Over the next week and a half, things were decently stable. Maya had some days what were better than others, but she did manage to go back to work which she took as a major win.
She had had a conversation with the chief during her first week out of the hospital, explaining the situation. He had been extremely understanding and together, along with the other battalion chiefs, they sorted out how they were going to handle it.
They decided that Maya would take on more paperwork than normal while the other chiefs would take turns being "on call" while it was Maya's shift so if they were needed, they could go in and if, for whatever reason, there was a gap in coverage, the chief said he would take on her role in the field.
Maya had cried probably three times during this conversation, completely unable to believe that her boss was being so understanding. He had even offered her to just be off until after the baby was born, which Maya did not want because she was getting antsy being away from work for just the two weeks she had to be, but the fact that he was willing to do that for her and made her feel safe enough to do that overwhelmed her.
Going back to work had been a little bit exhausting, Maya starting out just working a few hours a day, deciding to go in every day that week just to get herself used to being back at work and because she had things she wanted to catch up on.
Unfortunately, on Wednesday, that didn't go as planned. It was the day of Carina's 9-month post-treatment scans, meaning both of them struggled to fall asleep the night before, anxiety about how things would go incredibly high despite the fact that they both knew the chances of recurrence were very low. They had both managed to drift off to sleep around midnight only for Maya's stomach to wake her up at 2 am. She groaned as she sat up, the icky feeling only growing as she did so.
"You ok Bambina?" Carina asked, having woken up from her wife's movements.
Maya didn't even have time to lean over the bucket before she was sick, Carina jumping into action quickly, grabbing the bucket as her wife continued to be sick.
"I'm sorry," Maya said as she finished, "I don't even…"
"It's ok," Carina soothed, "You can't always control it. Do you feel ok enough to shower?"
Maya nodded, allowing her wife to help her up. It took an hour, and another bout of sickness, but they did eventually make it back into bed once Carina had put clean sheets on.
"Do you need anything?" Carina asked as she tucked Maya in.
"I'm ok," Maya said, feeling slightly better once she was laying down again, "Hopefully that's the end of it."
Unfortunately, that was not the case and neither of them got much sleep the rest of the nigh, Maya tossing and turning miserably in between bouts of sickness.
They had both managed to fall into somewhat of a sleeping state when Rowan came in and woke them both up. Maya had tried to get up to help Carina with the twins, but the moment she was vertical, she was sick. Carina insisted she stay in bed, the blonde wanting to argue but knowing she would be no help downstairs. She tried to keep down her anti-emetic pill and some lemonade, but neither thing stayed where it was supposed to.
"Maybe I should cancel my scans today," Carina said, biting her lip as she set the trashcan back down next to the bed within reach for when her wife inevitably needed it again because it seemed like that kind of day, "I am probably fine and I should stay here with you just in case…"
"Babe, no," Maya said, "You need to get your scans. You have to make sure you are taking care of you too remember? We promised we would always make sure we were taking care of ourselves no matter what. What time are your scans again?"
"11," Carina said, looking toward the door to see if she saw the twins who were supposed to be getting dressed.
"Perfect, so we can keep the bambine home with us for a little longer this morning and then we can all go to the hospital, they can go to daycare, and we can go to your appointments."
"Bambina, I don't know if you are going to make it," Carina said, "You are really sick this morning."
"I'll be ok," Maya said, "I just need to sleep and then I will be fine. Wake me up at 10?"
"Ok," Carina agreed, also hoping that her wife would be feeling better in a few hours because as much as she was sure she was going to be fine, she really wanted Maya with her for these appointments.
There was something about her wife's presence, even when the blonde was on edge and anxious, that helped ease some of Carina's worries. Somehow, Nora ended up in the bedroom with Maya, just sitting next to her and reading books while the blonde tried hard to get some sleep.
