Chapter Text
“Bambina, let’s go. You have already checked your clipboard twice,” Carina said as she stood by the door, suitcase next to her, purse in hand, “If we don’t leave soon, we are going to be late.” “But did you remember to…”
Maya started, coming out of their bedroom with her backpack slung over her shoulder.
“I unplugged the microwave, made sure the house was set to the right temperature, emptied our bathroom trash can, and made sure the sound machine is off in Liam and Andrea’s room,” Carina said, knowing those were her tasks for the day, “We are more than ready. It’s time to go. Come on.”
“Ok,” Maya said, looking around the house once more, “I know. You’re right. It’s just been so long since we have gone away just the two of us and I feel very out of practice.”
“It is going to be fine,” Carina said, “Peggy and Dayna are watching the bambini and they have everything they need for that, plus a key to our house and the alarm code if they should need anything else, we have everything we need, and I have packed a few surprises for you as well.”
“Well, I packed some for you too,” Maya said, smiling as she leaned in to kiss her wife.
“Did you now?” Carina said, raising an eyebrow as they pulled apart a little, “I can’t wait to see what you have.”
“I can’t wait to see what you have,” Maya said, leaning in for another short kiss, “Happy anniversary week Babe.”
“Happy anniversary,” Carina said, smiling, “Now, are you finally done with your list and ready to go enjoy this vacation?”
“I am,” Maya said, “Let’s go.”
This was the first trip they had taken as a couple since becoming parents close to two years ago. They had wanted to go sooner, but they hadn’t finalized Liam’s adoption until Carina was 38 weeks pregnant with Andrea and by that point, neither of them felt comfortable traveling.
Then, Andrea had been such a colicky baby with horrific reflux who absolutely would not sleep for more than three hours at a time because her poor tummy was hurting so much no matter what they tried that they couldn’t leave her with anyone overnight.
Finally, around 6 months, they seemed to crack the code to their sweet little Andrea Maya with some special formula and a combination of reflux meds and it was like they had a different child. She went from fussy and miserable to smiley and happy and while it broke both of their hearts that she had been so miserable for so long, they were overjoyed to finally get to know the real Andrea.
They were also happy to be getting better sleep, and once they were certain it wasn’t just some fluke, they decided to book a vacation for just the two of them to get away. It just so happened that their anniversary was at the perfect time for this trip so they planned a week away in Palm Springs where they had enjoyed their first ever vacation together all those years ago, though they opted for a different resort with more amenities this time. They had thought about someplace like the Bahamas or Mexico, but both of them were still a little nervous to leave their two tiny children and so instead settled on someplace closer that still had the beaches and sun Carina craved.
As Maya loaded Carina’s bag into the car, she felt a little bit of a cramp across her abdomen, nothing bad, just a little pang that was gone almost as soon as it came which confused her a bit, but it wasn’t that unusual so after rubbing her stomach for a second, she just brushed it off as nothing. They got into the car, heading to SeaTac, holding hands across the center console as they drove.
“I can’t believe we are actually doing this,” Carina said as they pulled into the parking lot.
“I can’t believe Andrea finally sleeps through the night so we can do this,” Maya said, “I mean, I thought we were doomed to do wake ups every three hours for the rest of our lives.”
“I know,” Carina said, shaking her head as they got out of the car, “I feel so bad that she was so sick and miserable for so long. I hope she outgrows some of her sensitivities eventually.”
“Me too,” Maya said, “Because cooking without dairy, soy, eggs, and tomatoes is going to be impossible, especially for you.”
“If she needs me to, I will,” Carina said, “But I hope so too. Part of me still feels bad for giving up on breastfeeding her though.”
“Babe, she was miserable and you were miserable and no one slept except somehow Liam because that boy can sleep through anything,” Maya said, “Her special formula is exactly what she needs to thrive and for all of us to thrive. No feeling bad that her tummy couldn’t handle your milk.”
Just then, Maya’s own stomach let out a loud gurgle, causing her eyes to widen a little as she put her hand on it while Carina laughed.
“Are you hungry Bambina?” the Italian said as they headed toward the airport to check in for their flight, Maya pulling both bags behind her despite Carina’s protests.
“I guess maybe I am,” Maya said, shaking her head, “I haven’t eaten that much today.“
“Well, we will fix that when we get to the terminal,” Carina said, “And you make fun of my stomach for how loud it is.”
