Chapter Text
The room was sparsely lit by a fire engine nightlight casting a soft glow over the room and its occupants. Rain lashed against the window in waves, as though the wind had a hose within its grip to shower the glass aggressively. Seattle wasn't a particularly windy city, but that didn't mean they didn't experience any wind and this storm was delivering on every front. There was thunder in the distance, which for Maya was a relaxing sound, but that wasn't the case for the small girl she cradled in her arms.
Gianna didn't normally wake up crying in the evening hours, at least, she hadn't done for the last year and a half. It was almost as though the storm combined with the sense that her mother had been called into work in the dead of night.
Maya distantly wondered if she was attuned to the noise of the front door clicking closed at the wrong time of day or night. She was used to Maya disappearing for long shifts, and she was used to Carina disappearing for almost as long. But when she went to sleep, both of them were there and as though she sensed a shift in her environment, she woke up inconsolable until Maya had covered every square inch of her bedroom, softly singing any lullaby she could think of. Eventually, she ran out of lullabies and shifted into singing Billboard's Top 20, a thing she would deny knowing if anyone asked.
As she looked down at her long brown lashes and curls, Maya was struck by just how deeply she felt for her. This perfect little girl who, in her opinion, could do no wrong… even when she was being an ornery little shit. It was easier to hold onto that thought when she was fast asleep in her arms, less so when she was tearing through the house with a pull-up on her head.
There was a time in Maya's life where she couldn't have imagined this – not just the little girl in her arms, but having the patience and want to be the person pacing the room and dipping every few steps to create the perfect rock. That's how well she knew her, she knew exactly when to dip and turn and dance to lull her back to sleep, and though it took longer this time, it was still effective. She pressed kisses across her face as she lay her back in bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin before pressing a final kiss to her forehead. She thought it felt a little sticky and wondered how she had missed a spot at bath time.
She hadn't even made it out of the room before Carina appeared, concern on her face when she realized that Maya was there too. She looked over her shoulder and relaxed when she saw her daughter fast asleep.
Maya leaned against the door frame and smiled as she watched Carina kiss the little girl on the forehead, bending herself over her fire engine bed, using the wall to hold herself up. Maya recognized this move, it meant Carina didn't trust her legs to crouch or bend. That was the life of a medical resident, though she was in her final year, her body still ached under the weight of all the hours she worked, so desperate to impress.
Carina smiled when she turned and her eyes met Maya's. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "I'm so sorry it took so long, I know I should have called or at least sent a text."
Maya held a hand up, and nodded her head toward the living room where they could speak without disturbing sleeping beauty.
"I appreciate it," Carina started the moment they were free and clear of the bedroom. "I know Gianna is easy, but I still hate leaving her in the middle of the night."
"Carina," Maya's hands found Carina's waist. "Stop apologizing, we were fine. She obviously sensed a shift in the atmosphere and she was just a little upset. I calmed her down, she fell asleep, and everything is fine."
Carina nodded, "I know, I know, I'm acting like I don't trust you and I do. Of course I do!" She sighed as her hands looped around Maya's neck, her fingertips playing with her hair. "I just need you to know I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice your sleep."
Maya smiled, "I know you do, it's been over two years, Carina, you don't have to keep reminding me."
Carina leaned in closer, nuzzling Maya's nose with her own, "I don't have to, but I do want to because I appreciate everything you do for us." Maya couldn't help but smile, wondering how she was still so playful even after a grueling shift. She couldn't help but moan as Carina leaned in for a kiss. Even the most chaste kiss from Carina could elicit a moan, there was something about the way she used her entire body in every kiss. As though there wasn't a single part of her that wasn't being touched by Carina somehow. It was intoxicating and it had been from the very first night. It was nice to know some things never changed.
"Can I interest you in a hot shower?" Maya asked after Carina's head found her shoulder. She simply nodded in reply and Maya smiled as she scooped her up into her arms and carried her into the en suite. Turning the shower on, she adjusted the taps to Carina's preferred temperature and quickly removed all of their clothes before ushering Carina into the warmth. Carina groaned as the hot water hit her body, sighing deeply as Maya took care of everything. Finding this woman was the best thing that ever happened to her. After her daughter, of course.
