51. Chapter 51

They are all around the table at the start of shift. Captain Beckett walks in. He thinks he’s strutting his stuff and looking confident but no one in the room is fooled. They’ve all seen enough of him to know he’s not all that. He’s more of a walking mess than anything.

“Hughes, desk duty, go.”

Vic grabs her bowl of Frosted Flakes and goes.

“Montgomery, Warren, Miller, and Gibson. You’re on the trucks today. That leaves Sullivan and Bishop together on Aid Car. Everyone have a good shift. Be safe.” With that, Beckett turns and heads back to his office.

“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Maya mumbles. She’s on the other end of the table from Sullivan so that he doesn’t hear her but Warren is sitting right next to Maya and hears her mumbled complaint. He glances over and gives her a questioning look.

Maya curses herself for saying anything at all before shaking her head for Ben to leave it alone. She knows he won’t say anything right now but knows that he won’t let it go forever. Ben will bring it up at some point in the future.

They are doing inventory after breakfast when Sullivan opens his mouth. Maya was satisfied with working next to the man in silence. She’s fine with that. She is able to set her hurt feelings and differences aside and be professional at work.

“So, Bishop, you’re Andy’s best friend, right?”

Maya hums. She has a sneaking suspicion she knows where this is going. She’s interested in what he might say before she shuts him down.

“I was wondering if she’s talked to you.”

“About?”

Sullivan huffs, annoyed that Maya is going to make him say it. “About us.” He whispers even though there isn’t anyone else around. “Andy and I. I know you know.”

Maya hums again. “I do know some things.” She stands tall, facing him. “I actually know a lot of things that the rest of our crew, our station don’t know.” He is about to interrupt her, so Maya puts a hand up, stopping him. “And before you say anything, save your breath. I’m not going to tell you anything that Andy has told me in regard to you. I’m also not going to blab about what you did. At least not right now. Consider it happy holiday Maya. My Christmas present to you. But when the holiday cheer is over, I might have something else to say.” She’s threatening him. She will tell their crew if he doesn’t fess up in the next few weeks. Maya is putting him on a timetable. An ultimatum, per say. Either Sullivan spills the beans, or she will. It’s been long enough.

A call comes over the speaker for the aid car. Maya shares one last look with the tall man before slamming the doors shut and moving to the passenger’s side. She’ll make Sullivan drive.

The details about the call come through the headset as they start out to the location. It’s a call for a woman who fell and can’t get up. Maya assumes it’s an old lady but when they arrive, they find something else entirely.

Maya calls out as she knocks on the door.

The door opens and two little kids are standing there. A little boy who doesn’t look older than six or seven and a littler girl. “Where is the person who fell?” Maya wonders if they have the wrong address but the little boy points behind himself. The girl next to him start crying and he wraps an arm around her. “We are here to help. Is it your grandma that fell?”

“My mom.” The boy says his lip trembling. “She was asleep but now she’s awake.”

Maya files the information away. The woman, the children’s mother, lost consciousness. “Okay, we are firefighters and paramedics and we are here to help your mom. Can you show us where she is?”

The kids look from Maya to Sullivan. They eye him and his height warily. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Maya, but she doesn’t want to dawdle. “It’s okay. My friend firefighter Sullivan here is super nice. He’s just also super tall.” She eyes Sullivan trying to get him to say or do something to ease the children’s worry.

“Hi, guys.” He smiles that megawatt supermodel smile. It’s annoying to Maya that he’s so good looking because she wants to hate him. He’s totally not Maya’s type but she can always recognize a good looking human being. “Can you show us the way?” He bends down on their level as he asks.

The little boy hesitates for a moment before turning and pulling his sister along. Maya and Sullivan follow.

They come upon a small bathroom and see the woman on the floor, sort of leaning against the toilet. Dispatch didn’t tell them that the woman was pregnant. Or under the age of sixty for that matter. It all makes complete sense to Maya as soon as she sees the woman though. She probably fell and was unconscious and the kids were the ones to call for help. Being kids, young kids, they didn’t know what important information they should have told the dispatcher.

