Turning Pages- Carina DeLuca

We Are NOT Adopting A Dog

It was going to be an interesting day, to say the least. A local animal shelter was holding an adoption event sponsored by Station Nineteen where, hopefully, a few lucky dogs would find their forever homes. It was a way to help clear the shelter and save lives at the same time. Their alarms went off just before seven in the morning. Maya got out of bed and dressed, followed slowly by Carina. As they settled into a comfortable routine, Maya was thankful Carina didn't fight her about coming into work after the initial first day.

"Today should be interesting." Maya said as she finished getting dressed and poured both of them a cup of coffee. Carina gave her a confused look. "Remember the adoption event today?" She reminded her wife.

"Oh, right. I forgot what day that was." Carina whispered. For her, days just blurred into one another. It was as if she had been withdrawn ever since her therapy.

Watching Carina sip her coffee, Maya smiled softly. To be honest, she didn't expect her to remember. It would be a miracle if Carina had remembered what day of the week it was lately. When they got to the station, Carina put her bag in Maya's office as she trailed behind. She would at least be able to help at the event today so she wouldn't be rendered totally useless.

"Are you gonna be okay today?" Maya glanced at her wife. "With all of the people?" As Carina nodded, she knew she wasn't completely sure if she would be okay. "You can always come in here if you need to. As long as we don't get paged, I'll be there and so will everyone else. If you need to, stay by one of us. Nobody will question you." She smiled softly. Carina nodded as they headed toward the barn where the event was being held. Maya went to help Vic set up tables, while Carina was helping Andy spread newspapers on the floor.

"Why wasn't this scheduled when we could set up everything outside?" Vic asked as she and Maya moved tables.

"Come on, you can't say you aren't excited to spend the day surrounded by dogs." Maya laughed. "You may even take a friend home with you."

"Or maybe you might." Vic smiled as Maya shook her head.

"No, I'm not going home with a dog today. That's definitely not gonna happen." Maya laughed. The thought seemed absurd to her.

As Carina and Andy worked on their own project, they made small talk. It made Andy happy that Carina was trying. In the last few days, Carina hadn't spent most of her time in Maya's office as she had been doing. To the casual observer, it may not seem like much. But Andy knew it was a big deal.

"Have you ever considered getting a dog?" Carina asked Andy. Andy scoffed, shaking her head.

"I'd just get a goldfish if I wanted a pet." Andy laughed. "You know, something that doesn't care if I work long hours and won't destroy my place while I'm gone." She laughed once more. "How about you? Ever thought about it?"

Carina shook her head. "No, not really. As a child, I was never allowed to have animals, and it wasn't safe with my dad, so I never really thought about it." She sighed. "It may happen one day." She shrugged.

"Okay, Nineteen, everyone gather around." Maya commanded. Carina and Andy exchanged glances before joining the group. "Everyone knows what's going on today and I need everyone's help to make sure everything runs smoothly. As long as we don't get called out, everyone will have a job. Hughes and Miller will help with the small dog area. Montgomery and Ruiz, you guys will be helping in the area where the dogs cannot be free around each other. Gibson, you're responsible for keeping the areas clean, also known as dog poop duty." Jack rolled his eyes, and everyone burst out in laughter for a moment. "Okay, guys." Maya said, trying to calm everyone's laughter, including her own. "Herrera and Sullivan, you'll be in the large dog pen." Andy and Robert exchanged glances.