Maya handled washing her body, Maya dried her off, Maya dressed her for bed, and even carried her and tucked her in. As Maya slipped in beside her, she smiled as Carina heaved a deep sigh as she settled into her arms. Gianna and Carina had become her entire world, nothing seemed as important as being with them. It wasn't something she could have imagined ever. At no point in her life had she expected to have a family of her own.
But is that what they were? Just because she thought of them as her family doesn't mean that's how they thought of her. But, Gianna was three now, and Maya had been in her life since she was ten months old.
She and Carina had met by chance – first bumping into each other in the hospital and then literally running into each other again later that night at a bar. It started off as a simple hookup, but the sex had been so good she couldn't help but volunteer to take patients into the hospital at every opportunity, just hoping to run into her again, regretting that they hadn't exchanged numbers after that first night together. What she hadn't realized was that Carina was rarely in the ER.
It took a couple of months, but finally, there she stood as Maya and Andy wheeled a pregnant woman out of the aid car. They both smiled as their eyes met, and Maya opted to stay behind to wait for her. Of course, she used the excuse of making sure the patient was okay, but their shift was over and Andy could handle restocking the aid car. They hadn't been that busy, she'd be done in no time. At least, that's what Maya told herself to justify staying behind. It was worth it, though, because an hour or so later Dr. Carina DeLuca reappeared and not only did she give her an update on the patient, but she also handed over a piece of paper with her number on it. Carina was just as interested in seeing Maya again.
And that's how it started – a series of casual hookups where they both pretended it wasn't more, until Carina's babysitter cancelled and she had to confess to Maya that she had a little girl. She told Maya all about Gianna, she was the product of a one night stand and though Carina was only in her first year of her residency at Grey Sloan at the time, she decided to keep her.
With the stress of her program and the long hours she worked she hadn't noticed the obvious signs. It wasn't until fellow resident Amelia Shepherd commented on her snack of a banana and honey sandwich with Salt and Vinegar Lays crunched on top that it dawned on her. She was pregnant. Not just pregnant, but five months pregnant. Oops, she certainly hadn't chosen Seattle as her residency just to have her career derailed in the first year. But she figured she could make it work, the hospital had daycare and Amelia seemed willing to help out here and there, enough so that she felt sure in her decision.
She was on her own though; Amelia was just as busy as she was – both often dead on their feet with the number of hours they were putting in. Somehow, she managed. Her father was a judgmental piece of shit about her having a child out of wedlock, but willing to send her money to help his granddaughter. That allowed her to employ a decent babysitter when daycare wasn't available and she managed.
In truth, even if she had wanted to track down the potential father to involve him, she wouldn't have stood a chance. It was a spring break weekend, she and Amelia had gone to Mexico and she'd run into so many blond haired, blue eyed surfers, it would have been like playing pin the tail on the donkey. Which is kind of exactly what she had done that weekend. She'd pinned her tail to several donkeys. Well, she hadn't had sex with all of them, they just looked so similar, it was hard to know which one was which and if it was at all possible, they were all named Josh. Or was it Justin? Todd, maybe? Whatever.
Though Maya had been shocked to learn that Carina was a mother, it didn't bother her. Sure, she'd never been a fan of children, but she hadn't known many. So, their casual hookup turned into an evening spent with the little girl that Carina lovingly called Gia. She wasn't opposed to nicknames, she had specifically chosen Gianna because Gia was such a cute nickname. But she wasn't sure how to feel when Maya immediately started calling her Gigi the moment they met, but her daughter responded to it. She responded to Maya.
It didn't take long for things to spiral from there. Maya had fun with Carina and Gianna, so when the sitter cancelled again, it was no skin off her nose to simply alter their plans to include the little girl. Eventually, they removed the sitter from the equation and planned child-friendly dates so she could join in.
It wasn't until after her first birthday that Maya would be left with Gianna on her own. Carina was called into work for an emergency delivery and she immediately offered her services and though Carina was hesitant, she agreed. There was no need to worry because Maya and Gianna got on like a house on fire, one that didn't need to be extinguished. And, Gianna barely took her eyes off of Maya's face when Carina returned home. Their bond was solidified that night, and so was Maya and Carina's relationship. That was over two years ago, and while they hadn't officially moved in together, Maya was with them most nights – the only time she wasn't at Carina's place was if she was at the station.
She really only kept her apartment because Andy needed that space to escape her dad drama and had essentially moved in. Then again, Carina had never brought it up or invited her to move in. So, she needed somewhere to keep her stuff too.
