The next couple of days were long and exhausting for both Maya and Carina. Maya would get up every morning, run on the treadmill with the baby monitor so she knew when the twins woke up. She would then get herself and the girls ready for the day before taking the twins to daycare and going to spend the day with her wife. During that time, she was trying to learn as much as she could about how to help Carina at home while also helping her wife with everything she needed.
The day after Carina's surgery, Maya had just gotten there when PT came to help Carina get out of bed for the first time. That had been an incredibly hard thing for Maya to watch and for Carina to experience. Carina struggled with moving, the pain in her abdomen making it extremely challenging. Maya hated seeing her wife in pain, but both Carina and the physical therapist insisted that she needed to get up and moving. The Italian managed to walk from the bed to the door of her room and back again before she needed to sit back down.
Carina's drains were out at the 24 hours mark which was good. She had a little more bleeding than they wanted to see, but it ended up resolving itself.
Maya brought the girls up to visit one at a time on Carina's second day post-op. The girls were so happy to see their mamma, and while they both tried to be careful, Maya could already see it was going to be hard to have the girls around Carina while she was recovering. It was that day that they made the decision that the twins would go spend some time with their aunts and uncles for the first few days Carina was home, just to give her some more time to recover and allow Maya to give her all the help she was going to need. Carina also could tell Maya was getting overwhelmed and knew that not being pulled in as many directions all at once would help.
On her third day after surgery, Carina got to shower which was exhausting and more painful than she wanted. Maya helped her with the shower, which was nice and after it, Carina slept for most of the rest of the day. She was awake when Dr. Cho came in to inform her that as long as everything went well, she would be released the following day.
Around noon on the fourth day, Carina was all packed up and ready to go home.
"I'm going to go get the car Babe," Maya said after she helped her into the wheelchair.
"Ok," Carina nodded as the nurse came in to push Carina down to the car.
Getting her into the car proved to be much less enjoyable that anything else they had tried, and there were a few tears shed, but Carina was eventually in the car.
"Alright Carina," the nurse said, "Enjoy your time at home."
"Grazie," Carina said tiredly, already exhausted from just getting in the car.
"Let's get you home," Maya said, smiling at her wife as the nurse shut the door.
"Yes please," Carina said, letting her eyes close as Maya started driving, "Who has the bambine tonight?"
"Amelia and Link," Maya said, "And if you are up to it, Amelia offered to stop by our place on her way home so you can see them."
"I want to see them," Carina said, opening her eyes a little.
"Why don't we wait and see how you are feeling when we get home?" Maya said, knowing Carina was already not feeling great.
"No," Carina said adamantly, "I want to see them."
"Ok," Maya said, knowing not being with the twins was hard for Carina, "I will tell her to bring them by."
The rest of their short drive home was quiet, Carina just resting her eyes and trying to mentally prepare for what is was going to be like getting up to their room. Maya had offered to move their bed down to the living room because stairs were going to be hard for Carina as she healed, but the Italian insisted that was silly and that she would be fine. She was still pretty sure it would be fine, but she was also very achy and knew she was due for pain meds in about an hour which meant she was starting to get more uncomfortable.
"We're home," Maya said gently, placing a hand on Carina's shoulder.
"Ok," the Italian said, opening her eyes. "You ok?" Maya asked. "
Si," Carina nodded, "Let's just go inside."
"Maya went around to Carina's door, opening it and helping the Italian out of the car.
"Just go at whatever pace you need to, ok?" Maya said, putting her arm around Carina's back, "And if you need to stop, just say something."
"Ok," Carina nodded, slowly shuffling toward the door.
There was one step to get into their house, Carina taking it very slowly to see how her body would react. It wasn't comfortable and she didn't want to do it more, but she was pretty sure she would be able to get herself up to her room.
"Are you sure you want to go upstairs?" Maya asked, "You could relax on the couch and then I can bring our bed down."
"No," Carina said, "No, I want to go up to our room. I don't know when I am going to want to come down from our room, but I want to be in our room with our stuff."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "Do you want to rest before we go upstairs?"
"No," Carina said, shaking her head, "I want to go up now."
"Alright," Maya said, "Well, I am right here."
Carina nodded as they headed to the stairs, slowly making their way up them.
