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Maya filed away what she hoped would be her final incident report of the shift. There was less than an hour until she could leave and head home to her wife. Her wife, who had been excitedly waiting for this day all month. Their babymoon. The last weekend they’d get to spend just the two of them before welcoming a second tiny baby into their family.
Maya’s phone lit up on her desk, a shrill ring filled the air, and a momentary dread made its way through her body. Not now. Not today. We need this time together. Her mood instantly lifted when she saw the name. Carina.
“Hi, babe. I promise that I will be on time to come and get you. We only have 30 minutes left, and the new crew is just pulling up now. I won’t be late, and I-”
“Maya, I think she’s coming-” A pained groan momentarily cut Carina off.
“Who? Coming where?” Maya racked her mind, wondering what she might possibly have forgotten in the chaos of her shift.
“The baby, Maya.” Carina gasped down the phone, letting out a low guttural groan, “I think the baby is coming.”
Maya thought she must have heard wrong. Their daughter wasn’t due for another 8 weeks. “The baby? What’s going on? Tell me what’s happening.”
“My stomach hurts, I keep being sick, and I’m spotting. I checked, and I don’t think I’m dilated yet, but I think she’s coming.” Carina’s words were quick, and Maya could practically hear her grimacing down the phone. “The pain-”
“Fuck.” Maya reached for her backpack, slinging it on her shoulder as she reached for the keys to her car. “Do you think you can get yourself to the hospital?”
“No, I’m in too much pain.” Carina groaned loudly, and Maya could hear her shuffling around in what she assumed was an attempt to ease some of the pain.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Maya couldn’t hide the concern lacing her voice.
“Just get here, Maya.” Carina’s tone was sharper than Maya had ever heard, but Maya didn’t care.
“I’ve already left. I’ll be 10 minutes.” Maya hadn’t bothered wasting time trying to find someone to tell that she was leaving. She’d drop them a quick text when she had a chance. She just needed to get home to her wife and her baby. Now.
“We haven’t got anything ready, Maya.” Carina sounded panic-stricken as she realised just how little they currently had prepared.
“You don’t need to worry about that, babe. We have a village of people. We’ll get it sorted.” Maya’s tone was reassuring, knowing that was the least of their concerns.
“Allora, you need to focus on driving, so you get to us in one piece. Please, be safe… but be quick.” Carina sounded like she was on the verge of crying, and Maya wanted nothing more than to be by her side.
“I’ll be there before you know it, babe. I promise.” The phone went silent, and Maya’s thoughts started going a mile a minute, the anxiety rising in her chest.
She thought back to when she saw Carina this morning, curled up in bed, jokingly begging her not to go to work. Liam had been picked up early by Peggy and Dayna to go and spend the weekend with them for exciting adventures to the aquarium and the zoo. Carina had wanted to use every minute of the day to spend some much-needed quality time together, having been apart for much of the last two weeks thanks to conflicting shifts. Maya wished she had listened. She wished she had allowed herself to be pulled back under the covers and accepted Carina’s tempting offer of more morning orgasms.
Realistically, she knew she wouldn’t have been able to stop whatever was happening, but at least she would have already been at home and able to get Carina help quicker. Instead, she was currently fighting every incompetent driver in Seattle, trying to get home in one piece. How had they found themselves here? There were no signs that anything was wrong.
How was this happening? Why was this happening?
As Maya turned onto their drive, the realisation of just how serious things were confronted her. She knew things sounded bad when they’d been on the phone, but seeing it in person was a gut punch. Carina was already outside waiting for her, standing on the front porch, doubled over in pain, blue sick bag in hand. Her hair was in a makeshift bun, and she was dressed in Maya’s Olympic t-shirt and SFD sweats while sporting a pair of sneakers Maya didn’t even know existed. She looked unwell.
Maya barely allowed the car to come to a stop before she was flinging open her door and running to be by Carina’s side. “I’m here. I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I’m scared, Maya.” Carina clasped at the lapels of the brown trench coat she’d finished her outfit with, tugging it tighter around her as if it could shield her and their baby from everything.