They had never sat down and had a conversation about what they meant to each other. They had just gone with the flow and Maya had become a regular fixture in their lives. At some point, she had started telling Gigi she loved her and it wasn't until Carina said it to her that she realized they hadn't yet exchanged those words. Part of her felt embarrassed to realize that, but then it made sense that she could easily pour her affection into a nonjudgmental being that offered unconditional love without question. It wasn't until that moment that she realized that she loved Carina in equal measure. It wasn't that she hadn't recognized she had deep feelings for the woman, she just hadn't stopped to realize it was love. Of course, it was love. It couldn't have been more obvious.
~~~
"Why the glum face?"
Maya looked up and grimaced as Vic sat next to her with breakfast. While Maya's spoon toyed with her oatmeal, Vic pushed a pastry in her direction. Maya shook her head in rejection, but offered her friend a smile. "I'm not feeling very hungry."
"What's going on?"
"Do you," she sighed. "Do you think Carina and Gianna think of me as their family?"
Vic looked surprised by the question, almost offended that Maya would even doubt it for a second. "Of course they do, are you kidding me?"
Maya shrugged, scooping up a spoonful of oatmeal just to avoid continuing the conversation, but Vic wasn't as easily put off as that. "Seriously, what's going on, why would you even ask that? Are you two having problems at home?"
"No," Maya shook her head, "Everything is great, I just," she sighed. "Carina got called into work the other night and when she got home- it's just, she still thanks me for taking care of Gigi and I don't know. It's like I'm doing her a favor and I don't feel like I'm doing her a favor, I feel like I'm doing what I should be doing. Then in bed I thought about how nice it was to have a family of my own, that's when it hit me – I don't even know if that's how they see me, even though it's how I see them."
"They do," Vic assured her. "Carina loves you. Gia adores you. I mean, does she love you as much as she loves me? Absolutely not, but you are definitely a very distant second."
Maya laughed at that. Gianna and Vic did have a close bond. If there was a firehouse baby, it would always be Vic's bond that was stronger than anyone else's. Maya suspected that would be the case even if she walked into the station with her biological child.
"Why don't you just talk to Carina?" Vic asked the most obvious question in the world and based on the look on Maya's face, she knew it was the most obvious solution in the world.
"I don't want to bother her, it's her last year of residency, she needs to focus."
Vic nodded, taking a bite out of the pastry Maya had turned her nose up at.
"We don't even live together," Maya added, "Not really. I know what you're going to say, I'm there all the time, but she's never asked me to move in officially. You know? And as long as she doesn't ask, I'm afraid to bring it up in case that's not what she wants."
Vic sighed, "I don't want to repeat myself, but seriously Bishop, why don't you just talk to her?"
Maya shrugged a little helplessly. "The last thing I want to do is upset the applecart and have her break up with me."
"You think she would break up with you because you want to get more serious about her and her daughter?"
"I just love them so much," she said it so quietly Vic had to lean in to catch the full sentence. It wasn't anything she didn't already know – it was written all over Maya's face. Vic did think it was odd that they hadn't officially moved in together; as far as she was concerned, Gianna was Maya's daughter. That is how the station viewed her. Her last name might have been DeLuca, but she was mini Bishop to the team. It didn't hurt that she had wide blue eyes to go with her deep dimples. She truly looked like mini Bishop.
"So, put a ring on it," Vic suggested and Maya's eyes opened so wide Vic was certain they might pop out of her skull. "Or don't," she added quickly.
"I mean, it's not that I haven't thought about it," she admitted, "It's just too soon. Carina needs to finish her residency, and when she finishes her residency, we can have a conversation about the future. You can't just propose to someone without discussing it first," she sighed. "Imagine how embarrassing it would be to be told no, I would never recover."
"I know it's been years, but I still can't believe it sometimes," Vic smirked. "When I see you walk in the station holding Gianna– I'm just proud of you. I also appreciate having a firehouse baby, especially when you let us throw her birthday parties. And Carina's cooking, even if it is a rarity. Do you think she'll cook for us more often when she finishes her residency?"
Maya rolled her eyes, "No, because I'm going to tell her not to."
~~~
There was a time in her life when the end of shift was the low point in her day – she still loved her job, but she loved going home even more now that she had Carina and Gianna waiting for her. Well, she needed to pick Gianna up from daycare and Carina was on a late shift, but still, half of the half of her heart was better than nothing.