None of that matters now. Maya surveys the situation quickly. The pregnant woman is conscious now so that’s good.

“Ma’am, I’m Lieutenant Bishop, we are here to help. May I ask what happened?” Maya dons a pair of blue rubber gloves as she speaks.

“I fell.”

Maya tries not to roll her eyes in front of the patient. “Okay. Do you have any pain or discomfort?”

“Yes. I think the baby is coming.”

Maya looks behind her and shares a look with Sullivan. He shrugs at Maya. Clearly, he doesn’t want to handle this situation. “Okay.” She turns back to the woman. “Do you mind if I have a look?”

“Oh god, this can’t be happening. Not here.” The woman panics a little.

Sullivan says something that he thinks will sound reassuring. “We’ll try to get you to the hospital if we can but lots of women have babies outside of the hospital all the time. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Maya looks over her shoulder and glares at him. She looks down his tall frame and sees the kids to his right, behind him, trying to peer into the bathroom. Maya turns back to the woman and prepares herself for the next step.

She thanks whatever deities that there are that the woman is at least wearing a baggy dress. And what she sees underneath isn’t what she wants to see when she takes a look. She sits up on her hunches and takes a deep breath. “You are correct. The baby is coming.”

“Should I call Carina?” Sullivan says before anyone can say anything else.

That was Maya’s first thought too. But, no, she can do this. She’s done this before. She can do it again. And she wants to prove to Sullivan that she can do it.

“Dr. DeLuca? Do you know her?” The pregnant woman asks. “She’s my OB.”

Maya can’t help but smirk. Sullivan chuckles.

“What- oh god-“ The woman bears down as a painful contraction hits.

“Okay.” Maya takes her hand. “What’s your name?” She breathes with the woman through her contraction.

“Kristie.”

“Okay, Kristie. To answer your question, yes, we do know Dr. DeLuca.” Maya lifts her left hand, wiggling her fingers. “She’s my wife, actually. But it looks like you get me today instead of her delivering your baby.” Maya grins. “I’m going to need towels.”

“In the hall closet.”

“Sullivan.” Maya prompts. He gets busy finding the towels. “Okay. I’m going to have you lay down on the floor.” As Kristie lays down with Maya’s help; she thinks through what needs to happen. “Sullivan find some pillows. Have the kids help you.” It’s her way of saying that he is going to need to keep the kids occupied during this delivery.

Maya gets the pillows and props Kristie head and back up. “Okay, I’m going to roll your dress up.” She knows she’s going to have to work quickly and efficiently. “I could and can already see the baby’s head. So that’s why we are doing this here. No time to wait and go to the hospital.” She’s mostly talking just to talk. Clearly, they are passed moving Kristie anywhere.

She wishes the room weren’t so small but other than that Maya doesn’t really have any other complaints.

She delivers the baby and they load the mother and baby up onto the gurney. As they are wheeling them out of the house a car screeches to a halt in the driveway and a man come running towards them.

“Kristie!” He yells. “Oh gosh, the baby.”

She smiles at her husband despite what is happening.

“Sir, we are going to take her to the hospital.” Sullivan says.

“You are just in time.” Maya adds. “Gather up the kids and you can meet us at the hospital.”

Maya stays with the mother and baby but has Sullivan call ahead and have Carina meet them if she can.

Carina is the one who opens the ambulance doors to see Maya covered in bodily fluids, and a mother holding her baby to her chest.

“Let’s get inside. We need to deliver the placenta.” Carina instructs.

“I didn’t know if I should do that part.”

“No. You made the right decision.” Carina says calmly.

Maya nods. “Good.” She wants to ask Carina if she’s proud of her but knows this isn’t the appropriate time.

They wheel mother and baby into a room as Carina shouts instructions. Nurses come running. Some for the mom and some for the baby. They shift the mother over to a hospital bed and Carina gets to work. Maya watches in awe for a moment or two before grabbing the gurney.

“Thank you, Sullivan. Thank you, Lieutenant.” Carina says. She glances over at the pair.

They both nod.

