Work Text:
Maya pulled out her phone as soon as she entered her now quiet office, shutting out the loud noise from members of the public who hadn't settled down to rest despite the late hour. She knew she would have to deal with that shortly but right now there was only one person she needed to text. Only one person she wanted to speak to. Her finger hovered over the most recent number in her phone, it was extremely late and she didn't want to disturb her because she was on an adrenaline rush. Then she remembered her earlier statement 'you can call me any time and talk about anything.' Calling felt a little extreme to Maya. A little too disruptive. Perhaps even a little too desperate. So she formulated a text. It took her longer than she cared to admit to write and send, struggling with the tone, or the underlying tone. Was she just updating Carina on the new baby or did she want to say more? She started with two messages.
Maya:
hey, Baby Miller is a girl and she weighs approximately 6lb4oz. Thanks for all of your help. Maya :)
Maya:
I'm in awe by the fact that you do that every day I was terrified and are they always so slippy? You're amazing. Truely. Maya :)
Maya felt these would suffice. They thanked Carina for her help, complimented her and let her know that everything had gone well. She stared waiting for a reply for a little while, lost in thoughts of how it was probably time she stopped chickening out and asked Carina on a date. She wanted this to be more than just a new friendship and hoped to god it would end up more than just a potential hook up too.
Eventually she overturned her phone on the desk and stood, remembering now Dean was preoccupied with a baby, Andy was upset over the future loss of her dad and the others had amputated foots and children to deal with she would now be spending the early hours of the morning shoveling snow so it didn't freeze and incapacitate their ability to respond to emergencies. Because snow didn't stop fires, just complicated how the team would get to them.
A grin split Maya's face as the phone she had just put on her desk began to buzz loudly. She immediately sat down, accepting the welcome distraction. Although, really it wasn't so much the phone buzzing but the name the flashed up on the screen with it- Carina (Italian).
She had never needed the reminding brackets of who Carina was, as the brunette had literally stuck in her mind and never left. As if Maya would ever be able to forget those eyes, almost opaque but curiously swirled with honey. Maya had remembered loosing herself in them and feeling like she could tatse the sweetness on her lips as she did. And if her eyes weren't memorable her laugh was. Maya heard it twice that night in the bar and each time the ache of work and the despair of losing friends and mentors becoming sicker and everything else difficult in her life seemed to feel so much less. Like a melodical laugh could ease the load to where it felt almost inconsequential. Other aspects were of course memorable but Maya had become captivated on the eyes and stayed for the laugh and its associated light. Carina would always be memorable, Maya was certain.
It had been two weeks of texting and calls and even a facetime and honestly she was hooked. They hadn't even kissed but Maya was starting to feel things for the Italian that she was absolutely certain she had never felt. There was no urgent need to jump into bed with her, although she really wanted that too, just a want to know everything about her, including what her lips tasted like.
"Hi," Maya said sweetly, lifting the phone to her ear, leaning back in the chair to look at the ceiling, peaceful, "thank you."
"Ciao," it was like everything going on faded into the distance, insignificant and dull, the moment she spoke, the accent filling Maya with a calm that she had never experienced from one person. "You are welcome, di niente, Bella. Did it go alright?"
"Uh huh, JJ was really good, she was quite calm in the moment. And the baby was fine. Is fine. A girl. And we think she weighs about 6 pounds 4 but that's approximate because we only had adult scales so we had to weigh me and then weigh me holding her. Anyway. Yeah I just wanted to say thank you, your advice was helpful, staying calm was helpful." Maya rambled, "I wouldn't want to do it again but it felt good. I mean I was the first person to have my hands on Dean's baby. She was slippy, even with a towel, are they always that slippy or is it because she was a bit early?"
"They are always slippy," Carina laughed, though Maya could also sense that reassuring tone that had been there all night, "I'm happy it all went really well. I told you."
"Okay Dr DeLuca," Maya rolled her eyes, her tone joking, "but seriously thank you. And the masturbation helped a bit. Well a lot actually." Her cheeks heated up a little, even though Carina couldn't even see her.
"I'm glad. Anyway, enough babies and vaginas and babies coming out of vaginas. How are you? My favourite fire captain?"
"I'm pretty sure I am the only fire captian you know," Maya quipped, deflecting the compliment.
"You're my favourite. My favourite captain, and friend, so how are you?"
"I'm good," Maya tried to locate a topic that wasn't work related but started to fall short, work had taken over her life at this point, "how are you?"
"Oh is all I get 'I'm good' now?"
