Thank you all so much for the positive response to the last chapter - I'm so glad to be back writing for this story! All I will say is this is a bit of a self admitted 'boring' chapter but it is needed for the next one! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Eight:
"Please Maya!" Carina begged for the umpteenth time.
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Please, please, please, please-"
"Carina - I said no."
"But I'm your wife," Carina stated.
"Which is exactly why you are staying at home."
"But that's not fair!" Carina complained, flopping down onto the sofa.
"It's just a few extra days - what's the harm?"
"I'm going insane being here by myself."
"You have Enzo."
Carina glared at her. "Maya!!!" She grumbled, a pout on her face as she crossed her arms.
"You know you're cute when your mad," Maya laughed, as she finished off making her protein shake.
"Please," Carina said again.
"No."
Carina decided to change tactics seeing as this wasn't working. She got up from the sofa and walked over to her wife and before she could even react she pressed her lips against her, soft yet passionate and deep.
"What about now?" Carina whispered, already feeling Maya's cheeks flush.
"No," Maya repeated, although her answer was given was some hesitancy. Carina smiled to herself knowing that it was working. She continued pressing kisses to Maya's lips, each longer and softer than the one before, many years of being together meaning she knew Maya would give in eventually.
"Please?" Carina asked again, between kisses. Maya's hands had now gravitated to her waist and her fingers were slowly running under the hoodie Carina's hand on.
"Fine," Maya relented, her brain a little dazed after the early morning make-out she had just experienced in their kitchen.
"I love you Bella," Carina cried, before giggling and running up the stairs to get changed. "Can we bring Enzo?" She asked, her head popping back out from the stairs.
Maya looked into the eyes of her wife, knowing she couldn't resist those beautiful browns. "Five minutes," she said with a sigh.
"Carina!" Travis yelled as soon as he saw his favourite Italian walk into the beanery, Enzo and Maya in tow.
"Ciao everyone," Carina smiled, greeting each of them as they welcomed her back.
"How did you convince her to let you back?" Vic asked, gesturing to Maya who was walking behind with Enzo's lead in her hand.
"I'm very talented," Carina smiled.
"You had sex and then she let you come back to work?!" Andy laughed.
"Uhm no," Maya said shaking her head. "That is not what happened, but I was convinced....in ways I will not disclose at work and plus she's not working she is here on a visit because apparently she is 'going insane being alone'" Maya said, quoting her wife as she took a seat at the table.
"Whatever you say Bishop," Andy teased. "But whatever happened must have been good because not only is Carina here so is Enzo!"
"I'd have brought Neo if I'd known," Travis added.
"How is he?" Carina asked, not having seen the man since the morning after her accident when he'd come to visit.
"He's good - Emmett has the day off so they're together but he's getting bigger and bigger everyday."
"Crazy how time flies."
"So - where are we on chores?" Maya asked, taking a slice of toast from the plate.
"Toilets are cleaned, but that's about it. We had a debate about which way the toilet roll should face - over or under," Andy explained.
Maya had a pensive look on her face as she thought about it. "Over," She declared.
"See I told you!" Both Travis and Vic said at Jack.
"It's just an opinion!" Jack defended.
"Yeah a ridiculous one - it's further away from you, what good is that?!"
"Okay and with that let's get moving," Maya said, standing up and taking a mug of coffee. "I want floors mopped and swept and the engines polished - plus can someone please sort out the turnout room. It's a mess."
"Yes Captain," everyone replied with a nod as Maya left the beanery but not without giving Carina a kiss.
"So - what have you been up to?" Vic asked.
"Not much - watching TV mostly, cooking, reorganising every inch of the house. I'm so happy to be back to see everyone though. I only had Andrea come and see me a few times on his shift off but other than that I'v been alone until Maya would come home. The of course I had Enzo over here, but as I discovered when Maya was at her conference he's not much of a conversationalist," she chuckled, stroking the dog's head which was in her lap as the dog slept in her arms.
"That sucks - I remember when I had a concussion from a pipe blast, I had to stay home and I think I ended up reorganising my sock drawer for a few days. But, I couldn't have been off for two weeks," Dean said, thinking back to the time he had to stay at home.
