Chapter Text
Carina fears the worst every time she gets paged to the ER for her wife. Over the years she’s been paged for things like minor smoke inhalation and head lacerations, but also things more serious like broken ribs and concussions. She never knows what condition Maya will be in by the time she reaches her.
It's the cause of some serious anxiety, but also some serious consequences. Because would it kill Maya to think about her decisions before making them? Carina wonders that every day.
However, sometimes it truly is unavoidable. For example, Maya’s most recent injury. She broke her wrist after a patient got overly aggressive and kicked her, literally, out of the aid-car. Maya fell back against the concrete and her left wrist took most of the impact, causing a clean break at the distal end of her ulna.
She got casted a week ago, and she’s been driving Carina up the walls ever since. It's summertime and she wants to be in the small pool in their backyard with Liam and Andrea, but she can’t get the cast wet and Carina doesn’t think that throwing her toddlers into the air a week after breaking her arm is a good idea. But Carina feels like she’s in a battle with a toddler whenever she tries to restrict Maya. Maya pouts and groans, shuffling her feet against the floor. It’s kinda adorable, but ultimately Carina has to force her to sit down and rest.
Which is why Carina has no earthly clue why she’s being paged to the ER for her wife when Maya isn’t even on shift, and there’s no reason she should be in the ER. Carina even left a pot of soup on the counter that way Maya didn’t have to cook for the kids. So it’s not like she had another kitchen accident and burnt herself.
Carina groans when she sees Maya’s shadow sitting at the end of the gurney. Luckily the interns haven’t pissed her off today (yet) so she’ll save Maya’s lecture for when they get home.
What Carina doesn’t expect to see is Liam sitting on the bed, cradling his left arm, which is now matching Maya’s in a bright red cast.
“Mio dio!” Carina exclaims as she runs towards Liam. “Quello che è successo?” (My god. What happened?)
Liam smiles brightly, “look Mamma I’m matching Mommy!”
Carina looks at Maya who is biting back a smile. Carina wants to slap her across the back of the head. “Maya, che diavolo?”
Maya lifts her good arm up in defense, “I didn’t do anything. Ask Liam.”
Carina looks at Liam. He looks a lot younger than four years old sitting on the gurney. “When I was chasing Pru around in the backyard I was running too fast and didn’t see the step. I tripped over it and broke my arm.”
It’s a surprisingly thoughtful response from a four year old. “Why were you running so fast, Tesoro?” Carina asks, sitting next to him and stroking his hair.
“I wanted to catch up with Pru. She’s so fast and I want to be fast like Mommy to catch up to her.” Liam explains as he gestures wildly with his non-broken hand.
His gestures are so Carina. “I warned him to slow down several times,” Maya says, trying to prove her innocence so Carina won’t be mad at her. She doesn’t like when Carina is mad, or worse, when Carina is disappointed.
“But look Mamma,” Liam smiles, pointing to his cast, “I am matching Mommy and the fire trucks!”
Carina sighs. Not many kids would be happy to break their arms and get a cast. But Liam wants to be just like Maya. “I know you want to be like your Mommy, but this is too far, tesoro.”
Liam leans into Carina, “I was brave like you tell me to be though.” Liam replies, “right, Mommy?”
Liam looks at Maya. Maya nods, “you were so brave, probie. But no more broken arms, okay?”
Carina rolls her eyes, “that applies to both of you.”
Maya is about to kiss Carina when a familiar voice behind them breaks up the moment.
“Firefighter Barbie,” Amelia Shepherd grins, “and little Bishop. Both with broken arms.” She looks smugly at Carina, “how in the world do you put up with this?”
Carina laughs looking directly at Maya and Liam, “no lasagna until the casts come off.”
Maya and Liam both shriek. “That’s so unfair!” They both say, exactly at the same time and with the same tone.
Amelia giggles, “wow. That was easier than I imagined.”
Carina looks back at Maya who has her big blue eyes out on display, practically begging for Carina’s forgiveness. Liam is copying Maya. He’s even added a pout. “Nuh uh,” Carina scolds with her index finger. “This better teach you to be more careful.”
Maya groans like her world is ending. Liam snuggles into Carina’s lap, hoping his Mamma will pick him up. Carina shakes her head and hands him to Maya, forcing Maya to carry him with one arm. She’s more than capable, but she’s offended.
