Work Text:
The ringing phone woke up Maya. She had been working for 24 h nonstop and she was exhausted. She didn’t recognise the number when she looked at the screen of her phone, however, she still answered it.
-Hi?
-Hi, Maya? – The voice at the other end of the line was Carina’s brother, Andrew.
-Yeah, Hi. Is there something wrong?
-No, no. – Before Maya could respond he continued - Well, yes. It’s my sister.
That last sentence was like a cold shower on her, it woke her up and turned on all her alarms.
-Is she ok? Is she hurt? – Maya said as she stood up from the couch, feeling her back ache with every move she made.
-Yeah, Yeah. She’s fine. But I’m getting worried, she has been grumpy all day and has been in the storage room for 20 minutes now. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone, so I figured maybe you could help?
She hadn’t seen Carina since last night, when Maya had started her shift. It seemed odd. Last night she seemed fine, so she couldn’t think of a reason why Carina would act like that.
-Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll be there in 10.
As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she searched for the other Deluca, avoiding everyone else. Carina was too good at shutting down her feelings and letting them eat her up, even if that hurt her more than anything, just like her. Normally, Carina was the one encouraging Maya to express herself and comfort her, but now, she just wanted to be there for Carina, it didn’t matter what for.
-Where’s she?
Deluca didn’t say anything, he just pointed at the room at the end of the hallway.
Carina was at the corner, with her head on her hands, holding her knees to her chest. Maya tried to approach her as quiet and gentle as possible, It was the first time she had seen Carina like this and she wasn’t sure how she would react. Hell, she didn’t even know if she wanted her to be there.
When Carina noticed her presence, she lifted her head and looked at Maya. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks where soaked up with tears.
-Hi, baby. – Maya said as she knelt herself in front of her. She stroked her hair and looked at her with loving eyes.
Carina didn’t respond.
-What’s wrong? – Those words seem to break Carina’s walls again because tears started to slide off her cheeks. Maya’s instincts kicked in and brought Carina into her arms. She managed to change their position so that she was resting her back against the wall and Carina was now on her lap.
-Shhh baby. It’s ok. – She whispered in here ear as she stroked softly her trembling back. Seeing Carina break down like this shoved her heart into a million pieces. - I’m here, I’ve got you.
Eventually, Carina’s breath started to slow down and her grip on Maya’s t-shirt started to feel looser. Maya kissed Carina’s hair before pulling away, just enough to see her face. She looked at the big, brown puffy eyes and rubbed the tears from under them.
-What happened, baby? - Maya asked softly, looking into the doctor's eyes.
-I uhm - Carina took a deep breath before continuing - I lost a mom for the first time ever.
With that, Carina furrowed her face into Maya's neck and started crying again.
-oh-oh baby - Maya said softly as she kissed Carina's head. She went to grab the taller woman's hand when she noticed that the doctor still hadn't gotten properly cleaned up.
-Did you tell her partner? - Maya asked, softly, she just wanted to get them home. She felt Carina shake her head no. Well, that wasn't good.
-He knows, though a resident told him. - Carina said when she finally stopped crying again. Maya sighed as she stroked Carina's hair. She could just pick Carina up and take her to Maya's apartment, or she could wait until the doctor was ready. She decided on the second one, yes, Carina was skinny and flexible, so she could probably curl up into a tiny ball, she would be mortified the next day if her coworkers all saw her being carried out of work after losing a patient. Something they dealt with all the time.
-Just tell me when you're ready to go. - Maya said softly against Carina's hair. She felt the brunette nod again, and she sat there holding her until she was ready. Maya didn't say anything, she didn't pressure her she just held her. They sat there for another 20 minutes before Carina just wiped her eyes, and stood up.
-Are you ready? - Maya asked, quietly. Carina just nodded, and grabbed Maya's hand the moment the blonde stood up and was ready to go.