Maya hates being bumped back down to Lieutenant. Not because she hates the job but only because she’s no longer captain. But she loves that she gets to come to the hospital more frequently. She wonders why it is that she keeps getting these baby/pregnant woman calls. And maybe it’s not more than she had in the past when she was firefighter or lieutenant but it’s just that now she has a connection to them through Carina. Whatever it is, she is thankful. But she’s starting to get a reputation around the station as the baby whisperer. This is only going to add to that.

Bishop and Sullivan start to leave the room.

“Wait.” Kristie calls out.

Maya turns, so does Sullivan. She raises an eyebrow.

“What’s your name, Lieutenant?”

Carina looks up at her patient at that.

Maya looks between Carina and her patient.

“I’m thinking of naming her after you.” The mother refers to her newborn.

Maya shakes her head. “Don’t. Please. You don’t have to. I’m just doing my job. No need.” She really doesn’t want this woman naming her baby after her. It’s weird.

Kristie looks towards Carina. Carina holds her hands in the air and shakes her head lightly as if to say I’m not commenting or getting involved.

“Maya. Maya Bishop.”

“Thank you, Maya.” Kristie says softly.

“My pleasure.” Maya nods and that’s when Sullivan starts wheeling the gurney out of the room again. She looks between Kristie and Carina. “You’re in good hands.” She smiles at Kristie and the looks back to Carina one final time.

Carina smiles and nods for her. “I’ll see you at home.” She whispers.

It’s Maya’s turn to nod. She follows Sullivan out. They head back to the station in silence. Well, mostly silence.

“Does Carina know, too?”

Maya wishes he would keep her wife’s name out of his mouth. He is the one who ruined their wedding. Though, it wasn’t completely ruined but Maya wishes it didn’t play out the way that it did. For her sake and for Carina. Carina had deserved the best wedding that they could have had after having to deal with immigration bullshit, going back to Italy and dealing with covid patients in the hospital, and then coming back to her getting fired. Not ideal.

“Yes.” It’s all Maya says. She hears Sullivan let out a long sigh.

“What happens between Andy and I is private. I wish you wouldn’t share that with your wife.”

Maya can’t believe the nerve he has to say such a thing. “You- you-“ She’s fuming on the inside but she can’t let Sullivan see that. She clenches her hands together in her lap as they drive back to the station. “You lost that right the moment you stepped into the chief’s office and suggested that you be the one to replace me.” She glances over at him and can see the shock that he is trying to mask. “Andy told me that too. Well, not so much. But I figured it out. She didn’t know what happened between you and him. What was said but I assumed and by the look on your face I know that I’m right. So, yes, my wife knows. And, yes, when I get home tomorrow morning, I’m going to tell her about this too.”

Sullivan turns his head and narrows his eyes at Maya. Maya turns and looks away from him, out the side window. He doesn’t say anything else.

Maya thinks of her next plan.

That plan involves scooping Carina up and taking her to a hotel or spa or somewhere nice for the weekend. Maybe outside of the city.

“You have the whole weekend off?”

“Yeah.” Carina is suspicious of Maya’s tone.

“Good. Pack a bag.”

Carina is surprised by Maya’s spontaneity. “What?”

It’s not so spontaneous in her mind. She’s been thinking about it the whole second half of her shift. Maya even looked up places to go, prices, and narrowed it down to two. “Pack a bag.” Maya is on her phone confirming the reservation. “I’m taking you away for the weekend.”

Carina smiles. “Really?”

Maya nods. “I have the best most amazing wife in the entire world. She deserves to have the best things in life, to be as happy as possible, to be treated like she’s the queen. You are my queen. You are my everything. I love you so much and I want to treat you and appreciate you and I just-“ She gets a little flustered, overwhelmed. “I just-“

Carina wraps her arms around Maya. “I love you, bambina.”

“I want to just soak in a bathtub with you and-.”

“And we don’t have one.” Carina finishes Maya’s sentence.

“Sullivan.” Maya sighs. “We got into it after we left the hospital yesterday. Nothing huge but he knows that I know, and I may have let him know that you know.” Maya smirks. “He wasn’t happy about it.” She switches off of that thought though. “This can be our Christmas celebration. Or just a weekend away.”

