This hospital stay was, unfortunately, much longer than Maya had hoped. She ended up spending an entire week inpatient because they could not get her to keep food down.
She was given a PICC line in her arm because her veins were not in great shape after she blew a second IV on her second night in the hospital and Dr. Johnson wanted Carina to be able to easily give her fluids at home often. She was placed on a Zofran pump that allowed her to get medication delivered more often in smaller doses along with another oral antiemetic to see if that helped, and for a while, they were worried it wasn't going to because she kept getting sick, leading to another hard conversation about how much longer they could let this go on for. Things got even more uncertain when Maya's kidney numbers started trending up, making everyone worry she was starting to experience early signs of organ dysfunction.
However, finally, five days after she had been admitted, Maya was able to hold down a piece of dry toast and the amount of tears she and Carina both shed over that would have been ridiculous any other time, but it felt like such a huge victory.
It was incredibly hard for the twins to have Mommy in the hospital for so long and several nights, Carina ended up driving to the hospital after their bedtime and just letting them fall asleep in Maya's hospital bed next to her because one or both girls were extremely upset.
Carina was also having a hard time with her wife in the hospital and two toddlers who were understandably upset, confused, and frustrated. She had help with meals and people were always willing to pick the twins up from daycare or take them for a few hours so Carina could get things done which she was incredibly grateful for, but it wasn't the same as having Maya with her.
The morning of her 7th day in the hospital, Dr. Johnson finally came in and told them the good news, that Maya could go home. Her kidney numbers had come back down to typical range, and she was holding down some food and fluids. The current plan was for her to get a bag of IV fluids every evening unless she was able to orally hold down 2000 mL of fluids during the day. And any time she didn't hold down her fluids for more than 6 hours, she was also supposed to get a bag of fluids. If she wasn't holding anything down for 24 hours, she had to come back to the hospital for observation and more intensive treatment.
She was also not allowed to go on any active calls effective immediately, and Dr. Johnson wanted her to take another week off to rest at home followed by a week of half days to see how it went. Maya was not thrilled with what was going on, but she was so ready to get out of the hospital, she really didn't care. She just wanted to be out of the hospital, away from the machines and the constant interruptions and home with her family.
"Alright," Carina said, packing up the last of Maya's things she had accumulated over the past week, "Ready to get out of here?"
"So ready," Maya nodded as the nurse helped her into the wheelchair, the blonde not even fighting it, knowing her body was weak from how sick she had been and she wanted as much energy as possible for at home.
"I will go take this stuff to the car and pull it up," Carina said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Maya's cheek, feeling just how much more prominent her jawbone was than normal.
Maya had lost weight over the past week, and it was getting to be quite noticeable. The had had a scan done of the baby that morning, and on top of finding out the hematoma hadn't grown, they were also able to see that the baby was still growing and doing well, Maya saying Trottolino must be taking every single nutrient from her body and using it because she wasn't getting any. In her week in the hospital, Maya had developed the tiniest bump that was really only visible to herself and Carina, and honestly was really only noticeable because the rest of Maya was so thin, but it was nice to see the baby growing.
"Alright Maya," the nurse said as she pushed Maya out of the room, "I hope I do not see you back here soon."
"Same," Maya said, "I mean, you all are great, but my wife and my daughters kinda have you beat. Plus, my house is quieter, even with twin three-year-olds."
"I'm sure," the nurse laughed, "I'm sure you are glad to be going home."
The nurse pushed Maya to the patient pick-up area where Carina was waiting with her car.
"Grazie Georgia," Carina said as the nurse helped Maya up from the wheelchair.
"Of course Dr. Bishop-Deluca," the nurse said, making sure Carina had a good grip on her wife before stepping back and allowing her to take over completely, "I will see you later. Hope you keep feeling better Maya."
"Thanks," Maya said as Carina helped her into the car, handing her an emesis bag.
"Hopefully you don't need it," the Italian said, "But just in case."
"Hey, I kept breakfast down today so far," Maya said, "And I am not nearly nauseous enough right now for that to change."