Nora's separation anxiety was still very much present, though she was doing a little better at daycare, not crying as much and playing a little more. It was still rough though and Maya and Carina were still worried. They had been trying hard to reassure her and help her talk about how she was feeling, but it was slow progress. Nora was practically glued to Maya's side any time she was around and when she wasn't, she was stuck to Carina.
They just let her be with them when they were at home because they knew it was important to let her know they were there for her and to give her a break after spending time at daycare which was obviously very stressful for her. She didn't need to be entertained or anything and would often just sit next to one of them and read her books or play quietly with her toys. That was what she did this morning as Maya tossed and turned next to her in her sleep.
At 10, Carina came to check on her wife and daughter.
"Hi Mamma," Nora said as Carina walked in the door.
"Hi Piccola," Carina smiled, "Are you taking care of Mommy?"
"Si," Nora nodded, looking at her mommy who was sleeping, "She moves a yot."
"I know," Carina sighed, "That because she doesn't feel very well today. Did Mommy get sick anymore?"
"No," Nora said, shaking her head, "She dust goes 'huuuh, shoooo."
Carina laughed at Nora's mimicking of Maya's snoring as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to her wife, trying to decide if she should wake her or not. Maya made that decision for her as her eyes opened.
"Hi Bambina," Carina said, rubbing her back, "How are you feeling?"
"Not good," Maya mumbled, closing her eyes again.
"I think you should stay home today," Carina said, hating to suggest it, but she knew her wife was not well and needed to rest. "I can come with you," Maya said, "I just need a few minutes to wake up."
"Bambina, you need to rest," Carina said, "I will be ok."
"I want to be there with you," Maya said, forcing her eyes open, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach, "I want to hold your hand and make sure you are ok."
"I will be ok," Carina said, "I mean, I always appreciate when you are with me, but you will be miserable."
"No," Maya said, sitting herself up only to throw her hand over her mouth as Carina grabbed the trash can as her wife was sick.
"Mommy's sick?" Nora asked, putting her fingers in her mouth as she started twirling her hair, something she had been doing a lot recently when she was anxious.
"I'm ok," Maya said as her stomach calmed, "I just don't feel super good today."
"Are you going to go to the hospipal?" Nora asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"No," Maya said as she laid down, "No, I am going to be ok. I just need to rest."
"Mommy, Mamma, Noa," Rowan said, wandering into the room, having been playing downstairs.
"Mommy's sick," Nora said, looking at her sister as she climbed on the bed.
"Mommy, are you going to go to the hospipal?" Rowan asked, crawling over to her.
"Not right now," Maya said, trying to breathe through the waves of nausea she still had going on as she reassured her daughters, "I am ok for now. I am going to stay at home. Mamma might give me some more medicine at home, but I am ok."
"Yes," Carina nodded, coming back into the bedroom with a bag of fluids from where they stored them in the bathroom, "I am going to give Mommy this right now to help her feel better and she is going to stay in bed and rest all day so she can feel better."
"I'm sorry this is happening today," Maya sighed as Carina got to work setting up the fluid bag, "I really wanted to be there. Maybe we can facetime after your scan, during your appointment?"
"If you are not sleeping, si," Carina nodded, carefully priming the IV line, "But I don't want you to force yourself to stay awake for that. You need to sleep."
"I'm not going to sleep well knowing you are at your appointment alone," Maya said, shaking her head, "I won't get up or go with you, but I want to be there with you as much as I can."
"Fine," Carina said, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument and that there was no harm in her wife facetiming into the appointment. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.
"I'm really sorry I won't be there with you," Maya said, tears suddenly filling her eyes.
"It's ok," Carina said, sitting down next to her, "I will be ok."
"Mommy's trying," Rowan said, looking at her sister.
"It's otay Mommy," Nora said as both little girls wrapped their arms around their mommy.
"It's dust hormomes?" Rowan asked, earning her a small laugh from both her moms.
"It is mostly just hormones, si," Carina said.
"But I am also a little sad because Mamma has to go to an appointment today that I really wanted to go to but I am feeling too sick to go," Maya explained as she tried to dry her tears.
