears that were coming hard and fast. She hadn't wanted to cry. She had wanted to be strong for Carina, promise that everything was going to be okay, that they'd figure something out, that they'd have their family.
"Oh, Maya, amore mio, you have nothing to be sorry for," Carina tangled her hands in Maya's hair, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Non é coulpa tua" (This is not your fault.) Carina often used more Italian in her speech when Maya was upset because she knew it had a tendency to make her feel more safe. Growing up the only person who had ever looked out for Maya, besides herself, was Carina. When they'd first met Carina's English had sometimes been spotty; she'd used Italian to adequately represent her thoughts. Because of that, Maya had grown accustomed to hearing it, so it made her feel safe. Maya pushed herself out of Carina's embrace.
"It is, though. I decided to break protocol. That was on me."
"Bambina, si. You were the one who made the call to drive the patient in the firetruck, but you were also the person who saved his life. That little boy is alive because of the decision that you made. If the Fire Chief has protocol finora broccato his ass that he can't see that, then fuck him." (has protocol stuck so far up his ass). Carina rarely swore in a non sexual context, and when she did, it had meaning— true, real meaning. Maya looked up at her wife, at the pure, honest look her eyes.
"You're right," she said. Carina smiled, but her smile soon dissipated when she noticed the lack of a similar sentiment on her wife's part.
"But?"
"He's still the Fire Chief, Carina. He still has control over my job. He demoted me to Lieutenant, but what happens when I break protocol again, save another life, and he has it in his power not to give me another chance?"
"He gives you another chance, Maya… because who couldn't?" Maya smiled— brief, but there. Carina was the best thing that had happened to her, and there was no question there, but she wasn't the only good thing in Maya's life.
"Carina, I love you. I love you so much that I think my heart gets a little bigger every day. It grows bigger so that on top of loving you I can love firefighting, and Andy, and Vic, and Travis, and Ben, and Miller, and Jack, and even Marvin*. So that one day I can love our kids," Maya paused, "When that one day arrives, when we have those kids, if I had to choose between them and getting to go fight fires everyday with my team, I think I would die." Maya turned to look at her wife. There were silent tears streaming down Carina's face. She frantically reached for Carina's hands, "I- baby I'm sorry I didn't-"
"These are not tears of sadness, bella. Hearing you say that. Hearing you fight for yourself, your own happiness, your cake to have and eat too. It makes me want to shout my happiness, my pride, from the rooftops."
"Oh."
"Cosa vuoi dire 'oh?' Maya Bishop-DeLuca, you are spettacolare, spectacular," Carina declared, sealing it with a kiss to Maya's knuckles. Maya turned away, the blush accentuated on her cheeks. Carina smiled mischievously, gently tucking her fingers under Maya's chin to bring her back. Maya smirked.
"Do you know what you just did?"
"What did I just do?"
"You used an American idiom correctly." Carina's face glowed with happiness once again.
"No way," she said giddily, playfully swatting Maya on the arm, "I did? …I did!" Maya laughed, but not just any laugh. Her deep, hearty laugh full of pure unadulterated happiness that Carina loved so much. Carina jumped up and down, cheering, and began to dance around in the same joyful gig they had partaken in the morning of their wedding. It didn't take long for Maya to join in, spinning the Italian around, and then pulling her back into a kiss. A kiss so full of passion, spurred on by the sheer force of love passing between the two women in that moment.
It didn't take long before they found themselves in the bedroom, naked, Maya kissing her way down Carina's body on a mission to show her that American idioms didn't always have to be bad. Maya's tongue found its intended destination, and Carina jerked forward in arousal. She dug her fingers into Maya's shoulders, biting down on her lip to prevent the loud moan that threatened to escape. She and Maya had found out long ago that the wall between their apartment and the next wasn't very thick.
"Don't," Maya looked up, "I want our neighbors to know exactly how much I love you." That was enough to almost throw Carina over the edge. There was a dominant side to Maya, a side that came out sometimes during sex. When it did, Carina didn't stand a chance. Maya withdrew her tongue, replacing it instead with a finger and then a second one. She licked her way up Carina's stomach, and resumed kissing her, her fingers sliding deeper. Carina gasped. She could taste herself on Maya's lips, and Maya's fingers were getting dangerously close. With one more thrust Carina was gone, letting out a small scream of pleasure. Her head collapsed against Maya's chest, and Maya smiled, holding her wife in her arms as the release made its way through her.
"Whatever happens," Carina mumbled breathlessly, giving herself a chance for some air before continuing, "I will make sure that you don't have to give up on either of your dreams, bambina. You are too importante to me for that."
"Thank you."
"What do you say, bella? Want to let me show you just how importante to me you are?" Maya giggled. Her cheeks flushed red again, and she nodded.
"What was that? Was that a yes?" Carina teased.
"Si," Maya nodded more assuredly this time, "Yes it was a yes."
"Alright, sexy." Carina flipped them so that she was on top of Maya. Her hand slipped down, brushing against one of Maya's nipples. She brought it back up, careful to make a point of brushing against the same nipple once again. "Oh, mi dispiace. Colpa mia." (Oh, I'm sorry. My bad.)
"Carina," Maya whined.
"Si. Si. You must have patience young Lieutenant." Carina's hand found Maya's nipple again; this time she placed it between her thumb and forefinger, flicking the pad of her thumb over the tip of the nipple. Maya let out an aroused whimper. Carina grinned, moving onto the other nipple. By the time Carina finally moved down, a puddle of arousal had gathered on the sheets under Maya.