“Yours is normally way louder,” Maya said, rolling her eyes as they approached the desk to get their bags checked.
With that done, they headed off to security hand in hand, Carina stealing glances at her wife as they walked, fully knowing how to navigate this airport on her own but allowing Maya to lead them because she found it so sexy when Maya was in charge of things. She did notice her wife’s cheeks seemed a little more rosy than normal, but she put it down to the bustling atmosphere in the airport and a slight bit of anxiety she knew Maya always felt when traveling.
For most of her life, traveling had not been a pleasant experience for the blonde, always being with her dad going to track meets. She was never allowed any snacks on the flights and nothing to drink aside from water. Lane would also make her walk laps around the airport until it was time for their flight because “no daughter of his was going to be a lazy lump for an hour in the airport and then in the plane too.”
The first time they had flown together, Carina had noticed how anxious Maya was but had no idea why. As Maya slowly started opening up over the course of the next few months, Carina began to piece together what had caused Maya’s anxiety in the airports, the blonde telling her all about how travel days used to be for her not long after they had officially moved in together when they were daydreaming about trips they would take when the world opened back up. Now when they traveled, Carina tried to just be a calming presence for her wife, not pushing her to do anything she didn’t want to and making sure she knew she was allowed to rest.
They got through security, Carina’s bag getting searched for a reason neither of them understood, but it didn’t take too long and soon enough, they were off to their gate.
“Should we find something to eat before we walk down there?” Carina asked, knowing the gate was pretty far down the terminal.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Maya said, “If you want to.”
“I thought you were hungry,” Carina said, laughing.
“I guess I am,” Maya said, biting her lip.
“Hey,” Carina said, pulling her wife over to the side, out of the walkway, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Maya said, “I think I’m just feeling a little anxious. Both about leaving the kids and just being here. I’m not really hungry, but I know we should eat because I haven’t eaten that much today and neither have you. I think being back here is just bringing up a lot of memories. This is the first time I’ve been back here since I started therapy and I just feel like that’s making me think of more things.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Carina asked gently, brushing a piece of hair off Maya’s face, tucking it gently behind her ear, “I am here for you if you do.”
“No,” Maya said, “I mean, there’s not a lot to talk about. Lane made travel days absolutely suck as you know and it just…it makes me sad. When Liam and Dre get older, we are going to take them on a lot of fun trips and airports are going to be fun for them, ok?”
“Absolutely,” Carina said, smiling at her, “I also an a little anxious about leaving them. I cannot wait for all the adventures we are going to take with them. Maybe we can plan something for after Andrea’s first birthday?”
“And we have to take them to Italy,” Maya said, “I know they are still little for that kind of travel and they won’t remember, but I really want them to see where their mamma grew up and make memories there.”
“We can do that,” Carina said, “People travel with babies all the time. Not that I would have wanted to subject anyone to Andrea’s first six months, but I think now that we have everything sorted out with her, Italia would be totally doable.”
“Maybe we try a shorter trip first, just to see how they do on a plane, and then we can go to Italy?” Maya said, feeling some of her anxiety melting away as she and Carina talked.
“I think that is a great plan,” Carina said, giving Maya a small kiss, “Now, do you want to go to the gate or grab something to eat?”
“Let’s get some food,” Maya said, “I’m still not hungry, but I know if I don’t eat, I am going to feel like shit by the time we get there and that is not how I want to start this vacation.”
“We can find something light,” Carina said, taking Maya’s hand back in hers, “Come on.”
They stopped at a little café about halfway to their gate, both of them ordering a salad and a glass of wine. Maya only ate about half of her food, not really feeling like eating.
Carina didn’t push it, knowing that food triggers were something Maya was still working on in therapy and that the prospect of sitting for three hours on a plane would trigger Maya’s brain to think she didn’t deserve to eat. Carina was aware Maya knew that wasn’t true, but also knew that today was a lot and knew better than to force anything more than her wife was comfortable with.
They both sat there for a while to finish their wine and just enjoy the peace of the restaurant before grabbing their bags and heading down to their gate. They only waited about twenty minutes before it was time to board, making their way to their row which was the first row in economy meaning they had a little extra leg room in exchange for no place to put their bag under the seat in front of them.
