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It was after 3 am when Maya opened the front door, slowly and carefully to not make any noise. She closed the door behind herself, leaving her keys in the small bowl next to the door where she always left them. Then, she removed her shoes, setting them on the floor as gently as she could. The house was so quiet at that time of the night –or morning– and she had no intentions to disturb that.
The blonde made her way down the hall, socks cladded feet sinking in the soft carpet as she did, replaying in her head the events that had her coming to her house at that ungodly hour: a five alarm fire. It had been the biggest she had ever seen in her long career as a firefighter. It was a beast, it was almost uncontrollable, it was terrifying and… it was one of the most exhilarating calls she had had, she could still feel her body vibrating and the adrenaline pumping. In fires like that one, no one was sure they would make it out alive but Maya trusted her team, trusted her own skills and, most importantly, she had one hell of a good reason to not die: her family. Her gorgeous wife and their amazing son.
The firefighter finally reached her bedroom door which was not completely closed. She softly pushed it, leaning on the doorframe and peeked inside, her eyes already adapted to the dark. Maya could not stop herself from smiling as she saw Carina lying on her side, chin on top of their son’s head who was curled around his mother, his little face resting on the older brunette’s chest.
The former Olympian felt her heart skip at the sight of the two people she loved the most.
Quietly entering the bedroom, she slid her denim jacket off her shoulders, leaving it on a chair next to the vanity, and approached the chest of drawers to pull out some clothes to sleep on but before she opened the first drawer, she spotted her wedding ring on top of it.
When she had been called to the five alarm the DeLuca-Bishop family were having lunch. The blonde didn’t even hesitate to abandon the delicious meal in order to fulfill her duty, quickly kissing her wife and son goodbye before rushing to the door but before she was fully out of the house, Carina grabbed her by the hand, making her stop for a second.
“I’ll return this when you come back home.” She had said, gently sliding the gold band off Maya’s finger.
The blonde could see the love laced with worry in the chocolate eyes and felt the need to reassure her. She cupped the back of Carina’s neck with her free hand and pulled her in, pressing her lips against hers. “I will always come back home, I promise.” She whispered, resting her forehead over the brunette’s own for a moment before pulling away and going out the door, not without sending a wink at their son’s direction.
Maya smiled again at the memory, rolling the ring between her thumb and index before sliding it back in it’s place. She hadn’t had the chance to put on her silicone ring when she arrived at the station as she only ran towards the turnout room to grab her gear. Even with the gloves on, her hand felt naked without her wedding band and she was glad to feel the comforting weight of the golden piece again.
Then, she opened the drawer carefully, searching for something to sleep in, settling for a blue T shirt and black shorts. She walked to the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the light, almost wincing at the brightness.
Maya threw all her clothes in the hamper and looked at herself in the mirror. She had taken a shower back at the station so her skin was clean of any soot but her cheeks were still a little red and her hair still had a faint smell of smoke but there was nothing she could do about it.
The firefighter washed her hands and face, brushing her teeth a moment later and, when she looked up, she saw in her reflection that the band-aid on her arm was starting to come off. Grabbing a small towel to dry her mouth and hands, she then opened the cabinet behind the mirror and took out the box of Band-Aids which was almost empty thanks to their little boy. She quickly got rid of the old one, cleaned the small cut with an alcohol wipe and covered it with the fresh band-aid. Once that was done, she put on the clothes she had picked, turned off the lights and exited the bathroom.
It appeared like the two people in her bed hadn’t been bothered at all by her presence as they were still asleep in the same position she had seen them minutes ago.
She lifted the comforter and carefully slid beneath the warm material, using one arm as a pillow and placing the other across the little brunette’s body, scooting closer until her forehead almost touched her wife’s, trapping the child between his mothers.
The boy stirred a little, which made Maya hold her breath, but he only moved his arm to be on top of the blonde’s. She sighed when he didn’t open his eyes and started drawing patterns on his belly over the comforter to sooth him back to deep sleep. Her eyes shifted between the boy and the woman beside her, taking in how beautiful she was, observing the soft lips, her cute nose, her defined eyebrows, her brown locks contained in a messy bun, the muscles of her neck and the creamy skin of her chest not covered by her green shirt.
If someone had told 23 year old, fresh out of the Olympics Maya that she would have a wife and a kid someday, she would have laughed. Oh, she would have laughed so hard. The events of the last decade of her life were some she had never considered when she was young, not even in her wildest dreams. She never imagined she would be so happy. She sometimes couldn't believe how lucky she was.
“I feel you staring, bambina.”
That whisper pulled Maya out of her thoughts.
“I’m not staring, I’m… admiring you.” She answered with a smile.
The corner of Carina’s mouth twitched but she didn’t open her eyes. “Because that is less creepy, right?” She playfully retorted, pulling her arm from under the covers and placing it on top of Maya’s.
“Can you even blame me? I have the most amazing family.” The blonde said before she moved closer. “I’m sorry for waking you up.”
Carina moved closer too, disappearing the distance between their foreheads. “I wasn’t asleep. I wanted to see you.”
“Did you get my text?” Maya asked, having sent word to Carina that she was okay the moment she was on the engine, leaving the scene, almost an hour ago.
“I did but still…” Italian nodded against Maya as her hand traveled up the firefighter’s arm. She scrunched her nose when she felt something that wasn’t supposed to be there, finally opening her eyes. “What is that?” She saw the band-aid and then her eyes shifted to Maya’s. “You got hurt?”
“It’s just a small cut, I’m okay.” The younger woman assured with honesty, stretching her neck to press a kiss right on the crinkle between the Italian’s brows.
The doctor’s features softened, brushing the band-aid with her thumb before running her hand down Maya’s arm to take her hand, immediately feeling the metal around her finger and smiling. “Thank you for coming back to me, bambina.”
Maya chuckled. “I’m a woman of my word. Nothing will ever keep me away from you.” In that moment, the boy between them shifted in his sleep, turning around to bury his head on the blonde’s chest. “Or from him.”
Carina smiled, propping herself on her elbow to be able to properly kiss her wife on the lips. “I love you.” She brushed her nose on Maya’s.
“I love you, too.”