Chapter Text
"I couldn't find my key." Maya looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyelids looked heavy. Her shoulders were founded forward. Usually slick hair was going everywhere. It looked like she had had a long day. A long shift, that finished late.
Carina pulled her into a hug, saying, "it's okay. We'll find it later. Are you okay?' Maya was just limp in her arms, head buried into Carina's shoulder. Carina shuffled her forward enough to close the front door and softly said, "you need a shower. Relax."
"Mmm."
"Come on, bambina,"
"Do I smell?"
Carina lightly chuckled, "sì, bambina, of fire."
"I'm exhausted. I almost fell asleep driving home."
"Next time, call me, I pick you up."
Maya nodded, "sorry."
"No need to apologise."
"Sorry." She kissed Carina's cheek and disappeared into the bathroom.
Carina was a little worried. Well very worried. She'd never seen Maya this tired in her life. She was almost lethargic, debilitated by how tired she was. How exhausted she was. Her words had almost slurred together for lack of energy to separate them and she had been resting so heavy on Carina the Italian had momentarily thought she had fallen asleep. Never had Maya been this tired, not after a Fourty-eight hour shift with no sleep, not after staying up all night with no sleep after Andrew died, her wife just didn't do exhausted like this. In fact, Carina was actually concerned she would fall asleep in the shower and vowed to check on her if Maya wasn't out within her usual seven minutes.
In the meantime she pulled some pyjamas out for Maya and disappeared to heat up her dinner, the blonde had come home almost three hours late so she had eaten without her. It was a simple bowl of pasta, one of Maya's favourites and Carina planned to suggest she ate it on the sofa, or even in bed, through knew Maya would protest.
"I'm not feeling very good," Maya said, when Carina came to check on her and found her changing into the pyjamas. All movements exaggerated and slow.
"No?" That would certainly explain the increased exhaustion her wife still seemed to be demonstrating. She was struggling to open her pyjama top, fumbling with it and dropping it onto the bed often. Carina stepped to her side and opened it for her, sliding it over her head. As Maya pushed her arms through, she gently rested her hand on Maya's forehead. One thing about Maya's body when ill was that she got a high temperature that would flush her skin. However today, this Maya had neither. She looked incredibly pale and there was no temperature from what Carina could feel.
"Are you going to eat dinner?" Carina asked, thumbing along Maya's cheek bone. She knew the answer from the way Maya was stood with her eyes closed. Deciding not to wait for Maya to answer she pulled back the covers on the side of the bed closest to them, her own side, and sat Maya down. "Hopefully you'll feel better after sleeping." She hadn't actually established what had made Maya say she didn't feel good but frankly Carina didn't think she'd get anything close to a coherent reply if she asked. And truly, sleep was sometimes the best medicine.
She stood at Maya's side combing her hair until she was sure Maya was asleep which was within thirty seconds really. Eventually she left Maya to her flat out sleep so she could tidy up. If Maya was coming down with something a tidy house was important to encourage her to rest.
Once sufficiently tidy she went back to their bedroom with every intention of sleeping but something kept her up as she tried to settle. Every time she shut her eyes she would eventually open them, unable to find the comfort to fall asleep. Putting it down to being on the wrong side of the bed and not having Maya to cuddle her, and it being relatively early she decided to sit up and read. She was just grabbing her book when Maya started coughing. Her hand went to Maya's upper back, hoping to lull her back to sleep as the coughs died away. It almost worked and Carina was about to open her book when Maya groaned. "Hey, you just have a cough, go back to sleep."
"Feel nauseous."
"Okay," Carina couldn't help her hand going to Maya's head again, this really sounded like she had picked up the flu, "I'll get you a bag in case. What else doesn't feel good?"
"Hmm?"
"You said you didn't feel good," Carina told her from the bathroom, where they kept a roll of bin bags. Worried about her not having the energy to aim she pulled the bin from the corner and put the fresh bag in, taking it over to Maya. "Mai," she combed her hair, "you don't feel good, what else doesn't feel good?"
"My tummy."
"Just your tummy?"
"My head. And my tummy. And my throat and my eyes. And my tummy."
"Allora, sick girl," Carina cooed, stroking her hair again, "you have got a nasty sickness."
"Tired."
"You can sleep, I'm right here." Maya didn't need telling twice she was out like a light within seconds. "You have the flu," Carina whispered, "but in July with no temperature," it was unusual but they often joked Maya didn't get regular sick.
Deciding that it was actually worry about how Maya was that was keeping her up Carina decided to lean into it, sleep wouldn't be coming whilst Maya didn't feel good and was outwardly admitting it.