“I know, baby.” Maya lifted a hand towards Carina’s belly, waiting for a nod of approval before allowing her palm to cup the ever-growing bump she had come to love. “Let’s get you two checked out.”
Maya wrapped an arm around Carina’s waist to support her as she gingerly made her way to the car, stopping every few steps when a bout of pain rolled through her. As soon as Carina was seated, Maya ran around to the driver’s side, barely allowing her seatbelt to lock into place before she began their journey to the hospital.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Carina shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Still surprisingly agile this far into the pregnancy, Carina was contorting herself into all sorts of positions, trying to find some relief from the pain.
“You need to face forward, babe.” Maya had attended far too many scenes where she’d seen the catastrophic outcomes of people not sitting in their seats correctly. She couldn’t let that happen to her wife and baby. She wouldn’t let that happen.
“I can’t, Maya,” Carina spoke through gritted teeth. “I physically can’t. It’s not comfortable, and it hurts more.” A guttural groan left her body as she tried to angle her body to face forward.
Maya had to blink away the tears that were brimming in her eyes at the sheer discomfort that Carina was in. “Okay, baby. It’s okay.”
“What if we’re losing her, Maya?” Carina’s voice was barely above a whisper, a stark contrast to the grunts and groans that had been leaving her body. “I don’t think I can handle another loss.”
Their journey to bring another baby into their family had been anything but plain sailing. They had experienced two failed transfers, two chemical pregnancies, and a miscarriage at 11 weeks. It had been heartbreaking each time that something went wrong, but their last attempt, ending in a miscarriage, had almost destroyed them. Just as they were getting ready to share their joy with everyone, the little life they had come to know and love was taken from them. It was cruel, and Maya wished she could have wrapped Carina up and protected her from all the pain and heartache that it caused. She had struggled herself, but they had agreed to try again.
One more chance.
When they had received their positive pregnancy test, neither could fully allow themselves to revel in the joy. There was an underlying fear that something would go wrong again. As each week had passed, they’d allowed themselves to soak in the beauty of the journey a little bit more, but there was still an unspoken worry, an almost expectation that tragedy would strike.
“We’re not losing her.” Maya tried to sound convincing. “I’m sure that everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to the right place.” She reached to intertwine her hand with the one Carina wasn’t using to cradle her bump, hoping that it would bring some comfort, as she made to turn the car into the ER parking bay.
“No, we aren’t.” Carina let out a small chuckle at the irony. “We need to go to L&D, bambina.”
“L&D right.” Maya was once again hit with the realisation that they could be having a baby tonight.
As the doors opened onto the labour and delivery ward, Carina barely shuffled her way out of the elevator before her body lurched forward and she emptied what little was left in her stomach into the sick bag that she was still clutching in her hand.
“Okay, babe. Get it all up.” Maya rubbed a hand across Carina’s back.
Carina let out a disgruntled groan. “That’s the sixth time that has happened in the last two hours.” She wiped the corner of her mouth, uncurling her body as much as she could. “Something’s wrong.”
“We’ll get you checked out,” Maya promised, looking around the corridor, her eyes falling on an abandoned wheelchair. “Now, I know you don’t want to be in a wheelchair at work, but if I let you keep trying to walk, we’re not going to get you help very quickly, and you both need to be checked out sooner rather than later.” Maya guided Carina to sit in an available wheelchair she had spotted, much to her wife’s dismay.
“I’m only letting you do this for piccola.” Carina narrowed her eyes at Maya, giving her a signature finger point, before dropping her head into her hands as another bout of nausea overcame her.
“For piccola.” Maya pushed the wheelchair further onto the ward, heading towards the reception desk.
Spotting the pair immediately, but seemingly failing to see the wheelchair, a trio of interns was quick to swarm Carina.
“Hi, Doctor Deluca!”
“We didn’t know you’d be in today.”
“Do we have a cool case?”
Maya was stunned.
Carina had complained about this group more than once, usually with a tired sigh at the end of a long shift. Maya had listened, sympathetic but convinced it was just the result of Carina’s long day.