Just like she often did, she walked into the hospital confidently, navigating her way to the daycare center. The team knew her well by now, and smiled on as Gianna excitedly ran into Maya's arms, "Mama!" she shouted and her heart skipped a beat. She seemed to be speaking to her, but she had always simply called her Maya.
She wasn't sure how to handle this – was it something she should mention to Carina? Was it something they needed to discuss? Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she was just asking for Carina? She pointed at herself and said, "Maya!" and Gianna smiled widely. "We are going home and Mama will be there later," she tickled her as they walked away. She thinks that was a win? She did feel a little bit like crying, whether she meant the word or not, it set her on fire in the best way. Instead of letting tears fall, she pulled her in closer for a big hug with a whispered "I love you forever."
It turns out that Maya had told Gianna a big lie – Carina didn't join them at home, she had gotten caught up in another surgery. Maya had never dated a resident before, but she was assured that this was a normal part of the process. It made her wonder how Carina had managed in that first ten months of Gianna's life – and how she'd coped with her pregnancy during the grueling hours and exhausting procedures where she was on her feet every waking hour. Firefighting could be tough, but Maya didn't think she could do what Carina did.
It never occurred to her that the reason Carina could do what she did was partly due to the support she was providing her. It wasn't even just how much she helped with Gianna, it was the emotional support she provided, it was the physical support – often literally showering and dressing her, making sure she was eating and drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep. Maya took care of her, and she took care of Gianna and she made the world make sense.
Still, Carina felt guilty when she texted Maya to say she wouldn't be home and guiltier still when she called in the morning to say she wouldn't make it back to see Gianna before Maya had to leave to take her to daycare. So, Maya made it her mission to get her fed and dressed so they could make it to the hospital with enough time for Carina to visit with her and for Maya to still make it to work on time.
The look on Carina's face made the hustle worth it – she looked close to tears when she saw the pair appear, kissing them both in greeting. "Are you okay to pick her up later?" Maya asked, leaning in for a second kiss and laughing as Gianna copied her every move, smooching Carina's cheek. Carina nodded, "Yes, I should be able to get a decent nap and then I will pick her up."
"Okay, I'll see you later," she stole another kiss, "Say goodbye to Mama, you've got to get to daycare."
"Ciao Mama!" she shouted, kissing her hand and throwing it toward her as they walked away.
"God, I don't know which of them is cuter," Amelia sighed, appearing behind Carina as she watched them walk away.
Carina rolled her eyes, but she was secretly delighted other people were as enthralled by the pair as she was.
"Bet you didn't think you'd get that lucky when you decided to keep her, huh?" Amelia smiled as she walked away, leaving Carina with a grin on her face heading to finish up before she could finally be free and go home.
~~~
What Maya loved about a simple 12-hour shift was the opportunity to get home in time for dinner with Carina and bath and bedtime story for Gianna. Those moments were the highlights of her day, and though she wasn't as obvious as clock watching and counting down the minutes, it was pretty plain to see she was desperate to finish the day out.
"Bishop, hey," fingers snapping in her ear dragged her from her daydream and she looked up to see Ryan Tanner standing next to her.
"Oh, hey, sorry, I was-" she shook her head, "Somewhere else," she said slightly embarrassed that he'd caught her daydreaming, but he simply smiled and sat next to her.
"You don't need to apologize, you know I get it."
Maya just nodded. She did know he got it. Ryan might have still been Andy's friend, but it was fairly obvious that he was in love with her and always had been. But, he watched as she yo-yo'd back and forth with Jack and he sat on the sidelines hoping she'd notice him, too afraid to take the plunge himself and admit to his feelings even though Maya encouraged him to open his mouth.
"What's up?" she asked, watching him carefully to see whether he was here to visit or to deliver news.
"Nah, nothing, I just thought I'd stop by on my way home from work," he shrugged. "Andy's out on aid car." She could sense the disappointment in his voice, but he literally lived next door to Pruitt Herrera, so it wasn't like he couldn't turn up after shift and invite himself to their almost nightly dinner.
"You got problems, Tanner?" Maya nudged him with her shoulder and he sighed.
"Just the usual. Has she said anything?"
"Nope, just the usual shit – you know how the world revolves around her."
