Over the next week, they worked to find a balance between Carina working and spending time with Lia and also with the twins. It was hard and there were any tears shed on all parties, but it was getting better every day.
A little over a week after Carina went back to work, though, they got a call from the daycare that Nora has spiked a fever and was complaining her throat hurt around lunch time. Carina was in the middle of surgery, but Maya had been down in the NICU with Lia, quickly telling the baby goodbye before heading upstairs to get Nora.
When Maya got there, however, she found both girls sitting in the nurse's office.
"So when we realized Nora was sick, we also checked Rowan," Nicole said, "And she also has a fever. There has been a strep outbreak the past week so that might be what this is."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "Thank you. Maybe I'll see if someone can swab them before we go home."
"Mommy, uppie," Nora whined as Maya walked over to them.
"I can't pick you up right now Piccola, remember?" Maya said, crouching down in front of them, "But we are going to go see if we can find someone to help you feel better ok?"
"My tummy hurts," Rowan complained.
"I'm sorry," Maya frowned, wondering if maybe Rowan had picked up something else, "Let's go see if we can find Zio Andrea or Auntie Jo to help you feel better."
"I want Mamma," Rowan said, lip sticking out as tears formed in her eyes.
"Mamma is at work," Maya sighed, knowing that if Rowan was calling Carina Mamma, she must have not been feeling well at all, "But if we go find your zio, he can help you feel better."
"I want uppie," Nora cried, rubbing her eyes.
"Is there any way you could page Andrew Deluca?" Maya asked, pretty sure her brother-in-law was working today and hoping maybe he could help her carry the twins.
It was times like these she missed having the stroller.
"Of course," Nicole said.
"Mommy, my tummy hurts," Rowan said again, Maya noticing she did not look good.
"Here," Nicole said, handing her an emesis bag as Maya crouched down next to Rowan.
"Do you think you might throw up?" Maya asked.
"I don't know," Rowan said, tears in her eyes.
"That's ok," Maya said, "How about I just sit here with you and hold this bag just in case, ok?"
Rowan nodded, tears falling down her cheeks.
"It's gonna be ok Ro," Maya said, happy the toddler's blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, "If you throw up, that's ok. I know you feel sick right now, but it will be ok."
Maya rubbed Rowan's back, trying to keep her calm.
"Mommy," Rowan cried before gagging, Maya holding the bag to her mouth as she threw up.
"Shh," Maya said, "It's ok. I'm right here. I've got you."
Just as she finished, Andrew walked in.
"Woah, what's going on?" he asked as Maya threw the bag out.
"The twins are sick," Maya sighed, "There's strep going around apparently and Nora has a sore throat but Rowan is vomiting so I don't really know what is going on but I was wondering if maybe you could swab them for strep? And maybe help me take them to an exam room too? I'm not supposed to lift them yet."
"Of course," he said, "Hey Rowan and Nora. Sorry you aren't feeling well. Can I pick you up?"
"Mommy," Nora fussed.
"I will be right here," Maya said, "Zio Andrea is just going to carry you because I can't. But I will be right here with you."
"Come here," Andrew said, lifting both of them up as Maya grabbed their backpacks.
"I hope you feel better Rowan and Nora," Nicole said as they left.
Andrew carried them to an open exam room, putting both the twins down on the bed.
"I am going to go grab some strep swabs," he said, "I want to test both of them because nausea and vomiting can be a sign of strep, especially in young kids. And since it's going around, better safe than sorry. Let me take a quick peek just to see if it even looks like strep though."
"Ok," Maya said, "Hey girls, let's let Zio Andrea look in your mouths ok?"
"Look," Andrew said, coming over with the light, "Let me just look inside your mouths ok? It doesn't hurt at all."
"No," Nora said as Rowan shook her head.
"Look," Maya said, sitting down next to the twins, "Zio is going to look in my throat and I'll show you ok?"
"Alright Maya, say Ahhh," Andrew said, earning him an eyeroll from his sister-in-law as she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.
"See," Andrew said, "That's all I have to do. Now Rowan, is it your turn?"
Rowan looked at him for a minute before opening her mouth, sticking out her tongue.
"Very good," Andrew said, taking a look, "Oh, it looks like your throat is really red. Ok Rowan, I'm all done. Nora, your turn."
Nora also opened her mouth, letting Andrew see.
"Those both look like throats infected with strep," Andrew said once he was done, "Let me go grab tests. I'll be right back."
"Ok," Maya said, looking at the twins as Andrew left the room.
"Mommy," Nora whined, reaching for her.
"Come here," Maya said, climbing more into the bed, Rowan laying directly on top of her while Nora cuddled into her side, "Shhhh. It's ok. We are going to do a test to see what is wrong and then I am going to take you home and we can cuddle on the couch all day ok?"
"Does the test hurt?" Rowan asked, looking at Maya with sad blue eyes.
"It doesn't really hurt," Maya said, "It feels a little bit strange and sometimes it can make you feel like you might throw up, but it is just for a second and then it's over."
"I want to go home," Nora said, sticking her fingers in her mouth.
"I know," Maya said, "But we need to see if you have an infection in your throat so that we can get you medicine to help you feel better. And then we will go home, ok?"
"And cuddle?" Rowan asked.
"And we will cuddle," Maya said, kissing the top of her much too warm head, "And watch a movie maybe and eat popsicles and rest ok?"
"My froat hurts," Rowan said, rubbing her eyes.
"I know," Maya said, rubbing her back, "I'm sorry. Zio Andrea is going to help you feel better soon ok? And I bet we can even convince him to bring you both a popsicle if you want."
"Even a purple one?" Nora asked.
"I bet that could be arranged," Maya nodded as she felt Nora snuggling closer to her, already starting to make a list of groceries to have delivered, "For right now though, we are going to stay here and wait for your zio."
"I'm told," Nora said, shivering a little bit.
"Here," Maya said, sitting up, Rowan still in her arms as she reached for a blanket that was at the end of the bed, spreading it over Nora's shivering body before settling back down next to the toddler, wondering how she didn't realize the twins were sick this morning before she sent them to daycare.
It had only been a few hours since then and both of them were very clearly miserable. They just laid there until there was a knock at the door, Andrew coming in with two strep test kits.
"Alright," he said, pulling on some gloves, "Rowan and Nora, what I am going to do is take this long thing that looks like a Q-tip and bring it all the way to the back of your throat and rub it around. It will help us know if you have bacteria growing back there and what kind of medicine we need to give to help you feel better ok?"
"But it doesn't hurt?" Nora asked, fingers in her mouth.
"It doesn't hurt," Andrew said, "It feels a little weird and I am going to give you this blue bag just in case it makes you throw up because part of where I have to rub the Q-tip is near your gag reflex which can make you throw up."
"I don't want to," Rowan said, shaking her head as she buried herself into Maya's chest.
Maya was prepared to have to do some serious reasoning with both girls, but to her surprise, Nora looked at Andrew for a second before saying, "I'll go it."
"Good job Nora," Maya said as she helped the toddler sit up so Andrew could get a better view of her throat, "That is a very brave thing to do. Do you feel proud of yourself?"
Nora nodded a little before leaning her head on Maya's side.
"Ok Nora," Andrew said, "I am going to have you open you your mouth really big for me and then I am going use this big popsicle stick to keep your tongue down and take the swab ok? Do you want to sit on Mommy's lap?"
Nora nodded, Andrew helping get Nora situated on Maya's lap with the blue bag in her hands. "Ok Piccola," Maya said, holding her hand a little.
"Ready?" Andrew asked, getting his light ready.
Nora nodded.
"Say Ahhh," Andrew said, sticking out his tongue as he did, getting Nora to copy him, "Ok, here's the big popsicle stick. Now stay as still as you can while I put the Q-tip in."
Maya made sure to hold her a little tighter as Andrew put the swab in, Nora whimpering a little as he did it.
"That's it Nora," Andrew said, pulling the swab out as the little girl gagged a little bit, luckily not actually getting sick, "You did such a good job."
"I don't yike it," Nora said, burying her head into Maya's chest.
"I know," Maya said, rubbing her back, "But you did such a good job."
"Ok Rowan, your turn," Andrew said as he finished getting Nora's sample in the container with labels on it before opening the one for Rowan.
"I don't want to," Rowan said, shaking her head.