"We tan go wif Mamma," Rowan said.
"Thank you Patatina," Carina said, smiling at the little girl, "But this is a boring appointment and you will have more fun at daycare."
"But you will tome back and det us yater?" Nora asked, needing that reassurance every single time daycare was brought up.
"Si," Carina nodded, "I will come back and get you later."
"And we will tome home and see Mommy?" Nora asked.
"Yep," Maya nodded, "I will be here, probably in bed all day and when you come home, I will give you big hugs, ok? Remember, you can go to daycare and have fun and be excited to come home and see us, ok?"
"Otay," Nora nodded, cuddling up to Maya.
"Alright Bambine," Carina said, "We do have to get going. Give Mommy hugs and kisses and then go downstairs and get your shoes."
"I love you Mommy," Rowan said, giving her a hug before forcing Maya to roll from her side to her back before pulling up her shirt and kissing the bump, "And I love you too Totoino."
"I love you Mommy," Nora said, tears filling her big brown eyes.
"I love you both so much," Maya said, hugging them back, "Have fun at daycare. And today, I want to know who you sat next to for lunch. Can you both remember to tell me that when you come home?"
"Si," Rowan said as Nora nodded.
Maya had been trying to ask the twins one question every day that they had to answer when they came home from daycare to give them something to think about while they were there. It had helped Nora a little bit with playing and also with having something to focus on so she had something to tell Maya when she got home. It didn't fix everything, but it was something.
"Alright," Carina said, "Please go get your shoes and jackets. I will be down in a minute."
Nora gave Maya one more hug before taking Rowan's hand and going downstairs.
"Are you sure you are ok staying here alone Bambina?" Carina asked.
"Are you sure you are ok going to your appointment alone?" Maya countered.
Carina sighed, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her wife's ear, "I wish you were going to be there with me and I also wish you were not feeling so sick today."
"I do too," Maya said, leaning into her wife's touch, "I love you. Please call me whenever you need me to. I will leave my phone on loud."
"Ok," Carina said, normally not wanting to wake Maya when she was sick and resting but today, she knew she was probably going to need her and that Maya would be upset if she didn't let her be with her, "I love you. I will talk to you soon. Please try to sleep as much as you can."
"I will," Maya nodded, "I love you too."
Carina kissed Maya's cheek before heading out the door. Getting the twins to daycare was about the same as it always was these days, Nora crying big, silent tears as Carina handed her over to Nicole.
"I will be back to pick you up after nap time," Carina reassured her, "Have fun with your friends."
Carina stood there until both girls were inside the daycare center, trying not to let her heart completely break. Maya had accompanied them to daycare drop off one day this week and Carina wasn't sure who cried more, her wife or their daughter. They decided that until they had Nora's separation anxiety a bit more under control, Maya shouldn't come to drop them off for everyone's sake. Once the twins were out of sight, Carina took a deep breath before heading upstairs. Going to her appointment alone was not something she was particularly looking forward to and leaving Maya when she was as sick as she is also was not appealing, but she knew she couldn't skip this appointment again. She knew that if this scan and her next one were clear, she would only have to do this every six months instead of every three. She still had a hard time believing that a year ago, she was still recovering from her surgery and gearing up for the long weeks of radiation treatments. She was very much hoping she never found herself in that situation again. She was almost to the elevator when she heard someone calling her name, turning around and seeing her brother walking up behind her. "Ciao Andrea," she said, offering him a tired smile.
"Ciao," he said, "Is everything ok?"
"Um, yes and no," Carina said, "I have my 9-month scans and appointment today and I am going alone because Maya was up sick pretty much all night and she still isn't doing well today and Nora is still not doing great with her separation anxiety and this had all just been a lot lately."
"I'm sorry Carina," Andrew said, following her into the elevator, "Do you want me to come with you to your appointment? I can get Schmitt to cover my patients for the last few hours of my shift."
