The Accident

Part 25

Carina actually managed to fall asleep for a while with Maya, something both of them needed. The Italian woke up around noon, her stomach not feeling good again. She carefully removed herself from the bed before going to the bathroom.

Once she was doing, she decided to take a shower, hoping maybe that would help her feel a little bit better. Also, it had been a few days since she had taken one and she knew she needed it.

When she walked out of the bathroom to get some clothes and unhook her IV, she found her wife awake in bed.

"How are you feeling Bambina?" Carina asked, going over to her.

"Ok," Maya said, "What are you doing?"

"I am going to go take a quick shower," Carina said, "I need one. Is that ok?"

"Of course," Maya said, nodding as Carina went into the bathroom again.

As she showered, the Italian realized she was going to need to figure out what to do while Maya had therapy. She didn't really want to leave, but she wanted to make sure Maya had the space she needed to open up to Diane and didn't want to inhibit that in any way. She decided to talk to her wife and see.

If Maya wanted her to leave, she would probably just go down to her office since technically, she was supposed to be in contact isolation because she was sick. Really, all that meant was that she needed to make sure she had a private bathroom to use which luckily, her office had.

She also knew she had her noise canceling headphones so maybe if it was ok with Maya and Diane, maybe she would see if she could stay in the room and just lay on the couch, wear her headphones to listen to some music, and try to nap. She was exhausted after the night before so that sounded ideal.

She finished up in the shower, getting dressed in clean clothes and making sure her wet hair wasn't hanging over her stitches before going back out to see her wife.

The minute she saw her, she knew Maya's brain was spinning again, the look on her face a dead giveaway.

"Bambina," Carina said, "What are you thinking about?"

"How are you taking this much time off work?" Maya asked, "I know I am on disability leave or something and the department has to give me as much time off as I need because technically this was a job-related accident, but how are you taking time off? And are you going to be able to take more time off once I get out of here because I don't know how healed I am going to be when they finally let me go and I might need some help? Is Bailey going to be mad? Are you going to get fired? Is..."

"Bambina," Carina said, cutting her off, "Hey. Take a breath. I don't exactly know what kind of leave I am on right now, but Bailey told me I could have all the time I need. I would not be safe to be around my patients right now. I will talk to her once the c. diff is cleared up if I am still feeling ok mentally about maybe going back, but right now, all I need is to be right here with you, ok? People in this hospital love you and me and want to make sure we are both taken care of, ok? I am not going to get fired."

"Ok," Maya said, feeling a little bit of her latest panic fade, "Sorry. I don't know why I keep obsessing about this stuff. More to talk to Diane about I guess."

"Si," Carina nodded, braiding her hair back quickly, "Speaking of Diane, do you need me to leave when she is here?"

"Um...," Maya said, not really wanting her wife to hear what she was going to talk about but also not wanting her far away, "I don't know. Where would you go?"

"My office I guess," Carina shrugged, reattaching her IV to the port in her arm, knowing she needed the fluids, "Or, if you are open to it, I think I saw my noise canceling headphones in the bag Andy brought so I could put those on and sleep on the couch, if that is ok with you?" "Yeah," Maya said, nodding, "Yeah, that sounds really good."