"I know," Maya said, "But you have to. We need to know what is making you feel sick."
"It's otay Owan," Nora said, "I'll hold your hand."
"Nora, that is so nice," Andrew said, smiling at his niece.
"I'll be right here too," Maya said, "You can do it."
"Otay," Rowan said, opening her mouth, Maya holding the bag just in case as Andrew stuck the swab in.
Unlike her sister, Rowan did actually throw up when Andrew pulled the swab out, luckily in the bag Maya was holding.
"It's okay Owan," Nora said, rubbing her sister's back.
"I don't yike that," Rowan cried when she stopped being sick.
"I know," Maya said, holding her close, "I'm sorry it made you feel sick. But now it's over."
"Yep," Andrew said, "What can I get you two for being so good during the tests? Do you want some juice or jello or..."
"Popolule," Nora said, sniffling.
"Do you have popsicles?" Maya asked, "I told them they could have one after the test."
"Of course," Andrew said, "What colors?"
"Purple," Nora said, "And Owan yikes red."
"Purple and red coming up," Andrew said, "Let me get these tests sent to the lab and then I'll bring popsicles."
"Thank you Andrew," Maya said as she moved a little bit to get the twins comfortable again.
She ended up with both toddlers laying on top of her this time, just rubbing their backs. Andrew brought them their promised popsicles along with some paper towels for spills, the twins taking them from him with a quiet "grazie" from each of them.
"It should only be a little longer before we have the results of the swabs," Andrew said, "And I have prescriptions ready to send down to the pharmacy downstairs so I will bring those to you if the results are positive which I will be surprised if they aren't."
"Thanks Andrew," Maya said, "I'm sure you are busy today. We can go pick up the prescriptions."
"No," Andrew said, "I mean, I have a surgery in about an hour, but I'm good for now. I've been charting while I'm waiting for the results."
"Ok," Maya said, "Thank you."
"You know I would do anything for you," Andrew said, "It's what family does. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Maya and the twins stayed in the room, the girls eating their popsicles. About twenty minutes later, there was another knock on the door, but instead of Andrew, in walked Carina holding two paper bags.
"Mamma," Nora said, eyes lighting up when she saw Carina walk in the door though she didn't move from her comfy place on Maya's lap.
"Ciao Bambine," Carina said, "I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. I have medicine to help you feel better."
"The strep tests came back positive?" Maya asked as her wife walked over.
"Si," Carina nodded, "We have two sick girls. Do you want me to try to take the afternoon off to come home with you?"
"No," Maya said, "No, we will be ok. We are just going to go home and cuddle right girls?"
"And watch a mobie," Rowan said, reaching for Carina, "I don't feel good Mamma."
"Mi dispace Patatina," Carina said, rubbing her back as the toddler rested her head on her shoulder, "Should I help carry you to the car?"
"Si," Rowan said, "Tetause Mommy can't."
"Sorry," Maya sighed, "I'll carry their backpacks."
"Let's do medicine first," Carina said, setting Rowan back down on the bed so she could open the bottles of sticky pink liquid for the twins, "The sooner we get their first dose in, the better."
"It's pink," Nora said, looking at the liquid Carina had pulled up into the syringe that came with the medicine.
"Si," Carina said, "Do you want to hold take this one?"
"Tan mine be red?" Rowan asked as Carina took out the other bottle of antibiotic.
"They are both pink," Carina said, "Because that is what color the medicine is."
"Is it yucky?" Nora asked, looking suspiciously at the syringe in her hand.
"From what I remember, this one tastes good," Maya said.
"Did you take it when you were sick too?" Rowan asked, looking at Maya.
"I did when I was little like you," Maya nodded, "Grandma took me to the doctor when I had a sore throat just like you and they gave me this medicine."
"And den you watched a mobie and ate popalules?" Nora asked.
"Um, something like that," Maya said as Carina looked at her, sadness filling her eyes.
Maya and Carina tried really hard to always be completely honest with the twins about things, but they were still much too young to understand the kind of abuse Lane had inflicted on Maya for most of her life.
Carina knew for a fact that her wife did not watch movies or eat popsicles and that she was lucky she had even been allowed to go to the doctor, though strep wouldn't get better without antibiotics so that was likely why. She knew that Maya likely had to train through her illness just like she did every other illness she had as a child.
It broke Carina's heart for her wife, and she would never forget the first time the twins had been sick as babies. They had just had little colds that were all too common in daycare kids, but Maya had been so attentive to them, holding them and rocking them and making sure they weren't feverish and that they could breathe.
That night, Maya had insisted on putting the twins down for bed, Carina going to lay down because she was exhausted. She heard her wife coming into the room and wasn't going to move until she heard sniffling. She was worried that the blonde was sick, only to roll over in bed and find her wife in a mess of tears.
It took a long time to get her to calm down, but when she did, she said she just didn't understand how Lane acted the way he did when she and Mason were sick growing up, couldn't understand how anyone could look at their sick child and not want to scoop them up and hold them forever.
All Carina could do was hold her close and reassure her that she was safe and that it wasn't fair but that they were doing things differently for their girls. Maya had cried herself to sleep in her wife's arms, Carina keeping her firmly in her grasp that entire night, just offering as much love and support as she could.
Pulling herself out of that memory as she handed Rowan her medicine, Carina offered her wife a supportive smile, the blonde giving it back before they both turned their attention to their daughters again.
"Alright," Maya said, "How about we count to three and then you take your medicine ok? I think you will probably like how it tastes."
"And if you don't, I will go find you some juice to have ok?" Carina said, "But this medicine is going to help get rid of the bacteria that is making you feel sick so you need to take it."
"Why don't we get your water bottles out and you can drink some water right after if you need it?" Maya suggested, Carina going to grab their water bottles out of their backpacks.
"Here we go," Carina said, grabbing Rowan's red water bottle and Nora's purple one, "Now, are you two ready?"
"You've got this," Maya said, smiling at the twins, "Let's count down and then you can take it. Ready? Three, two, one, go."
Both girls luckily pushed the plungers on their meds, downing the sticky pink medication.
"Was it ok?" Maya asked as she took the syringes from the twins as Carina handed them their water.
"It wasn't too yucky," Rowan said as Nora just shrugged.
"You both did a good job," Carina smiled at them, "Are you ready to go home now?"
Rowan nodded immediately, reaching her arms up for Carina to carry her.
"Come here Piccola," Carina said, reaching for Nora.
"I want Mommy," Nora said, clinging to Maya.
"I am going to come with you," Maya said, "But I can't carry you remember? Let Mamma do that. Or else you are going to have to walk."
Nora stuck out her lip as tears welled up in her big brown eyes.
"Hey, don't cry," Maya said, pulling her into a hug, "I know you don't feel good and you want me to hold you and I promise when we go home, I will, but I can't carry you right now."
"I wanna do home," Nora said, putting her fingers in her mouth as she rubbed her eyes.
"I know," Maya said, kissing the top of her too warm head, "Let Mamma pick you up and we can go home."
Nora nodded, reaching out her arms for Carina who scooped her up. Luckily, the twins were still on the small side for their age, Nora more so than Rowan, which made it easier for Carina to carry them as Maya grabbed the bags of medicine along with her bag and the girls' backpacks, the family making their way out to Maya's car.
"I think I might text Vic and let her know I left early," Maya said as Carina helped her buckle the twins into their seats, "She was going to come this afternoon to hang out with Lia once I left anyway."
"Ok," Carina nodded, "Sounds good. I work until 9, but if you need me to come home early, just let me know and I can try to find someone to switch with me."
"No, we should be ok," Maya said, "I bet these two will take their nap and then we will just hang out and watch movies or do something quiet so they can rest. And I will probably order some soup from Nonna's or something for dinner. I'm gonna get groceries delivered and get stuff to make soup too."
"Perfetto," Carina said, nodding as she got the last buckle done on Rowan's seat, the toddler not fighting her at all, a sure sign she did not feel well, "I hope you feel better Patatina. And you too Piccola. Voglio bene a entrambi. I won't be home until after you are sleeping tonight, but I promise I will come in and tuck you in."
"Ti boglio benny Mamma," both girls said as Carina pressed a kiss to the top of Rowan's head, closing her door before going around to the other side and giving Nora a quick kiss on the forehead as Maya started the car.
The blonde got back out of the car once it was running, giving her wife a hug and kiss.