"I need to stop," Carina said when they got about halfway up, her abs aching badly.
"Ok," Maya said, moving so Carina could rest her hands on her shoulders, Maya leaning her head so their foreheads were touching, rubbing Carina's back gently.
"I'm right here," Maya said quietly, "I've got you. Just breathe for me ok?"
Carina did, just letting her muscles calm down and her breathing slow down again.
"Ok," Carina said once she was feeling better, "I'm ready."
"Ok," Maya said, pulling away from her wife to get back into position to support her up the rest of the stairs.
By the time they got to the top, Carina's legs were shaking and everything was sore.
"Can you make it to our room?" Maya asked, seeing how exhausted her wife looked.
"I think so," Carina said, trying to breathe through the pain in her abdomen, "Can we just take a little break?"
"Of course," Maya said, rubbing Carina's back as she focused on breathing and calming her muscles down.
"Ok," Carina said after a minute, "Let's go."
It took way longer than normal, but eventually, they made it to the bedroom.
"Do you need to use the bathroom before we get you into bed?" Maya asked, not wanting Carina to have to get up for a long time after she got settled.
"Maybe," Carina said, "I think so."
Maya helped her into the bathroom, giving her some privacy while she went to change into her pajamas, grabbing a clean pair for her wife too, knowing Carina hadn't changed her pajamas since yesterday.
"Bambina," she heard her wife calling, sending her back into the bathroom, "Can you get me another pad?"
"Of course," Maya nodded, knowing Carina had bought pads specifically for after her surgery since neither of them used them normally, but also that the Italian had hidden them under her sink so she didn't have to think about it more than she already had been.
Maya went and found the package, bringing it to her wife.
"Is the bleeding still ok?" Maya asked as she helped Carina.
"Si," Carina nodded, double checking, "This is normal."
"Ok," Maya said, mildly paranoid because on the first full day after Carina's surgery, she had been bleeding a lot more than she should have and they were close to taking her back into surgery, but luckily, it has slowed down enough that they didn't have to.
Ever since then, though, Maya was very concerned about making sure Carina wasn't bleeding too much.
"I'm going to leave these right here," Maya said, putting the box of pads on the back of the toilet.
Carina nodded, clearly starting to fade from exhaustion.
"Let's get you into some clean pajamas and then into bed," Maya said, already starting to take Carina's shirt off.
The Italian had decided that big, baggy t-shirts were her pajamas of choice for recovery because they were easy to get on and off. Once that was done, Maya helped her over to the sink to wash her hands before helping her back to bed.
"Do you want pillows under your knees like at the hospital?" Maya asked as they walked, knowing that had helped make Carina more comfortable in the hospital.
"Yes please," Carina nodded as she slowly sat down on the bed, "It helps take the pressure off my abdomen."
Maya immediately went to reach for her own pillows, but Carina stopped her.
"No," she said, "Can you get the ones from the spare room?"
"Why?" Maya asked, confused.
"Because I want to be able to cuddle with your pillows," Carina said, trying to get into a better position, wincing a little.
"Ok Little Miss Needy," Maya said, chuckling, "I will be right back."
"Hey, I just had major surgery," Carina said, "I get to be a little needy."
"That's true," Maya said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her wife's lips, "Now, I am going to go get those pillows."
Maya went down the hall, grabbing a big, fluffy pillow off the bed before going back to the master bedroom, knowing from the minute she walked in that Carina was in pain. She looked at her watch, realizing Carina was due for more pain meds about ten minutes ago.
"Here you go," Maya said, gently slipping the pillow under her wife's legs, "And I am going to go grab your meds right now, ok?"
"And something to eat," Carina said, "I have to eat with them."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "Is there anything in particular you want? Crackers or yogurt or gelato or anything you want."
"Do we still have raspberry gelato?" Carina asked.
"We have whatever you want," Maya said, "I had Vic come over last night after the twins were down and I went to the store and stocked up on all your favorites."
"Thank you Bambina," Carina said, wincing a little as she shifted ever-so-slightly.
"I'm going to go get your meds," Maya said, "Oh, and what do you want to drink?"
"Just water for now," Carina said, "Thank you."