"Well that's what I get for marrying the Captain," Carina laughed. "I've tried to get her to let me come back all week and I've failed every single time - plus she takes the car so I can't get anywhere and I know she'd just take me home again if I ever got a lift and I even asked Andrea but he took Maya's side. He threatened to tell Dr Shepard if I kept asking and he'd make sure she wouldn't clear me again for duty," She sighed.
"God you had a hell of a time then!" Andy laughed.
"Plus no sex either!" Carina added, throwing her hands in the air making everyone laugh.
"That's why Bishop's been so tense lately - she's sexually frustrated," Travis said with laugh.
"I knew something was up!" Vic added.
"Well that's her fault, but I love her for it," Carina smiled - thinking about attentive Maya had over the past two weeks, even more so, which was hard to believe was possible. .
"Right come on everyone - let's get this Station in order," Andy said, standing up - mindful that they could be called out at anytime and they still had things they needed to do.
Everyone sighed and slowly stretched themselves out before tidying up their breakfast plates and heading off to their various areas to do their chores, while Carina (bound from even sweeping the floor, which was ridiculous given she had cleaned the entire house when she'd been stuck at home) took Enzo, who'd happily been playing around with one of his toys on the floor and went down to Maya's office.
She knocked on the door, never just walking in without her wife's permission while they were at work.
"Come in," Maya said, seeing the brunette through the glass. "You okay?"
"Sì, all good - everyone is doing their chores," she answered, taking a seat opposite the desk.
Maya just nodded before letting out a sigh and rubbing her forehead and tapping her pain against the table.
"Everything okay bambina?"
"Just lots of paperwork," Maya said. "I have to review everything from D shift and look over the budget reports which need to be in by the end of tomorrow but I-"
"Want to have them in early?" Carina finished, knowing her wife and her desire to always get admin work in before the deadline.
"Exactly - but there's too many numbers right now and my brain hurts, I don't think the coffee has quite kicked in yet."
"Want me to help?" Carina asked with a shrug.
"You can try if you want," Maya said, handing over the papers. At this point she would even let a random civilian fill them out for her.
Carina took the papers and let her eyes scan over the numbers. "So what are you trying to figure out?"
"The monthly totals which then need to be split across the four shifts."
"Okay - so, if you just put this here, subtract this from there, times that by 4 then add it all....so the annual total is $234,856. Monthly total is $19,571, spilt across four shifts is $4,992. Give or take. A few cents," Carina replied, scribbling down the numbers with a pen before handing it back to Maya who had a jaw-dropped look on her face. "What's the matter?" Carina asked, slightly concerned by her wife's lack of blinking.
"Did you just do that in your head?!"
"Uhm - yes," Carina replied, not exactly understanding what the big deal was.
"What the hell! How did I not know you are some sort of maths genius?!" Maya exclaimed, throwing her arms out.
Carina shrugged, "I always had to be good at maths for my sciences, I guess it's just one of those things."
"You still surprise me every single day."
"I like to hear it."
"I will admit though that was incredibly attractive," Maya winked.
"I don't know if my wife would approve of your flirting," Carina teased.
"Well, she definitely wouldn't approve of this then," Maya replied, rounding her desk to give the brunette a deep kiss, her hand cradling her jaw as the brunette grabbed her bicep.
"LADDER 19, AID CAR 19!" The alarms rang out, breaking the pair apart.
Maya watched as some of the team ran down the stairs, changed into their turnouts and jumped into the trucks before pulling out the station - lights and sirens blaring.
"You want to go and rest?" Maya asked, seeing the tired look in her wife's eyes.
"Just for a bit," Carina nodded, her words confined by a yawn escaping her lips. "Come on Enzo," she called, the dog instantly jumping up and running into Maya's bunk.
Maya smiled at her two loves before getting back to her reports, finding them a lot easier now Carina hd helped her out.
Forty-five minutes later the alarms rang again. "ENGINE 19, ASSIST."
Maya stood by her office door, stopping Andy as the woman ran through the lobby. "Can you take point on this? I want to stay with Carina and make sure she's okay. If you need me I can take the truck," Maya asked.