"No," Carina said, "Thank you though. I will be ok."
"Can I at least give you a hug?" he asked, opening his arms to his sister who happily accepted, "I am always here for you if you need me."
"Grazie Andrea," Carina said, blinking quickly to get the tears out of her eyes as she pulled away from her brother.
"Of course," he said, "Now, can I at least walk you to your scans?"
"Si," Carina nodded as the elevator doors opened.
Andrew walked with her to imaging where she got herself checked in before being told to go have a seat to wait.
"You can go," Carina said as she walked over to the waiting area.
"I don't have any urgent patients right now," Andrew shrugged as he sat down with her, "How are you feeling about these scans?"
"I'm anxious," Carina said, playing with her wedding band, "I always am for these things. I know it is probably going to be clear and that I will be fine, but it doesn't matter, probably because I never imagined I would be in this situation in the first place. And it's harder with Maya home as sick as she is."
"Do you think she is going to end up back here?" Andrew asked, knowing that was something his sister and sister-in-law were desperate to avoid.
"Non lo so," Carina shrugged, "I hope not. I have fluids running for her. She has had days like this since her last admission and we have gotten it under control at home. If it lasts longer than 24 hours, she has to come back. I'm hoping that doesn't happen. We have finally made some progress with Nora's separation anxiety and if Maya is readmitted, I worry what will happen."
Andrew just wrapped his arm around his sister, giving her a hug. He knew everything that had happened since Carina's cancer diagnosis had been a lot, and he had no idea how to actually help his sister and her family besides just being there.
"Carina Bishop-Deluca," tech called, signaling it was time for Carina to go back to her scan.
"If you need me at any point today, just text me ok?" Andrew said as he stood with his sister.
"Grazie Andrea," Carina said, heading back with the tech.
Carina changed into her gown, something that honestly almost made her feel sick because of having to do it every day for radiation. She took a deep breath as she left all of her belongings behind before going into the room to get her scan.
It took forty minutes for the tech to get all the images that were needed before allowing Carina to go back to change into her street clothes. Carina then headed to the hematology/oncology floor to check in for her appointment with Dr. Cho.
Sitting in the waiting room, Carina's entire body felt tense and anxious, missing Maya more than she had at any other point in the day. This waiting room was always hard for her to be in, even during her treatments, but it felt worse right now, seeing other people who were in various stages of treatment sending Carina's mind flying back to those days when she was in treatment.
She pulled out her phone, texting her wife, just needing some kind of distraction from her thoughts. She had worked with her therapist to process her feelings about her cancer, and it had gone well, but these appointments always brought up feelings she didn't enjoy.
Maya texted her back pretty quickly, letting her know that she still wasn't feeling well but that she hadn't been sick again, asking how she was doing. Carina was about to text her back when she was called back into her room, getting her vitals taken and being given a gown before being left to wait for the doctor.
Once she was alone, she quickly changed before grabbing her phone, facetiming her wife.
"Hey," Maya said, clearly still laying down in bed as she answered, "How are you doing?"
"I'm ok," Carina said too quickly.
"Try again," Maya said, knowing her wife was lying, "You don't have to put on a brave face right now. It's just me."
"I'm anxious," Carina said, "Like trying really hard to remind myself to breathe and feeling nauseous, anxious."
"Oh Babe," Maya said, heart breaking for her wife, "I wish I was there with you. Just focus on me ok? It's going to be ok. No matter what."
"I know," Carina said, wiping at the tear in the corner of her eye, "It's just…being back here is so hard. Seeing other people going through what I was a year ago and it bring back all those feelings. And I keep telling myself I am probably fine, that the chances of it reoccurring are so tiny, but the chances of it happening at all was tiny that it's hard to believe that."
"I know," Maya said, wanting desperately to reach through the screen and hold her wife close, "I am so sorry you are there alone. I promise that as soon as you come home, I will be right here for you, though you might have to lay in bed with me because I cannot be vertical today apparently."
