Work Text:
Maya was an active person. She was used to waking up early for her morning runs. Being up in the early hours of the morning when most people were still sleeping was no trouble for her. She always felt rejuvenated after her morning runs, and before meeting Carina, she would not bother going back to bed, but Carina liked waking up next to Maya. Maya would just lay in bed, watching her wife sleep and marveling at how lucky she was. Carina often called her a creep for this, but she enjoyed waking up next to her wife's warm body. It was rare that Carina woke up before Maya, usually, the blonde would have to be super exhausted from her shift, and even then, she didn't sleep later than 7 am.
Carina found it weird when for the second time in a week, she woke up just after 7 am with Maya still fast asleep beside her. Her wife hadn't complained of a super busy shift, and it had only been for 12 hours, so that she couldn't have been that tired. She worried that maybe Maya was sick, so she gently placed her hand on the blonde's forehead. Maya roused from her sleep at that.
"Bambina, are you okay?" Carina asked her.
"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Maya asked groggily.
"Do you know what time is?"
Maya frowned as she became fully awake. She checked the time on her phone and was surprised to see that it was past 7 am.
"I don't know how I slept till this late."
"You must have been tired and just needed the rest," Carina suggested. Ever since her demotion, her wife had been stressed and working hard to prove herself at the station, so maybe the stress was getting to her, and she needed the rest.
"I need to go for my run otherwise, I'll be feeling out of sorts for the whole day," Maya told Carina as she prepared to head out.
Weirdly enough, she still felt tired even after all the amount of sleep she got. During her run, there was a moment when she felt out of breath, and she hadn't even been running for long. She stopped and had to sit down for a moment to catch her breath. She cut her run short and decided to go back home. Luckily enough, both she and Carina had the day off, so she could rest and not do much.
*
*
*
As days passed, Maya's fatigue didn't end, and being out of breath during her runs became a common occurrence. She tried to ignore this, thinking that it would fade soon, but it only became worse as she struggled during her shifts. Everyone at the station knew that she was the most active of them all. Running into burning buildings, climbing ladders, and carrying heavy equipment was a joy for her. She loved the rush of adrenaline that came with her job, and she took pride in her physical strength and endurance.
Lately, though, she was struggling to keep up with the team during drills and often felt exhausted even after a good night's sleep. The rest of the team noticed this, so after one particular shift, Andy approached Maya, who was resting her head against her locker.
"Hey, you okay?"
Maya lifted her head and blinked away the drowsiness she felt.
"Yeah, just a bit tired."
"You seem tired a lot lately, is Carina keeping you up more often these days?" Andy teased. She had moved out of the two's apartment a few weeks ago, tired of being kept up as the couple was still in their honeymoon phase.
"Hardly, I don't know why I'm more tired."
"Maybe you should take some time off, rest and rejuvenate. It's been a tough couple of months for you, and maybe you need to hit the refresh button." Andy suggested knowing that the chances of Maya agreeing to that were low.
"No, I don't want to take time off. A good night's sleep should be all I need."
"Come on, Maya, just a few days off won't do no harm."
"You know I don't take time off. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
Maya soon said goodbye to Andy and headed home. Still, Andy was worried about her best friend and even shared this with Vic.
"Taking at least three days off should do her good," Andy said
"There's no way any of us could convince Maya to take time off, but there is one person who can," Vic said.
"Carina," Andy replied, knowing that Vic was right. She fired off a quick text to Carina, telling her that Maya seemed more tired during shifts and that she probably needed to take some time off. Carina replied that she would talk to her.
*
*
*
When Carina came back from her shift, the apartment was quiet, and she figured that Maya must be asleep after her shift. She found her passed out on the couch, still dressed in her uniform. Carina gently woke up with a hand on her cheek.
"Hey, you're back," Maya said as she sat up.
"Si, another day of you being bone tired?" Carina asked her.
"Yes, don't worry. I'm fine."
Carina didn't think so.
"I was thinking of taking some time off work." Carina started.
"Oh?"
"Yes, just a few days, and I was hoping you would do so too."
"Carina, I can't."
"Bambina, we could go away for a little vacation, another honeymoon. You've been working so hard at work, and with how tired you are these days, you need a break."
Maya could admit that the thought of taking a break sounded appealing, but she wasn't used to taking time off work. Sure, Carina had convinced her to take a vacation before. After their wedding and her demotion, they took a few days off for their honeymoon, which was bittersweet.
"I don't know, Carina. We took a vacation a few months ago for our honeymoon."
"Si, but you've been stressed a lot lately, and your fatigue is your body signaling that you need to rest. You need to take care of yourself, bambina." Carina told her as she caressed her cheek.
Maya saw the concern and love in her wife's eyes, and that's what made her crack. She knew that Carina was right, she did need a break. "Okay, where should we go?" she asked.
Carina's face lit up, and she kissed her wife happily. "I haven't thought of that yet, but we can decide together. We don't need to go far."
Maya smiled, feeling relaxed in her wife's arms. "Anywhere is fine, my love." She remembered Dr. Lewis's words. That she should allow herself to sleep, rest, and love. Carina was letting her do that, and all she had to do was stop being so stubborn.
*
*
*
The married couple decided to go to Portland for a few days. They rented a cabin and drove down there. The cabin was cozy and rustic, with wooden walls and floors and a large stone fireplace in the living room. It had a fully-equipped kitchen and a comfortable living area with plush sofas and blankets to snuggle up in. Carina and Maya thoroughly enjoyed the cabin and spent most of their time relaxing there. On the times they went out, they went to a spa, took a walk in the park, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. They also went to a cozy Italian restaurant that Carina loved and vowed to return to. Overall, their vacation was great and much-needed. Maya felt relaxed and energized.