"Yeah, of course. No worries," Andy nodded before rushing off again.
Maya returned to her desk, filled out the last of her incident reports, filed them away and then leant against the doorframe of her bunk, taking a moment to admire the woman underneath the covers, her brown hair sprawled out on the pillow and Enzo cuddled up in her arms, both peacefully sleeping.
She snuck in, grabbed her gym gear, kissed Carina on the forehead and then went into the gym, her back and shoulders aching from sitting for so long.
She connected her phone up to the Bluetooth speakers and began rolling her muscles out as her workout playlist began to play out. She went into the small changing room and switched her clothes over before hopping onto the treadmill and gently increasing the speed. She could already feel her body begin to calm down as her legs sped up, her heart began to race and she got into her element.
Twenty minutes and 5 kilometres later Maya stepped down off the treadmill, wiping her forehead with a small towel and downing a few gulps of water as he moved over to the benchpress where she began loading plates on to either side.
She stretched her neck out and then slid herself under, grounding her feet down and positioning her self before taking a deep breath and lifting the bar off the rack. She gently shifted around again, the familiar weight comfortable under her grip before dropping it to her chest and pushing up.
Back in Maya's office, Carina began to stir, her face scrunching up as she rose out from her sleep. She had felt Enzo begin to get fairly restless and as soon as he had started to fidget she knew she would be awake soon. She rolled over onto her back and stretched her arm out above her head, the satisfying crack of her back sounding as she did so.
She swivelled herself around on the bed and stood up, rubbing her eyes as she slowly walked out of the room into Maya's office - growing when she saw it was empty. Her first thought was that Andy and the rest of 19 had needed assistance at the call, but when she faintly heard music coming from the back end of the station she knew where her wife was.
"Hey Enzo - want a treat?" Carina asked, knowing the blonde had a stash of treats of him in her desk.
The small excited bark from the dog and the speed at which he ran into the room was all Carina needed to know the answer. With a chuckle at his boundless energy she found the packet and placed a few on a small plate, before putting them away and leaving Enzo to his food as she went to find Maya.
When she walked into the gym, she slightly rested against the doorframe, using the fact she hadn't been noticed to her advantage as she watched Maya's muscles ripple and tense under the weight from the barbell she was pushing above her body.
Her shirt had risen up slightly allowing Carina's eyes to appreciating the definition of Maya's stomach muscles.
"You know it's rude to stare?" Maya said, breaking Carina from her daze, as she continued to lift. She'd noticed Carina as soon as she walked in, however she decided to pretend she hadn't, knowing they would probably end up in this situation.
"You've never complained before," Carina replied, pushing herself off the door and walking towards the blonde who was securing the bar back on it's rack.
"I guess I don't mind too much," Maya replied with a smile, sitting up as Carina sat down on her lap, legs around her waist as Maya wrapped her arms around her. "How was your nap?"
"Good. I feel a lot more rested," Carina said, her fingers playing with the blonde strands of hair. "Where is everyone? Did you get another call?"
"Yeah, the engine has gone for assistance but I think Andy has it all under control - I haven't heard anything from her. Where's Enzo?"
"Having a few treats in your office."
Maya nodded, "That reminds me, we need to get more dog food when we go grocery shopping we are running lo-" Maya was interrupted by a loud yell.
"Can someone help us!"
"Did you hear that?" Maya asked, shifting Carina off her lap as she looked down the hallways, seeing it empty.
Carina nodded.
"Anybody in here?"
Maya quickly walked out into the lobby, wiping her face with the bottom of her shirt, then into the barn where she heard two voices.
"Uhm. Hello Hi?" She asked, seeing two people wrapped up in a coat, moving around almost roboticly. "Can I help you?" She trailed off, Carina appearing at her side.
At the new voice, the coat fell from the two bodies, revealing a half dressed man and a woman in only her underwear both seemingly bound together.
"This is so embarrassing," the woman groaned, shielding her face from the pair.
"Okay...." Maya said, very confused by the entire situation she was being presented with.
"Can you help us?"
"Yeah - we can," Maya nodded. "So, what happened exactly?"