They got out what they needed before Maya put their things in the overhead bins, feeling another uncomfortable cramp in her stomach as she lifted the bags up, rubbing her stomach as she sat down.
“Are you ok Bambina?” Carina asked, noticing her wife’s movements.
“Yeah, I think so,” Maya said, “Just some cramping. I don’t think it’s my period because it’s not due for two weeks. Maybe it’s ovulation pain or something. I don’t know. I’m ok. It’s gone now.”
“Ok,” Carina said, placing her own hand on Maya’s stomach, rubbing it gently, noticing it felt a bit bloated which could also be related to ovulation.
She made a mental note to keep an eye on it, but Maya seemed ok for now. They sat patiently waiting for the plane to be ready to take off, luckily they didn’t have to wait too long before it was time to go. Carina held Maya’s hand as they got ready to take off, smiling as she felt the blonde put her head on her shoulder, Carina kissing the top of her wife’s head. As she did so, she noticed Maya seemed a tiny bit warm, but the plane was stuffy form the time on the tarmac so she brushed it off.
As the plane took off, Carina felt Maya squeezing her hand tightly, the Italian squeezing back. As they climbed, they passed through the clouds, Carina pulling Maya a tiny bit closer. Her wife had told her about the clouds at one point and while Maya was very clear that she was no longer feeling that way and a promise to tell Carina if she ever felt like the desire to be in the clouds came back, it always made Carina’s heart break just a tiny bit when she thought of her wife ever feeling like that. Carina felt Maya shifting a bit in the seat next to her, figuring it was just because of the clouds.
“It’s ok Bambina,” Carina said gently, “I’m right here.”
Maya actually was squeezing her wife’s hand because the takeoff had made her stomach cramp more than before, but she didn’t want to say anything, not wanting to be a baby about some little cramps.
The plane got going, reaching altitude before Maya turned to look back at her wife, yawning a little bit as she did so.
“Are you sleepy Bambina?” Carina asked, a little surprised because Maya had actually slept in this morning, skipping her normal morning run in favor of being there for the whole of the morning routine before they took the kids to Peggy and Dayna’s, wanting as much time with them before saying goodbye for a week.
“I think maybe,” Maya said, “Sorry. I don’t know why.”
“It’s ok,” Carina said, pulling Maya close for a minute before guiding her head to her shoulder, “We have been busy and I feel like it is going to take years to catch up on all the sleep we lost when Andrea was tiny. Why don’t you take a little nap?”
“I don’t know if I’ll sleep,” Maya said, adjusting her head a little, “But I think I am going to rest my eyes.”
“Good,” Carina said, wrapping her arm around her wife, “Just relax. That is what vacation is for.”
It didn’t take long for Maya to fully fall asleep on Carina’s shoulder which worried the Italian a little bit because it was so unusual, but she stood by what she said about the months of sleep deprivation which she knew was almost harder on Maya than it was on her because the blonde had only taken two weeks of parental leave when Andrea was born due to staffing issues at 19 meaning she was working full time and also helping with the baby when she wasn’t at work, often taking the fussy infant on car rides in the middle of the night to let Carina sleep.
And even since Andrea had started sleeping, Maya was still the one who insisted on doing most of the nighttime wake ups when either kid woke up. She had also worked a forty-eight hour shift the days leading up to this trip, switching with one of the C shift firefighters so he would take her shift while they were gone to alleviate the still less than ideal staffing numbers 19 was facing after so many people left.
Carina dozed a bit too, not fully falling asleep, but resting because she was also tired. She had been back at work for a few months and while things were finally settling into some version of a new normal, it was still an adjustment.
She was so glad that Peggy and Dayna had agreed to be their childcare for both kids because it made her feel a lot better that their friends were the ones watching the kids and also because they were much more flexible than other childcare options. They paid them for their time, obviously, but it gave both of them such peace of mind knowing Liam and Andrea were in a safe, loving environment with people who shared their values.
They would also occasionally take the kids to the hospital daycare in a pinch or if their friends needed a break and Liam and Andrea also did well there which was great. Carina was glad they had managed to form a village around their children despite not having any blood relatives around to help.
Initially, she had been a bit worried about starting a family with her mamma and brother gone, her papa not a suitable person to be around children, and Maya’s family not in their lives at all because all of her early memories were with her nonna and nonno or one Zia or Zio or another, but she was proud of the “family” they had managed to build around them that consisted of friends who cared so fiercely for their children.
