Maya was a quick study indeed and as it turned out, she loved sex as much as the old Maya did, which luckily was as much as Carina did. They still hadn't done anything crazy, but Carina could tell that Maya was gaining confidence each time. It made her happy, and it made Maya happy, life was great.
Maya also seemed way more confident in the way she carried herself outside the bedroom. She had a job she really liked, she was eating better, she was going to therapy, and she was acting more mature all around. Carina watched it all with pride.
"Ciao, bambina. Good run?"
"Fantastic. Whatcha eating?" Maya asked as she popped her head in front of Carina from the back of the couch.
"Crackers with cheese."
"Can I have one?" Maya asked and opened her mouth. Carina laughed and fed it to her. She opened her mouth but Maya cut her off.
"I know, stealing food from our babies." She yelled as she walked in the shower. Carina smiled as she wondered if Maya realised what she'd just said.
All of a sudden a warmth flooded her thighs and Carina looked down to see her water had broken. She smiled, fucking finally. She calmly walked into the bathroom where Maya was and undressed.
"Ehm, I'm in here?" Maya said, her tone playful but curious.
"I know, I just have to rinse off quickly. My water broke."
"Your what?"
"My water, it broke."
"They're coming?"
"Well probably not for a little while, I haven't even had a co-" A sharp pain hit her abdomen and she grabbed Maya's shoulders. It didn't last very long, and Maya was pale as a ghost. She laughed a little. "Okay, so I've had one contraction and I'd like to rinse off before I go to the hospital."
"Can I come?" Maya asked, she seemed worried more than anything and Carina was reminded of the last time Maya joined her at the hospital. She had fainted, the time after that she'd had a panic attack, but they were completely different then than they were now.
"If you want. You don't have to."
"I want to. Now just, stand there and let me wash you." Carina laughed loudly.
⎯⎯⎯
"So what are you going to call them?" Maya asked as she got settled in the hospital bed. It was clear that she was trying to get Carina to focus on something besides the pain, but that was not a comfortable conversation for her right now. She hadn't wanted to think about that, because in her head it was something that Maya and her should decide together.
"I don't know yet, I figured I'd wait until I see them and then decide." She said, not a complete lie.
"Oh okay. Wow, we're different kinds of people." Maya joked and Carina laughed.
"That we are, my love." She knew that under normal circumstances, Maya would have insisted they had the name picked out at least five months before the due date.
"Are you doing okay? Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine Maya. I could use a hug though." Maya immediately reached over and hugged her. "Can you..?" She was a little afraid to ask.
"Can I?"
"I have this research." Carina started and Maya nodded. "Ehm, I would like to try it for myself."
"Okay?" Maya seemed confused, Carina couldn't blame her.
"Is it okay if I touch myself?" She spit out and halfway expected Maya to be on the other side of the room or out the door, but instead Maya stroked her cheek.
"Whatever you want. I can touch you too, if you prefer that." She said softly and Carina felt a tear leave her eye without permission.
"Are you in pain?" Maya asked and Carina nodded slightly. She was, but that was not why she was crying. She was crying because this was exactly how she'd envisioned everything, and Maya was being perfect. "Can I come on the bed with you?" Carina nodded again. Maya climbed up and kissed her neck. Carina turned her head so their lips could meet.
"I think I love you." Maya whispered.
"I know I love you." Carina chuckled back and Maya rolled her eyes in classic Maya fashion and it was all so perfect.
"Okay, smarty-pants." Maya said as she cupped her core. Carina gasped.
"Are you turned on?" Maya asked.
"Not yet." Carina smirked, though she definitely was, just the thought of what was about to happen was enough to get her going.
"This is one of your kinks, isn't it. In public?"
"Maya, come on."
"I'm just asking. You like doing it here, knowing that someone could walk in and catch us." She said it like she would say any other fact, but Carina knew Maya knew what she was doing.
"Don't play innocent with me."
"Huh, me? Never." Maya smiled as she started stroking her fingers up and down Carina's pussy. She circled around her clit a few times, and Carina so regretted teaching her that move.
"Ahh, Maya contraction."
"What should I do?" Maya asked and pulled her hand away. Carina grabbed it and placed it back.
"Please keep going. I want to-" Maya kept rubbing, right where she wanted her now, and Carina was grateful she was done teasing.
"Oh my god. That feels good Maya." Carina groaned as her orgasm hit right when her contraction ended.
"Are you okay?" Maya asked. Her face was white as a sheet and Carina was once again afraid she'd scared Maya. She thought about the first time, when Maya had fainted, and then again the panic attack when she had brought in Brianna.
"Bambina, are you afraid of hospitals?"
"No." Maya huffed. "Maybe. I don't know."