Just then, there was a knock at the door, Dr. Cho walking in.
"Carina," she said, smiling, "Hi. How are you? No Maya today?"
"I'm here," Maya said as Carina turned her phone around.
"Maya is pregnant," Carina said, "And she is struggling with hyperemesis. That's why I missed my other appointment because she was inpatient and I forgot."
"Congratulations," Dr. Cho said, "And also, I'm sorry you aren't feeling well Maya."
"Thanks," Maya said, offering a half smile.
"Now, Carina, how are you feeling?" Dr. Cho asked.
"I mean, in terms of everything related to why I am here, I feel great," Carina said, "I have sensation back in almost my entire scar except one small part, my skin finally has gone back to its normal texture, I haven't had any other symptoms or anything."
"Good," Dr. Cho said, "I looked at your scans and they look great. I want to do a quick exam."
"But the scans don't show anything of concern?" Carina asked as she laid down.
"No," Dr. Cho said, "Everything looks perfect there. I want to do a quick physical exam though, just to make sure and also to see how you are healing internally."
Carina nodded, looking at her wife on her phone screen.
"I'm right here Babe," Maya said as Carina winced a little as Dr. Cho began her exam.
Carina just kept her eyes trained on her wife.
"Ok," Dr. Cho said, "I am almost done. Still doing ok?"
"Si," Carina nodded, though it was clear to everyone she was uncomfortable.
"You've got this," Maya comforted quietly.
"Alright," Dr. Cho said, removing the speculum after a few more minutes, "I didn't see anything of concern and you have continued to heal absolutely beautifully Carina. You are still in remission. Do you have any other questions for me?"
"I don't think so," Carina said, sitting up as tears filled both her and her wife's eyes at hearing those words.
No matter how sure they were going into these scans that Carina was fine, both of them were always so anxious and hearing that she was still in remission, still free from cancer and all the scary things that came with it, made them both emotional. Carina heard a sob coming from her wife, drawing both her and Dr. Cho's attention.
"Sorry," Maya said, "Sorry. Pregnancy hormones are making this worse. I'm ok."
"It's ok," Dr. Cho said, nodding, "I understand."
"Bambina, did you have any questions?" Carina asked, looking at her wife.
"No," Maya said, wiping at her eyes, "No. I'm just really happy everything is still looking good."
"Alright," Dr. Cho said, "Well, if anything comes up, you know you can always call me, but if not, I will see you back in June for your next follow up, and if things still look good then, we can move to once every 6 months instead."
"Grazie," Carina nodded.
"I'm glad you are still doing well Carina," Dr. Cho said, "Maya, I hope you feel better."
"Thank you," Maya said, "Hopefully by Carina's next appointment, I will be able to be there."
Dr. Cho left the room, Carina looking at her wife.
"I'm still cancer free," Carina said, letting out a sigh of relief.
"You are still cancer free," Maya said, tears that she had just gotten to stop filling her eyes again.
"I am going to hang up now so I can change and then come home," Carina said, "Do you need anything before I do?"
"No," Maya said, "I just want you to come home so I can hold you."
"That sounds perfect," Carina nodded, "I'll be home as soon as I can. You get some rest, ok?"
"Not really sure what else I could do," Maya said, "I am pretty much stuck here lying flat to keep my stomach at least semi-happy right now."
"I am going to give you your meds in your PICC when I get home," Carina said, "We need to get you feeling better."
Maya nodded, rubbing the tears off her cheeks . She didn't quite know why, but whenever she was feeling particularly sick, her emotions were also way more all over the place.
"I love you," Carina said, "I'll be home soon."
"I love you too," Maya said, "Be safe."
Carina hung up with her wife, pulling her clothes back on before heading out to the desk, scheduling her next appointment, and then heading out. However, as she was about to leave the hematology/oncology floor, Andrew came walking up to her.
"How did everything go?" he asked.