Just as Carina was getting close to actually falling asleep, there was a big bump of turbulence. The seatbelt sign had been off for a while, but it went back on immediately when that happened. Another jolt and suddenly the overhead speaker cracked to life.
“Flight attendants, please take your jump seats,” the pilot said, “I apologize but we are going to be heading through some turbulence for the next twenty or so minutes. Please keep your seatbelts fastened and hopefully we can get around this quickly.”
Carina felt Maya stir during this little announcement though the blonde left her head where it was until the announcement was almost over.
“Did you have a good…” Carina started to ask about her wife’s nap only to turn and see the blonde looking pale, “What’s wrong?”
“Are there those vomit bags in this row?” Maya asked, calmly, “I think I might throw up.”
“Oh Bambina,” Carina said, fumbling a bit, finding a blue colored paper bag, opening it before handing it to her wife before pulling her hair away from her face, “It’s ok. It’s probably just your stomach not liking the flying and the turbulence. Just try to breathe ok? And if you get sick, that’s ok too. I’m here.”
“I have never been airsick before,” Maya said, hovering with her face over the bag, “Carsick sure, but airsick? Never.”
“This might be new,” Carina said, rubbing her back, “As we get older, things change and that can include things like this.”
“Well that sucks,” Maya said, burping a little bit, holding the bag closer to her face.
“I know,” Carina said, “I’m sorry. We can get some Dramamine for the flight back. Or maybe see if the flight attendants have anything once the turbulence is done. Just try to breathe. Maybe it will go away once thing settle out.”
“I hope so,” Maya said, face all but buried in the bag, “I feel awful.”
“Just try to take some deep breaths,” Carina said, wishing she had an elastic to secure her wife’s hair, settling on just making sure it was away from her face, “And if you have to be sick, just let it happen.”
“I don’t want to,” Maya said, looking at her wife with tears in her eyes.
“I know,” Carina said, “I don’t want you to be sick either, but if that is what your body needs, fighting it will just make you feel worse.”
A big bump of turbulence hit just then and Carina braced herself as Maya opened her mouth over the bag, gagging a bit but not being sick.
“It’s ok,” Carina said, “I’m right here, just try to relax.”
Maya gagged again, holding the bag up to her face as she threw up, Carina grimacing a little as she rubbed her back and kept her hair out of her face.
“Get it all out Bambina,” Carina said, trying to shield Maya from any onlookers, happy it was just the two of them in the row, “There you go.”
After a solid minute, Maya spit into the bag before looking up at Carina miserably with tears in her eyes.
“It’s ok,” Carina said, quickly taking the bag, sealing it and tucking it on the floor by their feet before pulling Maya into a hug, “I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well.”
“That was awful,” Maya said, tears running down her cheeks as she clung to Carina.
“Lo so,” Carina said, “Feeling sick on a plane is never fun. Do you feel any better after being sick?”
“Maybe a little bit,” Maya said as Carina handed her some water, “MY stomach still doesn’t feel well though. Like at all.”
“I’m sorry,” Carina said, wrapping her arm around her wife, “Just try to relax ok?”
“Can you talk to me?” Maya asked, shifting in her seat, her stomach aching and uncomfortable, “About anything. I just need a distraction.”
“Of course,” Carina said, rubbing Maya’s back a little as she started to talk, discreetly looking to see if there was another airsick bag in the pocket she had found the first one because Maya looked incredibly pale and almost green still and she was worried her poor wife’s tummy troubles were not over.
Fortunately for them, the turbulence was much less intense than the pilot had thought and it didn’t continue for much longer. The same could not be said about Maya’s stomach, however.
The next time she was sick, the seatbelt sign was off and she went into the bathroom to throw up, Carina going with her, the two of them somehow fitting in the small space together.
“People probably think we are hooking up in here,” Maya said as she rinsed her mouth out while Carina rubbed her back.
“So let them,” Carina said, “I would be proud of it if we were.”
“I wish that’s why we were in here,” Maya said, laying her head on Carina’s chest for a minute, the Italian rubbing her back as she kissed her forehead.
It was then that she realized her wife, who had felt a bit warm since the beginning of the flight, was much warmer now, almost hot even.