Maya quickly went downstairs, going to the car and grabbing out the bag of Carina's meds before going into the kitchen, filling Carina's favorite water bottle with ice water before grabbing a small container of Carina's favorite gelato from a local Italian deli that she had stopped at last night and picked up about ten double scoops in various flavors because Carina had had next to no appetite since surgery and Maya wanted to make sure she had something Carina would eat when she got home. Once Maya had everything, including a spoon, she headed upstairs.
"Alright," Maya said, coming into the bedroom, "I've got water, gelato, and pain meds."
"Wait, that's not the gelato that was in the freezer," Carina said, looking at what Maya was putting down, "Where did you get that?"
"The freezer," Maya shrugged, handing Carina the white container after she took the lid off.
"Is this from Nonna's?" Carina asked, taking the spoon and putting a bite in her mouth, instantly recognizing it, "When did you go there?"
"I told you, I had Vic come over last night," Maya said, setting down the water bottle, pulling out the bottles of pills from the bag, checking the label on each one to make sure she knew when it needed to be given.
She knew Carina was probably going to fall asleep after she took her pain meds so Maya made a mental note to get alarms set on her phone to make sure her wife was getting the right pain meds at the right time.
"You didn't have to do this," Carina said, taking another bite of the gelato.
"I know," Maya said, "But I also know that you were struggling to get your appetite back in the hospital and I thought this might help. I have more in the freezer so if all you want to eat for the next few days is gelato, you can."
"Thank you," Carina said, tears pricking her eyes.
"You don't need to thank me," Maya said, "I'm just taking care of you. Just like you always do for me."
"I am still going to thank you," Carina said, "Because you deserve to be thanked."
Maya blushed a little, "Well, you are welcome. Now, I think you have probably eaten enough to take some of this, no?"
"Yeah," Carina nodded as Maya opened up her bottle of narcotics, "I am probably also going to need to start taking stool softeners with these whenever you have time to get them."
"Oh, I also got those last night," Maya said, having heard the doctor say Carina was probably going to need them, "I'll go grab them."
Once Carina had taken her meds and eaten about half of the gelato in the container, she was exhausted.
"Will you lay with me?" she asked Maya as the blonde took the gelato container from her.
"Let me just go put this in the freezer so you can have it later, ok?" Maya said, "I promise, I will be very fast."
"Ok," Carina said sleepily as Maya darted out of the room.
The blonde ran down the stairs, tossing the gelato back in the freezer before racing back to their room.
"Are you showing me your Olympic skills?" Carina slurred as Maya ran back into the room, "Because I think it is very hot."
"And I think you are slightly high on pain meds," Maya said, laughing a little bit as she got into bed, "Do you need anything else?"
"Will you play with my hair?" Carina asked, eyes starting to close.
"Of course," Maya said, turning toward her wife as she gently ran her fingers through her hair, massaging Carina's scalp some.
"We should take the stitches out of your finger soon," Carina said, eyes still closed.
"I had Vic take them out yesterday," Maya said softly, trying to lull Carina to sleep, "Now, stop worrying about me and go to sleep, ok? Amelia will be here in about three hours and I know you want to be awake to see the girls so you need to sleep now."
Carina mumbled something that Maya could tell was supposed to be "I love you" so she leaned over, smiling as she pressed a kiss into Carina's forehead, "I love you too. Thank you so much for coming home."
Once she was very sure Carina was asleep, Maya carefully got out of bed, going back over to the medication bottles, pulling out her phone and going to the clock, setting alarms for each and every medication Carina needed to take and at what time.
The Italian was on pain meds that for now were opioids but would transition to Advil and Tylenol as Carina's pain improved over the next few days.
She was also on a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots as Carina healed. These pills scared the crap out of Maya because of the issues Carina had had with bleeding in the hospital, but Dr. Cho assured Maya that it was perfectly safe for her to take.
There was also the stool softener that Dr. Cho suggested because of the opioids. The alarms were mainly for the pain meds through because Maya knew that the best way to treat pain was to stay ahead of it which they had clearly not done this afternoon, but she planned to from here on out.
Seeing her wife in pain was not something Maya enjoyed at all, and while she knew that was going to happen a lot over the next several months, she was really hoping to help minimize it as much as possible.
Once that was done, Maya decided to lay down with her wife, knowing that for now, Carina was comfortable and asleep. The blonde was also beyond exhausted, having struggled to sleep with Carina not home for the past few nights.