There are still Covid restrictions, and they’ll have to wear their masks, but Maya plans on mostly staying in their room other than for meals and maybe the use of the spa and massages.

“Should I be worried?” Carina puts a hand on Maya’s elbow. Maya shakes her head. “About you and Sullivan?”

“No. No, it’s handled. I just- he just infuriates me so much of the time now. He’s a good firefighter though, so I can’t bash that part of him. I’s the way he goes about everything that rubs me the wrong way. But less about him and more about you. Happy wife, happy life.” She pulls Carina in by the waist.

“How about I rub you the right way this weekend.” Carina smirks.

Maya licks her lips. “Yes, please.”

They invite Katherine to Christmas dinner at their apartment. Carina puts on a cute apron and says Maya can’t come in the kitchen, that she has to sit and visit with her mother. They haven’t had Katherine over since their Thanksgiving meal the Saturday after the holiday. Everyone busy with holiday extras and no time to actually gather.

They talk about the upcoming vaccinations over their meal. Carina says they should have them at the hospital in the coming days. Maya says she’ll talk to Beckett and see if he’s set up something for the station to get vaccinated. Carina volunteers to do it if he doesn’t have something already prepared. Maya smiles over at her and the thought of Carina coming to the station to help with something. They encourage Katherine to get vaccinated when it’s her turn.

After Katherine leaves, they are cuddled up on the couch with some hot cider. Maya asks Carina a question that she’s been thinking about the last few days. “Do you are wonder about where Mason is?”

The question catches Carina off guard. She quirks an eyebrow even though Maya can’t see it because Maya is sitting between her legs with her back to Carina’s chest. Carina is propped up against the arm of the couch; one arm wrapped around Maya, the other with a glass in her hand. She thinks for a moment. Why would I wonder where Mason is?

She knows the question means that Maya has been thinking about Mason’s whereabouts. She wonders if her reminiscing about Andrea a few weeks ago has something to do with Maya’s thoughts.

“It’s okay to think about.” Carina says.

Maya hums. She’s not sure if it’s okay to think about. Usually when she does, it comes with all sorts of negative thoughts. Thoughts about not doing enough to help Mason when they were kids. Thoughts about how stubborn she is/was about her father. How she didn’t see or didn’t want to see what Lane was doing as abuse. How she just let Mason fall into this spiral and into a place that he couldn’t get out of. About how she failed her brother as his older sister.

“To worry about him.” Carina adds.

“Yeah, that too.” Maya mumbles.

“What, bella.”

Maya shifts, turning a little so she can see Carina’s face when she speaks. “I mean I worry about him but mostly when I think of Mason, I think about how horrible I was as a sister. How much of a failure I was. How I didn’t do enough.”

“Oh, bella.” Carina coos. She wraps her arm tighter around Maya. “I know you think that, but you did what you had to for your own survival. As mean as that sounds. Or not mean-“

“Callous.”

“Si. As callous as that sounds. You had to protect you. You had to focus on yourself and what you needed to do to get through it. The thought of reaching outside yourself to help someone else, Mason, probably- you might not have realized. You were both young. And a thing such as-“ Carina pauses. She doesn’t know if she can say it out loud.

“You can say it. I won’t get upset.”

“A thing like abuse isn’t easy to deal with. Even for a fully formed, levelheaded, conscious, smart, educated adult.” Carina reminds Maya.

“Are you saying I’m not levelheaded?” Maya jokes.

Carina scratches her fingertips against Maya’s side. “Most of the time you are, bella.” She leans her head against the side of Maya’s. “You are very levelheaded when complex emotions aren’t involved.”

Maya rolls her eyes. It’s a blessing and curse how well Carina knows her and understands her. They can communicate without saying a word. They can say all the words in the world. Or something in between and ninety-nine percent of the time there is an understanding. There is a level that Carina knows her at that no one else does. No one else even comes close. And it’s a little scary because Maya knows, or old Maya knows, that could be used against her in an argument or disagreement. But new Maya knows that that level of knowledge and understanding is amazing. It’s amazing to have someone in her corner like that. It's amazing to be able to feel open and free and share all her hopes and dreams with Carina, all her fears and trepidations. It’s amazing and scary.