"Alright," Carina said, getting into her own seat, "Are you ready to go home?"
"Yes please," Maya said, nodding, "I am so ready."
"We are very ready to have you home," Carina said.
"Maybe we should pick up the girls and bring them home now too," Maya said.
"I think it will be better if we leave them at daycare until after their nap," Carina said, "It's already 11 and you need a nap before they come home. I will pick them up early today though."
"Ok," Maya said, knowing Carina was right.
She was absolutely exhausted and the thought of sleeping in her own bed actually brought tears to her eyes which she quickly blinked away.
"Can we shower when we get home?" Maya asked as she leaned back in her seat.
"Si," Carina nodded, "I think that is an excellent idea."
When they arrived home, Carina grabbing the bag of medical supplies they had been sent home with before going to help Maya.
"I can walk on my own," the blonde said as Carina placed her hand on her wife's lower back.
"I know you can," Carina said, "But you also just spent a full week in the hospital barely moving around, and I don't want you to fall, ok?"
"Fine," Maya grumbled, clearly not happy about it but not wanting to fight. They went up to their room, heading into the bathroom.
"You go sit on the toilet," Carina said as she set the bag of supplies, "I have to get the wrap for your PICC line and the bag for the pump."
Maya sighed as she sat down on the toilet, trying hard not to start crying as she thought about everything that had changed in the last few months as a whole but the last week in particular. Now even something as simple as showering was more complicated. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she sat there, trying to brush them away as more and more fell.
"Ok," Carina said, walking over to her, supplies in hand, "I have the…Oh Bambina, what's wrong?"
"Everything," Maya sobbed as Carina quickly set down what she was holding, wrapping her arms around her wife, "I just…I…I feel like I am failing Trottolino and the twins and you and SFD and everything is so much more…just so much more now and I just…I don't know…"
"Oh Bambina," Carina said, rubbing her wife's back, "You aren't failing anyone. You heard what Dr. Johnson said this morning. Trottolino is growing and your body is giving them everything it has to help them grow. And you aren't failing the twins either. You are sick, just like I was sick last year, and you always told me that I was doing everything I could for them and that I was being a good mamma to them by letting myself heal and rest and recover and you are too. You are doing what you have to do to get better which makes you an excellent mom. And don't even think you are failing me. You are literally carrying our baby and I am so grateful for that. And you are not failing SFD. There are plenty of other people who can carry your weight for a little while. You carry other people's weight all the time. It is their turn to do it for you. I promise you that no one is thinking you are failing them, ok? Because you aren't. You are growing a whole other person inside of you right now and that is incredible and the furthest thing from a failure."
Maya nodded against Carina's neck, trying to calm down. She knew she was starting to spin and that she needed to talk to Diane because she just felt beyond out of control and she had lost her best coping mechanisms until further notice.
"I am going to call Diane later and get an appointment," Maya sniffled as she picked her head up from Carina's shoulder, "I…I just feel…I feel like I am heading to a place I don't want to be mentally."
"Ok," Carina said, her heart breaking at hearing this form her wife, though she was also incredibly proud of her for recognizing that and knowing she needed help, "How about we shower and then we can call her ok? I bet she would even be willing to make a house call for you."
Maya nodded as Carina grabbed a tissue, wiping Maya's cheeks.
"Are you ready for a shower?" Carina asked.
"Yeah," Maya nodded, standing up so she could get undressed.
Carina carefully wrapped her PICC line so it wouldn't get wet before taking the Zofran pump out of the bag it was normally in and putting it into the waterproof case, Maya slinging the little bag over she shoulder.
"This feels like a lot just for a shower," she sighed as Carina went to start the water, pulling off her own clothes.
"It will get easier," Carina said, feeling the temperature, motioning for Maya that she could get in, "And hopefully, all of this won't be needed your whole pregnancy."
"But it's gonna be longer than the 12-week mark," Maya sighed, "I mean, I'm already 11 weeks and things just seem to keep getting worse."