But now seeing them for herself, she realised Carina hadn’t been dramatic at all. If anything, she’d downplayed it.
Carina let out a sound akin to a growl as she threw her hands exasperatedly in the air. “No. No ‘hello.’ Page Doctor Wilson.”
“We can help. You’ve been training us for this moment.” A blonde intern spoke up. Maya could tell just from looking at him that he was the one who had been trying to flatter Carina with compliments in the hopes that he would get to assist on the complex cases.
“Do we need an OR? Blood on standby? A crash cart?” The intern with glasses spoke up. Maya knew her as the one who tried hard but had no common sense. Book smart, not street smart, as Maya had once suggested.
Carina had laughed at the time, shaking her head at the accuracy of it, and the phrase had stuck. Now, she used it regularly, often with a roll of her eyes.
“Where’s the patient?”
Maya had to try hard to hold back a laugh of disbelief. Carina really had downplayed this.
“Allora!” Carina snapped her fingers, a sign that they all needed to be quiet. Now. “How stupidi are you people?”
The interns all turned to look at Maya as if she would jump to their defence.
“She’s asking a valid question.” Maya raised her brows disapprovingly.
“I’m the patient!” Carina practically shouted. “Me! In the wheelchair! With a sick bag! And a huge pregnant belly.”
The interns had a collective moment of realisation as they took in the scene in front of them.
“Oh my…”
“What can we do?”
“How can we help?”
“Page Doctor Jo Wilson…” Carina spoke through gritted teeth, getting increasingly annoyed by their lack of urgency. “NOW!”
While the interns scattered, fighting each other to be the first to page Jo, a nurse ushered them into a triage room, helping Maya get Carina situated on a bed. The nurse, Debbie, had become a firm friend of the family. She had been there on Carina’s first day at Grey Sloan and had taken Carina under her wing, helping show her the ropes, and always being reliably on hand whenever Carina needed. When Liam had come home with the DeLuca-Bishops, Debbie had knitted him a baby blanket he absolutely loved, gifted them with enough clothes to see him through until his first birthday, and had often dropped them off a home-cooked meal, so they could soak in all the bliss of having a newborn baby. Debbie was an extension of their family at this point, and it eased something in Maya’s chest to know she was there for them today.
As soon as Carina was situated, the interns flocked back into the room, tripping over one another as they tried to reach for the machines to take Carina’s obs. It was too frantic. Too loud. Too overwhelming. Too much.
Debbie noticed the way that Carina’s breathing came in short, sharp gasps, and the desperate look that overtook Maya’s face as she reached to intertwine her hand with Carina’s free one.
“Okay, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, clear the room.” Debbie ushered the three reluctant interns towards the door, moving to close it right behind them. “Go and prep for the exam you have next week. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
The moment the room cleared, Carina’s breathing returned to normal. As normal as it could be, with the pain that was still radiating through their body.
“Please, don’t let them come back in.” Carina pleaded. “They are too handsy. I just want you, Debbie. And Jo.”
Debbie placed a reassuring hand on Carina’s arm. “I will keep finding things for them to do, don’t worry. You just need to focus on yourself and your little one.”
The door flung open, and a panic-stricken Jo Wilson practically ran into the room. “What’s going on? Why do I have three code blue pages and a handful of alarming emails about Carina? Is everything okay?”
Carina couldn’t help the small chuckle that left her; she should have known her interns couldn’t be trusted with even the simplest of tasks. “Calmati, Jo. I’m okay.” She winced. “Well… I think the baby is coming, but I’m okay.”
Jo let out a visible sigh of relief, grateful that it wasn’t the life-or-death emergency she’d been led to believe.
But Carina being there at all meant something wasn’t right, meaning that relief quickly shifted into focus. She was already determined to get to the bottom of it as soon as she could.
“Right, okay. Symptoms? What’s happening?” Jo moved towards the bed while offering a reassuring smile to both Maya and Carina.
“I thought I was just having bad pregnancy cramps, maybe even braxton hicks, but then I got a sudden pain in my right side, and I knew it was something more.” Carina squeezed Maya’s hand as another sharp pain shot across her side. “Almost immediately after, I started to feel lightheaded, dizzy, and nauseous, and then I vomited. I wondered if I might have caught a daycare bug from Liam, but then I went to the toilet, and I’m spotting.”