Ryan grimaced. He wanted to argue, he did, he wanted to defend the woman he loved, but Maya wasn't wrong – when Andy was on one she did think the world revolved around her and it was painful to watch and listen to. Unfortunately, this selfish spiral had lasted longer than usual and it was difficult to talk to her without her dragging the conversation back to her dad not treating her like an adult or Jack disregarding her feelings. So, instead of defending her, he just nodded. "Anything going on with you?" he asked, deciding that there were better things to discuss than Andrea Herrera.
"I'm itching to finish so I can go home," she confessed as though it was a secret and he grinned widely at the admission. If there was one thing he truly appreciated about his friendship with Andy, it was meeting Maya Bishop and forging a friendship with her as well.
Well, in reality, it was Maya that had brought Andy and Ryan back together. Ryan had only recently moved back to the area and Pruitt hadn't mentioned to Andy he was back staying with his parents temporarily. With Andy firmly residing at Maya's at that point in a bid to avoid her father, there was no risk of the pair running into each other. But then, Maya's father died and it was Ryan who walked into the station to deliver the news. He was surprised to learn it was good news to her, but he rolled with it and was stunned to see Andy appear. Though he had repeatedly asked Pruitt about her, the older man had given no indication that she'd joined FD and been assigned to his firehouse.
From there, the friendship started off small, with Ryan tipping Maya off about Mason getting arrested, but as time went on, they realized they had things in common and they enjoyed hanging out together. It was nice to have a friend that was separate from everything else in your life, even if they had Andy in common. Most of the time they parked her off to the side, and just hung out without her hovering over their heads.
"How is Gia?"
"Oh God, she's good. She's so funny, you know? Every time I kiss Carina she has to kiss Carina, I'm not sure whether she thinks it's a competition or she feels left out, but she looks at me so triumphantly after I can't help but laugh. I'm crazy about her," she shook her head, smiling. It wasn't news – everyone knew how much Maya loved Gianna, it was written so clearly on her face every time she brought her to the station. So, Ryan just laughed with her, as though he hadn't heard it a million times. Not that it mattered to him that it was old news, he loved seeing just how happy Gianna and Carina made her because she deserved light and love.
He hummed thoughtfully, thinking about how much had changed for Maya in the few years they had known each other. She was so much warmer than she had been before, whether that was entirely due to Carina and Gianna or partially down to the death of her father, he would never know, but he felt comfortable sitting in silence with her. And he didn't think there was anyone he enjoyed silence with the way he did with Maya. It wasn't until Maya sighed that his attention snapped back into focus, turning to look at the blonde he was concerned to find her frowning deeply as she looked at her watch.
"What?"
"Carina," she said with an even heavier sigh. "She was called back into work. I'm going to pick Gigi up – I guess it's just me and the little one again tonight." He could see the sadness on her face, but playfully punched her arm. "You love one-on-one time with Gia."
She nodded. She did, she couldn’t disagree with that, but she would be asleep soon and then she'd be on her own. Again. Maya checked her watch again, "I better get going. Andy's been gone a while, she should be back soon, I don't think the call was that serious," she added, waving as she rushed to the locker room to change.
Ryan sighed. He kind of wished he'd invited himself to join Maya and Gianna for whatever they were doing – there was every chance Andy walked into the beanery and rolled her eyes at the sight of him.
~~~
With Gianna safely buckled into her carseat, Maya decided to make up for her own disappointment about Carina's schedule by taking them for a treat.
"What do you say to a burger and fries?" she asked, glancing in the rearview mirror in a bid to gauge Gigi's reaction. Her grin answered the question before she could even use her words to communicate just how on board she was with this plan. She waited to see if Gianna had something to say, knowing how important it was to pause long enough to allow a toddler to reply. She honestly didn't expect to be the person reading up about toddler vocabulary and how to help build your child's verbal skills.
"Chicken nuggies! Yes, please, Maya!" she shouted, though her pronunciation of please wasn't quite there yet. Close, but not quite. Still, it worked on Maya.
Maya smiled, diverting her course to what she knew to be her favorite chicken nugget hotspot. "Should we eat there or take it home?"
Gianna put her finger on her chin in a move so reminiscent of Carina it made Maya chuckle, her attention shifting firmly back to the road as Gianna hummed thinking about her question. "Ummmm, at home," she decided and Maya was secretly relieved because eating in at this time of day was likely to be chaos with all of the toddlers there for dinner. She was glad her little girl had the gift of discernment.