"Are you stalking me now?" she countered, looking at him.
"No," he said, "I'm just a concerned brother who wants to make sure his big sister is ok."
"Everything was clear," Carina said, "My scans look good and my exam looked good. I have to come back in three months, but if everything is still clear then, I get to move to every 6 months."
"That's great Carina," Andrew said, smiling at her, "I am so happy for you. What are you doing now? I am off and I was thinking maybe I could take you out for lunch to celebrate?"
"Grazie Andrea," Carina said, "But I really just want to get home to my wife. Neither of us got much sleep last night, and the only thing I want to do is crawl into bed with her right now, but maybe another time?"
"Of course," he nodded, glancing down at his phone, typing a few things before looking back up at her, "I completely understand. Tell Maya I said hello. I hope you both can get some rest. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you," Carina said, smiling at him as they stepped out of the elevator together, "How was your shift?"
"It was good," he said, "Routine. A lot of scheduled procedures, two emergency appendectomies. Nothing too crazy."
"That's good," Carina said, "And how are you doing? Anything new and exciting in the world of my baby brother?"
"Nothing much," he said, "Things are pretty normal right now. I have been thinking about maybe trying to start some research, but I haven't found a project I am completely sold on yet. I'm going to another conference in a few weeks though so maybe I will hear something that will spark my imagination. Do you miss your research?"
"Sometimes," Carina nodded, "But right now, my family is more important, and I refuse to be like Papa and always putting my career ahead of my family. Right now, Maya and the twins need me and then we will have a newborn which will come with its own challenges, but I am hoping that in about a year, once the baby is out of the hard newborn phase and everything has settled again, that I will be able to get back to my project. It's all about balance."
"You really are an amazing woman; you know that right?" Andrew said, looking at his big sister, "You inspire me every day."
"I just don't want to become our parents," Carina sighed, "I don't want my children to grow up with the trauma we did, with the uncertainty and the fear. It's important to me, more important than anything else I do. If I never did research again, but my children grew up feeling loved and supported and knew their worth and how to get help if they need it without feeling shame for it, that would be enough for me."
"As I said before, you are amazing Carina," Andrew said, "And your children are so lucky to have you. You could have so easily let Mamma leaving and Papa's mental decline define you or make you bitter, but you used it to make you better and it is a beautiful thing to watch. I don't tell you enough, but you are my inspiration."
"It took many years and so much therapy," Carina shrugged, "And a lot of choices every day to not repeat what our parents did, you know that."
"I do," Andrew said, "And I am proud of you for making those choices. It requires a very strong person to do that. I'm not sure I ever could, hence no children."
"You could," Carina assured her brother, "You have put in a lot of work too. You are nothing like Papa ever was. You have your illness managed and you know what to do if you feel like it is spiraling. You are not our parents either Andrea."
"Thanks Carina," he said, giving his sister a hug, neither of them expecting to have this conversation outside of the hospital on a random day, but it was nice none the same.
"I will see you later Andrea," Carina said as she walked to her car.
"Ok," he nodded, "I hope Maya feels better. And congratulations on still being in remission."
"Grazie," Carina said, smiling at him before watching him get on his motorcycle.
She truly was proud of her stupid little brother and how far he had come in terms of his own growth. They both were not their parents and she was incredibly grateful for that. She drove home, very much ready to see her wife and make sure she was alright. She knew that nothing truly bad could have happened in the short amount of time she had been off the phone with her, but still, Carina needed eyes on her wife herself.
She got home, going into the house and heading straight for the kitchen, filling up a cup with ice and adding some lemonade for her wife. They had found that cold drinks had been working best for her recently so everything now included a lot of ice. She also pulled out Maya's IV medication from the cabinet where they kept it, high and out of reach of the tiny hands that liked to get into everything.
She considered making herself something to eat, but that seemed like so much effort so instead, she just headed to go upstairs when suddenly, the doorbell rang. Carina was confused, but she went and opened the door, surprised to see a delivery driver there from her favorite Italian restaurant.