"We're going to have to do the laundry when we are done here, I see." Maya blushed again, and Carina kissed it away, before moving to her lips. She pushed her tongue out, searching for entrance, and Maya complied, her own tongue finding Carina's. Carina nipped at Maya's lower lip, and Maya moaned in response. Without ending the kiss, Carina reached for the bedside drawer, pulling something out of it and obscuring it from Maya's view. With a click, a slight steady buzz filled the air. Maya sighed, and as the small vibrator made contact, she cried out in pleasure. She gasped breathlessly, silently begging. Carina pressed another kiss to Maya's lips before moving the vibrator up so that it made contact with Maya's clit. Maya writhed, her hips thrusting forward, her thighs clasping around Carina's wrist.
"Fuck!" She called out. "Oh, fuck me."
"Yes ma'am." Carina's grasp tightened around the vibrator. With her other hand she maneuvered her thumb along Maya's pelvic bone, then pressed down against her clit from the outside. Maya yelped, arousal covering Carina's hand. Carina clicked off the vibrator, giving her a break from the constant simulation. When Maya had recovered, Carina withdrew her hand and placed the vibrator next to them on the bed. She flipped over so she was also on her back, and opened her arms to her wife. Maya climbed into them, closing her eyes, and pressing a soft kiss to Carina's exposed collarbone.
"Bene, if your goal was for the neighbors to know the intima details of our sex life, I think that you succeeded." Maya tightened her grasp on Carina's waist.
"My goal was to show you how loved and appreciated you are. And also how sexy. If the neighbors happened to hear us in the process, then that was just an added bonus."
"Oca stupida, ti amo." (Silly goose, I love you.)
"What are we gonna do?" Maya asked, suddenly remembering how they had gotten there.
"Would it be possibile per te fare appello the Chief's decision?" (Would it be possible for you to appeal the Chief's decision?)
"No I don't think so. It would be one thing if he was making this decision because I was a lesbian or a woman, and he didn't want me in charge for sexist or homophobic reasons, but I did break protocol, so I'm not sure there's much that can be done about that," Maya replied.
"Si, but Maya, would he still be coming down on you for breaking protocol if you were a straight man?"
"I doubt it. However, I can't prove that without setting public precedent that breaking protocol doesn't always result in termination. I am not sure it would have the intended effect. In fact, if anything it would probably make way for a much deeper investigation of the department and I'm not sure that I would want to open that can of worms when the whole point is that I'm trying to find a way to work less."
"Giusta." (Fair.)
"I think at this point it is less about finding out how to get the Battalion Chief job, and more about accepting that I'm a Lieutenant again and figuring out a way to make starting a family still an option."
"Si." Maya looked up at Carina. She was used to Carina having so much to say, and something about these one word answers was worrying her. Carina looked anxious. She was biting down on her lower lip, and her eyes wouldn't meet Maya's.
"Hey, are you okay? What's up?" Maya asked, her tone loving, but concerned.
"I wasn't going to mention anything, because it did not seem likely, and I didn't want us to be stressing about it," Carina said.
"What is it?" Maya lifted herself from Carina's chest, and took Carina's face in her hand, brushing her thumb across her cheek.
"I overheard Chief Bailey talking about cuts at the hospital. Addison just returned, and she's maybe the best OB in the country. And sure, Jo might be a bambina OB, but she was raised at Grey Sloan. I mean, what hospital needs three OBs?"
"Hey, Bailey might not have raised you, you might not be the best OB in the country, but you are a damn good OB. Any hospital would be lucky to have you, and Bailey's not going to give that up just because the hospital needs money. Plus if she tried to, I would have Ben talk some sense into her before she could even finalize her decision." Carina smiled, bringing Maya's hand that was on her cheek to her lips so she could kiss it.
"I should have known telling you would make me less stressed." Maya smiled back, easing all of Carina's worries in a heartbeat.
"Plus didn't you mention that not a lot of hospitals that aren't those special birthing places have very good OB departments? I would say that having the best OB department in the country and three kick ass OBs would probably bring in a lot of money."
"I would say you are probably correct."
"See, my love? Nothing to worry about. If anything you'll save the hospital, and Bailey will give you all a raise."
"Wouldn't that be nice?"
"It would actually. It would make these upcoming IVF expenses a lot less of a concern."
"Bambina, I am a doctor. You are a fire captain. We do not need to worry about the cost, even though, si, it is quite a lot."
"Was," Maya mumbled.
"Eh?"
"You said I'm a fire captain. I'm not. I was a fire captain." Carina sighed, looking at Maya with so much love and adoration that Maya thought she might break.
"Oh, Maya, viene qui." Carina held Maya as tight as she could while still allowing her to breathe. She could feel hot tears on her chest as Maya cried. It broke Carina's heart, seeing Maya have to deal with losing the job she loved just because she had done everything in her power to save a life. It didn't seem right. Carina agreed that it wasn't likely that Maya would be able to get her job back, especially without opening a department investigation. But it just wasn't fair.
"It's not fair," Maya sobbed.
"Lo so, bella. Shh, sono qui. Ti ho preso." (I know, beautiful. I'm here. I've got you.) Carina repeatedly pressed kisses into Maya's hair, attempting to allow her the opportunity to feel, while also reminding her that she wasn't going anywhere.
After a while Maya's tears slowed. She turned so her ear was against Carina's chest, just allowing herself to be centered by the beating of her heart. Eventually it lulled her to sleep. Carina pulled her wife just a little closer.
"I love you," she whispered against Maya's ear, "I can't wait to watch you be an amazing mother to our child."
...
*Author's Note: Marvin is the station cat.