Turned out, the virus Maya brought home from the station was brutal, both of them ending up in bed for five days feeling miserable. Maya felt bad because she had to ask Carina for help with everything even when the brunette was miserable herself. However, eventually, they both managed to kick the virus.
"As much as I have hated lying in bed and feeling like utter garbage for almost a week, I am going to miss having you around," Maya said as they laid in bed the night before Carina had to go back to work.
"I am going to miss being here with you," Carina said, playing with Maya's hair as she sat in her lap, "But can you please not bring home any more sicknesses from the station until you have use of your arms again. Or preferably never."
"I'll try," Maya laughed, "But you know how we share things there."
"Si," Carina sighed, shaking her head as she pressed a kiss into Maya's hair, "Well, I might just have to ban you from going there then."
"Only if I can ban you from going to the hospital," Maya said, turning and looking at her girlfriend.
"Why would you do that?" Carina asked cheekily.
"Because when you go there, I miss you too much," Maya said, leaning up and kissing Carina.
"Is that so?" the Italian asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, maybe I should just quit my job then because I can't have you suffering through missing me."
"No, we can't," Maya said, starting to deepen the kiss before pulling back, sighing.
"What's wrong?" Carina asked.
"I wish we could do more than just make out," Maya said, sitting up.
"Who says we can't?" Carina asked, looking at Maya.
"Carina, I can't use my hands," Maya said, "Or move my arms at all."
"We can do…other things," Carina said, raising an eyebrow, "You don't need hands to let me take care of you…"
"But this can't just be one sided," Maya said, shaking her head.
"Well, it is a good think I can move around just fine," Carina said, kissing Maya's neck.
The blonde felt body start to respond instinctually to her girlfriend's lips, moaning a little bit. Carina had her way with Maya, the blonde realizing how much she had missed being touched that way by her girlfriend.
Once Carina was done, Maya decided to try to give her girlfriend the same good time she had just had. That, however, proved to be significantly more difficult. It was frustrating to Maya that she wasn't able to just satisfy her girlfriend in the way she normally could. However, after trying a few positions, they finally figured it out, no matter how awkward it might have felt for Maya getting there.
Once they were done, Maya cuddled into Carina's lap as the Italian played with her hair, her bulky cast resting on pillows.
"That went better than I anticipated," Maya said, looking up and giving Carina a kiss, "If I knew we could do that, I would have asked to do it weeks ago."
"I didn't think you wanted to," Carina said, "You were so grumpy and uncomfortable I didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to make you feel pressure or that we needed to, but I am glad we did."
"Me too," Maya said, "Now I really don't want you to go back to work."
"We will still find plenty of time for this when I am working," Carina said, kissing Maya's nape, "We have more time now if you want."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Maya said, sitting up so Carina could move out from behind her again.
Three weeks later, Maya was anxious as hell as she sat at home waiting for Carina. It was finally the day she had been waiting for since she broke her arms. She was going to get x-rays and hopefully get her casts off.
Her pain was completely gone and had been for a few weeks and she was ready. Her arms weren't painful anymore, but they ached pretty much constantly just from the weight of the casts.
She hadn't been sleeping well at all because her casts were heavy and uncomfortable so her anxiety was already pretty high because of the exhaustion. She had been struggling with panic attacks a little bit, but Carina had been good at helping her calm down from them.
Carina was supposed to be home all day, but one of her patients had come in with an emergency so she had to go in, leaving Maya home alone.
Carina had made sure to leave her with water and a protein shake accessible just in case and she had texted Vic to come over. The younger woman had said she was on a bike ride with Travis, but that they would both be over about an hour after Carina left.
That had been forty minutes ago and Maya had been left alone with her thoughts for the longest time since she broke her arms. Normally, Maya enjoyed being alone, enjoyed her own space and having time to process, but because it had been so long and she was already feeling anxious, she was not doing well with her time alone. Her mind was spinning about a million miles a minute.
Would her casts be able to come off today? Would she finally be able to start getting back to her normal life? What if something happened and her arms weren't better or if they never got fully better?
Would she need a lot of therapy to get them back to normal? How long would that take? What if when she got back to work and no one respected her anymore? What if they had all decided Jack and Andy were better at being captain than her? What if even after she got back, if her arms weren't strong enough to do her job?
She felt her chest getting tighter as she started pacing around the room, everything getting worse because she couldn't get her shirt off even through it literally felt like it was strangling her.