“Bambina, I think you might have a fever,” Carina said, putting a hand on her wife’s forehead, “You are very hot.”
“It’s just because I was vomiting less than two minutes ago,” Maya said, “I’m ok. It’s just air sickness.”
“I don’t know,” Carina said as they made their way back to their seats which were, thankfully, very close to the bathroom, “You had some stomach cramps before we took off. Maybe that was a sign of sickness.”
“I’m not sick Carina,” Maya said, “I am not going to ruin this vacation with a stomach bug. I’m fine. Just air sick and once we land, it will be better.”
“Whatever you say Bambina,” Carina said, putting some of the pieces together in her head.
The lack of appetite, the flushed cheeks, the cramping, the extra tiredness, all of those things pointed to a likely illness that had nothing to do with the airplane they were in and everything to do with some kind of nasty virus floating around in her wife’s digestive tract.
For now, though, Carina wasn’t going to push it because there was almost nothing that could be done in the air and Maya was ok. Or as ok as someone who likely had a stomach virus could be on a plane. About thirty minutes later, Maya was once again shifting uncomfortably in her seat, hand on her stomach.
“Bambina, do we need to go back to the bathroom?” Carina asked, already unbuckling her seatbelt.
“I do,” Maya said, “But…but I need you not to come. My stomach is hurting, but I don’t think I’m going to throw up this time.”
“Oh Bambina,” Carina frowned, “Ok. I’ll wait right here.”
Maya scurried off to the bathroom, hand on her stomach. This all but solidified what Carina already, that Maya had a stomach bug of some kind and the beginning of this trip at least, was going to be much less relaxing than either of them thought, or at least a different kind of relaxing because instead of time at the pool and spa with fancy drinks, they were going to be in bed and the bathroom with electrolyte drinks or ginger ale.
Maya came back to her seat a few minutes later, hand still on her stomach, looking absolutely miserable.
“I don’t want a stomach virus,” the blonde said as tears welled up in her eyes when she sat down, Carina having put the arm rest up between them when Maya first started feeling bad making it much easier for her to pull Maya close to her.
“I know,” Carina said, rubbing her back, “It’s never fun being sick, especially not on vacation.”
“I just…I just wanted this to be a nice week and I am already ruining it,” Maya said, sniffling.
“You aren’t,” Carina said, “I promise. We took vacation to spend time together, and that is what we are going to be doing. It just might look a little different than we thought. But that’s ok. I’m just sorry you are feeling so bad.”
Maya let out a little burp, Carina fully ready to reach for the bag in the pocket next to her, but the blonde settled against her chest. Maya rested there until right after they touched down when her stomach was unhappy again and because there were still taxiing, she was forced to use another bag.
“People are staring,” Maya groaned as she wiped her mouth with a tissue the flight attendants have given them when Carina told them Maya wasn’t feeling well, “It’s embarrassing.” “
It’s ok,” Carina said, knowing how self-conscious Maya was about looking weak in public, “We are never going to see these people again.”
They got to the gate eventually, Carina beyond grateful for the flight attendants who took the used air sickness bags from them without batting an eye and also gave Carina few extras to take with them. They headed to baggage claim, Maya making a pitstop at the bathroom closest to the baggage claim while Carina went to get their bags.
As a testament to how bad Maya was feeling, she didn’t even fight Carina when the Italian insisted on dragging both their bags out to the shuttle their resort provided from the airport. The driver helped load the bags and then Maya and Carina took their seats, opting to sit in the front because while Maya just wanted to be away from everyone, she also had no desire to be carsick on top of the illness she was already fighting.
Luckily, they were the only ones on the shuttle at that time so she didn’t have to worry too much when about halfway there, her stomach started hurting again, Carina pulling out the air sickness bags from the plane and helping her poor sick wife use one.
“We are almost there,” the shuttle driver said, not even batting an eye.
“Grazie,” Carina said, smiling at him in the rearview mirror as she held Maya close.
They arrived at the resort, Carina quickly getting them checked in as Maya stood next to her, leaning her head on her wife’s shoulder, feeling too awful to worry about what the person checking them in thought.
They headed to their room, finding a complimentary bottle of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries waiting for them as they had booked a special anniversary package. However, neither of them were super focused on that little touch as Maya collapsed down onto the bed, exhausted and feeling awful.