Unfortunately Maya's sleep didn't last very long, as she was sick around ten minutes later, Carina getting the bag to her just in time, holding her up as she was sick. What was more concerning was that she dropped back and fell back to sleep almost as soon as she was done. Carina put the bag down and pushed Maya onto her side with absolutely no reaction from her. This caused Carina to panic and shake her shoukder earning a "hmph" in response, letting Carina relax just a little, "you'll aspirate, you need to stay on your side," she told her, now worried in her exhausted state she might aspirate if she was sick again and Carina didn't catch it. Carina took her spare pillow and put it behind Maya hoping this would keep her on her side. She rushed to sort out the sick bag and then got herself back to Maya as quickly as possible.
Carina definitely couldn't sleep now. She was worried about Maya aspirating if she was sick again, replacing the pillow with her body to stop her from rolling onto her back. She was worried about not being able to rouse Maya. About Maya getting worse. Sacrificing sleep would be easier. Safer.
After about an hour, Carina noticed Maya's breathing. It had gone feom quiet and inconsequential with a couple of coughs to something scarier. It had become louder, like snores but longer pauses. She sat up tilted Maya's head back, wondering if the sore throat was tonsilitis and she was bloking her airwar a little. This didnt really help so she started watching Maya's chest, eventually resorting to counting her respiratory rate. "Maya," Carina roused her by shaking her shoulder.
"No."
"Maya, how's your breathing." Carina had watched it quicken, transitioning into shallow breaths. "Maya, wake up, how's your breathing Bambina. Tell me and you can go back to sleep." She pulled back the covers and lifted Maya's top, looking at her chest. Her hand found Maya's ribs, where she was really sucking in, looking like she was struggling to get the air in, "Maya, come on," Carina pulled her upright, knowing she would breathe better like this. Her head slumped forward and Carina didnt know if it was just out of exhaustiok or she had fallen unconscious. Either way something was really really wrong now. She grabbed her phone and dialled 911, this was it. She knew she had to do this. Should have done this since she had noticed Maya's breathing change. Why hadn't she done it when Maya's breathing changed.
"We are sorry we can't connect your call at this time due to a lack of operators, stay on the line."
"Merda. Okay, come on Maya, you've gotta walk bamina. Come on," she pulled Maya to her feet, wrapping her arm around her, almost collapsing under Maya's dead weight, "just breathe and walk that's all I need you to do. Come on."
Every step was a struggle. Every step Maya gor heavier. Every step her breathing sounded different. In the lift Maya slumped and Carina had to check her pulse, check she was breathing. "Come on, keep going." She wasn't sure if it was motivation for herself or Maya but the blonde took a little more weight as she exited the lift. "Good girl, good."
She was filled with both worry and rage as she drove towards work, towards help. How, in one of the most developed countries in the world was there not enough people to answer 911 calls. She had stayed on, preferring the help to come to them but even by the time she got to Grey-Sloan there had been no answer. Twenty minutes.
"Owen, help," she said, rushing into ED, Maya almost limp over her shoulder. He rushed over and scooped Maya up, carrying her to a bed before pushing her into a private room, shouting for people to help.
"Symptoms Carina."
"I don't know. It sounded like flu. Extreme tiredness. Exhaustion, lethargy. Nausea. Vomiting. Headache. She said er," Carina brought a shaking hand to her head, trying to remember what Maya had said, "throat."
"Sluggish pupils, whites of her eyes look red, rapid breathing rate, Maya," he squeezed her shoulder, "Maya, can you here me. Unresponsive. GCS 4. Someone get me an intubation tray, propafol and rocuronium, call ICU, book CT, I need full bloods including a tox screen now," Owen said, "we've got you Maya, I'm going to put you to sleep."
"What was she doing today?"
"She's been in work. She came home late."
"Yasuda, check the tox screen on Bishop's patient she brought in. Bed 7. Can someone get me some naloxone? Rush that tox screen."
"Owen, what's going on."
"She's exhibiting signs of overdose and she brought in a patient who was unconscious earlier. We've got her Carina," Owen said as various medication was pushed to try and get Maya back before he sedated her.
"Oh Maya, you'll be okay," she said, holding onto Maya's feet, as everyone rushed around her. "I'll call Andy, she might know." It was all she could do. She was about to call her when Maya coughed and groaned. "Bambina, you're okay," Carina said, as much to reassure herself as to reassure Maya, "it's okay, you're sick."
"Dr Hunt, Meth, meth and heroin." Maya said.
"We've got it, Maya, you've had a passive overdose on an opiate."
"I should have known."
"Its okay, you'll feel better soon."
"Tell Jack. Call Jack."
"Lieutenant Gibson checked himself in around ten minutes before you, he's been trying to get a hold of you."
"I don't feel good."
"You're okay, they know what's happened and can fix it."
"I'm gonna sleep, can I sleep?"
"Yes."
"Promise," Carina mumbled, putting her head next to Maya's, the chaos around them fading into insignificance, "promise you'll wake up again."