“Yeah that's right too. Either Mommy carries you with one arm or you learn to walk with your own two feet,” Carina looks directly into Maya’s eyes, “who do you think he got his habit of running through the house from?”
Maya can’t even defend herself. Carina is entirely right with that one. “But Carina…”
“No, Bambina,” she replies. Amelia is still watching like it’s a damn movie. “I still love you, but we are gonna have a talk about safety, for the both of you.”
Liam pleads, “but Mamma I really want lasagna! You always make it when we’re hurt or sad.”
Carina feels pang of guilt ring her chest, “I’ll consider it, but only if you promise to be more careful next time?”
Liam nods fervently, “I do. Prometto, Mamma.”
“Sì, Bambino,” Carina turns her gaze back to Maya, “you get lasagna under one condition.”
Maya’s eyes perk up, “what? I’ll do anything!”
Carina smirks, “rest. You need to rest. Like actually rest, not stress out over paperwork that you don’t have to do, make trips to the station when they know you’re on medical leave, and definitely no more throwing Liam and Andrea while in the pool.”
She leans forward and kisses Maya’s cheek, “I sincerely hope you can fulfill these requests.”
Maya nods, “Prometto, Carina.”
Amelia down right cackles, “damn DeLuca, you folded Bishop like a piece of paper.” She pokes at Maya, “how come you didn’t fight back, Firefighter Barbie? Carina has you whipped.”
Maya doesn’t even know what that means, but based on Amelia’s tone, she’s probably right. She’s absolutely wrapped around Carina’s finger.
“I’ll let you get home now,” Amelia states. She rubs Liam’s arm and smiles at the DeLuca-Bishops. “Feel better Liam and Firefighter Barbie. Good luck, Carina!”
Carina waves at Amelia as she goes back to work and then turns to face Maya. “Is discharge ready? I’m not off shift for another hour, so you can take him home if you don’t want to wait up?”
Maya nods, settling Liam into a more comfortable position on her hip, “discharge is good to go. They checked his pupils for a concussion but he never hit his head. Link said to follow up with x-rays in six weeks. Until then he just said to keep it dry, elevated, and pain free. They gave him some Tylenol so he shouldn’t need any more until we get home.”
Carina appreciates Maya’s dutiful answers. She can practically see the clipboard in Maya’s head of all the things Link told her. “Okay. Why don’t you two head home and I’ll meet you there? Is Andrea still with Ben and Bailey?”
Maya nods, “Pru is teaching her how to braid hair. Ben said she can stay until we’re ready to get her.”
“Sì. I’ll pick her up on my way home, the two of you should get settled first. Sound good, Bambino?” Carina asks Liam. She can see the stress of the day is wearing him out.
Liam shakes his little sleepy head before dropping it back down on Maya’s shoulder, “Sì, Mamma. Mia dispiace.”
Carina kisses his head, “don’t be sorry, tesoro. I know accidents happen, we just have to be more careful when we are running.”
Liam agrees and Maya kisses Carina goodbye before they sign the discharge paperwork and they leave.
Once Maya gets Liam situated at home with a bowl of warm soup and a blanket on the couch, Carina arrives with Andrea. Together the four of them eat their soup and watch a Disney film. Carina saves her lecture with Liam for the next morning after seeing how tired he was. His little shoulder was tight from supporting the weight of his new cast, and he was in need of doses of Tylenol throughout the evening.
However, Carina starts her chat with Maya the minute they both crawl under the covers in their shared bed.
“I’m gonna try to be calm, but Maya I need you to know that as much as I don’t blame you for this injury,” she points to her broken arm that Carina has placed on a pillow for Maya to sleep. “I do need you to start being more careful.”
Maya nods and looks over at Carina. Her eyes are full of fear. “You’re not mad at me?”
The Italian shakes her head, “I couldn’t be if I tried. I’m frustrated, yes, but not mad.”
Maya sighs, relieved by Carina’s affirmation. “And Liam? What are we gonna say to him?” Maya continues, “I warned him at least three times about being careful on the steps in Ben and Miranda’s backyard, he just got ahead of himself.”
Carina scoffs, “he’s a little tornado. Baby Nado.”
