An Alphabet of One Shots

M Is For 'Medal'

As she started to run the last 800 metres, Maya Bishop knew she would never run another 10,000-metre race again. Or any other race for that matter. Her ankle had felt a little strange as she lined up on the start line for the London 2012 Olympic 10,000-metre final, but the blonde had pushed all concerns to the back of her mind.

"Eyes forward."

"Embrace the pain."

Those were the only words that kept echoing in her head as she continued to run laps around the track. Not only were they echoing in her mind, but she could also hear Lane's voice booming from the stands. It didn't seem to matter where on the track she was, his voice was able to be heard. She couldn't escape.

"Eyes forward."

"Embrace the pain."

As she reached the last 800 metres, Maya felt like she wasn't fully present. Her ankle was causing unimaginable pain, but at the same time, it was like she had become numb to it. The thought of not crossing that finish line or of finishing anywhere but first, was worse than anything else she could face. The thought of dealing with Lane's wrath was more frightening than any physical injury that she could sustain.

"Eyes forward."

"Embrace the pain."

Maya all but collapsed across the finish line, completely unable to feel her foot by this point. Whilst the other medallists and runners were congratulating each other, Maya was seeking out the nearest medic knowing that she needed immediate attention. What should have been one of the happiest times of her life was anything but.

"Eyes forward."

"Embrace the pain."

The stadium erupted as Maya stepped up to the podium. The gold medal was placed around her neck. The one that she had worked so hard for and had sacrificed so much for. It was 92.5% silver, 1.34% gold, 6.16% copper, but 100% pressure. It felt like she had the weight of the world around her shoulders. Winning the race was meant to put an end to these feelings, but Lane was still under the illusion that she'd be able to run again despite being told that it was near impossible to return at the same level. Even when she was beating the rest of the world, she still wasn't enough.

"Eyes forward."

"Embrace the pain."

—

Carina and Maya were in the Captain's office packing all of Maya's belongings. Now she had been promoted to Battalion Chief, she would reside in the office upstairs. She was adamant that she wanted to stay at Station 19 with all her family, a request that was granted without much question, but she was looking forward to having a bigger office away from prying eyes.

"Babe, you really didn't have to come here and help me pack all this stuff up." Maya shared a soft smile with her wife as she reached to take another box from her hands. "It's meant to be your day off." Maya had been reluctant to let Carina help when she had turned up unannounced at the station.

The Italian had tried to make it seem like she was just dropping by for a surprise lunch with her wife, but the blonde saw straight through the story when she caught sight of the empty boxes laying at her wife's feet.

"Bambina, I told you; there's nowhere else I'd rather be." Carina reached forward to leave a chaste kiss on Maya's lips. "I had no other plans and I know that you want everything moving today so that when we come back from vacation you can be in your new office. Also, it means I get to spend more time with you and steal all the kisses I want." Carina smirked at Maya's sudden inability to speak.