"Sorry, I've been snowed under, pun intended, with work. I'm on my 50th hour here because of the storm and we have the public in. I'm sorry. I am good though, still struggling with my team a little and my new job and respect," Carina knew a little bit of the struggle Maya had been facing, "can I just ask about you? Can you offer me an escape by telling me how you are?"
Carina gave a little chuckle, "I'm good too. A little bit tired but that's okay."
"Why aren't you asleep then?" Maya asked. Genuinely a little concerned.
"I've been watching the snow storm, I've never seen so much. I had never seen snow until my Papa took us skiing. And even then it was very melted. Also it's cold and I wanted to stay up to hear how you did. But mostly the storm watching," she said, clearly trying not to come on too strong. Maya liked it though, the idea she had wanted to hear how it all had gone.
"Well I'm okay. Put another sweater on and snuggle under a blanket if you're cold and the snow will still be there when you wake up," Maya said logically, "you should definitely go to sleep."
"So logical. When are you going to go to bed?"
"We have a sleeping rota because we have to have four minimum staff members up with the public. I missed mine because I was catching a slippy baby. So I'm not too sure. I have jobs to do anyway."
"What jobs?"
"I need to shovel the drive up to the station doors because we can't have the snow freezing incase the trucks need to go out. And then probably to encourage the public to sleep. We have mats out and sleeping bags, about thirty but it's slow. There's a lot going on," Maya sighed, "Warren and the chief have a patient with an amputated foot. Andy, my friend, well I don't know what she is at the moment, she just found out her dad, our old captain, has Cancer again. Travis is upset about something."
"That sounds like a lot Bella. We can talk some other time, you need to be captain."
"I have another job first," Maya paused, "a job to get a sleepy Italian doctor, who should be asleep at nearly two o'clock in the morning, to go to sleep."
"Maya."
"Are you in bed?" At an alternative time this would have been a less than innocent question but now it was out of concern and compassion.
"Sì."
"And warm enough?"
"Sì, I'm cuddled up." Maya grinned at this vision. She imagined the sexy doctor looking cute snuggled up in a bed that in her imagination, looked like her bed.
"I bet you look adorable."
"Maya."
"You probably do. Anyway, close your eyes, I'm going to talk you through a very boring work procedure."
"No."
"What?"
"You can't do that, because I find you talking about work affascinante and I won't be able to sleep because of how interesting you sound."
"That's a very nice compliment," Maya mumbled, "but I'm sure self-contained breathing aperatus maintenence is boring enough to put you to sleep."
"Okay. Maya?"
"Yeah?"
"Be safe and wrap up when you're shoveling snow," Maya smiled at her concern, feeling warm inside with it.
"I will, now, a self-contained breathing aperatus or SCBA...
Whatever had brought on her headache two days ago was starting to annoy Maya. Mainly because if it didn't go soon she was going to feel absolutely terrible in work the next day. She knew paperwork would be a nightmare with it. Not to mention along with the headache she had a cough that was stopping her having a good night's sleep. Sleep, or being well rested, was really important for a fire fighter, particularly a captain and she would be on the back foot the next day if things continued. Not to mention she was due on a fourty eight hour shift so she saw every member of her team, A, B and C shift respectively. And it started in less than 36 hours.
Whatever she had picked up also had her feeling feverish, a little sick, tired and with episodes of her heart racing. Unfortunately that was happening now. Somewhere in the house she had a pulse ox to measure this but fir now the old fashioned way would suffice just fine. It was only to check she wasn't sicker than she realised.
So the blonde turned in bed and grabbed her phone that had been there since she had returned from her snow storm 56 hours. She was never one to spend hours on her phone anyway but the headache, chills and generally feeling less than brilliant had stopped that completely. She was about to pull up the stop watch on her phone, fingers from her left hand already on her neck where she could feel her heart beating away when her eyes gazed over the little green box at the bottom of her screen, displaying a number five. She had four messages to read. Shaking her head, she progressed with the checking of her pulse relieved to see it was 70bpm, a little higher than her usual resting but nothing alarming. She nearly put her phone down, about to roll out of bed and test her legs before a light jog on the treadmill when she remembered the messages.
She opened the app and then went through a rollercoaster of emotions. It had opened straight to Carina’s messages, which was also where the five unread ones seemed to be. First she had been happy to see the brunette had text her before immediately feeling her heart sink. The coffee shop date she had organised when Carina still hadn't drifted off and Maya needed to get to work, was supposed to be that day. It was already 9am and Maya was supposed to have texted Carina the location and met her there in the next half an hour. Resisting punching out an apology immediately, Maya reminded herself to read the texts first.