"Delivery for Carina Bishop-Deluca," the driver said.
"I…I didn't order anything," she said, confused. "Fernando said to bring this to you," the young driver said, "He said something about Andrea…?"
"Ah, ok," Carina said, taking the bag, "Tell Fernando grazie for me please."
"Ok," the young man said, nodding, "Have a nice day."
Fernando was the owner of this restaurant, but he and Andrea were also friends from a club football or "soccer" as Andrea had started calling it when he moved to the States much to Carina's dismay. However, this friendship with Fernando had led to all of them finding a new favorite authentic Italian restaurant that Fernando had opened with his cousin after Fernando moved to Seattle almost two decades ago.
Carina pulled out her phone, texting her brother and thanking him for pulling whatever strings he had to get her her favorite comfort food. Carina set the pasta down in the kitchen, deciding to go upstairs and check on her wife before she enjoyed her lunch.
"Hey," the Italian said, walking into the bedroom, seeing her wife awake in bed.
"Hi," Maya said, "Who was at the door?"
"Andrea had Fernando send over lunch," Carina said, "I ran into him, Andrea I mean, at the hospital today and he asked me if I wanted to go to lunch, but I told him I wanted to get home."
"You could have gone," Maya said as Carina carefully drew up the correct amount of medication for her wife, "I am ok."
"I wanted to be here with you," Carina said, prepping the injection, "Today was a lot and the only thing I want is to be here with you."
Maya reached out her hand, Carina grabbing it for a second, the blonde rubbing his thumb on the back of her wife's hand.
"I'm sorry I wasn't with you today," Maya said.
"You don't have to apologize for that," Carina said, letting go of Maya's hand so she could push the medication into the IV, "You have no control over your HG."
"If I did, I wouldn't have it," Maya grumbled, "I am tired of feeling like this."
"I know," Carina said, carefully injecting the medication slowly into Maya's line, "Hopefully this will take the edge off. I am going to go downstairs and eat the food Andrea had delivered and then I will come up here and we will spend some time resting because I think we both need it today."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "Go enjoy your lunch. I will be here."
Carina quickly went downstairs, eating her food, smiling happily at the amazing taste of the pasta, it tasting even better because she didn't have to cook it.
Once she was done, she cleaned up before heading upstairs, changing into more comfortable clothes before climbing into bed, going to wrap her arms around Maya.
"No," the pregnant woman said, "I want to hold you today."
"Ok," Carina nodded, moving so they were in a slightly different position, their bodies tucked together in a way that was both familiar and new as Maya's body continued to change every single day as their newest addition got bigger.
"Are you feeling any better?" Carina asked as she snuggled in closer to her wife, "Did the meds help?"
"Some. I'm still pretty nauseous, but I actually think it's gone away enough that I might be able to…" Maya was cut off by a large yawn before she could continue, "Sleep. I might actually be able to sleep."
"Good," Carina said, "Then sleep. You can sleep the rest of the day if you want. I am probably also going to take a nap because all of the adrenaline from going to that appointment is gone and I am so tired."
"I'm sorry those appointments are so rough for you," Maya said, stroking Carina's hair, "Hopefully, after the next one, they will be further apart."
"Si," Carina nodded, "Now, sleep."
Maya nodded as she tightened her hold on her wife just a little, both of them hoping the other would wake up feeling better.
What did you think? I know I said I was going to do a bigger time jump this chapter, but then someone reminded me that Carina probably had scans coming up with I did remember, I just kept forgetting to write it so there was less of a jump than I thought there would be. However, next chapter, which I have already kinda started, will go through a lot more time. Not sure when I will get around to finishing the next chapter because school is busy and there is some stuff in my personal life that is hitting kinda hard right now that is affecting me a lot more mentally than I anticipated it would, but I want to keep writing so hopefully that can happen. Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, and being patient with me. You are the best.
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