She was struggling to breathe and she felt her vision start to get spotty. She was too far from the couch to sit down on it, and yet she needed to not be standing because she felt like she was going to pass out. She slowly slid down the wall in the hallway.
All she wanted in this moment was Carina, knowing full well she was having a massive panic attack and that her girlfriend always knew how to help her in these situations. However, her phone was on the couch and she was too dizzy to stand up. Her mind was spinning.
What if she passed out? What if something bad happened?
She tried to calm down but the more she thought about how she needed to calm down, the more she felt like she couldn't and the more she panicked. She brought her knees up, putting her head on them as best as she could with her arms in the massive casts. Her body was shaking, and she felt beyond out of control of her body.
She had absolutely no idea how long she was sitting there, struggling to breathe, but the next thing she knew, there was a hand on her shoulder. She tried to pick up her head, but her vision was still spotty and her head felt like it weighed about 100 lbs. so all she could manage was to turn her head.
She could kinda see someone standing there, her vision clearing a little bit, allowing her to make out Travis kneeling next to her, his mouth moving, but Maya's ears were ringing too much to hear what he was saying. She saw Vic come over next, phone to her ear, everything looking like it was moving in slow motion, her breathing still way too fast and her mind racing.
The next thing she knew, Vic was holding a phone in front of her face, her girlfriend's face there, worry filling every part of her face.
"Bambina," Maya finally heard after watching Carina's mouth move for a good minute, "Hey, there you are. Can you breathe with me? I can come home if you need me to, but can you try to breathe with me first?"
The blonde nodded just a little, her head still feeling like it was spinning. Vic sat down next to Maya on the floor while Travis went into the kitchen to get a cup of water, Maya's eyes locked on Carina's as the Italian guided her through a good ten minutes of breathing exercises before Maya finally felt calmed down.
"Are you feeling better Bambina?" Carina asked, noticing Maya's body relaxing a little bit.
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "Sorry."
"No apologizing," Carina said, shaking her head, "I do need to go back to work right now though, if you are ok?"
"I am ok," Maya nodded, her body still pretty shaky but at least she felt calmer, "Go back to work."
"Ok," Carina said, "I will try to be back home before it is time for your appointment, but if not, Travis and Vic will bring you, ok?"
Maya nodded, rubbing her eyes on her knees to get the tears off her face.
"I love you," Carina said, "Call if you need me again?"
"I got you some water," Travis said as Vic hung up the phone, "If you want some."
"Thanks," Maya said as Travis helped her get the straw in her mouth, "Sorry."
"Maya, it's ok," Vic said, "It happens. There is nothing to apologize for. Are you ok?"
"I think so," Maya said, nodding, "Can you help me get up?"
"Of course," they said, moving to help her.
"Woah," Maya said as soon as she was upright, her head still very fuzzy as she stumbled a little bit.
"Ok," Travis said as he supported her on one side and Vic on the other, "Bed or couch?"
"Couch," Maya said, feeling her head clear a little bit as they walked, "Ok. I am feeling better. Thank you."
"Do you need anything?" Vic asked as Maya sat down, "Anything at all?"
"Can we just put on a movie?" Maya asked, knowing that would pass the time and maybe, if she let Vic and Travis pick one of their musicals or romcoms, she would be able to fall asleep or at least rest, "Or something?"
"Of course," Vic said, "What do you want to watch?"
"You pick," Maya said, leaning into the couch a little.
"Want some pillows for your arms?" Travis asked, knowing from having spent a lot of time with the blonde captain over the past few weeks that that helped her relax more.
"Please?" she nodded a little.
Soon enough, the movie was on and true to form, Travis and Vic picked out a musical which Maya was bored with quickly, her eyes slipping shut.
She managed to sleep, though her dreams were crazy and unrestful. She woke up after having a dream she was falling down forever. Her heart was racing when she woke up and she immediately sat up.
"You ok?" Vic asked, noticing how panicked her friend looked.
"Yeah," Maya said, "Yeah. It was just a dream I think. I'm ok. What time is it?"
"It's almost two," Vic said, "Carina texted and asked if we could bring you to the hospital for your appointment because she's still working. She's hoping she'll be done by 2:30 though."
"Ok," Maya said, nodding, "I'll go get ready to go."
"Do you need help with anything?" Vic asked.
"No," Maya said, shaking her head, "Where's Trav?"
"Right here," Travis said from the kitchen, "I just thought I would make some dinner for you guys for tonight."
"He got bored," Vic shrugged, "And I figured Carina probably would appreciate not having to cook or order out."