"If you want to go see Lia before you come home tonight, that's fine," Maya said, "I've got the twins. I mean, I know you snuck in to see her earlier, but we will be ok tonight if you need more cuddle time."
"Ok," Carina nodded, "I'll see. I don't want to leave you alone with them feeling this miserable though."
"I am going to get some ibuprofen in them when we get home with lunch," Maya said, "And maybe some Emetrol in Rowan because she's puked a few times which apparently is normal for kids with strep according to Andrew."
"I know it can be," Carina nodded, "I hope that doesn't last too long."
"Same," Maya said, "We'll see. I want to get them home before they fall asleep though because I can't transfer them out of the car. I'll text you updates if anything changes?"
"Sounds perfect," Carina nodded, "See you tonight. I love you."
"Love you too," Maya said as she got in the car while Carina headed back into the hospital.
By some miracle, the twins didn't fall asleep on the way home and Maya managed to get them to walk inside, settling them on the couch with cups of ice water and an apple sauce pouch each before going upstairs to get them some pajamas to change into, grabbing Rowan's pizza pajamas and Nora's spaghetti pajamas, knowing they loved these particular sets. After helping the twins change, she decided to make some lunch, deciding on just some plain pasta with a little bit of butter and cheese, hoping it wouldn't hurt their throats and also that it wouldn't upset Rowan's stomach. The toddler hadn't complained about her stomach hurting anymore which Maya took as a good sign. She helped them both sit down at the table, filling their sippy cups with ice cold water.
"Mommy, I don't feel good," Nora sighed as she stirred her pasta around the bowl.
"I know," Maya said, coming over to them, "What can I do?"
"I no know," Nora said, looking up at Maya with exhausted eyes, "I'm tired."
"Do you want to go lay down in bed?" Maya asked.
"How about in da big bed?" Nora asked, popping her fingers into her mouth.
"Ok," Maya said, "You can nap in the big bed."
"Me too?" Rowan asked.
"Of course," Maya nodded, "I am going to give you both some other medicine and then we can go lay down and take a nap, ok?"
"You too Mommy?" Rowan asked.
"I will lay with you both," Maya nodded, "Let me get you medcine first though, ok?"
"Is it yike before?" Nora asked.
"It's a different kind," Maya said, "This medicine will help your throat hurt less and also help your fevers. And Rowan, I want to give you some medicine to help your stomach feel better too."
"My tummy doesn't hurt now," Rowan said.
"Are you sure?" Maya asked, wanting to believe her but also having no desire to deal with a pukey toddler any more today.
"Si," Rowan said.
"Alright," Maya said, pouring out doses of children's ibuprofen, "Well, here is this medicine."
Luckily, the twins were just as cooperative with this medication, both of them taking it easily. Once meds were taken, Maya got the twins upstairs, heart breaking a little bit when Nora cried to be carried and she couldn't. Nora so rarely asked to be carried around these days that it just about killed Maya to not be able to do it.
The minute they were in bed, Maya pulled both girls close, Nora resting on top of Maya, Rowan curled up at her side. Maya sang each of the twins their special song, both of them falling asleep quickly. Maya took the opportunity to order groceries, making sure to get plenty of things like yogurt and popsicles and juice in hopes that she would be able to get the twins to eat and drink. She knew now that they had antibiotics in them, they were going to be fine, but she was also aware that the next day or two could be hard and if the girls decided not to drink, they could end up in the hospital. She was aware that was extreme, but they already had one child in the hospital. She didn't want to increase that number.
Now that she was thinking about kids in the hospital, her mind immediately went to Lia and how much she missed her. She knew she needed to be here for the twins, but not being with Lia as long as she normally was was really hard.
She opened up her messages, seeing that Vic had said she would be at the hospital around one and it was currently 1:30 so she texted her friend, asking if she was there yet. Vic sent back a photo of Lia curled up on her chest, eyes wide open, her blue emergency vehicle pajamas still on from when Maya had dressed her this morning, knowing Vic appreciate the little fire trucks on the clothes.
Vic said she and Lia were having some auntie/niece time and that Vic was filling her in on all the station gossip while Lia filled her in on all the NICU drama. Vic also said Lia was very concerned about her sisters and wanted an update. Maya rolled her eyes a little bit at the fact that Vic didn't just come out and ask how the twins were doing but texted her friend back, letting her know the twins had strep and were currently sleeping.
Vic texted back pretty quickly, including another photo of Lia and a message saying she hoped the twins felt better soon. Maya wanted to crawl through the screen and hug Lia but also extremely glad that Lia had Vic there to hold her and keep her safe. Lia was still only on regular oxygen, but she was still having at least one A and B spell every day, though it was often more, and while Maya trusted the NICU nurses 100%, it always made her feel a little better when someone was with Lia and holding her.
It helped that all of their friends were trained in how to get Lia breathing again just by the nature of their jobs. It was absolutely terrifying every single time Lia stopped breathing and Maya was so scared of what was going to happen when they eventually brought her home. Dr. Jax assured her that babies outgrew these spells as they got older and usually by the time they were full term, the spells were gone.
At this point though, Lia was only about 34 weeks gestation. She was getting stronger all the time, but they still knew it was going to be a while before Lia came home. At the moment, the big thing was getting Lia to eat by mouth. She was doing a combination of bottles and breast feeding though she was doing better with bottles because they were less work. They also were mixing some formula in with Lia's bottles because they needed to make sure she was getting enough calories to grow.
Lia had been gaining weight and she had tipped over the 4 lbs. mark a few days ago which was huge because she had to be at least 4 lbs. to go home. How anyone could take a 4 lbs. baby home blew Maya's mind, but apparently it happened.
They were now talking about moving Lia from her incubator to an open-air crib, another big step in her journey to go home. Maya was drawn out of her thoughts about Lia by Nora moving around. Maya carefully helped Nora move off her chest, rubbing the toddler's sweary back to help her calm down.
Luckily it worked and Maya was able to extricate herself from the bed, going downstairs to make soup for dinner. She had no idea if the twins would eat it or not tonight, but she knew they would once they were feeling better because they loved soup, especially Nora.
Once that was simmering on the stove, she decided to clean up the living room and build an infamous blanket fort for the twins which had been such a big hit the last time they were sick, she decided to do it again. All she really wanted was to make them as comfortable as possible when they were feeling so awful and she knew that a blanket fort full of pillows and blankets and some stuffed animals would probably help. She was happy she did it while they were asleep this time though because doing it while they were awake was a chore. She made sure they could see the TV from inside too so if they wanted to watch a movie, they could.
Once all of that was done, she went to check on the twins, happy they were both still passed out in bed. She went and pumped for Lia, deciding to see if Vic would answer a facetime call because she was desperate to see Lia again. Vic answered on the fourth ring, immediately holding the phone up to Lia who looked like she was either just falling asleep or just waking up.
"Someone is milk drunk," Vic said, smiling as Lia let out a little sigh, "She took a whole ounce by mouth."
"Good job Peanut," Maya said, smiling as she looked at Lia, "That's 1/3 of what you need to be taking to come home. You are doing so well. Has she been ok?"
"She's been perfect," Vic nodded, "Just sleeping and hanging out. She is very into this pacifier."
"I know," Maya said, "It's good. It helps her get her mouth muscles stronger so she can drink her milk better."
"How are the twins?" Vic asked.
"They are asleep right now," Maya said, "Thank god because they both want to be carried and I'm not supposed to be carrying them right now, but they are so pitiful. And I know they feel terrible."
"Poor Rowan and Nora," Vic said, shaking her head, "Strep is rough."
"I know," Maya said, "Luckily, we got their antibiotics in them before I even got them home and I got them some ibuprofen before they took their nap and I will do Tylenol when they wake up to help with their fevers. I also built them a blanket fort so we can spend the day in there. And hopefully the groceries I ordered will be here soon so they can have all the popsicles and juice they want."
"You are the best mom ever," Vic said, "When I was a kid, my parents would sip me off to my grandma's when I was sick."
"I just want them to know that it's ok to be sick and to listen to their bodies and to not feel like they ever have to hide being sick from us," Maya said, "And I hate when they are hurting. If I could take it away from them, I would in a heartbeat."
"Like Is said, best mom ever," Vic said, "Or at least tied with your wife. You two both are amazing. Your girls are so lucky."