"It will probably not go away in a week, no," Carina said as she gently massaged Maya's scalp, "But hopefully you start feeling better soon, even if it's not all the way, hopefully with the meds and our plan, you won't feel as awful as you have."
"I mean, I already feel better than I did a few days ago," Maya said, tipping her head back as Carina worked on rinsing her hair, "But I would like to be able to get back to working full days at some point, and not feeling pukey all day would be a plus."
"Hopefully we will get you there, Bambina," Carina said, "But for now, you will rest because that is what your body needs."
"I know and I will," Maya said, sighing, "I just don't want to do it for the next six months."
"I know," Carina said, rinsing the conditioner out of Maya's hair which she could tell was getting thicker, another sign of her pregnancy, "We will do everything we can to get you there, but for now, that means rest."
Maya nodded, yawning a little bit as washed her body.
"Exactly," Carina laughed, "Come on. Let's get you to bed."
Carina helped her wife out of the shower, making sure all of her medical equipment was unwrapped and back where it belonged before Maya pulled on her pajamas.
"I want to dry my hair before I take a nap," Maya said, heading back into the bathroom.
"Do you want me to do it for you?" Carina asked.
"No," Maya said, "I've got it."
"Ok," Carina said, "I am going to go get the rest of your bags from the car and get you something to drink. What would you like?"
"Lemonade," Maya said as she pulled out the hair dryer, "I had enough of the orange drink in the hospital."
"Alright," Carina nodded, heading downstairs.
Soon enough, Maya was climbing into bed, sighing as she felt the soft sheets.
"I have missed our bed," Maya said, smiling as she let her head sink into her pillow, "Those hospital beds are awful."
"I know," Carina nodded as she got into bed next to her wife, "I have also missed having you in our bed. It is very lonely without you, though I did have at least one little visitor in here just about every night."
"I really hope me being home helps their anxiety," Maya sighed, "I hate that they feel that way when we are gone. Should we have been doing something to prevent it?"
"No Bambina," Carina said, "Our family has been through a lot in the past few years, all of which has been very out of our control, and it is perfectly normal for them to be scared and anxious. And I will admit, it is getting to be a bit more than I would normally expect, but we will keep an eye on it, and if it gets worse, we will find a child psychologist to help us."
Maya nodded, biting her lip as she stared at the ceiling.
"I know it's hard to think about," Carina said, having had the same thoughts herself, "But if it is what they need, that's ok. Just like if they had epilepsy, we would take them to a neurologist, if they have anxiety, we will take them to a psychologist. It's not a big deal."
"I know," Maya said, "But they are our babies, and I know what that is like and I never wanted them to, especially not as toddlers."
"I know," Carina said, feeling the tears in her own eyes, "But this is not like the anxiety either of us have, at least not right now. It is more situational. But we will get through it. For right now, they are ok. If they keep having a hard time now that you are home, we will reassess, but for now, we are just going to love them and make sure they know we are ok."
Maya nodded as she pulled Carina into a hug, both of them desperately needing it in that moment. As they hugged, suddenly, Maya felt Carina kind of shaking in her arms, a little concerned something was very wrong until she heard a sob coming from her wife.
"Oh Babe," Maya said, hugging her tighter, "It's ok. I'm right here."
"I was so worried about you," Carina cried, clinging to her wife, a week's worth of fear and anxiety and worry spilling out.
"I know," Maya said, "I am so sorry."
Carina was used to being scared for her wife, feeling fear every time her wife got called to a big call. However, those fears usually only lasted as long as the call, and they were also few and far between these days with Maya's status as Battalion chief. Seeing her wife laying in the hospital, labs looking worse by the day, so completely sick and miserable and her unable to do anything to help her, it was harder than she ever imagined. She didn't know how Maya did it when she was going through radiation. She was a doctor, she wanted to fix things, and being unable to fix what was wrong with her wife was so hard.
Carina pulled back after a few minutes, Maya gently wiping away her tears with her thumb before cupping her wife's face in her hands.