Maya felt tears welling in her eyes as she heard the fear in Carina’s voice. She was so used to her wife being calm and collected, but this had completely overthrown all of that, and she was clearly scared. They both were.
Jo nodded, typing a few notes into the chart before handing the iPad to Debbie, who had finished collecting Carina’s initial obs. “Okay, before we carry on with anything else, I need to do a stat cervical check, if that’s okay?”
“Sì, of course.” Carina moved to swing her legs off the bed, wobbling slightly as she sat upright.
Debbie handed Maya a gown to help get Carina changed into before joining Jo in the corner to relay Carina’s obs readings.
Maya carefully helped Carina out of her hoodie and sweats, trying to be quick, but not wanting to cause her any more discomfort than she was already in.
With the gown in place, Carina lay back on the bed, reaching for Maya’s hand once more, needing the familiar comfort.
Jo performed a quick check, humming lightly as she retreated from the bed and snapped off her gloves. “Okay, I can’t see or feel anything that I’m alarmed by, and it doesn’t sound like labour to me, but we’ll get you hooked up to the NST machine just to be sure nothing is going on.”
Carina let out a sigh of relief as Maya looked questioningly at Jo.
“It’s a Nonstress Test.” Jo began explaining as Debbie worked to get the machine set up. “It’s a non-invasive and painless test that will help us to monitor the baby’s heart rate in relation to their movement to make sure they are getting enough oxygen. It will also show us a fetal heart rate and any contractions if they are happening. Ironically, it sounds a lot more stressful than it is.”
Maya let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. “Okay, that all sounds… okay.”
“It is, bambina. This is a good thing.” Carina squeezed Maya’s hand as she grimaced.
Jo moved to feel Carina’s stomach to figure out where to place the heart rate monitor, but Carina practically screamed in pain as she turned her body away from Jo.
“We hear her heart rate here,” Carina spoke through gritted teeth as she pointed at the left side of her stomach. “Put the thingy here.”
Jo got the two belts and heart rate monitor fitted as quickly as she could, hoping to avoid causing Carina further pain before passing her a clicker device. “Okay, Carina, you know how this works, but Maya, I’ll explain it so you understand, too. The belt with the monitor is recording the baby’s heart rate, and the other belt is measuring for any contractions that Carina might be having. Carina will press the button on the clicker every time that she feels the baby move, and it will allow me to record the heart rate at the time of movement, okay?”
Maya nodded along as Jo spoke, feeling like she should be making notes of everything she was being told. “Okay. How long will she have to do this for?”
“Typically, about 20-30 minutes, just so we can be sure of everything.” Jo smiled as Maya muttered the words under her breath in confirmation.
When 20 minutes had passed, Jo moved to unfasten the belts as quickly as she could, allowing Carina to contort herself into whatever position was relatively comfortable.
“Okay. From what we can see, you have no contractions, fetal heart rate is tracking normally, and she seems to be very active and dancing away in there.” Carina and Maya shared a smile, knowing their daughter had been that way since their very first scan, often rolling around for them or throwing an arm around with dramatic flair. “I can confidently say that I don’t think you’re in labour, and it’s a very atypical presentation if you are.”
“That’s good news.” Maya pressed a kiss to Carina’s forehead, feeling some of the tension leaving her body.
“Sì, but if it’s not labour then what is it?” Carina furrowed her brows, all medical knowledge seemingly having left her brain in the fear of all the chaos.
“I’m almost certain it’s not a pregnancy complication.” Jo smiled at the relief that washed over the pair’s faces. “I quickly checked your medical history earlier, and I can see here now that you have a history of ovarian cysts.”
Maya nodded vigorously. “She gets at least one every six months, if not more.”
Jo typed a few more notes. “Would you say this feels like that pain, Carina?”
“No… Maybe… I don’t know.” Carina let out an exasperated sigh as she rubbed a hand over her face. “Something is really wrong, Jo.” Carina’s voice broke as a tear slipped from her eye.