"We have lots of help," Maya said, smiling as she looked at Lia who was now fully asleep on Vic, "Thank you for being with Lia today. I hate that I had to leave her early, but Carina is on until 9 tonight and someone had to be here with the twins."
"Hey, I am never mad about extra cuddles with this little one," Vic said, "I haven't seen her in like four days and I swear she has changed so much. Also, Maya, is it me, or is her hair red?"
"You mean the hair she barely has?" Maya said, "That is still up for debate. But it looks red in certain light, that's for sure. But it still could end up being blonde or brown. She barely has any."
"I think you might have a little red head on your hands," Vic said, "Which will be adorable. It will match the fire engines on her jammies."
"I thought you would like those," Maya said, "And the best part is they have magnets so they are NICU friendly but not a pain like the snaps. God, who have I become? Talking about the best kinds of baby clothes?"
"You have become an amazing mom who cares so much about her kids that she knows the best kinds of clothes to get for them," Vic said, "It's sweet."
Maya ducked a little to avoid Vic seeing the blush that danced across her cheeks.
"I just want to do everything I can to make sure she comes home safely and that nothing I do inhibits that," Maya said.
"You are doing a great job," Vic said, "I mean, Lia is doing amazing."
"Thanks," Maya said, "It's a team effort. All everyone wants is for her to be home."
"So does she have to be off the oxygen and the feeding tube to go home?" Vic asked, having not talked to Maya about this ever, not wanting to upset her friend.
"Ideally, yes," Maya said, "But they said they will send babies home with oxygen or an NG tube if they are doing well in all other areas but still need a bit of extra support. She's been doing well though with both, although they tried to get her oxygen lowered the other day and it didn't go super well so they had to bump it back up, but she will get there."
"She will," Vic said, "And lucky for her, her parents are a doctor and a trained paramedic so even if she comes home with tubes and wires, she will be in the best hands."
Just then, Maya heard footsteps across the floor upstairs and then slowly coming down the stairs, Rowan appearing in the living room a minute later looking absolutely miserable as she climbed into Maya's lap.
"Hi Patatina," Maya said, holding her close, "How are you feeling?"
"Not good," Rowan said, rubbing her face on Maya's shirt. "Does your tummy hurt again?"
Maya asked, pressing a kiss to the top of Rowan's head, feeling the heat radiating off the toddler.
"I frowed up," Rowan said, causing Maya to tense.
"Now?" Maya said, hoping and praying the answer was no. Rowan nodded, rubbing her face on Maya.
"Oh Ro," Maya sighed, "It's ok. Do you still feel sick?"
Rowan just shrugged.
"I'll let you go deal with that," Vic said, "I hope you feel better Rowan."
Rowan just sighed, burrowing deeper into Maya, not looking at Vic.
"Thanks Vic," Maya said, "Sorry. She really isn't feeling well."
"Poor baby," Vic frowned, "Let me know if you need anything else from me."
"You are doing enough holding Lia," Maya said, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Vic said, "I'll send more photos later."
Maya nodded as she hung up, turning her attention back to Rowan.
"Ro, did you throw up in Mommy and Mamma's bed?" Maya asked, the little blonde nodding in her arms.
"I'm sorry," Rowan said, tears falling down her fever flushed cheeks.
"It's ok," Maya said, "You don't feel well. How about I go get you some medicine and a bucket just in case your tummy is feeling sick again and then I will go upstairs and get things cleaned up ok? Will you be ok on the couch until I get back?"
Rowan nodded as Maya helped her get comfy, covering her up in an extra blanket before going into the kitchen, grabbing the children's anti-nausea medicine alone with a bucket that had not too long ago been a permanent fixture next to Maya's bed when she was pregnant.
"Ok," Maya said, going back into the living room, finding Rowan half asleep on the couch, "Here Ro. Let's take this medicine. It will help your stomach feel better ok?"
Rowan nodded, opening her mouth and allowing Maya to put the medicine in, swallowing it before closing her eyes.
"You just sleep," Maya said, rubbing her back, "And if you feel sick, here is the bucket ok?"
Rowan nodded, Maya rubbing her back for another minute before heading upstairs. When she got into the master bedroom, she sighed, seeing that Rowan had indeed been sick in the bed and unfortunately, it was on the comforter that Maya knew she should have taken off before she laid the twins down.
She pulled it off the bed carefully, happy that it seemed to be contained to only the comforter so at least she could let Nora keep napping for now. She made sure the little brunette was covered up enough before carrying the dirty comforter downstairs.
It was days like today she was grateful they had a very larger washing machine, happy she was able to just stick it in without a trip to the laundry mat.
Once that was getting cleaned, she went to check on the soup, finding it still simmering. She spent the next hour and a half just hanging out, checking some emails for work, that weren't urgent, but she liked to know what was happening at her stations when she was out. She kept a close eye on Rowan, going up to check on Nora a few times also.
The twins napped for a little over 3 hours which never happened anymore, Rowan right on the verge of giving up her nap entirely. Rowan was, as always, the first one to wake up, just crawling into Maya's lap once she was awake, Nora coming down and joining them not too long later.
After a round of Tylenol for both girls and another dose of Emetrol for Rowan, Maya got the girls settled into the blanket fort just in time for their groceries to get delivered. She put on a movie for them before going to get the groceries put away.
"Bambine, would you like a popsicle or some juice or anything?" Maya asked once she got everything put away.
"Popolule," Rowan said, Nora nodding at the suggestion.
"Ok," Maya said, "And how about some juice too?"
"Appa juice?" Nora said.
"Drape juice," Rowan said.
"Two popsicles, apple juice, and grape juice," Maya said, "I'll be right back."
"And then cuddles?" Nora asked.
"And then cuddles," Maya affirmed.
True to her word, Maya was in the fort with the twins, cuddling with them and just letting them be held in the way they needed. Despite the fact that Maya made soup, the twins wanted smoothies for dinner so that is exactly what they got, Maya eating the soup herself.
The twins were pretty pitiful all afternoon, really just wanting to be held and cuddle with Maya which was fine with her. She loved holding her babies and making them feel safe.
After dinner, the twins took a bath before getting into clean pajamas. It was still kinda early for bedtime and Maya wanted to get another dose of ibuprofen into them to help them sleep better and they needed their evening dose of antibiotics so they all went back down to the blanket fort, this time Maya bringing books and reading to the twins as they fought sleep.
"I want Mamma to tome home," Rowan said, her head in Maya's lap.
"I know," Maya said, rubbing her back, "But she has to work late tonight. She will see you after you are sleeping and she is going to be home tomorrow."
"You too?" Nora asked, looking up at Maya.
"I will probably go see Lia, but I will be home some too," Maya nodded, "And you two will be home tomorrow too and probably the next day because you have to be fever free for 24 hours before you can go back to daycare."
"My froat hurts," Rowan sighed, squirming a little next to Maya.
"I'm sorry Patatina," Maya said, rubbing her back, "It's almost time for more medicine."
"And popalules?" Rowan asked.
"I think you can have another popsicle too," Maya nodded, "How about I read one more book and then we will do that?"
Rowan nodded, rubbing her eyes a little bit as Maya started another story. Once medicines were taken and popsicles were eaten, the twins were basically asleep in the blanket fort. Maya wanted desperately to move them up to their beds, but she couldn't carry them so she knew she would have to wait for her wife.
Once the twins were actually asleep and settled, she went into the kitchen, cleaning up the dinner mess, making sure there was food left for Carina when she got home in a few hours. She put the comforter in the dryer before she went to pump, finding that her head was starting to hurt a little bit.
After the milk was pumped and properly stored, she sat down on the couch to read, struggling a bit to keep her eyes open with how exhausted she was, though taking care of two sick three-year-olds on as little sleep as she had been running on lately was bound to make her exhausted. She was almost asleep when she heard the door open around 9:30, opening her eyes just as Carina came into the living room.
"Hey," she said quietly, "The twins are asleep in the blanket fort. How was work?"
"Work was fine. I delivered a few bambini, had to send a few mamas home because they were in false labor, nothing too exciting, thank god," Carina smiled, "Were they alright this afternoon?"
"They were pretty miserable," Maya said, "Rowan puked on our comforter so that is in the dryer. I've been trying to give her Emetrol to help, but she hasn't been complaining of feeling sick so hopefully that is not going to keep being an issue. But we spent most of the day in the blanket fort. They had smoothies for dinner, but there's some leftover soup I made if you need dinner."