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "Probably true. I wasn't ever the greatest help with meals before, but I did cook at least once a week for dinner when we were home together, and I always helped her when I could. Hopefully after today, I will be able to again."
"Do you think those are both coming off today?" Vic asked as Maya stood up.
"I hope so," Maya said, "They are itchy as hell and uncomfortable."
"Well, go get ready and I'll take you over there," Vic said as Maya headed into the bedroom.
She got herself ready, glad Carina had helped her with her hair earlier. She went to the bathroom before rigging her toothbrush up in the way she had figured out to make it possible for her to brush her own teeth.
Once she was done, she headed back out to find Vic.
"I am going to stay here and finish this if that's ok?" Travis said as Maya walked into the kitchen.
"Sure," Maya nodded, "It smells really good. What are you making?"
"Some butternut squash soup and some fresh bread for the side," Travis said.
"Trav, you did not have to do that," Maya said, "Also, where did you get these ingredients?"
"I ran to the store while you were sleeping," Travis shrugged, "I like cooking."
"You are actually the best," Maya said, "Thank you so much."
"You are welcome," Travis said, "Now, you two need to go."
"Vic," Maya said, "Let's leave. I want these off."
"Hopefully they take them off," Vic whispered to Travis as Maya went to get her shoes on, "Because if not, I would not want to be Carina tonight."
"Vic," Maya called from the front door, "Let's go."
"Coming," Vic called, "Trav, I'll be back once Carina is able to be with Maya."
"Take your time," Travis called, "Good luck Maya."
They made it to the hospital, Vic walking with Maya up to the ortho department where Maya signed in.
"What time is it?" Maya asked Vic again, knee bouncing as they sat and waited.
"2:29," Vic said, looking at her watch.
"Where is Carina?" Maya said, looking around.
"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Vic said, not used to seeing Maya this anxious.
Maya took a deep breath, leg bouncing faster.
"Maya Bishop," the nurse called. "Do you want me to come with you Mai?" Vic asked, still not seeing Carina.
"Um…" Maya said, biting her lip, wanting to say yes but also not wanting Vic to think she was being needy.
"I've never seen a cast get removed before," Vic said, sensing Maya's apprehension, "If it's cool with you, I'd like to see it."
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "Ok." The two of them followed the nurse back to a room.
"Alright," the nurse said, handing Maya and Vic both a pair of safety goggles, "Dr. Lincoln wants these casts off and then wants some x-rays before he sees you, ok?"
"Sounds good," Maya nodded, putting on the goggles.
The nurse got to work on the casts, getting through the one on her right arm and was about to move on to the left when there was a knock at the door.
"Hey," Carina said, coming in, "I am so sorry I am late. My patient took a lot of time to calm down. How is it going?"
"Good," Maya said, "I have one free arm. It looks super gross though. It's so dry."
"That's normal," the nurse said, moving onto the other cast, "It'll get better with some washing and lotion, but do not scratch, ok?"
"Ok," Maya nodded as the nurse started the cast saw again.
"Thank you for bringing her," Carina said to Vic, "And for coming over today."
"Of course," Vic nodded, smiling at Carina.
"Was she ok?" Carina mouthed to Vic, having not talked to anyone since Maya's massive panic attack earlier.
Vic gave a small nod, reassuring Carina her girlfriend was ok, but also making a mental note to text Carina and let her know exactly what went down during the panic attack.
"And there's the other one," the nurse said after a few more minutes, "Two free arms."
"How does it feel?" Carina asked as Maya looked down at her arms.
"Weird," Maya said, "They feel so light."
"Try not to move them around too much just yet," the nurse said, "We are going to go grab some quick x-rays."
"I am going to head out," Vic said, "Go see if Trav needs any help."
"Bye Vic," Maya said, smiling at her friend, "Thank you so much for today…for everything."
"Of course," Vic nodded, "Text me when you find out if those get to stay off."
"Will do," Maya nodded.
"Bye Vic," Carina said, "Thank you."
"Bye guys," Vic called, walking one way down the hall while Maya and Carina followed the nurse the other way.
The x-rays were much less painful this go round, though Maya's arms were extremely stiff which made them hard to move. Once they were done, they were taken back to Maya's room to wait.
"Can I have a basin and some cloths to wash her arms?" Carina asked as the nurse went to go, "Or can you point me to where you keep them up here."
"I'll grab you some," the nurse nodded, "I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll let Dr. Lincoln know you are ready."
"How are you feeling Bambina?" Carina asked as the nurse left the room.
"Itchy," Maya said, looking at her arms.