"I am ok," Maya said, pressing a kiss to Carina's cheek, "I am so sorry this has been so hard for you and I wish there was something I could do to make it easier. I promise you I will follow all of Dr. Johnson's rules to the letter, ok?"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Carina said, "This isn't anyone's fault. It is just what is it so you don't have to apologize, ok?"
"Ok," Maya nodded, "I won't. But I still don't like that you are having to deal with this alone." "I'm not alone," Carina said, "I have had people helping me and the bambine and also you Bambina. You have done everything you can to help."
"Well, not everything," Maya said, Carina about to argue but Maya stopping her, "I haven't held you nearly enough. Come on. Lie down. We could both use a nap, and I am going to hold you."
Carina nodded as they laid down, Maya wrapping her arms around her wife, noticing how they didn't quite fit together like they used to due to the tiny bump.
"I love you Carina," Maya said, pressing a kiss to the back of her wife's head, feeling her eyes getting heavy.
"I love you too Bambina," Carina said, knowing by her wife's breathing that she was already asleep, "I am so glad you are home."
They both slept for a while, Carina waking up first, Maya's arm still wrapped around her waist. She stayed there for a while, just enjoying the feeling of her wife's arms wrapped around her. Just being next to her wife made her feel better than she had in a week.
She smiled as she heard Maya's gentle snoring, something about it completely adorable to her and she would miss it when her wife was no longer pregnant. Carina grabbed her phone, seeing it was already 3 pm.
She decided to go to the hospital to grab the girls, knowing they should be up from their nap and having them home would be good for everyone. Carina carefully extracted herself from her wife's arms, Maya waking up a little.
"Go back to sleep Bambina," Carina said, gently stroking her hair.
"Where are you going?" Maya mumbled, looking up at her wife.
"I am going to go get the girls," Carina said, "I will be back in a little while, ok? Just sleep."
"Love you," Maya said as Carina leaned down to give her a kiss.
"I love you too," Carina said, smiling as Maya's breathing settled back into a more steady pattern, a clear sign she was asleep.
Carina headed downstairs, grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, realizing she had missed lunch. She got in the car, heading to the hospital. She walked over to daycare, Nicole greeting her there.
"Hey," Nicole said, "I will go grab the twins."
"Were they ok today?" Carina asked, wanting to know how things went before the twins were with her.
"They were," Nicole said, "Nora threw a little bit of a tantrum when someone took a toy from her, which is normal, but this one lasted a lot longer and took a while for her to calm down. And Rowan then went and tried to hit the kid who took the toy. We stopped her, but she was very angry about it."
"I'm so sorry," Carina sighed, "This week has been…a lot for all of us. But Maya is home now and I have the next two days off so hopefully some time with us will help."
"It's ok," Nicole said, "We talked to both of them and helped them calm down. It happens almost every day with someone here. I just wanted you to know."
"Thank you," Carina said, nodding.
"I'll go grab them, " Nicole said, going into the daycare, returning a minute later with both girls.
"Mamma," Nora said, running to her, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Hi Piccola," Carina said, hugging her back, "I missed you today."
"I misseded you too," Nora said, "Tan we go see Mommy?"
"We can," Carina nodded as Rowan walked out of daycare too, "Hi Patatina."
"Hi Mamma," Rowan sighed.
"What's wrong?" Carina asked as the toddler walked over to her.
"I no know," Rowan said, "Tan we go see Mommy? I miss her."
"Si," Carina nodded, taking the girls' bags from Nicole before taking the twins by the hand, "Can you say bye to Miss Nicole?"
"Bye," the twins called as they walked down the hall.
"I have something important to tell you, Bambine," Carina said as they headed toward the exit, "Guess who is at home waiting for you?"
"Unca T?" Nora asked.
"No," Carina said, shaking her head.
"Harpa?" Rowan asked.
"No, not Harper," Carina said, "Wasn't Harper just at daycare?"
"Si," Rowan nodded.
"Then how could she be at our house?" Carina said, laughing, "Mommy is waiting for us at home."
"Mommy is at home?" Rowan said.
"Si," Carina nodded, "I brought her home earlier. She's taking a nap right now, but she is at home."