"You never told me." Carina said, knowing her answer had meant yes.
"Well, I'm pretty sure a firefighter wouldn't be scared of the hospital so I probably got over it."
"That's a good point. Are you feeling okay though?"
Just as Maya opened her mouth, someone knocked on the door. And Maya seemed to realise her hand was still in Carina's underwear. She pulled them out and Carina giggled as she wiped her hands on Carina's hospital gown.
"Come in."
In came Dr. Bailey with a smile. "I heard you were here, and hi Bishop, what are you doing in her bed?"
"I was just hugging her." Maya replied, Carina could tell she was nervous. She gave her thigh a quick squeeze.
"No funny business in my hospital." She held her finger up.
"No ma'am." Maya said and Carina had to hold back a laugh at her big eyes.
"I'm more worried about her." She pointed at Carina who smiled back.
"It's for science?" Carina said.
"Nice try, DeLuca." She fake scolded and Carina beamed. Bailey shifted her gaze to Maya.
"How are you?"
"I'm okay. Better. I'm sorry about the last time..."
"You had your stuff. That's okay, I'm just happy you guys seem better. I promised I'd ask if it was okay I let my husband know when you're here?"
"Your husband?" Maya asked.
"Oh, Ben. Warren. He said you'd met."
"I like Ben. He was nice to me." Maya smiled.
"We're the others not?" She asked and it sounded like she was about as mad about it as Carina felt.
"They were fine." Maya shrugged.
"Okay, Maya. But you let me know, I'm good at intimidating people." Carina okayed her letting 19 know. She winked and wished them good luck and was out the door.
Maya let out a big breath.
"She's not as scary as she wants you to think." Carina soothed.
"She knew we had sex in here. Immediately."
"It's for science." Carina argued and Maya nudged her.
"I'm not so sure about that Dr. DeLuca." Maya mused.
⎯⎯⎯
"Cut right here Maya." Maya cut where Jo pointed for the second time. They brought the baby away and then to Carina who was already holding baby one. She was holding a baby in each arm and Maya was left standing in the middle of the room, wondering how she fit into all this.
They'd had many almost conversations about it, but they'd always been kind of derailed, never actually figuring anything out and now they were here. Two impossibly small babies in Carina's arms. She didn't have a third arm for Maya, and Maya didn't know how she felt about it.
"She had hoped she would feel the connection once they were born. She remembered her mother talking about that instant mother daughter bond. Maya thought that Maybe because they were half her DNA she would feel it.
It made her sad that she didn't.
"Maya come look, she's opening her eyes." Maya moved before she even realised it. Baby two opened her eyes and looked straight at Maya. She had blue eyes like her and she looked so beautiful.
"I think she wants you to hold her." Carina said gently.
"She's a baby." Maya huffed. "Babies don't know what they want."
"Okay." Carina laughed. "Do you want to hold her then?"
"Ehm," she looked at the baby again. Her eyes were closed now, she looked so peaceful and Maya was scared of disrupting her. But then again, Carina was probably tired, and holding two babies seemed like a lot and she had promised she'd help out. "Okay." She whispered. She grabbed the baby as gently as she could, resting her in the crook of her arm.
"Hi, baby two." Maya whispered.
"Don't call her that." Carina chuckled.
"Jo called her that."
"Jo, is her doctor and she doesn't have a name."
"Well, you've seen her. What is her name?"
"Maya?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you be their mommy?" Maya looked at the tiny little creature in her arms and she felt it. The love.
She smiled.
"I'd like that. But you have to teach me."
"Then we should decide together."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I would like at least their middle names to be Italian." Carina yawned.
"Okay, well you get some sleep. I'll google some Italian names and when you wake up we can brainstorm." Maya smiled and put the baby she was holding in the plastic cot. She then took the other baby from Carina's hands. She started crying and Maya instinctively rocked her back and forth until she quieted down.
"I'll watch them. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried at all." Carina smiled.
"Did you know your name means cute?" Maya asked excitedly.
"Yeah, bambina. It's a very common Italian word. Literally like naming your daughter cute."
"Oh."
"You're cute." Carina smiled and Maya narrowed her eyes.
"No, technically that's you." Carina rolled hers.
"So what did you find?"
"It says here that Alice is common in italy?"
"It is, but no. And you're saying it wrong."
"Okay, fine." Maya didn't seem deterred.
"Aurora?"
"Are you going in alphabetical order?"
"It's the best way to sort things." Maya argued. "Anyways, Aurora?"
"No, that's my best friend's last name and she would never believe we didn't name her baby after her."
"Okay. I'd like to meet her." Maya smiled and all Carina could think about was how bad it went last time, still she smiled back.
"Chiara?"
"What? No B names?"