Maya brushed the tear away, pressing a few kisses to Carina’s forehead. “We’re going to figure this out, babe. It’s going to be okay.”
“Maya’s right, Carina.” Jo patted her blanket-covered leg reassuringly. “Debbie is going to quickly take some blood to test for infection markers in case it’s your appendix, and I’m going to do a full abdominal ultrasound. I’ll start with checking the baby, just to be certain, and then I’ll check your ovaries and everything else. We will get to the bottom of this pain.”
As soon as Debbie had finished collecting Carina’s blood sample, Jo moved the ultrasound machine over to the side of the bed. She squeezed some gel onto her stomach after receiving a nod of approval, but the ultrasound probe barely touched Carina’s skin before she lurched her body over the side of the bed, bile splattering to the floor.
“Dio mio, I’m so sorry.” Carina choked out as Maya rubbed her back. “I didn’t know that was going to happen.”
“You don’t have to apologise. We both know how often that kind of thing happens.” Jo reassured as she passed Carina a sick bowl. “I’ll get someone to come and clean it up when I’ve done this scan. Would you like some Entonox to help with the pain?”
Carina looked scandalised at the mere suggestion, shaking her head with a force that shocked Maya and Jo. “No. Assolutamente no. What if it’s a bowel obstruction?”
“When did you last go to the bathroom?” Jo tilted her head, raising her brows.
“Four… No.” Carina mumbled as she counted on her fingers. “Three hours ago.”
“You can have it then.” Jo reached to grab the mouthpiece.
“I don’t want it.” Carina practically slapped it away. “Just… hurry up.”
Maya looked at Jo in disbelief and confusion. “Babe, if it’ll help, do you not think-”
“No, Maya.” Carina raised her hand to stop Maya from talking. “I don’t need any meds.”
As Jo began the scan, the only noises that could be heard were the clicking of the ultrasound machine and Carina’s pained breaths. Until she moved the probe over the left side of Carina’s stomach. A familiar whooshing noise filled the room; a rhythm that Maya and Carina had memorised by now—their daughter.
“Somebody would like to show her Mommy and Mamma that she is absolutely perfect.” Jo turned the monitor, allowing the pair to see the baby who was happily rolling away in her Mamma’s tummy.
“I can never quite believe just how active she is,” Maya whispered, scared to break the blissfulness of the moment.
“Of course, she is.” Carina chuckled, the first easy sound she’d let out for a while. “She’s half Bishop, bambina.”
Maya smirked. “Yes, she is.”
“Well, I think I found the problem,” Jo pointed further up the screen, directing their view away from the baby for a moment. “Your right ovary has a ruptured cyst, which is what this free fluid is here, and your left ovary had a 4cm cyst and a smaller 2cm cyst on it too.”
“Jeez, babe. No wonder you’re in so much pain.” Maya rubbed her thumb across the back of Carina’s knuckles, wondering how on earth her wife was currently medication-free.
Jo continued to move the probe gently across Carina’s stomach. “The good news is that I can visualise both ovaries really well, but I’ll check your appendix while I’m here just in case.”
“I didn’t even know you could get a cyst during pregnancy,” Maya murmured, following the screen.
“You can.” Jo and Carina spoke in sync, chuckling lightly as they looked at one another.
After a few more minutes, Jo was satisfied that she had checked everything she needed to and lifted the ultrasound probe, much to Carina’s relief.
“Okay, the appendix looked unremarkable too, but we will wait for the blood results to completely rule that out.” Jo picked up the iPad to type some notes into it. “I’m as confident as I can be that all your symptoms are being caused by these cysts, and now that we know what it is, we need to get this pain under control.”
“I don’t want any pain meds.” Carina looked up from where she’d been wiping the gel off her stomach.
“Carina.” Maya furrowed her brows in confusion. “Last time, you needed morphine and codeine at a minimum.”
“I wasn’t pregnant last time.” Carina sighed as she moved to sit up in the bed, having had enough of lying down and hoping it might bring her some relief. “ I don’t want morphine this time. It hasn’t been researched enough. Same with codeine, and I’ll never have oxycodone before you even think of suggesting it.” Carina pointed her finger between Jo and Maya.