She didn't ever fully fall asleep, but she did manage to get some decent rest before her phone buzzed. Maya grabbed it, seeing it was Amelia, asking if they were still up for a visit from the twins. Just as she was about to reply, Carina stirred next to her.
"Hey," Maya said as one of her favorite pairs of brown eyes opened.
"Ciao," Carina said sleepily.
"Did you sleep ok?" Maya asked, running her fingers through her wife's hair.
"Si," Carina said, "Or as ok as I can in this position. Did you sleep?"
"I got some rest," Maya nodded, "Amelia just texted and asked if you still want her to bring the twins over."
"Si," Carina nodded, "I want to see them. I am grateful that our friends can take them for us so I can recover a little more, but I miss them."
"I'll tell her to bring them over," Maya said, picking her phone back up, "Do you need anything?"
"I'm ok," Carina said, grabbing her water bottle and taking a long drink, "I'm just still so tired."
"You can sleep again until Amelia gets here," Maya said.
"No, I'm ok," Carina said, shifting a little in bed, "I want to sleep tonight. I think I need to go to the bathroom again though."
"Ok," Maya nodded, moving to get up.
By the time Carina made it to the bathroom and back to bed, Amelia was texting saying she was here.
"I am going to go let them in," Maya said as she made sure the pillow was in the right position under Carina's knees, "Do you want me to bring the girls up one at a time or together?"
"If you try to bring one up without the other, someone is going to throw a tantrum," Carina said.
"Yeah, you're right," Maya said, "Ok, I'll be right back."
Maya went downstairs, going to the front door where she found Amelia and the twins along with Scout and Harper.
"Hey," Maya said, letting them in.
"Mommy," Nora and Rowan said together, launching themselves at her.
"Hi Rowan," she said, kneeling down to hug them, "Hi Nora. I missed you."
"Hi Aunt Maya," Scout said, smiling at her, "I have a loose tooth, wanna see?"
"Very cool," Maya said, nodding at the six-year-old.
"Can we go play toys?" Scout asked.
"Sure," Maya laughed as Scout, Harper, and Nora all took off to play, Rowan just reaching up for Maya.
"His tooth just got loose last night," Amelia said, shaking her head, "And I swear it's the most exciting thing to him. He even told the cashier when we were at the store. Anyway, how are you guys doing? Is Carina ok?"
"She is," Maya said, "She's really tired and still having a lot of pain, but she's alright. You can go up and see her if you want."
"No, take the girls first," Amelia said, holding up the bags in her hand, "I am going to go put this stuff in the kitchen."
"What is it?" Maya asked.
"Oh, Link's mom made some butternut squash soup and peach cobbler," Amelia said, "She heard Carina was having surgery and insisted."
"Wow," Maya said, "That's so nice of her. Tell her thank you for us."
"Of course," Amelia said, "I am going to go put this in the kitchen and then I will keep Scout and Harper down here and quiet so you can take the twins upstairs."
"Mamma?" Rowan said, looking at Maya.
"Yeah, let's go get Nora and then we can do up and see Mamma, ok?" Maya said, heading to the playroom, "Hey Nora, come here."
"Hi Mommy," Nora said, smiling as she walked over to her.
"Hi Nora," Maya smiled, "Do you want to go see Mamma?"
"Si," Nora said, already running toward the stairs.
"Woah, slow down there Nora," Amelia laughed as the toddler almost ran into her as she walked into the playroom.
"Mamma," Nora said, looking seriously at Amelia.
"We are going to go up and see Mamma," Maya said, looking at Amelia, "But Nora, come here please."
Maya took the girls out of the playroom, stopping before they went upstairs.
"Ok, listen to me," Maya said, sitting both of the twins on the steps, "Remember when I brought you to see Mamma in the hospital the other day?"
"Mamma ouchie," Nora said, looking at Maya.
"That's right," Maya said, "Mamma had surgery and now she has a big ouchie on her stomach so we all have to be very careful ok? No jumping on her and she can't pick you up, ok? We have to be gentle. But she is still Mamma and you gave give her kisses if you are careful. Are you ready to go see her?"
Both of the twins nodded, Maya taking their hands and helping them up the stairs. They walked down the hall and into the bedroom.