“I love you.” Maya whispers.

“Ti amo, bambina.” Carina presses her lips to the side of Maya’s head, just holding them there.

Maya snuggles further into Carina’s body, into her hold. This is the best place in the entire world. Better than the station, better than any track or standing atop the podium after winning Gold. It’s better than any vacation destination in the world.

She never thought she would be able to feel a sense of calm in life. Everything was always so stressful and chaotic and high energy most of the time. It was like Dr. Lewis said, Maya needed to find that time and that place to rest, to have calm. And she has.

“But do you ever wonder where he is?” Maya thinks about her original question.

Carina hums. “I will answer but I want to hear your answer first.”

Maya nods ever so slightly. “I wonder what he’s doing. Like, does he have a job. I hope he has a job and can earn some money. I hope he has something that he’s doing that he likes to do. Not just having a job to get money to buy things or pay rent.”

“Do you think he has a place to stay?”

“Well, it’s better to think that than the opposite. That he’s on the street somewhere. I haven’t seen him in so long. Mom said he looked good the last time she saw him and that he said he was staying with some friends. She said he was trying to get a job, so I’m thinking along those lines. That he is good and clean and has a job and a life and isn’t on the street.”

Carina hums. They had talked about Mason when Katherine was staying with them. Maya had brought up her original conversation with her mother, but it never went further than surface level, further like it’s going now.

“So, I think, or I hope, that he is good. That he has his own apartment by now. Somewhere in the city. That he has a cool job where he can do drawings or paintings or something. He really loved art. And he was really good at it. It sounds terrible to say but other than art I don’t, or I didn’t, know what he is interested in.” Maya sits up. She turns.

“Ow, Maya.” Carina whines as Maya sticks her elbow into Carina’s thigh.

“Sorry.” She moves the offending elbow immediately. She reaches out and sets her glass on the coffee table and then finishes turning. She turns to lay against Carina’s chest, her arms wrapped around Carina, her head resting her shoulder.

Carina runs her free hand up and down Maya’s back. They sit like that in silence for a few minutes.

“I like to think he is doing well and I’m wondering what he has going on during the holidays. Does he have friends that he hangs out with and celebrates the holidays with? Does he have a girlfriend or significant other? Those sort of things are what I’m thinking about. It goes beyond the generic ‘where he’s at?’ question.”

“My turn?” Carina asks, feeling like Maya has finally spoken everything she wants to say. Maya nods against her shoulder.

“I try not to think about Mason too much.”

Maya picks her head up and finds Carina’s eyes.

Carina gives Maya a sad smile. “It hurts. Because when I think about Mason I think about Andrea.”

“Ohhh.” Maya reaches up and cups Carina’s cheek. “No, babe. I didn’t-“

“It’s okay, Maya. He’s your brother. So, it’s okay. But I can’t help but think that you still have him. He’s still around-“

“I mean, as far as we know.” Maya says glumly.

Carina narrows her eyes. “But you still have that chance with him. Even if you don’t know where he is or how to get into contact with him. He’s not dead.”

“I’m sorry.” Maya pouts. “I really am.”

Carina closes her eyes and nods. “And it’s a little bad of me. But I want you to find him or be in contact with him at some point. I want us to know him. I don’t want to replace Andrea, but it would be nice to have a brother in my life again.”

Maya thinks on that for a moment. She thinks on Carina and Carina’s family and her sense of family. It isn’t lost on Maya that Carina’s family, her people that she shares DNA with, has continued to get smaller and smaller. She’s lost her mother and brother and aunts and uncles and nonna to Covid. And if one day they can be reunited with Mason that won’t be blood family for Carina, but it could be good for her, for them. “What if he’s annoying?” Little brothers are always annoying; Maya’s included.

“Even if he’s annoying.” Carina grins at Maya’s attempt to lighten the mood. “Don’t give up hope on Mason yet. I won’t.”