"That I know," Carina said, "But that is not what I was talking about. I meant after earlier."
"I don't know," Maya said, looking down, "I don't even know what happened. It was like the worst panic attack I have ever had."
"Do you know what caused it?" Carina asked gently, kissing her cheek.
"I just started thinking about going back to work and if I would ever be able to do my job again and then I was panicking about panicking and then…" Maya said, her breathing increasing just talking about it.
"Calmati," Carina said, pressing her forehead to Maya's, "It's ok. I am right here. Just focus on me breathing, ok?"
Maya managed to calm back down just as there was a knock on the door and the nurse came in with the supplies Carina had requested.
After filling the basin with warm water, Carina gently washed Maya's arms, the blonde sighing at the feeling.
"I hope he doesn't put more casts back on," Maya sighed as Carina gently washed Maya's right arm.
"If he does, then he does," Carina reminded her, knowing Maya was already not doing super well today and that if Link decided to recast her, the fallout might be bad.
"I know," Maya nodded, blinking tears out of her eyes. "
Bambina," Carina said, grabbing a tissue, wiping her girlfriend's eyes, "It is going to be ok."
Maya nodded, just leaning into Carina for a hug.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, Carina pulling back and wiping the tears off Maya's cheeks as Link walked in.
"Everything ok?" he asked, seeing the tears Maya was trying to keep in.
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "How am I looking?"
"Well, good news and bad news," he said, pulling up her x-rays on the iPad, "What do you want first?"
"Bad news," Maya said immediately as Carina put a hand on her back to calm her down.
"So, the bad news is your humorous is still not quite as healed as it needs to be," Link said, pulling up the x-days, "And neither is your right radius."
"So, I am going to be back in casts?" Maya said, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood.
"That is an option," he said, "But I think I want to do bracing instead. Your left radius healed beautifully and so did your right ulna. The ulna was the reason we did casting because it was close to the elbow, but the radius break was closer to the wrist so I brought this fancy little brace I want you to wear for the next 2 weeks for that, and then if your repeat x-rays look good, you can take it off."
"What about the other arm?" Maya asked.
"So, because the radius is healed, I want to let you have use of that lower arm, and especially your wrist to start some PT on it," Link said, "So we have these crazy braces that basically immobilize the shoulder joint while giving you some free use of the lower arm, and because the break is closer to the shoulder, I think this will work for you."
"So, no more casts?" Maya said, looking at Link.
"No more casts," Link nodded, "And you can pretty much use that right arm as much as you want with the brace on. I am going to get you set up with some PT because I know you want to start getting that strength back."
"Yeah," Maya nodded as Link came over, looking at her arms before helping her get the braces on, "So I can move as much as these let me?"
"Yep," Link said, "You are going to be stiff and sore so you might want to add some Advil and Tylenol back into your life for the next day or two."
"I'll make sure she is taking care of that," Carina nodded, smiling as she saw a real smile on her girlfriend's face for the first time since the arms broke, "How do those feel?"
"Good," Maya said, gently moving her right arm, straightening it, "That feels so strange."
"It'll loosen up," Link said, "And some massage would probably help if Carina feels like doing that."
"I can do that," Carina nodded, smiling, "I am very good at massage."
Maya smiled at her, biting her lip in a very different way this time.
"Any other questions?" Link asked, avoiding commenting on what was going on in front of him like he knew Amelia would.
"Can I take them off to shower?" Maya asked.
"Yep," Link said, "But I do want you to sleep in them though."
"Ok," Maya nodded.
"Any other questions?" Link asked, looking between the two of them.
"No," Maya said as Carina shook her head.
"Alright," he said, "Well, if you have any questions, feel free to text me. And I will see you back in two weeks."
"Thank you," Maya said as Link opened the door and let them out.
After a quick stop at reception, Maya and Carina walked out of the hospital.
"How are you feeling now Bambina?" Carina asked as they got in the car.
"Good," Maya said as Carina came over to help her with her seatbelt.
"Wait," Maya said, "I think I might be able to do it myself.
"Ok," Carina said, stepping back by not leaving Maya's side as the blonde tried to get her arm to move how she needed it to.
It took a minute, but eventually, Maya figured out how to twist her body just right to get the seatbelt.
"I did it," the blonde said, tears filling her eyes and immediately running down her cheeks.
"You did," Carina said, bending down and giving her a hug, "I am so happy for you."
Carina then went around, getting into the car before driving them home, happy that finally, Maya was going to be able to get back to normal.