"Look who came to see you," Maya said to Carina as they walked in the room.
"Hi Bambine," Carina said, having repositioned herself a bit so she was sitting up more, "How are you?"
"Mamma," Rowan said, trying to climb onto the bed.
"Rowan, remember you have to be gentle, ok?" Maya said as she scooped the toddler up, looking at her and getting a nod before cautiously setting her down on the bed.
Rowan crawled over to Carina, not getting too close, just looking at her.
"You can come closer Patatina," Carina said, gesturing to her, "I'm ok."
Maya picked up Nora, also putting her on the bed before sitting down herself.
"You can go closer," Maya said to the little brunette, "Just don't jump or hit Mamma's tummy ok?"
"You can touch my hands and arms though," Carina said, putting her arm out for the twins. Rowan got a little closer, touching Carina's hand, Nora joining her after a minute.
"Tiss?" Nora asked, looking at Carina timidly.
"Si," Carina said, "I will give you a kiss. Come here."
Nora moved closer to Carina, leaning up and giving her a kiss on her cheek.
"Grazie Piccola," Carina smiled, pressing a kiss to the toddler's forehead.
"Me too," Rowan said, moving closer to Carina.
She also gave her mamma a kiss, but as she went to move away, her foot moved in a weird way and hit the side of Carina's abdomen.
"Ahh," the Italian yelled, hand flying down to her stomach as Rowan's eyes got wide and filled with tears.
"Are you ok?" Maya asked as she quickly moved the twins away, Rowan fully sobbing at this point.
"I will be," Carina said, still trying to control the pain that was rolling through her in waves, "Can you just...can you take them out of here?" Maya was torn, not wanting to leave her wife, but also knowing Carina didn't want the girls to see her like this.
Suddenly, Amelia appeared in the room.
"Is everything ok?" the neurosurgeon asked, coming over to the bed, seeing a sobbing Rowan, a scared Nora and a Carina who looked like she might pass out.
"Rowan's foot accidently hit Carina's abdomen," Maya explained, scooping the toddler up.
"Hurt Mamma," Rowan cried, moving away from Carina as far as she could, basically jumping into Amelia's arms.
"I'll take them downstairs," Amelia said, also scooping up Nora.
"Thanks," Maya said, turning all her attention back to Carina who was still not looking great, "What can I do?"
"Just...hold my hand," Carina said, eyes closed as she reached for her wife's hand. Maya did so, feeling Carina squeezing it tightly.
Maya took her other hand, running her fingers through Carina's hair, just speaking calming words into her ear.
"Ok," Carina said after about ten minutes, "I'm ok. Can you please go get Rowan again?"
"What?" Maya said, "No. Something could happen again."
"Bambina, she needs to see that I am ok," Carina said, "She needs to know that she didn't hurt me. If not, she will just be scared of me which I do not want. Please Bambina?"
"Ok," Maya said, "Ok. I'll be right back."
Maya got up, going downstairs to find everyone in the playroom, Rowan curled up in Amelia's arms, looking scared and sad.
"Is she ok?" Amelia asked as Maya walked in.
"She is," Maya nodded, "Just a little sore."
"See Rowan, Mamma is ok," Amelia said, looking down at the toddler before looking back at Maya, "She is very worried she hurt Carina."
"Rowan, you didn't do anything wrong," Maya said, kneeling down and reaching for the little blonde, "Accidents happen sometimes. Now, Mamma wants to see you again. Can I take you back up there?"
"Si," Rowan said quietly, burying her head in Maya's shoulder.
"Ok," Maya said, standing up before looking at Amelia, "We will be right back."
"Take your time," Amelia said, "I've got the rest of them."
Maya carried Rowan back upstairs, bringing her into the master bedroom.
"Hi Patatina," Carina said as Maya sat down on the bed with Rowan, the toddler refusing to look at Carina.
"Rowan, it's Mamma," Maya said, rubbing the little girl's back.
"Hurt Mamma," Rowan said, keeping her face hidden in Maya's neck.
"You didn't hurt me," Carina said as Maya moved closer to Carina could put her hand on Rowan's back, "Remember, I had surgery. But you didn't hurt me, ok?"
"Kiss hurt Mamma," Rowan said.