Jo could tell from Carina's tone that there was no use fighting her. “What if we look at your vomiting first? Maybe try some Zofran?”
“That will only make me sicker,” Carina muttered, busying her hands with her gown, as she tried to pull the fabric away from her skin.
“Yeah, she’s weirdly allergic to that,” Maya explained, having sensed Jo’s confusion. “She does usually have cyclizine, though. Is that safe in pregnancy?”
Before Jo could even finish looking it up, Carina spoke up with an exasperated sigh. “Yes. But I only want one dose to get this under control. I don’t want to risk any withdrawal in the baby if this kickstarts labour or lasts for weeks.”
Jo nodded in understanding, typing more notes.
“But, what about the pain?” Maya knew that getting the sickness under control was half the battle, but she also knew just how much pain previous cysts had caused for Carina.
Jo looked at Carina, trying to gauge if it was safe to make a suggestion. “Paracetamol?” She tentatively asked.
“Sì.” Carina agreed, somewhat reluctantly. “But, only IV. I can’t stomach anything. And I swear IV paracetamol feels stronger than the pills.” She nodded her head towards the bile on the floor as if to prove a point.
“Is that enough? It didn’t even touch the sides last time.” Maya’s tone was cautious, not wanting to upset her wife, but also wanting her to be out of pain.
“It has to be,” Carina said firmly.
Jo finished typing and looked at the pair once more. “Okay, I’m going to speak to the Gynae attending about what I’ve found, and discuss next steps while we wait to see if there’s an infection.”
“What happens if there’s an infection?” Maya interjected.
“We’ll discuss that if we get to that point.” Jo reached out to place a reassuring arm on Maya’s shoulder.
“I’m going to get these medications prescribed for you, Carina, and Debbie will be back in to get you set up with them, and to get you cannulated.” Jo smiled as she made her way towards the door. “Sit tight, I’ll make it quick.”
As Jo left the room, Maya turned her full attention to Carina, hoping to be able to make her more comfortable. She helped move the gown from bunching under her and tucked the blanket tighter around her legs.
“Do you want me to get you anything? More pillows? Another blanket?” Maya glanced around the room, trying to figure out what else they might need.
“Blue Gatorade.” Carina requested. “There’s a vending machine in the lobby that has it, and it’s always the perfect temperature.”
“Okay, I’ll go and grab you a couple now.” Maya had already moved towards the door, determined to bring Carina whatever solace she could. “I’m going to call Peggy and Dayna while I go, just to check in on Liam, and tell them what’s going on. I don’t want to suddenly spring it on them if we have to change our pick up plans in a couple of days.”
“Tell him I love him.”
“Of course, babe.” Maya ran back to the bed to press a kiss on Carina’s head just as Debbie entered the room with the cannulation supplies and meds. Carina nodded at Maya’s unasked question of whether she was okay to leave. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
When Jo reappeared an hour later to check on them, she was happy to see that Carina was clearly feeling somewhat better. She was alternating between nibbling on some ginger chews and taking sips of her blue Gatorade. The monitor showed her heart rate had returned to normal, and she was looking a lot less pale than when she had arrived.
“I’m guessing the vomiting is under control?” Jo gestured to the little snack table that Maya had set up for Carina. “Have you had any more spotting since I last saw you?”
“Nope,” Carina spoke through a mouthful of ginger chew, clearly taking advantage of the fact her body was no longer rejecting everything she tried to put into it.
Jo chuckled lightly, making more notes as she watched Maya press a fresh Gatorade into Carina’s hand. “That’s what I like to hear. I spoke to the Gynae team, and we’re all in agreement that the watch and wait approach is best here.”
“Is that safe?” Maya immediately looked apologetic for having interrupted Jo.
“We believe so.” Jo smiled, turning her attention to Carina again. “You have an uncomplicated presentation of ovarian cysts, and your initial bloods came back fine, so we’re not alarmingly worried right now. But if you’d feel more comfortable, we are more than happy to admit you.”
