The best is yet to come

I ain't got far to go

Present time

"I am being careful." Maya spoke from her sitting still position, the one she had to mantain basically every second of every minute of every day since she was back home.

"I mean with the leg not with the bambina, I know you're careful with her." Carina gave her wife a peaceful smile kissing the little scar on her forehead that was starting to fade.

She was holding their daughter with her unharmed arm tightly enough to make sure she wouldn't slip, but not too much to hurt her.

"I'm not moving it an inch, I promise." The blonde answered to reassure her wife as Carina walked back to the kitchen.

Bailey had given her a week off so that she could spend as much time as she could with Maya, especially to make sure the blonde wouldn't force herself into anything. Since they got back home Maya had already tried to walk around with crutches twice, Carina having to stop her yelling from one side of the apartment to the other.

Much to Leslie's good, the fact that they were both home meant that she could stay out of the house more often, clearly at Ty's, not having to babysit her little sister.

"You should put the oxygen on for a little while." The brunette spoke while cutting the vegetables for dinner.

"I literally just took it off baby." Maya knew her attempt to convince her wife would fail but still she gave it a chance hoping that the italian would be distract enough to believe her.

"Like eight hours ago, I know." Carina chuckled popping her head towards her beautiful blonde wife on the couch.

Maya was looking down to her sleeping baby girl and Carina noticed her eyes welling up with tears as she heard her sniffle.
It was probably the thing that affected Maya the most, the chance of not seeing Joy, not holding her, ever again. And Carina knew it very well. But now they were both right there, they were all there.

"Just five more minutes." Maya spoke pulling the brunette out of her thoughts.

Teddy suggested, or better ordered, as soon as they discharged the firefighter that she would use an oxygen mask a few times a day.
The smoke and dust that filled her lungs in the fire had brought to a sever damage for smoke inhalation and Maya now needed to use the oxygen mask more or less every five hours for thirty minutes to make sure her breathing system would recover properly.
But as the italian knew pretty well that the blonde wasn't so attent to that.

"Maya." She spoke with her most determined tone but still chuckling a little.

"Okay okay. Just come pick her cause I can't stand up." She teased her wife with a smirk as Carina approached to take the baby.

"Do I need to take the oxygen or you have it here?" She asked her wife while walking towards their bedroom to place Joy in the crib.

"It should be here." Maya answered looking at her and following the movements of her hips.
God did she miss her touch.

As she looked around the livingroom, the blonde spotted the mask on the kitchen table and a thought made it's way in her mind.
The crutches were a few meters away, the table only five jumps far from the couch. And Carina was still in the bedroom.