"No Patatina," Carina said, "No. Your kiss didn't hurt me. I promise. I love your kisses."
"Watch," Maya said, holding Rowan carefully so she didn't bump Carina, "I can give Mamma a kiss and she will be ok."
Rowan picked up her head, watching as Maya leaned over and gave Carina a kiss.
"Now can you try?" Carina asked, looking at the little blonde, "Please? I promise you won't hurt me."
Rowan thought about it, clearly torn.
"How about I hold you and help you give Mamma a kiss?" Maya asked, hoping that might help.
Rowan nodded, letting Maya move her closer to Carina. The toddler then leaned down and pressed a kiss to Carina's cheek very quickly before pulling back and looking at her mamma, wondering if she had hurt her, however, when Carina smiled back at her, Rowan seemed to relax a little.
"Noder kiss," Rowan said, looking at Maya who again moved her so she could kiss Carina.
This went on a few more times, Rowan getting more and more comfortable with it every time.
"See," Carina said, reaching out her hand and rubbing Rowan's back, "I am ok. Sometimes I am going to be in pain, but I am ok."
Rowan nodded, holding tightly to Maya.
"Alright," the battalion chief said, "Now, can you say bye to Mamma because I think Auntie Amelia is ready to take you to her house for a sleepover."
"Bye Mamma," Rowan said, leaning in for one more kiss, "I lub 'ou."
"I love you too Patatina," Carina said, "So much. Have fun with Zia Amelia. Maya, can you bring Nora up to say goodbye too please?"
"Of course," Maya nodded, "I'll be right back."
Carina laid in bed, a little bit of residual pain still radiating through her body as she waited for her wife and daughter to come back up.
"Hey," a voice said from the doorway, causing Carina to turn, smiling when she saw Amelia and Nora standing there, "I asked if I could bring this little one up to say goodbye. How are you doing?"
"I am exhausted," Carina said as Amelia picked Nora up and walked over to her side of the bed, "And the pain isn't great, but I am happy to be home."
"Good," Amelia said, holding Nora so she could give Carina a kiss.
"I love you Piccola," Carina said, giving the little girl a kiss, "Have fun with Zia Amelia."
"I lub 'ou Mamma," Nora said, reaching out her hand and putting it on Carina's cheek.
"Thank you for taking them tonight," Carina said, smiling at her friend, "It really means a lot to us. Maya won't say so, but I know she is feeling very overwhelmed with everything right now so knowing the twins are safe and taken care of will help take some of that off of her."
"Of course," Amelia said, moving so Carina could rub Nora's back a little, "I know how stressful it is when Link is sick and I am trying to manage the kids. I can't imagine what this must be like for her. We are always happy to have these two over. Harper loves playing with them and so does Scout."
"Well, once I am through this, we will take your kids so you and Link can have some date nights," Carina said, wincing a little as a wave of pain washed over her.
"We are going to go," Amelia said, knowing Carina needed rest and the kids needed dinner, "I don't have them tomorrow night. I think either Mason or Andrew is taking them, but if you want, I can bring them by before daycare. My shift doesn't start until 10 tomorrow."
"Can we let you know?" Carina asked, not totally sure how the night was going to go.
"Of course," Amelia nodded, "Now, you get some rest and let your wife pamper you, ok?"
"Goodbye Amelia," Carina said, "Bye Nora. Ti voglio bene."
"Bye Mamma," Nora said, "Ti lub benny."
About ten minutes later, Maya came back upstairs.
"Ok," the blonde said, "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," Carina said, "And sore."
"Well, you have another two hours before your next dose of pain meds," Maya said, getting back into bed, "Do you want to try to get some more sleep?"
"I don't know if I can," Carina sighed, "Everything is hurting. Thank you for helping me with the girls. I really hope that didn't scare Rowan too much."
"I think she will be ok," Maya said, "She was doing ok downstairs. She told Scout that you had an ouchie but you were ok."
"I love that they are talking more," Carina said, trying to get comfortable.
"What can I do?" Maya asked.
"Can you put on the TV?" Carina asked, Maya having moved the small TV from their guest room into their bedroom so Carina could watch it while she recovered, "I need a distraction."
"Of course," Maya nodded, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.
Over the next few hours, Maya did everything she could to help Carina feel more comfortable. It didn't go great, but eventually, Carina was able to eat some soup and take her medication, finally getting some relief from her pain.