“As soon as they deliver our bags, we can change into pajamas and get into bed,” Carina said, grabbing her phone to let Peggy and Dayna know they had landed and check on the kids.
“You should go down to the pool or the spa or something,” Maya said, forcing her eyes open to look at her wife, “Just because I am sick doesn’t mean you have to miss vacation.”
“I already told you Bambina, all I wanted on this trip was uninterrupted time with you,” Carina said, “And if that means lying in bed napping and holding your hair and watching trashy TV for a day or two, then that is what I want. I mean, I don’t want you feeling sick, but I do want to be with you.”
“You are going to make me cry,” Maya said, sitting up a little as she brushed away a tear, “Being sick always makes me emotional.”
“I know,” Carina said, sitting down beside her, “It’s one of the many things about you I find adorable.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door and Carina opened it, the bellhop bringing in their bags. She gave him a small tip before shutting the door behind him and looking at her wife.
“Pajamas and bed?” Carina asked, because despite it being only about 4 pm, she knew Maya needed a nap and she was tired herself.
“Pajamas and bed,” Maya nodded, forcing her exhausted, fever ridden body up, “Can I wear one of your t-shirts?”
“Si,” Carina said, handing Maya one of her own pajama shirts, knowing that when she was sick, her wife would almost exclusively wear her clothes.
They got ready to lay down, Maya brushing her teeth and using the bathroom again while Carina got the room set up, putting the trashcan next to Maya’s side of the bed before calling down to the front desk and asking if there was any way to get a few bottles of water and a Gatorade delivered to the room along with an extra blanket because she knew Maya would often get horrible chills with her fevers which they were happy to do. Carina knew Maya had packed some packets of electrolytes in her bag just in case they went a little too hard at the hotel bar, and Carina was grateful they had them because she knew she was going to have to force her wife to drink something at some point soon.
Maya eventually finished up in the bathroom, crawling into bed almost immediately.
“What can I do Bambina?” Carina asked, standing next to her, rubbing her back, “There’s a trash can next to the bed in case of emergency. I am having an extra blanket brought up in case you get cold.”
“Can you just cuddle?” Maya asked pitifully.
She really didn’t want to get her wife sick, but at this point, she had been exposed and if it was going to happen, there was very little they could do to stop it so Maya wanted the comfort her wife was an expert at providing.
“I will as soon as they bring the blanket and drinks I ordered,” Carina said, her phone vibrating at that moment, “Oh look at this. Peggy took Liam and Andrea and Rose to the park. Look how happy Liam is to be going on the slides with Rose. And Andrea on the swings. She said they are doing great.”
“Good,” Maya said, smiling at the photos of their kids, “Is it weird I already miss them?”
“No,” Carina said, “I do too.”
“I am glad that I am not dealing with this bug with them around though,” Maya said as her stomach gurgled loudly and angrily, “Being sick with them around is so much harder than being sick before kids.”
“I agree,” Carina said, “That flu we had before Andrea was born?”
“You mean the one where I didn’t think you would ever be able to speak without a raspy voice again?” Maya said, “And when I had that fever that lasted almost two weeks. Or the hand foot and mouth they just had a few weeks ago?”
“You mean that we all had?” Carina said, shaking her head, “That was bad. Si. It is much better that you can just have some peace while you are sick.”
Just then, there was another loud knock at the door, Carina answering it again, this time to someone with blankets and drinks which she was grateful for. She put the drinks in the fridge except one water bottle, putting the blanket at the end of the bed because right now, Maya was not cold, adding one of Maya’s electrolyte packs to the water before setting it on the nightstand by her wife.
“You don’t have to drink yet,” Carina said, as she climbed into bed, “But soon, ok? I don’t want you getting dehydrated.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of me,” Maya said, rolling over into her arms, burying her face in her wife’s neck, “I’m sorry this is how we are starting this trip.”
“You can’t help it,” Carina said, rubbing her back, “I just wish you’re your sake you didn’t feel so sick. Please wake me up if you are feeling sick again, ok? And if you haven’t thrown up in about an hour, I want you to try something to drink, ok?”
“Ok,” Maya said, clearly already drifting off, “I love you.”
“I love you too Bambina,” Carina said, kissing the top of her head, hoping that this would be a short-lived bug so her wife could feel better and they could truly enjoy their anniversary trip.