Carina (Italian)
Thanks for trying to get me to fall asleep I told uou it wouldn't work. You're just too interesting I did managed to fall asleep not long after :) hope your shift went okay let me know where to meet on Thursday
Hi just checking in haven't heard from you today. I hope that's because you've been catching up on sleep and not because you're too busy. Works been busy for me apparently babies still come the days after a lot of snow
Maya? Are you OK, text me
Are we still having coffee I haven't heard from you. Its ok if you don't want to just tell me I don't like being ignored
Maya?
"Crap." Maya groaned, pressing the green button at the top of the screen without giving herself a moment to decide what she was going to say but knowing a phone call would be easier.
"Maya Bishop." Evidently she was annoyed. Maya didn't blame her, she had been ghosted after arranging a date.
"I'm so sorry," Maya winced, pressing her hand into her throat, she sounded incredibly hoarse and it was hurting. She pulled the phone off her chest, where she had rested it on speaker, to let out a cough.
"Bella?"
"Sorry. I've, I'm- can I rain check our date?"
"What does that mean? It's not raining if that's what you meant, I looked."
"Sorry, I forgot," Maya coughed again, "Uh can we rearrange it?"
"Of course, Bella, are you alright?"
"Uh-huh, something has just come up. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about missing your messages, I lost my phone," she lied. Maya suspected Carina would see right through this but she hoped the Italian would understand anyway.
"Of course I was just concerned. Why don't you text me when you're- when- once you know where your schedule is and we can rearrange it." Carina was a good woman, Maya mused, for going along with her excuse, no questions asked.
"Okay. I'm really sorry," Maya swallowed painfully. Suddenly she was feeling really emotional but wasn't sure why, "sorry, I was looking forward to it," another painful swallow to try and bid the unwarranted emotion away, "I promise." What was happening? She never got upset over these things.
"Me too but it's still happening just when you're feeling- later. Okay? Have a good day Bella. Stay safe."
"You too," Maya's voice was getting more hoarse if it was even possible, "see you soon."
"Bye Maya. Rest." Maya vaguely heard as the phone disconnected and she sat up coughing loudly. She groaned as she started feeling sick and took herself to the bathroom just in case. She rubbed her upper stomach willing it to calm down, relieved as it eventually settled, giving an uncomfortable but sick free grumble under hand.
Though she had no energy, Maya had missed her run yesterday and hadn't had the chance to exercise on shift with everything happening. Consequently she felt as though she could feel her muscles wasting away. So she pulled on a sports bra and some shorts and started an admittedly short run/jog on the treadmill, it would be too slippy to run outside. And probably too cold for someone with a cold, Maya thought.
She didn't feel better for the run, and after having a glass of water, her appetite and motivation to make something scarce, she fell back into bed and back into some pyjama like clothes. A sleep in mere minutes after yet another coughing fit that made her throat scream.
Almost her entire childhood Maya had woken up to people knocking on the door and then entering immediately after whether she invited them in or not. So when a knock awoke her she was transported back to her childhood. She laid there for a moment waiting, then her brain caught up with her. She was actually in her thirties, in her own apartment, alone and nobody would be bursting in, shouting about sleeping in. Then her brain kicked in again. There was someone knocking on her door, her front door. She scrambled as quickly her body would allow out of the bed. Pausing to fight a wave of dizziness and a lurch in her stomach that had her leaning on hands and knees.
Hurrying through the apartment she couldn't fathom who it would be because normally her guests would ring the buzzer, or if they were the Andy from her past, let herself in and start eating whatever food she had in. Regardless it was the middle of the day on a Thursday and she hadn't invited anybody over. Not forgetting that her friends didn't like her at the moment either.
She also hoped whoever it was didn't mind that she was in one of her red SFD training school t-shirts and a pair of joggers that were less than spotless, covered in a smoothie she had spilled on them a few days ago; pre- snow.
"Ciao."
"Carina?" Maya nearly rubbed her eyes, utterly confused, wondering if she was imagining the woman she had grown particularly fond of but had 'blown' off earlier on.
"Hi Bella, goodness, you look worse than you sounded on the phone, can I come in?"
"I- I'm not really in the mood to host."
"I'm here to look after you," Carina smiled, holding up a bag.
"Carina, I really don't-"
"Maya you look awful."
Maya rolled her eyes then reminded herself that she was tired and her throat hurt and arguing would just make it worse. Plus she was sure Carina would leave as soon as she saw how disgustingly snotty and cough-y she was. "Okay, but only because you seem to have put a lot of effort in and I'm too tired to argue, come in."