"Yay," both little girls yelled as they walked out of the hospital.
"But, Mommy is still not feeling well," Carina said, "Her tummy is still feeling sick and she is very sleepy."
"But why?" Nora asked as they got to the car.
"Because her body is growing Trottolino," Carina said as she set the twins' bags down while they climbed into the car all on their own, a skill Carina was incredibly happy they had figured out.
"And she has yots of hormomes?" Rowan questioned, Carina helping her get her buckles on.
"Exactly," Carina nodded, "And the hormones that the baby needs to grow are making Mommy not feel very well."
"I don't want the baby," Nora said, Carina stopping in her tracks when she heard this.
"Cosa?" the Italian asked, dread filling her body.
"I don't yike the baby anymo," Nora said, shaking her head, "I don't want Mommy to be sick anymore."
"Oh Piccola," Carina sighed, not even completely sure what to say, "I…I understand that you don't want Mommy to be sick. I don't want her to be sick either. It makes me feel sad and a little bit scared when Mommy is sick, but Trottolino is part of our family too, and I would be very sad if they weren't anymore. The doctors are working hard to help Mommy feel better, but if the baby goes away, it would be very sad. Mommy will only be sick for a little while, but if the baby went away, they would be gone forever and it would be very sad."
"But how many days until Mommy feels better?" Nora sighed.
"Well, remember how we have the paper chain at home, counting down the days until the baby comes?"
"Si," Nora nodded.
"Well, it might take until the baby comes until Mommy feels better," Carina explained.
"That's too many days," Nora said, clearly getting frustrated.
"I know," Carina sighed, kinda feeling like this was the conversation she had with Maya earlier, "But it will go fast and she might feel better before then. She is feeling better than she has been. And Mommy and I will both be home tomorrow and the next day and you two can stay home with us, ok?"
Nora nodded, Carina picking her up and giving her a hug.
"Tan we go home now?" Rowan asked.
"Si Patatina," Carina laughed a little, "Ok Nora. Let's get you buckled."
Carina got Nora in her seat, buckling her in before getting into the driver's seat, starting the short drive home.
"Mamma," Rowan said.
"Yes Rowan?" Carina said, looking at her in the rear-view mirror for a second.
"I still want my baby Totoino," Rowan said.
"I know you do," Carina said, "And Nora, I think you will too. You are just upset Mommy is sick right?"
"Si," Nora nodded, taking her fingers out of her mouth, "I yike Totoino, I dust don't yike dat Mommy is at the hopipal all the days. I yike Mommy at home."
"I like Mommy at home too," Carina nodded, "And we are trying really hard to help Mommy stay at home, but that means Mommy is going to have to rest a lot and we are going to have to take extra good care of her, ok?"
"Yike bring her yemonade?" Nora said.
"Or trackers or toast?" Rowan said.
"Si," Carina said, "And Mommy has a special machine to help her feel better and she still has a tube coming out of her arm so she can get some fluids when she is sleeping so we have to be extra careful with those things."
"Yike at the hopipal?" Rowan asked as they pulled into their driveway.
"Si," Carina nodded, "Just like at the hospital. And just like at the hospital, you can look at it, but you cannot touch it, ok?"
"Otay," Rowan nodded as Carina got out of the car.
Once the twins were unbuckled, they all headed into the house.
"Mommy," Nora called as soon as they were inside.
"Mommy is probably sleeping up in bed," Carina said, "Let's wash your hands and we will go up and check on her all together, ok?"
The twin's got their hands cleaned, the three of them went upstairs, Carina deciding that even if Maya was asleep, she would wake her up, knowing both her wife and daughters needed each other. To her surprise, when they walked into the bedroom, Maya was sitting up in bed, leaning against her pillows.
"Mommy," both girls screamed, launching themselves onto the bed.
"I missed you Mommy," Nora said, wrapping herself fully around Maya, burying her head in her neck.
"I missed you too Piccola," Maya said, rubbing her back.
She had just seen the twins this morning before they went to daycare, but it had been only for a few minutes.