“You’re fucking amazing. You know that right?”

“You’ve told me once or twice.” Carina lips curl up into a smug little smirk.

Maya runs her index finger over Carina’s cheek, tapping it against her lips. Carina wiggles her eyebrows before opening her mouth and biting down lightly on Maya’s fingertip. Maya purrs and closes her eyes.

“Should we go to bed, bella?” Carina doesn’t say so in a suggestive tone. She’s not sure the mood is right for sexiness but maybe a good long cuddle before they go to sleep. And the bed is better suited for that than the couch.

She opens her blue eyes again to see Carina watching her with reverence. Just one simple look from Carina and she feels loved and respected and cared for. “That sounds like a good idea.”

So, Maya removes herself from Carina’s chest and gets to her feet. She holds her hand out to help Carina up from the couch. “Grazie, bella.”

“Prego.”

“Ahhhh.” Carina points her finger in Maya’s face. “Molto bene.” She’s proud of Maya. That she, one, used her Italian, and two, got the pronunciation right.

Maya rolls her eyes playfully. “I know things.”

Carina reaches down and finds Maya’s hand. “I know you do, bella. I know. And I know you don’t like using Italian unless you are certain you are using the right words and the correct pronunciation.” She ends the conversation by tugging on Maya’s hand, leading her to the bedroom.

A crew actually has most of Christmas Day off. They finish in the morning and can head home so, it’s a few days later when they have a Christmas dinner at the station.

They all gather around the table to sit down to their meal.

Travis is the one to ask. “Is Andy coming?”

All eyes, except Maya’s, turn to Sullivan for an answer.

“Uh, no. She’s not going to make it.” Sullivan lies. Well, it’s not a lie that she’s not going to make it. But it is a lie that he was told to invite her by Vic, and he didn’t invite Andy. He hasn’t spoken to Andy in a few weeks. They somehow never see each other, and they live in the same apartment. She’s always working or he’s always working. He gets the feeling that Andy is ducking him, staying elsewhere. Spending more time than necessary at Station 23. Sleeping there when she doesn’t have to. That sort of thing. It irritates him beyond belief, but Andy wants space so he’s not going to push that. Right now.

Maya keeps her eyes low, knowing the truth. Or some of the truth about why Andy isn’t joining them. Once everyone starts up talking again after Travis’ question, Maya raises her eyes and looks over at the man. More like glares. Andy is her best friend, and she hates to see what’s happening with her and Robert; but at the same time Maya thinks he deserves what’s coming to him.

She wants to take this opportunity to tell everyone that he went behind their backs and went to McCallister to say he should be battalion chief or captain and running the station. But she doesn’t because she doesn’t want to ruin Christmas and the happiness that surrounds the table. Maya isn’t evil. She looks to her right. At her wife. They share a look and Carina nods.

‘I know.’ Carina mouths the words. She reaches over and rubs a reassuring hand on Maya’s thigh.

Maya sighs. She’s the luckiest woman in the entire world because she gets to have Carina by her side. It was so scary opening up herself to Carina, but Maya knows it was the best decision she’s made in her entire life. And now she gets to reap the rewards by having a smoking hot wife, a caring and compassionate woman, by her side through thick and thin. She grabs Carina’s hand and gives it a squeeze, a thank you, an I appreciate you, an I love you.

They spent the evening of New Year’s by inviting Travis and Vic and Andy over for a bit. It wasn’t planned beforehand, but they all got together briefly and drank too much wine. It’s not like they can go anywhere for New Year’s because of Covid so it was the best at last minute.

“We need to hang out with your friends.”

Carina raises an eyebrow.

“Like Amelia and Linc and like Dr. Bailey and Warren. People that are less complicated.” Maya tries to explain. It was good to have some of her friends from work over but it was also exhausting. They are from her work, after all.

Carina chuckles lightly. “I don’t think they are any less complicated.”

“They’re like married with kids. Boring. Settled down. There’s no workplace politics.” Maya is beyond tired of hiding the truth about Sullivan and Andy and Sullivan’s relationship from the rest of A-crew. Even though it’s not her place to say anything about how Andy doesn’t want anything to do with Robert right now. That, along with the investigation into her insubordination that hangs over them all, which makes things a bit awkward.