"You got it, squirt." But then she had an even better idea, they could eat in the park and then visit the children's museum. It might be a little too much excitement before bed, but it would let Gianna run off some of her energy, which might make for an easier bedtime.
A short visit to the park for dinner and a drive to the museum, and Maya was ready to let Gianna loose. "Gigi!" she shouted with a sigh. "You have to hold my hand, squirt," she said holding her hand out as she raced back and took it, walking alongside her.
"Oh my goodness."
Maya looked up to find an older woman cooing in their direction and was momentarily taken aback. "You two look so alike," the lady commented, holding her clasped hands to her chest as she looked between the pair. It wasn't the first time she'd heard it, people often assumed she was Gianna's mother and she'd given up on making corrections a long time ago. So, Maya simply smiled and ran her fingers through Gianna's hair.
"The dimples and all," the woman was practically losing her mind as the pair stood there grinning at her, unsure what to do next. So, Maya scooped Gianna into her arms and encouraged her to wave and say bye to the lady, a good way to casually make an exit without being offensively rude. She hoped.
That older woman wasn't the last to comment about Maya and Gianna being twins, it was a common theme as they made their way around the museum together. Though it was early evening, there sure seemed to be a high number of grandparents in the building, and none of them were minding their own business.
She knew from her reading that toddlers could understand more language than they were capable of verbalizing, and Maya wondered what Gianna thought about the comments they received from people. Did it even make an impact on her? Did it really matter? Maya was Maya and she was always there for her and she had no plans for that to change ever. Then again, it could explain why she called her Mama. Were toddlers that deep?
She kissed the side of her head and playfully squeezed her in her arms before buckling the little girl in her carseat. "Time for home," she smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And we'll get you in your jammies and read a story or two before bed, what do you think?"
She nodded, too tired to respond. Maya hoped she could keep her awake on the ride home, but she wasn't convinced she'd make it. Luckily, it wasn't a long drive, and she had plans for a peppy singalong that would hopefully get the job done.
It did, but just barely. By the time they were inside, Gianna was nodding off on her shoulder, so she made quick work of getting her into her jammies and settling her in bed. "Do you want me to read you a story, or should we do an extra one tomorrow night?" Maya smiled at her when she barely opened her eyes, placing her hand on Maya's cheek, "Yes," she said, but Maya wasn't quite sure which part of the question she was answering in the affirmative to. Waiting a moment, she watched as Gianna's eyes closed and she fell back to sleep. That was her answer. Giving her one last kiss, Maya turned the light off, letting the little fire engine nightlight direct her path into the hall.
It wasn't a bad life, this thing she'd built with Carina. Though, she did miss Carina wildly. The most frustrating thing about it was that she couldn't really be mad at Carina because it was entirely out of her control, there was no way for her to say no or to get away early. She was doing what she had to do and though she understood, it fucking sucked. Right now, she should be walking into the living room to find Carina waiting with a glass of wine, maybe dessert if she played her cards right.
Instead, she was pulling a blanket up over her legs and turning the television on for another evening alone. Which is precisely where Carina found her when she finally returned home from her surprise shift. Rather than disturb her, she set about completing her evening routine and gently roused her once she was done.
"Hi," Carina smiled sweetly as Maya's eyes blinked open in slight confusion.
With one eye open and the other refusing to budge, Maya sighed in relief at seeing her beautiful face floating in front of her. "Hey," she smiled sleepily.
"Are you coming to bed?" Carina's fingers made their way into Maya's hair, the tips gently massaging as Maya's eyes fell closed again. "Yes," she said with the smallest of nods, "I am definitely coming to bed."
Carina chuckled at the excitement lacing her response; they both knew the only thing they would be doing was sleeping, but Maya's tone made it sound like there was more on the agenda. In truth, it had been a while since they'd had the time and energy to do much more than sleep in bed.
"I've missed you so much," Maya whispered against Carina's shoulder once they were tucked up in bed together. Carina laced their fingers together, pressing a kiss to Maya's hand. "I've missed you too," and she had, desperately. In a perfect world, all of her time would be spent with Gianna and Maya. Though she'd always work long hours due to the nature of her job, things would at least be more settled once her residency was finished.
She just hoped they could hold on that long.