"I missed you too Mommy," Rowan said, worming her way into a hug as well before she moved down to Maya's stomach to talk to the baby too.
"How was daycare today?" Maya asked, kissing the top of Nora's head.
"Yogan taked my dino," Nora said, picking her head up and looking at Maya, "And I tried."
"You cried?" Maya frowned, "Well, it's ok to be sad when someone takes something that you had. Did you ask him to give it back?"
"No," Nora said, "I just tried. And Owan twied to hit him, but Miss Nitole said no."
"What?" Maya said, "Rowan tried to hit him?"
"He was being mean," Rowan said, "But Miss Nitole said no and we did some breafs."
"Nicole said it was a little bit of a rough day," Carina said sitting down on the bed as well, "Rowan, what are we supposed to do when someone makes us angry?"
"Tell a drown up," Rowan said, "And tell dem dey made us andry."
"That's right," Carina said, "We don't use our hands when we get angry. Hands are not for hurting other people."
Rowan nodded, laying her head down on Maya's stomach.
"You aren't in trouble Patatina," Maya said, seeing little tears welling up in Rowan's eyes, "But it's important that we talk about things when we make a mistake and how to do better next time, ok?"
Rowan nodded, moving up so she was back in Maya's arms as she started to cry.
"It's ok," Maya said, mindful of her PICC line as she held both toddlers.
Carina moved closer to them, rubbing Rowan's back. After a few minutes, Rowan has stopped crying and both girls were just resting on Maya's chest.
"I think tonight is a good night for a movie night," Carina said, looking at her girls.
"Oh, I think that sounds like a great plan," Maya said, "What do you think Nora and Rowan? Do you want a movie night tonight?"
"Wif poptorno?" Rowan asked.
"And hot toto?" Nora asked.
"I think we could arrange that," Carina said, "As long as popcorn doesn't make Mommy feel too sick. How about we go have a bath now and then after dinner, we can watch a movie, ok?"
"Mommy, tan you div us a baf?" Nora asked.
"I think I should do the bath tonight," Carina said, "Remember, we talked about Mommy needing to rest? But after bath, while I get dinner ready, maybe Mommy can read you some books or something?"
"Fine," Nora sighed, cuddling close to Maya again.
"I will go start the bath while you three get a few more cuddles," Carina said, giving each of them a quick kiss before going into the girls' bathroom to get everything ready for bath time.
Bath time went pretty well, neither girl wanting to stay in the tub too long, both of them wanting to be with Mommy. Carina helped them pick out books to bring into the master bedroom for Maya to read, knowing her wife would not want to be downstairs when cooking. She was really just going to heat up leftovers that Teddy had dropped off the night before, but she also had no desire to make her wife feel sick her first night home.
The twins did not want to leave Maya's side to go eat dinner and Nora even threw a tantrum, which before all of this was incredibly rare for the little brunette. Carina ended up taking Rowan downstairs first while Maya worked on helping Nora calm down.
"Come on Piccola," Maya said, rubbing the crying toddler's back, "I am right here."
"But I want you to come downstairs," Nora sobbed, "I want to see you."
"I know Nora," Maya said, "But if I come downstairs while you guys are eating, it will make me feel sick."
"Why?" Nora asked, tears slowing a little.
"Because of the hormones that are in my body right now," Maya said, "They make things that smell, like food, make me feel really sick and I don't like feeling sick. But I will stay up here and once you are done with dinner, I will come downstairs and we can watch a movie and cuddle, ok?"
"But I will miss you," Nora said, tears starting to fall faster again.
"I will miss you too," Maya said, hugging Nora tightly, "But it will just be a short time. And remember what we talked about while I was in the hospital? Missing someone can help make you excited to see them again, ok? Because you will see me again in just a little bit of time. It's ok to miss me, but I need you to trust me that you will see me in just a few minutes. It's not going to be like when I was at the hospital. I will still be in the house and you will be with Mamma and Rowan, ok? I know it was probably scary to have me not home for so many days, but I am here right now, ok?"
"Will you stay forever?" Nora asked.