Once Carina was asleep, Maya got things ready for the night, making sure Carina had some rehydration drink along with some water on her nightstand, double checking her alarms so they wouldn't let Carina's pain get away from them, and then getting herself ready for bed. She then settled herself into bed, hoping that she would get some sleep, but fully prepared to do whatever it was Carina needed her to in order to ensure the Italian was comfortable.
Maya leaned over, pressing a small kiss to Carina's cheek before turning off her light and trying to settle in for a potentially long night.
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What did you think? I hope you liked it. I really am enjoying writing this story. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and voting.
Now, I want to talk a little bit about the episode and the Station 19 fandom in general:
Episode first: I already talked about it in another story, but the SA storyline was very well done and incredibly powerful.
I am hesitant to share the rest of this because people are very charged up over this topic, but I also want to share my thoughts because I have a lot of them.
I personally still don't love the fact that Jack is going to be their donor, but only because of the cheating situation. It just hurts my brain that Carina has made this big of a turn around in 1.5 seasons, but I am trying to be ok with it because it is happening, and most importantly, Maya and Carina both seem extremely happy about it which makes me happy.
I have seen a lot online about how their storyline says that women can't raise a baby without a man or that it is a slap in the face to single moms or same-sex couples, but they have explicitly said that they don't want Jack to be a third parent, that they want him to be Uncle Jack (which he would be regardless of if he donates his sperm or not BTW).
I will say there has been problematic language around the topic, but I don't see anything wrong with him being a part of the kid's life. There are families that are made this way, with a known donor where the child knows and has a positive relationship with their donor, and the donor is not a third parent, but rather another influence in the child's life.
I know no children who are influenced exclusively by their parents and have no other roll models or people to teach them things. The saying is that it takes a village to raise a child, and I firmly believe that. Every damn firefighter in that station is going to play a role in the baby's life no matter if they give DNA or not.
Maya and Carina will be the parents and make parental decisions and be the people who actually raise the kid, but other people will also be around to offer support and help, and one of those people will be Jack. I am worried Jack is going to struggle with this, but at this point, I am being ever so cautiously optimistic that he will just embrace his roll as Uncle Jack like he has with little Pru.
I have seen people online saying that it's so great that Jack gets the family he wants and that Jack is going to be a dad which I think is absolutely wrong, but thinking it's wrong for a donor to play any role in a child's life is also not right. Just because you didn't make your family that way, doesn't mean it is a wrong way to make a family. I understand this is not the storyline people wanted, but honestly, my only big issue (other than some of the language being used) is that it is Jack. If we were having this exact conversation about Travis or Emmett or someone fro Grey Sloan (except Owen), I wouldn't have an issue with it.
I have also seen comments that this is just a repeat of Callie/Arizona/Mark which it is not (or it better not be). In that case, Callie and Mark were "together" when Sofia was conceived and Arizona came in later as a step-parent of sorts. Not to say she wasn't Sofia's mom, but Mark was Sofia's dad. Arizona and Callie were not trying to have a baby (or even in a relationship) when Sofia was conceived and to not have Mark be her dad would hav been just as stupid as saying Jack is the future baby Deluca-Bishop's dad.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on that situation. I will happily engage in conversations about it, but I am also not going to be told I am a terrible person because these are my opinions.
And I say that because this fandom (both Marina, but more specifically the entire Station 19 fandom) has lost their fucking marbles. I'm not surprised given the pettiness that has been shown by the person who is supposed to be leading the show and #1 on the call sheet, but people need to calm themselves down. Instagram and Twitter are off the wall and people are attacking people who aren't even involved. I have always loved seeing Station 19 content on Instagram, and it has gotten so insane that I took Instagram off my phone because it just isn't bringing me joy because of how crazy people have gotten. I'm not talking about plot lines even anymore, I am talking about people just being plain mean. It needs to stop or we are not going to get anymore engagement on socials which will be very sad. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I am very happy for you because this fandom used to be a place I enjoyed being, but it just isn't right now. I am going to keep writing because I still like my stories, and I still like the show, but it is much harder to do so right now. I'm hoping that with the three week break between episodes that things get better. Anyway, sorry for the rant. I just needed to get it out.