"We were studying," The guy answered.
"Studying huh? What subject?" Maya asked, finding some amusement in this whole situation.
"It was a science thing," he said.
"I must have missed that lesson," Carina replied with a smirk. "Being a doctor and all."
"Ah shit. Okay- well you see..."
"Can you not call our parents?" The girl piped up.
"My dad's a cop - these are his," he said, gesturing to the handcuffs. "He'll kill me if he knew I was using them for-"
"Science," Carina filled in.
"Yes. Exactly."
"Well that depends-" Maya started, a glint in her eyes.
"On what?!"
"If we can get them off without amputating," she continued, keeping a very serious face on, as she watched her wife, stifle a laugh and the two teenagers eyes' budge out like saucers.
"Amputating?!"
Maya and Carina just stared at each other before bursting out into laughing. "Ah I'm sorry - I'm just kidding."
"Can you even do that?" The man asked.
"Well, I'm the Captain so if you want to complain, you'll be complaining to me," Maya shrugged. "Plus I've had to put up with this one complaining all morning so I find my humour where I can."
Carina whacked Maya in the arm. "Ti audio." [I hate you.]
"Ti amo anch'io," Maya grinned. [I love you too]
"Is there anyway you can pick the lock because my dad-woah!" He yelled, as his hands were pulled down as the girl collapsed to the ground and began shaking.
Carina instantly dropped to the ground and held her head. "Maya get your turnout jacket - she's seizing," Carina ordered, Maya instantly running to get it.
Maya returned seconds later with her jacket, a pair of bolt cutters and a med bag.
"Here," Maya said, tucking the jacket under the woman's head so she wouldn't hit it against the ground. She then moved to snap the chains apart so Carina could have better access.
"Okay Maya I need you to make sure's breathing and her airway is clear and keep her on her side."
"What's happening to her?" The guy asked, his face fully stricken with panic.
"Her jaw is locked," Maya replied.
"What is that?" He asked, seeing Carina fill a needle up with medication.
"Lorazepam," Carina replied, watching the fluid full the syringe, before puling it out and injecting it into the woman's body. "It's for her seizures."
"What's your name?" Maya asked.
"Tamal."
"Tamal, has she ever done this before?" Maya asked, knowing her wife would need some basic medical history to give her the best treatment.
"No never."
"Does she take any medication?"
"I..I don't know."
"Do you know any contact information for her?"
"No."
"Do you know her name?"
"It's Daria," he answered.
"Okay, finally some information," Maya sighed.
"Let's get her into the PRT," Carina said. Maya ran to go and get a backboard and a gurney to transport her.
When they were inside, Carina placed an oxygen mask of the woman's face and set up an IV bag.
"Oh my god Daria!" Tamal cried when he saw his girlfriend's eyes open again.
"Hey Daria - I'm Dr Carina DeLuca," the brunette introduced as Maya raise the headrest of the gurney. "Can I ask you a question Daria? Do you have epilepsy?"
Daria slowly nodded, a few tears in her eyes.
"Where is you medical ID?" Carina asked, sympathetically, her mind already figuring out what must have happened to the woman.
"Has she never mentioned having epilepsey?" Maya asked.
"No," Tamal said, shaking his head.
Maya looked back down at Daria, "She's embarrassed," Maya said, receiving a small nod from her wife that she was on the right track. "When you're with Tamal do you take off your bracelet?"
Daria nodded again.
"You don't have to be embarrassed - I love you!" Tamal said, holding her hand. "You can tell me anything. My athletes foot that I'vd been hiding is embarrassing - why do you think I always keep my socks on when we're-"
"Doing science?" Carina suggested with a chuckle.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "I love you." Tamal continued, giving Daria a kiss on the forehead.
"Well that was interesting," Maya said, now changed back into her uniform as she and Carina walked into the beanery.
"It was definitely something..." Carina agreed, taking a seat at the island.
"Andy messaged me - said they are on their way back and apparently we all have something to discuss."
"Did she say what?"
Maya shook her head. "But with that lot it could be anything. Are you hungry? You slept through lunch."
"Starving," Carina replied, the incident had distracted her from her hungry stomach but now she felt like she could eat anything.