"I still have to go to work," Maya said, "But not for a few days. And I might have to go back to the hospital again, and when the baby is born, I might have to spend some time in the hospital too, but that is not for a long time. I can't promise you that I will be able to stay home every day, but I will promise you that if I have to go to the hospital, I will make sure Mamma brings you to see me every day. I am so sorry this is so hard, but I promise you that I will do everything I can to be home with you, ok?"
Nora nodded, giving Maya another hug.
"Now, are you feeling ready to go downstairs and eat?" Maya asked, rubbing Nora's back.
"Si," Nora said, picking up her head. Just then, Carina came back into the room, a box of crackers in her hand.
"Ok Nora," Maya said, "It's time to go with Mamma. Remember, I am right up here, and once dinner is over, I will come downstairs and we will all watch a movie, ok?"
Nora nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Come here Piccola," Carina said, reaching for the little girl.
"I will be down soon, ok?" Maya said as Nora looked back at her, tears in her eyes, "I am still at home, remember? But I don't want to make my stomach hurt."
Nora nodded as Maya took the box of crackers from her wife.
"I will come back up here and let you know when we are done with dinner," Carina said, "Do you want anything else?"
"Not right now," Maya said, "I might try some cottage cheese when I come downstairs, but this is good for now."
Maya hated seeing how upset Nora was and especially hated knowing she was part of the cause of it. It took a lot for her not to start crying again, but she was tired of crying, she managed to stop herself from breaking down again. She managed to get down some crackers and some more lemonade before she heard little footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Mommy," Rowan and Nora both called.
"Mamma said it's time for a mobie," Rowan said.
"Ok," Maya said, carefully pushing herself up, allowing the dizziness in her head to settle before she stood all the way up.
"Ok," Maya said, slinging her Zofran pump bag over her shoulder, "Let's go."
"Is that a purse?" Rowan asked as she held Maya's hand as Nora grabbed the other hand.
"Kinda," Maya said, "It is a special bag that my medicine goes in and then in runs through a tube and into my belly."
"Tan I see?" Rowan asked.
"When we get downstairs," Maya nodded as they walked down the steps.
They got downstairs, finding Carina with two sippy cups of "hot" chocolate ready for the twins along with a fresh cup of lemonade for Maya.
"Tan I see now?" Rowan asked, still looking at Maya's bag.
"Ok," Maya said, sitting down, Nora immediately cuddling up next to her as she took the bag off her shoulder, unzipping it and showing Rowan and Nora both the cassette inside.
"This holds my medicine," Maya said, "And then it goes through this tube right here and into my stomach."
Maya lifted her shirt, showing the twins where the port went into her abdomen.
"Does it hurt?" Rowan asked.
"No, not really," Maya said, "It hurts a little bit when I first get it put in, but once it is in, I almost forget about it."
Rowan studied the device for another minute before deciding she was done. Carina brought some popcorn in the room, Maya happy that it didn't make her stomach turn, especially when she saw how excited the twins were.
"Do you want anything?" Carina asked as the twins curled up, Nora in Maya's lap while Rowan was on her right side, "Did you want cottage cheese?"
"Can I have some nuts instead?" Maya asked.
"Sure," Carina said, "I'll be right back and then we can start the movie."
Soon enough, all four of them were curled up on the couch together, Carina settling on Maya's left side, mindful of her PICC line and Zofran pump as she wrapped her arm around her wife. As they watched The Little Mermaid, all of them cuddled closer together, Carina felt the most at peace she had in a week. She knew the next few weeks were going to be filled with uncertainty and would likely be very stressful, but in this moment, her family was together and safe and she decided to just focus on that.
What did you think? I think I am going to try to keep doing these shorter chapters (between like 5 and 7k words) for the next little bit becuase school is getting a little crazy, but I want to keep getting chapters out regularly. Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, following and favoriting this story! You all are amazing!
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Also, who's excited for Station 19 to come back on Thursday?! I know I am. I mean, I'm nervous becuase last season was not great and everything I have heard about this season makes me worried for our favorite wives, but I'm ready to have them back.