"Vic actually dropped me off a salad and a sandwich before she went to see Lia," Carina said, "So I ate, but thank you. I'm sure the soup will be good for them at some point while they are recovering."
"That's what I figured," Maya nodded as she yawned.
"Ok, I am going to get the bambine into bed, and then we are going to go to bed," Carina said, "I am tired and I'm sure you are too, and I want to get as much sleep as possible just in case these two don't sleep well tonight."
"I gave them their meds around 7," Maya said, "I've been alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen to help with their pain and fevers. They can have Tylenol again at 10 if they need it and then ibuprofen at 1 am."
"Ok," Carina said as she carefully picked Rowan up, the toddler sound asleep.
It didn't take long for Carina to get the twins in bed and settled, Maya getting herself ready for bed while she was doing that.
"I am so tired," Maya said, yawning as Carina came into the bathroom.
"Are you feeling ok?" Carina asked, putting a hand on Maya's forehead, not feeling any heat which was good.
"I'm fine," Maya said, "Just tired and I have a little bit of a headache, but I think 4 hours of kids movies are probably to blame for that."
"I just hope you aren't getting sick," Carina said, eyeing her wife as she grabbed her toothbrush.
"I'm fine," Maya said, shaking her head, "I mean, we have both been exhausted since Lia was born and today is no different."
"That's true," Carina said as she brushed her teeth.
"Can we call Lia before you shower?" Maya asked, "Sorry. I'm just tired and I don't want to fall asleep before we do."
"Si," Carina said, "I was going to stop by and see her when I left, by my last case ran late and I wanted to get home. Let's call the NICU and see if we can tell her goodnight."
After a short call with Lia with the help of her night nurse, Carina went to get in the shower while Maya climbed into bed, Carina finding her wife sound asleep when she finished.
It wasn't super uncommon these days, but it also wasn't the norm, but Carina decided it was probably just exhaustion, climbing into bed next to her wife, the blonde moving into her arms as she did so and pretty quickly, both of them drifted off to sleep.
The twins shockingly stayed asleep all night, and the following morning, Carina was a little bit surprised she was the first one up until she rolled over and looked at her wife, noticing a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, reaching over and pressing her hand to her forehead, sighing when she felt the furnace the blonde had apparently become overnight.
She knew it was probably strep which wasn't surprising considering Maya had been the one taking care of the twins all day yesterday. Carina was not looking forward to having to break it to her wife that she was not going to be able to go see Lia today though. Even if Maya wasn't sick, she probably shouldn't have gone to the NICU because she was in direct contact with the girls who were actually sick, but now, it was for sure a no go.
Carina just laid in bed, grabbing her phone and quickly texting Amelia, asking her friend to put in a prescription for Maya for antibiotics because she had the twins strep. Amelia texted back quickly, saying it was done, telling Carina she threw in one for her too, just in case, and also that she could swing it by later in the morning.
Carina gratefully accepted the offer, not wanting to have to leave her wife or babies while they were sick. Just as she finished texting, Maya stirred in bed next to her.
"Mmmm," she groaned as she opened her eyes, stretching a little bit before grimacing as she swallowed.
"Buongiorno Bambina," Carina said gently, letting Maya wake up on her own time.
"I don't feel well," Maya groaned, hand on her throat.
"I know," Carina said, "I am pretty sure you caught strep from the bambine. Amelia already called in a prescription for you and she'll bring it by in a little bit. You can just rest. Can I get you anything?"
"I have to get up," Maya said, forcing her achy body to sitting, "I need to go see Lia."
"What?" Carina said, confused as Maya got out of bed, the Italian quickly following after her, "No. Maya, get back in bed."
"I'm fine," the sick blonde said as tears pricked her eyes when she swallowed.
"Bambina, you have to stay home," Carina sighed.
"Lia needs me," Maya said, shaking her head, "She is all alone and I need to be there for her."
"They aren't going to let you in the NICU with a fever like this," Carina said, "You have strep and if you give that to Lia, it could be very bad. You have to stay home and rest."
"But she is alone," Maya said, tears in her eyes.
"She has a whole staff of NICU nurses there with her," Carina said, pulling her burning hot wife close, "The very best thing you can do for her is not go anywhere near her for the next day or two. If she gets sick, it could be very bad. Besides, you need to rest and let your body get better."
"I need to be with her," Maya sobbed, "She's all alone. I need to be with her."
"I know," Carina sighed, gently rocking them back and forth as Maya clung to her, "But you have to get better. You wouldn't want to pass strep on to her. It could be really dangerous."
"You should go be with her then," Maya said.
"I have been exposed to you and the twins," Carina said, "It wouldn't be safe for me to go either. We are going to have to wait until we get this bug out of our house before we go see her again."
"No," Maya sobbed, "Carina, she is all alone. She is going to think we left her. She isn't going to get held like she likes or read her favorite book or sang her favorite song. I need to be there. Or you do. One of us has to be there with her."
"It's ok," Carina said, just holding Maya tightly as the blonde all but started hyperventilating, "There are nurses there and maybe we can see if Andrea or Amelia or Vic or someone can go and hold her, ok? And we can call and sing to her on the iPad ok? It will just be a few days until we can make sure you aren't contagious anymore. I know you want to be there with her, but Bambina, if you pass this on to Lia you would never forgive yourself."
"I know but I...I will miss her," Maya sobbed.
"I know," Carina said, rubbing her wife's back as she pulled her closer, "I know. I will too. But it won't be too long."
"Ow," Maya said, pushing back from Carina a little bit.
"Is your throat really bothering you?" Carina asked, worried.
"No," Maya said, "I mean, yes, but also, my boob is hurting."
Carina gently lifted Maya's shirt, sighing when she saw the bright redness and swelling on her wife's left breast.
"I think you have mastitis," Carina sighed, looking a little closer, knowing from experience both personally and as a physician that she was correct, "I need to call Danielle and get you another antibiotic. You just rest."
"I don't feel well," Maya whimpered, leaning her head onto her wife's chest.
"I know Bambina," Carina sighed, rubbing her back, "I know. And I am so sorry. I am going to make sure we get you some medicine and then you can just rest all day."
"I miss Lia," Maya said, tears dripping down her fever flushed cheeks.
"Lo so," Carina said, "Let's get you back into bed so you can rest and later, when you are feeling a little bit better, we can call the hospital and talk to her. But you need to rest. Actually, first, you probably need to pump and then rest."
"It's going to hurt to pump," Maya said.
"Si," Carina said, "It probably will. Let me call Danielle and get your medications sorted out and then we can figure out how to make it not so bad. I am going to get you some Tylenol first though because you are boiling. Get into bed."
Maya thought she might cry forever as she got into bed. Her head hurt, her throat burned, her boob was incredibly painful, and she had terrible chills running through her aching body. But none of that was quite as bad as how much her heart hurt knowing it would be a few days before she could see her baby.
Carina went downstairs, poking her head into the twins' room, finding them both still asleep. She went and grabbed some Tylenol for Maya and called Danielle, getting her to write another prescription for Maya for a second antibiotic, wanting to make sure they got on top of the mastitis as soon as possible.
Carina got Maya some Tylenol downstairs along with a glass of ice water, texting Amelia as she went back upstairs, asking the neurosurgeon to grab both of Maya's antibiotics which Amelia happily agreed to. Carina just finished with those text exchanges when she walked back into their bedroom, heart breaking when she saw her wife curled up in bed sobbing.
"Oh Bambina," the Italian said, setting down the medication and water on her nightstand before quickly crawling into bed, pulling her wife into her arms, "It's going to be ok. We are going to get you feeling better and in just a few days, you will be back with Lia, ok? We will get you through this."
It took a while, but eventually, the tears calmed down, Carina grabbing a tissue and wiping Maya's face.
"Va bene?" Carina asked, "I mean, I know you aren't, but are you for now?"
Maya nodded, leaning against her wife.
"Let's get some meds in you and then you need to pump. I can help you hand express on the side with mastitis, but we have to take care of that."
"I know," Maya sighed, "I should have set alarms to wake up to pump last night, but I forgot and apparently I was so tired I didn't just wake up."
"You are sick," Carina said, "You needed rest, although we need to stay on top of this for the next few days so the infection gets better."