On their last night in the cabin, the couple snuggled in front of the fireplace in the living room.
"Thank you for convincing me to take time off. I really needed it." Maya told Carina.
"That's what I'm here for, bambina. "Ti amo."
"I love you too," Maya replied with a content sigh.
*
*
*
Maya felt better when she returned to work. She didn't feel so tired and didn't have to cut her runs short due to shortness of breath. Both she and Carina assumed that all she needed was rest, and she'd be all better. Two weeks after the vacation, that wasn't the case, as Maya woke up more tired than ever. She was trying to push through it as she headed to the station for her shift. During breakfast, Andy noticed that Maya didn't look so good.
"Hey, you good?" She asked Maya.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to have some coffee." Maya said as she stood up and tried to head to the coffee pot. She only made it a few steps before a wave of dizziness hit her, and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor, and everything went black.
"Maya!"
The team rushed to help her, trying to wake her up. "Maya, can you hear us?" Andy asked as she checked her pulse.
"Her pulse is weak and irregular," Andy said. "We need to get her to Grey-Sloan fast."
Jack quickly got the stretcher, and they lifted her into it. They got her in the aid car, and Travis drove out of the station. Andy and Vic were with Maya in the back, and they monitored her vital signs and did what they could to keep her stable.
Maya came awake with a groan, wondering why she felt so weak.
"What happened?"
"You fainted at the station. We're taking you to Grey-Sloan," Vic told her.
Travis drove as fast as he could without risking an accident, and they made it to the hospital in record time.
As they rushed Maya out of the aid car and into the emergency room, the team filled in the doctors on what had happened. Dr. Teddy Altman took point as she quickly assessed Maya.
"Hey Maya, how are you feeling?"
"Dizzy and weak," Maya told her with a groan.
"Okay, you're going to be alright, and we'll find out what's wrong. Let's run some tests. I want an ECG, blood work, and a chest X-ray." Teddy ordered.
Meanwhile, Andy went and found Carina. She found her doing some charts, and when Carina looked up, she felt her heart stop.
"We just bought Maya in. She fainted at the station but soon woke up on the way here." Andy told her.
Carina assigned her resident to finish the charts and hurried with Andy to the ER.
"Bella, how are you feeling?" Carina asked her as she took hold of Maya's hand, feeling the pulse on her wrist.
"Tired," Maya mumbled.
"Teddy?" Carina asked as she turned to her fellow doctor.
"She's got an irregular heartbeat. I still need to run some tests to find out what it is," Teddy told her.
"Oh mio Dio, the fatigue in the past few weeks wasn't just you being tired. It could be a serious condition." Carina worried. How could she have missed this?
"Maya, have you had any other symptoms, shortness of breath or dizziness?" Teddy asked her.
"I've been feeling out of breath during my runs, and a few times, I've felt dizzy."
"Maya, why didn't you tell me?" Carina asked.
"I didn't think it was serious."
Teddy did the tests, and a while later, she had Maya's results.
"Maya, after reviewing your test results, I've determined that you have atrial fibrillation," she explained. "It's a condition where the heart beats irregularly, which can lead to complications if left untreated."
Maya's heart sank. She hadn't expected this. She was healthy and active, a heart condition was the last thing she expected to have.
"It's treatable, si?" Carina asked as she squeezed Maya's hand in comfort.
"Yes, I'll start Maya on medication to regulate her heart rate and reduce the risk of blood clots," Teddy said. "Maya, you'll also need to make some lifestyle changes, such as reducing your stress levels and avoiding caffeine and alcohol."
Maya nodded, trying to take it all in. She had always prided herself on her physical fitness and her ability to keep up with the demands of her job. But now, she felt like her body was letting her down. "How long will I have to be in the hospital?"
Teddy smiled reassuringly, "You won't have to stay in the hospital long. We'll monitor you for a few hours, and then you can go home with a medication plan. You'll need to come in for follow-up appointments to monitor your progress, but you'll be able to resume your normal activities."
Teddy soon left them, and Carina squeezed Maya's hand. "We'll get through this together, okay?"
Maya sighed and nodded, grateful for her wife's support. "Thank you for being here with me."
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be, bella," Carina told her, kissing her forehead. They could manage this. She'd make sure Maya took her medication and rested well.
The team had gone back to the station for their shift, so Carina called Andy and told her about Maya's diagnosis. Andy promised to come to see Maya later at their apartment.
A few hours later, Maya got discharged. Teddy explained the medication for atrial fibrillation, which included arrhythmic drugs, beta-blockers, and blood thinners to prevent the formation of blood clots. They talked through Maya's treatment plan and the potential side effects of the medication she would be taking.
*
*
*
As Maya began her treatment plan, she struggled to adjust to the changes in her life. She had to give up her morning runs, at least for the time being, and she found it hard to adjust to the new medication she was taking. She took a few days off work so she could adapt to the medication, and that proved to be a wise idea since she felt a bit more tired than usual in the first few days. The fatigue went away within a week, and soon Maya went back to work though Teddy instructed her to take it slow. She had her team's support, and they regularly checked in on how she was doing.
Over time, Maya continued to make progress in managing her condition. She took her medication as prescribed, practiced stress-reducing techniques, and made sure to get enough rest and exercise. She still had some tough days, but she knew that she had the support of her team and her wife to get through them.
Two months after her diagnosis, she was happily lying in bed with her wife on their shared day off.
"Thank you for supporting me through these last two months. Even when I was being stubborn, you stayed by my side, and I really appreciate that." Maya told her.
"We promised each other forever, remember, I'll make sure that doesn't change. I know you would do the same for me, Si?"
"Without a doubt. I love you."
"Ti amo, bella."