"I told you to wrap up," Carina said, immediately putting her the bag on the side table and pulling a reluctant Maya into a hug, "hi Bella," she kissed Maya's flushed cheek, "I'm sorry you don't feel good."
"I'm okay," Maya said, relaxing into the nicest hug of her life. "You should know," she mumbled into Carina's shoulder, just melting with each passing moment, "as a doctor, you don't get ill from being outside."
"Sì, but it doesn't help, did you know you have a fever?" Carina's winter chilled hand had snaked up from the base of Maya's back to her upper back under the t-shirt.
"How can you tell?"
"Backs are usually a good place to feel for fever, but also its like I have my own personal warming blanket."
"Sorry," Maya started to pull back but Carina kept her there with a hand at the back of her head and a little squeeze with the other.
"I don't mind, guess what?" She whispered in Maya's ear.
"Hmm?"
"I've wanted to do this for a while, it's lived up to expectations."
"Look after a new friend with a cold?"
"No," Carina laughed, massaging the nape of Maya's neck, "hug you. Cuddle you."
"Mmm," Maya hummed happily, she was already feeling a little better if that was even possible. Still awful but slightly less awful. Clearly, Carina was magic.
"Did I wake you up?" Carina's hand was now running up and down her back, along the vertebrae in a move that made Maya's knees feel weak. Or maybe that was just the not feeling well. Her headache, that had lessened with sleep, was back with an all new fervour. Her throat was feeling particularly painful with each passing moment and now her stomach was hurting.
Maya just nodded in reply, forehead on the Italian's shoulder. This was more intimate than she had ever been with anyone in a long time, or ever. She didn't cuddle after her one night stands, not like this, and her relationship with Jack had never given her a feeling like this.
"What medicine have you had," Carina pulled back now, so she could look at poorly Maya properly. She had raided her own medicine cabinet before leaving home, as well as picking some up on her errands. The sheepish look on Maya's tired, care-worn face told Carina everything. "Bed or divano? Sofa." She corrected.
"Sofa, I guess," Maya splinted her voice box with her hand again, it was feeling particularly painful now, this was the most she had used it in one day. Carina dropped the hug and Maya immediately shivered. "Do you want your comforter?" Carina asked, as Maya stepped into the living room, now completely given in to Carina's insistence to look after her. "I'll get it," Maya turned on the ball of her foot, "I want the first time you see my bed to be in better, sexier, circumstances."
"Allora. Maya." Carina rolled her eyes this time, pulling items out from the shopping bag or her purse onto the coffee table.
"Do you have a headache?"
"Uh-huh," Maya curled up on the sofa, feeling increasingly achy. Normally at this stage she wouldn't slow down, she would pick something to clean or do to move past how unwell she was feeling. But she was well aware this wouldn't suffice with Carina who was concentrating with a frown on her face, as she rifled through the pills. Instead Maya fidgeted in the spot, trying to get comfortable. "Ah here, paracetamol with caffeine, it will help your head, it vasoconstricts your blood vessels. I presume you've had caffeine before?'
Maya nodded, "but not with acetaminophen."
"Should be okay and help with the sore throat too. But I have other things for that. And will help with fever." Carina pushed out two tablets, "What drink do you want? I brought orange juice and tea."
"Not tea."
"Orange juice? Water?"
"Water," Maya had to admit her stomach was hurting a little too much for a nice drink.
"Okay," Maya watched her go into the kitchen from her sofa spot. Carina moved around it like she had been there before, managing to locate the cupboard with the cups immediately. She returned with a glass and passed over the tablets, nodding as Maya took one at a time, holding her throat as she did. "And I found these from when I was sick last, for your forehead," she showed a little stick of balm and what looked like a plaster.
"What are they?"
"This goes along here, for headaches," she perched on the sofa and ran her hand along Maya's hairline and behind her ear, "but I think you might find this better. It's cold and goes here," she thumbed along frown lines that appeared when Maya was concentrating.
"Whatever you think."
"Sì," Carina stuck the cooling pad on gently then rubbed a little balm behind each ear and down the sides of her neck. "You have a stomach hurt?" She asked once the headache was tackled.
"Uh-huh. How did you know?" Maya understood that a headache would be obvious but the stomach ache.
"A few of the Mamma's this week have had this flu. And they all had a sore," she patted her own stomach, "stomaco and nausea."
"Its not the flu, just a cold."
"Mmm," Maya heard her mumble, "I heard this is good. Plus this," she held up another sleeve of pills once she put the peptobismol bottle down, "is anti-emetic. Reduces nausea."