"I know," Maya said, rubbing her puffy eyes, "Did you get up with the twins last night?"
"No," Carina said, "They slept all night. I checked on them when I went downstairs and they are both still sound asleep. This is really knocking them out."
"Yeah, I can imagine why," Maya said as Carina handed her the Tylenol, "I feel horrible."
"Hopefully we will get all three of you feeling better soon," Carina said, "You can just rest all day and I will watch the twins."
"Maybe I should just watch them so you don't catch this," Maya said as Carina got up to grab her pump, "I'm sure they would be happy to just hang out in here with me all day."
"Bambina, I spent all night in bed with you," Carina said, "Also, I am not not going to take care of the three of you. If I get sick, I get sick. Amelia is brining over a prescription for antibiotics for me too just in case so if I start feeling sick, I can start on it right away. But I am taking care of my girls today."
"Ok," Maya said, attaching her pump to her right breast before looking down at the pump in her hand and then her angry, red, painful left one.
"How about we just skip the pumping all together and I will hand express for you?" Carina said, knowing how incredibly painful mastitis could be, "Or, I have also had patients tell my they have had their partners suck on their breast instead of their baby to help."
"Seriously?" Maya said, eyes wide.
"Si," Carina said, "So if you want that, I can also do that."
"Um, let's try hand expression first," Maya said, biting her lip.
"Ok," Carina said, "I am going to go get a hot compress to help too. I'll be back."
Soon enough, Carina was back in bed, sitting next to her wife, hot compress in hand, grabbing an extra bottle to put the milk in.
"Here we go," Carina said, picking up her wife's breast, hearing Maya gasp a little bit, "You tell me if you need me to stop, ok?"
Maya nodded, gripping the bed sheets as Carina started.
"You doing ok Bambina?" Carina asked about five minutes in, looking up and seeing tears pouring down Maya's cheeks, pain written all over her face, "Ok. I am going to stop and give you a break."
"Please don't," Maya said, "If you stop, you will have to start again and I just...please just keep going. But...can you go faster?"
"I can try," Carina said, not stopping what she was doing, "Just a few more minutes ok?"
Maya nodded, trying to think about anything else as Carina finished what she was doing.
"There we go," Carina said, "All done. Unfortunately, we are going to have to do that every three to four hours all day."
Maya just laid back against her pillows, tears slowly stopping.
"Maybe next time we try it in the shower, ok?" Carina said, stroking Maya's hair, "That might help."
"Ok," Maya said, voice quiet and small.
"Why don't you lay down and try to get some more sleep?" Carina said, "You are clearly miserable and rest will help. I will wake you up once Amelia gets here with your antibiotics so we can get you feeling better ok?" '
"Can you hold me until I fall asleep?" Maya asked, hating how needy she sounded but feeling so incredibly miserable and wanting her wife.
"Of cour..." Carina started to say just as they heard crying coming from down the hall.
"Go," Maya said, trying not to start crying, "They need you more. I'll be ok."
"I will come back and check on you as soon as I can ok?" Carina said, rubbing her back a little bit, "Your phone is right next to you. Just text me or all if you need me ok? Get some rest."
Maya nodded as Carina tucked the blankets in around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before heading out of the room to find the twins. She found Rowan just sitting in her bed, tears running down her cheeks.
"Hey, Patatina, what's going on?" Carina asked, picking the toddler up as she reached for her.
"I wanted you," Rowan said, laying her head down on Carina's shoulder, sniffling.
"Why didn't you just get up out of bed?" Carina said, rubbing her back.
Rowan shrugged and Carina decided not to ask more questions, knowing that sometimes when you are sick, you can't think clearly. Carina continued rubbing Rowan's back as she went over to check on Nora who was still sleeping. Carina left the room, carrying Rowan downstairs, holding her as she made coffee.
"Where's Mommy?" Rowan asked, rubbing her eyes, not picking up her head from Carina's shoulder.
"Mommy is sick today too," Carina said, "So she's sleeping in bed."
"I want to sweep wif Mommy," Rowan said.
"For right now, Mommy is going to sleep by herself ok?" Carina said, "But later, when she is feeling a little bit better, maybe we all can cuddle ok? But for now, it's me and you and Nora when she wakes up. Do you want breakfast?"
"My froat hurts," Rowan said, shaking her head.
"Let's get you some medicine," Carina said, grabbing the children's Tylenol off the counter, "And I think Mommy put some yogurt in the freezer yesterday. Do you think a yogurt popsicle might help your throat?"
Rowan thought for a minute before nodding her head. Carina poured Rowan's medicine into a cup, getting the toddler to take it before grabbing out a yogurt popsicle, cutting the top off before handing it to Rowan, grabbing her coffee before going to sit down on the couch. Rowan ate her popsicle, just staying curled up in Carina's lap once she was done, playing with the hem of her shirt.
About an hour later, Maya came downstairs with Nora in tow.
"Hey Piccola," Carina said, "Did you finally wake up?"
"She came in to find me," Maya rasped out as both she and Nora sat down on the couch, Nora crawling into Carina's arms while Maya laid down, her head in her wife's lap.
"My poor sick Bambine," Carina cooed, kissing the top of Nora's head as her hand found Maya's hair, running her fingers through the damp blonde strands.
Just then, Carina's phone dinged, Amelia telling her she was there with Maya's medications. Carina texted her, asking if she could just let herself in through the garage. A minute later, Amelia appeared in the living room.
"Thanks for bringing that stuff over," Carina said as Maya forced herself to sit up.
"Of course," Amelia said, "It looks like you are very much needed here. Maya, here you go."
"Thanks," the blonde said, taking the bag form Amelia, "You probably don't want to get too close. You don't want this."
"I actually had it a few days ago," Amelia said, "Harper also was kind enough to bring it home from daycare. I'm on day 5 of antibiotics."
"These kids and their daycare germs," Carina said, shaking her head.
"I know," Amelia said, "Is there anything else I can do for you guys? Do you need groceries or anything?"
"I had groceries delivered yesterday," Maya said, opening the bags, looking at the two antibiotics she had been prescribed.
"Alright," Amelia said, "Well if you need anything, call. I have the day off, but Harper is at daycare and Scout is at school because Harper was insistent she had to go today."
"Oh, actually, if you want, Lia could probably use some cuddles today," Carina said, shifting a little as Nora adjusted herself.
"Oh, of course," Amelia said, "I would love some baby snuggles. I'll head over there right now."
"Can you call us at some point so we can see her?" Maya asked, voice low and raspy as she blinked several times to stop the tears.
"Of course," Amelia said, "I honestly will probably stay until lunch time so why don't you call me when you are feeling up to it."
"Ok," Maya nodded, offering a small smile, "Thanks Amelia."
"Thank you for letting me have some baby cuddles," Amelia said, "I hope you guys feel better."
"Grazie Amelia," Carina said.
Once Amelia left, Carina got up, leaving the twins with Maya on the couch, grabbing her wife some water to take her pills before going to make everyone a smoothie for breakfast, knowing her girls loved smoothies and hoping the cold would help all the sore throats they had in the house today. Carina went back to bring everyone their breakfast, finding that her wife and daughters had migrated into the blanket fort, the twins curled up against Maya's sides as the blonde just gently rubbed their backs.
"Ok, I have breakfast for everyone," Carina said, "It's just smoothies so it should be easy to eat."
Everyone took their cups, drinking their smoothies, Carina going to grab the toast she had made for herself, joining them in the blanket fort. After everyone had had their medications, Carina got the twins started on a movie while Maya grabbed her phone to call Amelia and see Lia.
"Hey," Amelia said, picking up the phone, "She's sleeping right now, but here she is."
"How has she been?" Maya asked as she sat down on the couch, shivering a little bit.
"Good," Amelia said, "She had just finished her bottle when I got here. The nurse said she took about an ounce by mouth and then she after a diaper and outfit change fell asleep on me."
"Good," Maya said, smiling when she saw the cute little outfit Amelia had put Lia in which was one Andrew had bought for her that had pizzas on it, "She's been working on the bottles."
Just then, an alarm started going off, Maya almost jumping off the couch as Amelia set down her phone.
Maya felt like she was holding her beath as she listened to Amelia say "Come on Lia. You need to take a breath sweetheart."
