You made walking easy

The Meeting

MAYA POV

You'd think being in a wheelchair for 6 months, I'd be used to this. The sound of those wheels turning have become so monotonous and seemingly never-ending. I used to fight fires, I loved them but now stepping into my station feels utterly pointless. My new role in the station is being on desk duty, I get to sit behind the desk at reception and overhear my team talking about the fires they'd worked on while I sit and file or help fix the random fire alarm. I used to be captain, respected by my team but now I feel pitied. I can see the looks my team gives me, the same look I got given by my doctors when I was told the news I might never be able to walk ever again. My friend Andy took over my captaincy while I was in hospital, there was no one better for this job than her so really, I shouldn't be mad but I am. I've grown up with the idea that I should only care about my own success and not care about others and their emotions. I'm mad, I know I shouldn't be, but I feel as if she stole my job. Like she was waiting for me to fall and it luckily for her happened in a more literal way.

Since my accident 6 months ago, I had 3 months off for recovery before returning to the station. I soon realised that going home to recover was a mission in itself, for one my apartment was on the 3rd floor, with stairs and a tiny lift which was too small for my wheelchair. I had been given a basic wheelchair which was bulky and somehow would lean to the side... highly irritating. It took only two weeks for me to decide that I couldn't deal with this wheelchair and needed a better fitting one. So, I forked out about $3000 to buy a good wheelchair for myself, this money coming from my winning fund from the Olympics. Being a trained running Olympic champion and using that money to fund a new way of me getting around was heart-breaking and completely unexpected. After my Olympic days I didn't run competitively, I chose to cut off my dad out of fear. I realised it was time for a change and that's how I got into the firefighting game, it had the same discipline and action I had grown up and had been instilled with.

Going to Grey Sloan for a check-up was surprisingly the highlight of my week. Maybe because I was hoping I'd somehow be able to walk again, each week I'd pray for some improvement or a miracle. Travelling to Grey Sloan was long and tiring. I live around 15 minutes from the hospital, so it takes me about 30 minutes by wheelchair. Before the accident, I thought I had some arm muscles, but I guess I was proven wrong, now I do!

As I wheeled myself into Grey Sloan, I passed the pit I've missed the sounds of beds moving, doctors shouting over each other, and the general buzz of adrenaline. I hadn't realised I had stopped until a rather hot liquid spilled all over my legs. With a sigh I reached for my backpack behind me to grab some tissues. "Sorry Bambina", a beautiful voice rung out from above me. It was only then that I snapped out of my own world and looked up and, Jesus she was beautiful. She looked like an angel... an angel on a mission and I was in the way. We just stared at each other for what felt like forever, I noticed the way her brown hair shaped her face, and those deep golden eyes I could get lost in, glistened under the harsh lights from above. I wonder who she is. She was wearing pink scrubs, I'm pretty good at recognising the specialities within the hospital by colour due to my various trips while working on the aid car. I think she's an OB.

Words were my thing; we all know my reputation and my self-care Wednesdays so why was I struggling now? I knew it was my time to speak... that's how conversations work right? Now of course now was the time my brain simply decided that words don't exist. "H-hi uh sorry, I'm in your way. Let me move" seemed to flow out of my mouth or realistically in a rather jagged way.

CARINA POV

"Sorry Bambina" were the first words I said before looking down to see the damage I had caused. I was in a rush after being called to the pit to assist on a patient who was pregnant. I had just been to get coffee with Jo who is a resident within my specialty (OBGYN). I've been at Grey Sloan for 5 years now, I came to work on a study about female orgasms and because my brother Andrew works here. Andrew specialises in General Surgery (Author here - Andrew is alive and I'm still not over his death), he seems to be completely in love with it. We've always been pretty close, so it made even more sense to choose Grey Sloan as a location for my research project.

My new hot coffee was spilt all over a woman in a wheelchair. I wasn't too upset about my coffee spilling, Afterall we had gotten it from the one van who had that type of coffee which was still grainy to the point you could probably chew it. I recognised the woman; her blonde hair and bright blue eyes were so captivating. "H-hi uh sorry, I'm in your way. Let me move" She spoke. "No no no I'm the one who should have been looking, I'm so sorry. How can I help?" I said as I exchanged a look with Jo, telling her to go assist the pregnant patient while I helped this woman.

"Honestly you don't need to help, it's the first time something has given me a little bit of adrenaline in over 6 months. I feel like I'm alive. Uh-uh anyway, I'm Maya and you are?". She was adorable rambling on and on. " Deluca... Carina Deluca" I answered. " You're not a spy like James Bond, are you? I feel like you've stolen his introduction ". Ah she was funny, looks and can make me giggle, who is she?