Carina knows what Maya means. She knows the Amelia and Linc aren’t married. She knows Amelia doesn’t want to get married. But they are together and have a kid. And she’s not sure there are no workplace politics at the hospital. She’s fairly positive that there are. Carina just tries to stay out of them. As for Miranda and Ben, she’s not sure she wants to start hanging out with her boss on a regular basis. And Ben is a firefighter, so he will bring Maya’s workplace politics with him. She’s not sure those people would be any less complicated to hang out with than Travis and Vic and Andy.

Maya sighs, leaning into Carina’s touch. “I’m a little tipsy, aren’t I?” She chuckles lightly.

“Si, bambina. Do you still want to do this?” Carina’s eyes glance down between their bodies.

Maya closes her eyes, appraising her feelings. She doesn’t want to use sex as a cover or to avoid her feelings. “I don’t know.” It’s the most honest answer.

Fireworks start going off outside and Maya looks over at the clock. Midnight. She smiles as she turns back to Carina. “Happy New Year, my love.” She seals her words with a quick kiss. Maya goes to pull away, but Carina wraps an arm around her neck, keeping them close. She leans her forehead against Carina’s.

“Happy New Year, bella.”

Maya snakes a hand up to Carina’s shoulder, between their bodies, and puts her weight into it, pushing Carina back onto the bed and laying on top of her. “I have something for you.” Maya whispers into Carina’s neck. She slides her palms up under Carina’s shoulder blades, holding her there.

“For what?”

Maya lifts her head, looking into her favorite pair of eyes. Eyes so rich and so wholesome and so understanding and so mischievous. Carina’s eyes hold the key to every emotion that she has. They always tell a story, even if Carina is keeping a straight face otherwise.

“I was going to give it to you later today.” Maya sits up again. “But now is as good of a time.” She goes over to her nightstand and pulls the drawer open. She comes back and sits on top of Carina’s thighs again. “Here.” She holds the folder item forward.

Carina tilts her head to the side. She sees white and red and green and thinks she knows those colors. “Is this an Italian flag?”

Maya tips her chin up, second guessing. “Maybe I should have bought a flag too. Do you not have one?” She’s never seen an Italian flag in Carina’s possessions.

Carina shakes her head as she unfolds the item. “An apron?”

“Si.” Maya nods. “When I said I didn’t know anything about your culture, your country-“ She shrugs. “I want to change that. I’m going to sign up for an Italian cooking class. So, I bought an apron to go with it. Also, we can wear it around here.”

“Up.” Carina pats at Maya’s thigh.

Maya crinkles up her face but gets up.

Carina follows right after her. She has an idea. It’s one she’s used before, but she doesn’t think Maya will mind it being reused. She stands and pulls her shirt over her head. Then unbuttons her pants and slips them down her legs. She then puts the apron on before removing her panties.

“What are you-“ Maya watches in awe. Her hand moves to Carina’s hip, thumb stroking over the hip bone.

“How does it look?” Carina holds her arms out at her sides.

Maya’s eyes take in everything that is Carina. “Everything looks amazing on you.”

“Grazie, bella.” Carina grins. “So?”

“So, I’m going to take a cooking class. Since we are getting vaccinated next week. And I assume classes will start again in person shortly after. It was supposed to be more of a surprise. I was going to present you with this and tell you.”

Carina chuckles. “You just did, bella.”

Maya shrugs. “Yeah, but- more of a surprise. I was going to try to make you a meal and sit you down and then present the apron with the Italian flag on it.”

“Okay.” She steps into Maya’s body. “This is just as good.” She says again to convince Maya that it doesn’t matter how she told her about the cooking class or the apron.

“Yeah?”

Carina wiggles her eyebrows. “Yeah.” She leans in for a kiss.

Maya fakes a yawn, avoiding the kiss. “I think we should go to sleep then.”