It wasn't long but it felt like it took forever until Maya heard Lia start crying, feeling tears fill her own eyes as Carina rushed over to the couch, having heard the alarm noise from where she was getting juice for the twins in the kitchen.
"She's ok," Amelia said, still not picking up the phone as she held the little baby, trying to get her calmed down as the nurses came to check her out, "She's ok."
"It's ok Bambina," Carina said, wrapping her arm around her wife, the blonde shaking, "Amelia and the nurses have her. Lia is ok."
There was a few minutes of talking where Maya and Carina could hear the nurses checking Lia over before Amelia picked her phone back up.
"Hey," the neurosurgeon said, "She's ok. She's a little pissed we woke her up from her nap, but she's ok. She just forgot she has to breathe when she is sleeping."
"Lia, you have to keep breathing Trottolina," Carina said as Amelia showed them Lia, her little face damp with tears, a little pout on her face, "It's ok. Zia Amelia has you."
It was then Carina looked over at Maya again, the blonde pale and breathing pretty fast.
"Hey Amelia, we are going to call you back later ok?" Carina said.
"Of course," Amelia said, "I've got her. She's ok. Call whenever."
Carina hung up, turning all her attention to her wife.
"Bambina, hey," Carina said, "Take a breath for me ok? Lia is ok and she is breathing again, but you need to too, ok?"
"That was horrible," Maya said, letting out a sob as Carina pulled her into a hug.
"I know," Carina said, also feeling this way but knowing Maya's hormones combined with how sick she was was making things way worse, "I know. It is so hard not to be there with her when she has one of her spells, but Amelia was right there and Lia is ok. She is safe."
"I need to be with her," Maya cried.
"I know," Carina said, "I know you do. It will just be a few days and then you can, but right now, we have to get you healthy ok?"
"Mommy, why you trying?" Rowan asked, coming out of the blanket tent having heard the tears, Nora following behind her.
"Mommy is just really missing Lia right now," Carina said as the twins climbed up on the couch.
"It's otay Mommy," Nora said, rubbing her back as Rowan did the same.
"Come here," Maya said, pulling out of Carina's arms, bringing the twins close to her, ignoring the pain in her boob as she held them incredibly close.
After a few minutes, Maya's tears stopped, the twins just staying with her.
"Bambine, why don't you go back and watch your movie and I will come join you in a few minutes ok?" Carina said, hoping they could call Amelia back and see Lia again before hopefully she could get Maya to rest.
This next call with Amelia was much easier, Lia drifting off to sleep as Carina sang to her, Maya's throat way too sore to sing.
Once Lia was asleep and calm and Amelia promised to let them know if anything else happened, Maya and Carina hung up, Maya going to get up to go back to the blanket fort.
"Bambina, you don't have to go in there if you don't want to," Carina said, "I know you are achy and exhausted and the floor is not comfortable. You can lay on the couch or go up to bed if you want. I will lay with them."
"I don't want to be alone," Maya said, shaking her head, "I'll be ok with them in there. I put extra blankets down this time."
"Alright," Carina said, "Come on."
All four of them spent a few hours in the fort before Maya had to go pump again, insisting this time she could do it herself because the twins were so comfortable on Carina.
However, after trying to pump, Maya decided pumping with mastitis was awful, it taking everything in her to not rip the pump off her body. Once she finished pumping which she had done on the couch, she was so exhausted she just allowed her eyes to slip shut. She didn't wake up again until she felt someone crawling up next to her, opening her eyes a little to see Nora curled up at her side.
"Hey Piccola," Maya rasped out, "How are you?"
"Sweepy," Nora said, fingers in her mouth as she held her blanket close, "Mamma said it's time to eat."
"Are you going to go eat with Mamma?" Maya asked, trying to keep her eyes open.
"I'm not hundry," Nora said, shaking her head as she cuddled closer into Maya's side, "I want you."
"Ok," Maya said, wrapping her arm around Nora.
"Nora," Carina called softly, coming into the room, "Where are...oh."
"I'm sweeping wif Mommy," Nora said.
"It's lunch time Piccola," Carina said.
"I don't want to," Nora said, "I'm tired."
"But I made pasta, your favorite," Carina offered, "Come on. Let's let Mommy sleep."
"I'm not sleeping," Maya mumbled, forcing her eyes open again, "Just resting my eyes. Nora, do you want to eat a little pasta and then have a nap?"
"I want you Mommy," Nora said.
"What if I come have lunch with you?" Maya said, trying to force her sleepy body to wake up more.
"Bambina, you can rest if you need to," Carina said, seeing how miserable her wife looked.
"I'm ok," Maya said, getting herself to sitting, "I probably should eat something. Or at least drink something."
"Si," Carina nodded, "Especially with mastitis, you need lots of fluids. How did pumping go earlier?"
"Bad," Maya said, "It hurt so so bad."
"Maybe we try a hot shower when the twins are napping," Carina said, "I mean, you can do it alone because I know you haven't quite been feeling up to doing that together lately or..."
"No, I want you," Maya said, "I just want you."
"Ok," Carina said, willing to give her wife anything she wanted at this point, "You will have me. Let's get some food into all of you and then I think these two are going to take a long nap and we can get you sorted out ok?"
Maya nodded as Carina helped her up before picking Nora up too. Lunch was the same kind of pasta Maya had made yesterday, though the blonde ended up just eating some chicken broth and a little bit of yogurt.
Once lunch was over, they took the twins upstairs, Carina carrying both of them, Maya following behind. It didn't take too long to get the twins to fall asleep, both of them ending up asleep in Maya's lap where they had curled up during stories and songs. Carina carefully got them transferred into bed before helping her almost sleeping wife up.
"Let's get you in the shower first," Carina said, "Because while I think the twins are going to nap for a long time, I am not 100% sure and I want to be able to help you with the shower and then if I can lay down with you, I will and if not, you can just lay down yourself and I will take care of the twins."
Maya nodded as Carina guided her into the bathroom, sitting her on the edge of the tub while she started the shower.
"Alright," Carina said, pulling off her own clothes before turning to her wife, "Ready?"
Maya nodded, allowing her wife to pull off her shirt before she stood up, her pants falling off easily as Carina guided her to the hot shower.
"Carina it's cold," Maya said, shivering a little bit under the water.
"It's really not Bambina," Carina said, feeling the water, "You are just burning up. I will make it a little hotter, but not much because we don't want to increase your temperature or make you dizzy."
Maya nodded, wrapping her arms around her torso as Carina started washing her hair, though the Italian couldn't tell if it was because she was cold or embarrassed about her body. She loved her wife's body and how it looked at every stage of her pregnancy and postpartum, though it did scare her a bit in the early days of the pregnancy when Maya was so incredibly thin from how sick she had been.
But she also knew that after having a baby, it can take a while to get back to feeling good about your body. It had been months before she was ok with Maya seeing her naked after she had the twins and she knew Maya was already having body image struggles while she was pregnant.
As Carina worked the shampoo into her wife's thick blonde hair, she leaned down and whispered, "You are so beautiful Bambina," in her ear.
"I look like a mess," Maya said, shaking her head.
"Your body, all of it is so incredibly beautiful," Carina said, "And nothing will ever convince me otherwise."
Maya was just quiet as Carina went back to washing her hair, giving her wife a scalp massage as she went. Once Maya's hair was cleaned, Carina moved so Maya was facing her, giving the Italian a good look at Maya's infected breast.
"Oh Bambina," Carina said, "This looks so painful."
"It is," Maya nodded, looking down, "Honestly, everything hurts right now though. It's time to try to do something to empty my milk though."
"Are you ok if I try hand expressing it for you?" Carina asked, "I mean, I know we won't be able to save it, but I think the hot shower might help some."
"Yeah, that's good," Maya said, nodding, "Can Lia even have my milk right now with me being sick?"
"Si," Carina nodded, "There's nothing wrong with it. It will likely have some more antibodies in it, but the only thing that will do is help her. Alright. Ready?"
Maya nodded as Carina started, the blonde holding onto her wife.
"Do you need me to stop?" Carina asked as she felt her wife's nails digging into her arm.
"Just for a minute," Maya nodded, Carina immediately stopping, Maya leaning her head on her wife's shoulder.
"It's ok," Carina said, "I've got you ok? Is being in the shower helping at all?"
"Some," Maya said, "I don't know. It is just so uncomfortable."