"I'll just have the pink drink."
"Sì," she flit back to the kitchen and fetched a spoon, helping it to Maya's lips. "Does your throat hurt, Bella?" Maya nodded, feeling increasingly tired. Apparently being cared for made you feel more tired. "This doesn't taste good," she showed Maya a throat spray, "oh wait, you need cough medicine first."
"I haven't coughed in a bit."
"Okay, we will leave for now. You want to try this," she showed maya the antiseptic throat spray she had bought earlier. Maya nodded and sat up, holding her head. Carina immediately wound a supportive arm around her back and kissed her cheek. Maya's cough returned with the awful spray, causing Carina to rub her back. She immediately felt sick but some deep breaths and a hand on her stomach, Carina's hand, helped. She lay back with a groan. "I will leave you to rest," Carina used her thumb to massage her temple, "can I use your kitchen?" Maya swallowed painfully and nodded, closing her eyes which were feeling particularly heavy now. "Okay," there was a tender kiss on her forehead and then the Italian was padding away quietly. Maya wanted to watch her but having her eyes open hurt her head and sleep was pulling at her so she gave in, eyes staying shut.
When Maya next woke up she was comfortable but something had definitely changed. Well a few things actually. Through her one working nostril she could smell something absolutely amazing. Maya knew her house had never smelled this good. The overwhelming smell was of enriched tomatoes and a fresh herb. Maya was never good at cooking, nor massively interested in food but if she had to guess the smell belonged to some kind of pasta sauce.
The other smell was arguably better. It was much closer, much subtler. There was something floral there, definitely, it was fresh and light. But with it there was another scent that was hard to identify but felt to Maya like warmth. It was lovely and got stronger as she rolled over and her nose grazed something warm.
That was the other big change, the cushion from the sofa that she had had her head on had gone. Well actually, it hadn't gone it had just been lifted up in height. Under it she could feel it was more uneven than the sofa and seemed to move a little more. Again they were subtle but enough for Maya to realise things had changed.
The biggest giveaway to why her nose was touching something cozy, warm and jumper clad and why her head was higher than she remembered came from a set of fingers combing through her hair. It was only one hand and only every so often but it would start from her hair line and either stroke down to the back of her head or down behind her ear. It was maybe the loveliest sensation Maya had ever experienced and she selfishly basked in it for just a little longer.
"Carina?" She eventually croaked out, a small string of coughs coming with it.
"Hi, bambina."
"You're still here."
"Of course. Good sleep?"
"I don't know?"
"Well you've been asleep three hours."
"I have?" Maya rolled onto her back and sat up, suddenly self-concious of their position. She stretched as she did and smiled when Carina's fingers grazed her lower back where her top had ridden up. Then she was coughing and the fingertips turned into a hand circling in between her shoulder blades. It seemed to help because soon Maya had stopped coughing and was turning to sit next to the Italian instead.
"You can lie back down, Maya," Carina said quietly, patting her lap as the blonde rubbed her forehead and shivered.
"I'm not too heavy, you're not uncomfortable?"
"You've been keeping me warm."
"I don't think I can sleep," she murmured as she laid back down. Lying horizontal was definitely the better of the two positions she had been in since waking up. She turned the other way this time, reaching to the TV remote on the coffee table holding it up near to where she thought Carina's face was, "pick something?"
"Like what?" Carina had taken the remote but her free hand had resumed Maya's head mini head massage.
"Whatever," Maya said then yawned, "Owww" she reached for the coffee table again and took the throat spray. Inducing another cough as she used it.
"Did you know," Carina leaned down kissing her cheek, "you are absolutely adorable when you're not feeling well?"
"I am not."
"You are, I mean your voice is so sexy and you have the cutest little red nose."
"Carina," Maya groaned.
"Its only making me like you more."
"You like me?" Maya shifted in her lap to look up at her.
"Of course I do, I wouldn't text you every single day if I didn't."
"Well," Maya sniffed, smiling shyly, "I like you too. And nobody has ever looked after me like this, so thank you. And when I feel better, I want to kiss you."
"How about now," Carina leaned down and nuzzled their noses together, Maya's cold one against her warm cheek. She waited for Maya to close the gap, groaning a little when Maya mentioned something about getting sick before she closed the gap. "You're more than worth it, bambina."
"Am I having a fever dream?" Maya put her hand on her own forehead, grinning as Carina pecked her again.
"I don't know, but I'm having the same one," Carina joined their lips again, "bambina."