Carina clicks her tongue at Maya. She tucks her fingers into the collar of Maya’s shirt. “Let’s take this off then. So, you can go to sleep.” Her voice low, a sexy whisper.

Maya nearly shivers. Her wife is just so sexy. She lifts her arms and Carina grabs the bottom of her shirt and lifts it over her head. She shivers then at the cool air in her room as it hits her skin. But then Carina’s hands are on her sides and her stomach and her chest and everything warms up. That familiar heat blooms within her.

She grabs Carina by the waist and spins them around. Carina lets out a little squeal of delight at the surprise. “Bambina?”

“My love.”

They meet for a kiss. A kiss that starts out as a few nips and licks and progresses until Carina is laying on the bed with her legs hanging over the edge. Maya is on her knees on the floor between those beautiful long legs. The apron that Carina is wearing draped over Maya’s head. Carina gasps at the sight of her wife disappearing underneath the apron.

“Maya.” Carina lets out a long moan as Maya sucks at the inside of her thigh, leaving marks for only her and Carina to see and know about. She drives Carina crazy for a few minutes before the brunette is begging and clawing at Maya for more.

She pops out from under the apron. “It’s hot under there.” She smirks and reaches up around Carina for the tie. Maya stands and lifts the apron.

Carina watches her with hungry eyes. Her hands find Maya arms grabbing onto her. “Maya.” She pants.

“I know, babe. I know. Shhhhh.” She removes the apron and leans into the press a bruising kiss to Carina’s lips. Tongues tangle and battle for dominance and Carina tries to thread her fingers in Maya’s hair but Maya pulls away. She wants to be somewhere else. She wants to be kissing Carina somewhere else. She looks down over Carina’s laid out body. “The most gorgeous woman.” She mumbles, her eyes fixing to the spot between Carina’s legs. She’s on her knees again in a flash, spreading Carina’s legs wider before hooking one over her shoulder. She leans in, licking over Carina causing Carina to scream out.

Carina is shivering in anticipation, the build up was quick and she needs her release just as quickly. “Maya, please.”

Maya loves when she can get Carina to a shake and beg for more. She always feels a certain love from Carina and power in the ability to turn her wife into a gooey mess.

She doesn’t waste any time in giving Carina what she wants, taking what she’s needs and satisfying them both.

“I love you.” Maya crawls up Carina’s body.

“And I love when you do that special thing with your tongue.”

Maya shoves her tongue in Carina’s mouth at that. Hands hold her face in place as Carina gets a good taste. “That?” Maya smirks.

“Si.” Carina moans, tipping her head back. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“So, now we can sleep.” Maya rolls off to the side.

“What about you?” Carina rolls onto her side to face Maya.

“What about me? I’m good. I’m better than good. I’m sleepy and tired and satisfied for now. In the morning-“

“Okay.” Carina smirks and throws an arm and leg over Maya’s body.

“Under the sheet, my love. I don’t want that beautiful body to catch a chill.” Forever thoughtful, Maya ushers them under the covers.

Carina wonders about the strange mood that Maya seems to be in but she’s not going to question it right now. She’s just going to enjoy it. Tomorrow she can worry about it. But if she had to guess she thinks maybe Maya is just extra appreciative tonight. And she probably is tired with andy, and Travis and Vic coming by earlier. Carina just now realizes how exhausting and difficult it must be to work with and be around her friends for 24 hour periods and how Maya is handling keeping her friends separate from her co-workers with the investigation considering they are the same people.

“You are magnificent, wonderful, and amazing. Like a real life superhero. You’re my superhero.” She presses her lips to Maya’s cheek after they readjust in bed. “Super Maya.”

Maya chuckles. “Okay, weirdo. Super Maya needs sleep.” She yawns. “So, she can be super again in the morning.”

“Ti amo, bella.”

“Ti amo.” Maya is already halfway to dreamland.

Carina peppers her skin with soft kisses and gentle caresses as Maya drifts off to sleep. She doesn’t know how Maya does it. she knows she would have broken into a million pieces by now with an investigation that is taking forever. She realizes just how much strength and fight Maya possesses. She holds the blonde a little closer as she sleeps.