"Want to cook something - the team will be hungry too?" Maya asked, missing cooking in the station and always enjoying cooking with her wife.
"Sì," Carina replied happily, sharing Maya's love for cooking together. "What do you want to make?"
"Chicken cacciatore?" Maya asked, knowing they had a large amount of chicken in the fridge.
Carina nodded and they began to effortlessly move around the chine, collecting all the items they'd need for the dish. Peppers, carrots, spices, tomatoes, onion and, of course, the chicken.
Maya began to prep the chine, doing a base season with salt and pepper, the rest of the seasoning going in later. While Carina chopped and sliced the vegetables.
"Do you remember when we did our first cook-off together?"
"I do - you started a flour fight," Carina laughed.
"Which you definitely got me back for!"
"Well I couldn't let you have all the fun."
Maya moved the chicken into the hot pan, a loud sizzle filling the room as she seared them until golden.
"Have you got the onion?" Maya asked, removing the chicken to set aside.
"Here," Carina replied, moving the chopping board above the pan before pushing them down.
"Grazie my love," Maya smiled, giving her a quick kiss.
Not before long, most of the vegetables were in the pans as well as the wine - which was kept strictly for cooking in the station.
The chicken was back in the pan as well as the crushed tomatoes, when they put one pan in the oven and left the other on the stove top.
"Something smells good in here!" Travis said with a grin.
"It's chicken," Maya replied.
"How as the call?"
"Good - there were two newly weds stuck in a car, stuck in a truck," Vic said.
"Wow okay," Maya replied, shaking her head. "We had our own little adventure didn't we?"
Carina nodded.
"A teenage couple came in - had got themselves handcuffed together and had lost the key-"
"It was for science," Carina added in.
"I must have missed that lesson," Warren laughed, taking a seat at the table.
"That's what I said!"
"Then the girl collapsed and had a seizure - turns out she had epilepsy but had hidden her bracelet from her boyfriend because she was embarrassed," Maya finished.
"Poor girl," Vic sighed. "Is she okay though?"
"Yeah, Carina sorted her out and I think they both am etc a mutual agreement not to keep things hidden."
"That's good."
"So, what is this about a discussion then?" Maya asked, checking the chicken before resting up against the island.
"Oh yes! Wedding planning!" Andy cheered, a round of applause going out for Travis.
Right on cue, Jack rolled out the large whiteboard from the changing room and put it in front of the table.
"So, what's first on the list?" Dean asked.
"Well, we still have to decide the venue - but by getting some ideas from you guys we can at least speed up the process. The more the merrier right?"
"Exactly - so colour combination?"
"Wait when is it?"
"Spring time," Travis said.
"Okay, so what about gold and evergreen?" Andy suggested.
"White and a light blue?"
"Silver and blush pink?"
"Cream and green?"
"Or you could do earthy colours and a yellow?"
"I like the cream and green one, maybe the blue too," Travis said, writing them down.
"What's next?" Ben asked.
"Entertainment," Jack said.
"Singers!"
"Band!"
"Magician!"
"Photo Booth."
"Painter!"
"Jenga!"
"Candy cart!"
Pretty much everyone shouted out something, before all arguing with each other over the suggestions.
"Jenga?! Are we kids?"
"That fact is debatable - yes!"
"Candy cart? Of course you'd say that Cap!"
"What?! I like candy - sue me!"
"Okay - maybe we leave this one for another time!!" Travis tried to interrupt, but his voice was silence by the continued playful arguments between the crew.
Maya suddenly felt her phone buzz in her pocket, she pulled it out and excused herself moving away from the beanery, for some more quiet.
"Hey!" She greeted happily. "Is everything okay?"
Her face falling as she heard the words being told to her across the phone.
"What?"
The smile that she'd had was wiped off her face as her phone dropped to the floor, everything around her falling silent as she felt her body go numb....
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Also I can't believe we are only one week away from Station 19/Greys I am so excited I can't even tell you!! Follow me on Twitter justanotherw123 - live tweets as well as the occassional funny comment haha! I'd love to talk to some of you if you want!!
See you next time!