"I know," Carina said, "Hopefully that will start to ease soon."
"Alright," Maya said after a few minutes, "You can keep going."
"I will be as fast as I can ok?" Carina said, starting the process of hand expressing again.
Once she was done, they stayed in the shower a little longer, Carina washing her own hair as Maya just leaned against her, absolutely exhausted.
"Ok Bambina," Carina said, as she turned off the shower water, "Let's get you into bed ok?"
Carina helped Maya out of the shower and into her pajamas, the Italian sitting her wife on the edge of the tub so she could dry her hair before dragging the nearly sleeping blonde to bed.
"Wake me up if you need help with the twins," Maya mumbled as she cuddled into Carina.
"You just rest," Carina said, "I've got the bambine."
The OB never got an answer form her wife, the blonde fully asleep already. Carina ended up falling asleep with Maya, not waking up until she felt someone climbing into bed with them. She opened her eyes, immediately feeling a headache behind them as she looked to see Rowan crawling into bed.
"Hi Mamma," Rowan said, moving closer to her.
"Hi Patatina," Carina said, wincing as she swallowed, feeling the ache that had apparently settled in her throat during her nap, "Let's go downstairs so Mommy can sleep."
"Mommy's sick," Rowan said, looking at Carina, "Si," she said, standing up, feeling a bit of a head rush as she did so, chills running through her, "She is. I think everyone is sick."
"But not you Momma," Rowan said, appearing a bit more lively than she had this morning.
"I think I might also be sick," Carina said, as she headed into the twins' room to check on Nora, "My throat is hurting and I don't feel very well. But I will be ok."
"Oh," Rowan said, frowning.
As they walked into the twins' room, Carina found Nora awake in bed, just sucking on her fingers with her blankie held close.
"Do you want to come downstairs with us Piccola?" Carina asked, rubbing Nora's back. The little brunette nodded, reaching for Carina.
"Should we go get popsicles?" Carina asked, wanting something to calm the burning in her throat.
"Si," Rowan said, "Tan we eat them outside?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Carina nodded, "What do you think Nora?"
Nora just shrugged, her fingers still in her mouth. The three of them went downstairs, the twins allowing their mamma to set them down as she grabbed popsicles for the girls and herself along with some fresh cups of water, also grabbing herself a banana so she could take both a dose of her antibiotics as well as some Advil.
The twins were due for their Tylenol so she got that in them before all three of them headed outside. It was a pretty nice day for early September, Carina and the twins sitting down on the outdoor couch they had.
It was clear Rowan was starting to feel at least a little bit better, the toddler finding some chalk and drawing a picture on the patio while Nora just stayed with Carina on the couch. Carina ended up going inside to grab a blanket because despite the warm weather, her fever had her wracked with chills. She was really hoping that because she got antibiotics on board right away that she would start to feel better faster, but she also knew there was a chance she was going to feel pretty awful for the next few days. The good news was that the twins were now considered non-contagious after 24 hours on antibiotics so if they needed to call in reinforcements, at least their friends wouldn't end up sick.
They stayed outside for a decent amount of time, Nora eventually joining her sister with the chalk while Carina just watched from the couch. Not too long after they came outside, the door opened and Maya came stumbling out wrapped in a blanket.
"Mommy," Rowan and Nora both said, running over to her, giving her hugs.
"Are you still sick?" Rowan asked, "Yike Mamma?"
"Mamma's not sick," Maya said, confused.
"Yes she is," Rowan said, "Her froat hurts just like me and you and Noa."
It was then Maya looked over and saw her wife curled up on their outdoor couch with a blanket wrapped around her.
"Hey Bambina," Carina said, waving at her as the blonde made her way to her wife.
"You're sick too?" Maya asked, putting a hand on Carina's forehead, realizing only after she did it that she also had a fever which made feeling her wife's temperature much harder.
"Si," Carina nodded, "I woke up from my nap with a headache and chills and a sore throat. I've already gotten a dose of antibiotics and some Advil."
"Good," Maya said, "Sorry you are sick."
"It's ok," Carina said, shrugging, "It was bound to happen right? I feel like since radiation, I get everything the bambine bring home."
Maya hummed and nodded, knowing that was true. Both of them often got sick when the twins were sick, but Carina had had every single bug or cold since her cancer treatments and even other viruses the twins didn't even end up with. Luckily, her body unlike right after her treatment, her body was actually doing well at fighting illnesses now which was a big plus.
"It seems like the twins are doing better," Maya said, leaning her head on her wife's shoulder. "Si," Carina said, "How are you feeling?"
"Pretty bad," Maya admitted, "But I'll be ok. I can help you with whatever you need."
"For right now, just rest," Carina said, "The bambine are happy and everything is ok. I think Andy said she was going to drop off some soup later for dinner so that is covered. And I imagine eventually, the twins are going to get tired and want to just cuddle. I think we will be ok tonight."
Maya nodded shivering a little big, Carina moving her blanket to wrap around both of them as they watched the twins play, leaning on each other as they relaxed as much as they could.
"Travis texted me while I was asleep," Maya said, "He's hanging out with Lia this evening. I was thinking maybe I would call him right now while the twins are happy and see how Lia is."
"That is a good plan," Carina said as her wife pulled out her phone. The phone rang twice before Travis picked up.
"Hey sickie," Travis said, seeing Maya first, "And hey Carina. How are you guys doing?"
"Well, I have unfortunately joined my family in their illness," Carina said, "So that is not great, but the bambine are feeling a little better."
"Good," Travis said, "I mean not good that you are sick, but good the twins are feeling better. I'm thinking maybe this little bird might help you feel a little bit better."
"Hi Trottolina," Carina said, smiling when she saw Lia with her eyes wide open, "Are you having a good afternoon with Zio Travis?"
"She has been very good," Travis nodded, "She took part of her bottle for the nurse and she only spit up a little bit when I burped her and she took her nap and remembered to breathe through the whole thing right little bird?"
"Good job Peanut," Maya said, "Mamma and I are so so proud of you."
"She has also been working hard on holder her head up," Travis said as Lia picked her head up off his chest for a second, "It's been hard work."
"I feel like she has grown just in the last 24 hours," Carina sighed.
"I know," Maya said, "I miss her so much."
"Well, until the two of you are well enough to be around her again, Amelia has made sure there is someone to cover all your usual shifts," Travis said, "I'm here until non-family visitors have to leave and then Andrew is taking a turn. And I think Mason is going to come tomorrow morning for a little bit and then Teddy is taking a shift and then Andy and then Andrew again. I'm pretty sure Andrew is trying to become Lia's favorite"
"Really?" Maya said, "Amelia really arranged that?"
"She did," Travis said, "And everyone jumped at the chance to come get some Lia snuggles in. And Vic and I are free tomorrow if you need any help with the twins. I don't know what your plans are or how the two of you will be feeling, but we can help out if need be."
"Grazie," Carina said, "We might take you up on that. They aren't contagious anymore because they have had 24 hours of antibiotics and it seems like they are feeling better. The two of us, however, not so much."
"Just let us know," Travis said, "We are always happy to help. And you both look like you could use some rest."
"Thanks Trav," Maya said, her eyes still glues to the tiny baby in her friend's arms, "And thanks for making sure Lia is taken care of too. It's so hard not to be there with her."
"I can't even imagine," Travis said, shaking his head, "I am happy to do it. She is so snuggly."
"She does love her cuddles," Carina agreed.
The three of them just sat there on the phone, Travis holding his so the moms could see their baby until the twins got antsy and wanted to go inside. Once they both said goodbye to Lia and promised to call her at bedtime, they sadly hung up the phone before turning their full attention back to the two kids they had at home with them, hoping that the rest of the evening would go smoothly.
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What did you think? I feel like this family was due for a sick day and I just had to write it. I hope you enjoyed it. It's likely going to be a while before I get the next chapter up. I am extremely busy the next few weeks (family stuff and my best friend's wedding which is somehow only 9 days away ahhh). I feel like I've also been in a weird funk lately and it's making writing a lot harder. I'm not really sure what's causing it, but yeah, anyway. Thank you all so much for sticking around despite how sporadic these updates have been. Thanks for reading, commenting, and voting. Your comments truly make my day.
Also, if you want to see the two outfits Lia was wearing in this chapter, there's on the post on Twitter about this chapter: @musicgirl1120