“No.” Carina sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, as if she was getting ready to run out of the room.
“Are you sure, babe?” Maya moved and wrapped an arm around Carina’s waist, terrified she was one shuffle away from falling off the bed. “It might be worth it to give you peace of mind if nothing else.”
“No, Maya. We clearly aren’t going to be able to go on our baby moon, but I refuse to spend that time here.” Carina stopped moving towards the end of the bed and looked her in the eye. “I know what’s going on now. I just want to go home, sleep, and manage it the way I want. Somewhere I can be comfortable and feel safe. With you.”
Maya brushed a thumb across Carina’s cheek, stopping the tears from falling any further. “Okay, baby. If Jo is happy for you to leave, we’ll go home.” Maya wrapped her arm around Carina more tightly, Carina leaning her head against Maya’s side.
“She can go home, Maya.” Jo smiled reassuringly at the pair. “You need to come back tomorrow at 10am for repeat tests, and for another ultrasound to make sure there’s no torsion and the free fluid is being reabsorbed.”
“Okay.” Carina reluctantly agreed.
“You have an open return to the ward, so if the pain gets worse, come straight back,” Jo explained as she wrote a post-it note for Maya of things to look out for. “You’re still prescribed anti-sickness and IV paracetamol, if you do need to return, but you can also take paracetamol tablets at home if you need to.”
“That won’t be necessary, but grazie.” Carina gestured towards her clothes, silently asking Maya to help her. “I just want my bed, a bath as warm as I can have it, and a back massage.”
“Can I at least talk you into going home with some cyclizine, so you’re not dealing with being sick, on top of everything else?” Jo raised a box in the air, having already sensed that Carina would try to find an excuse not to wait for the pharmacy to issue them.
Maya reached for the box before Carina could speak. “We’ll take them.” She looked at Carina in a way that left no room for questions.
“Fine.”
“Okay, well, I’ve noted that you’ve been sent home, so you can leave as soon as you’re changed, but call me or come back in if you need anything at all.” Jo smiled at the pair.
“We will. Thank you, Jo.” Maya smiled before turning to help Carina get changed back into her clothes.
Maya helped guide Carina through the door to their house, one hand gently on her hip, and the other intertwined with Carina’s. Their steps were slow. Cautious. Not wanting to disturb the tiny bit of relief that Carina had found.
They headed straight for the bedroom, not even bothering to remove their coats and shoes until they had reached their bed.
“I want a really hot bath, but I can’t have that.” Carina’s eyes watered as she looked at Maya, a small pout on her lips. “Can you get me my heating pad instead, please?”
“Of course, baby.” Maya leant down to press a kiss into Carina’s hair, having placed her discarded coat and shoes on the chair in the corner. “Do you want anything else to eat?”
“No.”
“Paracetamol? Anti-sickness?” Maya asked, fishing the boxes out of her pocket.
“No.” Carina shook her head. “Just the heating pad.”
Barely five minutes passed before Maya came back into the room, heating pad and water bottles in hand. She quickly removed her bottoms before crawling into bed and curling up behind Carina.
“Can I put my hand on your belly?” Maya had been conscious about Carina still feeling in control of her body the whole way through her pregnancy, but the question felt even more loaded now.
Carina intertwined their hands, bringing them to rest on the spot where they could always feel a flurry of kicks. “Yes, please.”
“At least we know she’s okay.” Maya smiled softly at the feel of their little girl turning around underneath her palm, a flutter of kicks rippling through her hand. “She’s still dancing away in there, snug as a bug.”
“It’s the only thing that’s kept me from completely freaking out.” Carina pushed herself back into Maya’s embrace more, the adrenaline from the day finally leaving her body.
Maya gently pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. “I bet this wasn’t the babymoon you were expecting, huh?”
Carina laughed loudly, lightly swatting Maya’s hand. “Not exactly, but you can’t say that I don’t keep things interesting, bambina.”
“Yeah, you certainly don’t like to follow a plan, babe.” Maya couldn’t help but chuckle.
Carina turned her head slightly, smirking. “Where’s the fun in that?”