Maya grins, “god I haven’t used that nickname in forever.” That was the nickname they coined for Liam when he was little and refused to stay in his swaddle. He’d always wiggle his way out of it.
“He has so much energy,” Carina states, “so does Drea. I think we should maybe look into more activities? Maybe not sports, but art classes maybe?”
Maya leans her head on Carina’s shoulder, “yes. Absolutely.” She sucks in a breath, “when Mason and I were little my dad wouldn’t let us take art classes, but we had them in elementary school. Occasionally the art teacher would do an afterschool camp during Christmas and during the spring, and my mom would sign us up. My dad never found out that we were at art camp because my mom would dress us like we had just come from little league. As far as I know she kept all the art projects we made.”
Carina smiles as Maya tells her story. She knew Mason was the artist of the family, but she had no idea Maya was too. “Did you like art, Bambina?”
“I did,” Maya replies. “I was never as good at painting as Mason was, but I loved to build things out of the random things I’d find in the art room. The art teacher would bring in things she found at her house just so I could spend my class time doing something I loved.” Maya wishes she could go back and tell her younger self that there was nothing wrong with that. “I had to stop in high school though. The choice for the electives were either art or gym class, and when my dad found out there was an advanced gym class I had no option but to take that class.”
Carina strokes Maya’s hair gently, “we won’t do that to Liam and Drea. They’ll take whatever classes they want and be involved in whatever they want,” Maya states, adamantly.
Carina firmly agrees, “let’s try out art classes and see if they like it? If not, it'll at least be a chance for them to try something new.”
Maya grins, kissing Carina, “that sounds great. Thank you, my love.”
Carina kisses her back, “ti amo, Bella. Now let’s sleep before we have to wake Liam up for another dose of Tylenol.”
Maya nods and buries her face in the crook of Carina’s neck. She sleeps best when she can feel Carina on all sides of her body. It’s comforting in a way she can’t describe with words.
However, not even ten minutes later, little Liam is poking his head through the door with his stuffed dinosaur tucked under his good arm. “Mamma.” He whines.
Carina shoots up in bed, jostling Maya. “What’s wrong, tesoro?”
Liam steps closer to Carina’s side of the bed. “My arm hurts, Mamma.”
Carina frowns, reaching over to pick Liam up and place him in bed between Maya and her. “Is it really bad or do you think cuddles from me and Mommy can fix it?”
Liam looks back and forth between Maya and Carina, “cuddles can fix it.”
Maya smiles and helps tuck Liam under the covers so he can be close to the two of them. Maya shares the pillow she’s been resting her arm on with her little boy. She feels so bad knowing his arm hurts. Over the past week she’s had some aches and pains, but nothing a little bit of Tylenol couldn’t fix. But she knows that Liam is smaller and his bones are tiny. He’s also never broken a bone before.
“Would it make you feel better if we decorated the cast with some dinosaur stickers tomorrow?” Maya asks, pressing a kiss to Liam’s cheek.
He nods, “and paint my nails to match!”
Carina giggles. Liam loves when they paint nails. He often takes the job of the technician and he shows all the colors to Maya, Carina, and Andrea, and then helps them paint with whatever color they want. He gets his own nails painted by Carina sometimes, but he usually chips it off within a few days. He loves it though.
“We can do that,” Carina says.
Liam snuggles into Carina’s chest, craving the comfort of his Mamma. “Goodnight, Mamma and Mommy.”
“Goodnight probie,” Maya says.
“Buonanotte tesoro,” Carina replies.
They fall asleep cuddled together. Andrea joins them in the early morning after a bad dream, and they spend the morning watching cartoons in bed and eating French toast. Carina does eventually have a talk with Liam about when it’s okay to run and when he needs to walk. It goes over well, but Carina isn’t sure anything will truly ever slow down their Baby Nado.
He’s just too much like Maya. And he wants to be too much like her. Carina does find it adorable when she finds them both on the couch with their broken arms supported by pillows and pouts on their faces when they realize Carina is going to swim in the backyard pool with Andrea without them. Carina plants a kiss on their cheeks and gives them permission to watch a movie.
Maya and Liam are both trouble magnets, but they are too cute for Carina to ever be mad at them.