"If you have any names in mind, Carina." She made a please do share hand gesture and Carina laughed. She knew Maya was getting frustrated with her, and for the first time since Maya's amnesia she found it fun to rile Maya up. She wasn't scared the blonde would up and leave anymore. This felt like their own selves.
"Beatrice." Carina smiled.
"Is that even italian?"
"I don't know. People are named that in Italy so..." She shrugged. Maya smiled.
"I like it. Top contender for baby one."
"Why baby one?" Carina laughed.
"She looks like a Beatrice." Maya shrugged.
"Okay, bambina."
"Gabriella, for baby two?"
"Stop calling them one and two!" Carina joked.
"Okay, Gabriella for the youngest?"
"Best friend's first name." Carina shook her head.
"What's her middle name?" Maya joked.
"She doesn't have one. You're good."
"I need to learn more about your life." Maya huffed.
"We have time. What's your favourite name on your list."
"Lila." Maya smiled.
"Lila." Carina repeated. Testing it out. "Beautiful. Lila Andrea?" She asked.
"Like Andy?" Maya scrunched up her nose.
"And my brother. His name was also Andrea." Carina didn't know why she was so scared Maya would disapprove.
"I like it. Lila Andrea." Maya muttered and touched the baby's cheek. "Do you like it, honey?"
"We won't get her answer until she's fifteen and screaming in our faces that she hates it." Carina laughed and Maya frowned. "And then she'll love it again when she's thirty."
"Okay. And are we still thinking Beatrice?"
"If you like it." Carina shrugged. "Would you like her middle name to be Mason?" Carina asked carefully, mindful of the fact that she hadn't talked or asked about her brother since losing her memory.
"He's dead too?"
"No, oh God. No, Maya he's an addict or was. We don't know. You haven't seen him in years."
"That tracks." Maya hummed. "I don't know if that should be her name."
"Okay." Carina smiled. "We can find another one."
"Do you think Beatrice will feel we loved Lila more if she's not named after anyone?" Maya worried and Carina sat up in the bed a little, causing her to wince. Which in turn caused Maya to be right next to her in an instant, fixing her pillows.
"No, because we make sure they know they are loved equally." Carina said and stroked Maya's hair away from her face.
"Okay. Because my dad loved me more than Mason and I can't-" Carina cursed herself for bringing him up when Maya was already so emotional.
"Come lay down with me." Carina said and scooted over in the bed, Maya shook her head no.
"What if one of them starts crying and I need to get them?"
"Then you'll get up and get them." Carina smiled, Maya was too sweet and she worried too much. Two things she knew well.
"Fine." She got into bed and Carina hugged her.
"I know you feel tremendous guilt that your dad loved you more, but that was not your fault, bambina. You were a child and he hurt you both. We won't do that, we'll love them no matter what their interests are, right?"
"Yeah." Maya said, her voice was horse and it was clear she was trying not to cry.
"Yeah, so whatever name we land on, they are going to know we love the exact same amount."
"Yeah. Okay. Hey I was thinking..." Maya said. She seemed excited again.
"Mhm?"
"That since Andrea is sort of gender neutral, maybe Beatrice should have a gender neutral middle name too, that way if they're non-binary they can go by that name." Carina kissed her. She'd said it before, but Maya's min were always at least twenty steps ahead of everyone else and she loved that.
"What?" Maya giggled.
"Just, are you sure your head is stuck in 2002?" Carina laughed.
"I didn't know what it meant, but Avery on my team is non-binary and they told me what it was and I went on the Internet and learned about it."
"I love you so much." Maya laughed.
"I love you too." Carina gasped.
"What?"
"Dude," Carina rolled her eyes, leave it up to Maya to call her dude two seconds after revealing that she loved her for the first time, the first second time. "I just watched you push two babies out of you. Our babies, I'm going to love you forever." Maya said sincerely.
"Well either way, I like the gender neutral name idea, but that kind of puts a damper on the Italian train. They are very strict with that kind of stuff."
"With names?"
"Don't get me started." Carina huffed.
"Okay, then what about a word? Like Carina?"
"Hah, very gendered also, illegal."
"What do you mean?"
"In Italy, I mean we could do it here, but you can't call your baby the same as a living parent."
"I didn't mean actually calling them Carina." Maya laughed. "Also, wow, you need to teach me more about Italy too."
"You'll learn with the babies."
Maya pouted and laughed. "Fair enough."
"Aria." Carina suggested.
"I like it. Lila Andrea and Beatrice Aria."
"So many A's," Carina chuckled.
"Lila and Beatrice, we'll only use their middle names when they are in trouble. Which is hopefully not at the same time." Maya joked and Carina laughed.
"We're really doing this, aren't we?"
"Oh yes, big time." Maya smiled.