Let Me Carry You (Carry You Home)

8: Falling On Your Knees

The doctors led Maya and Carina to Sarah's room, updating them more about the finer details of what had happened on the procedure; how they worked quickly, the possible results, and the fact that her heart was reluctant to start.

"She was down without a heartbeat for ten minutes," Maggie relayed, and Maya choked on a horrified gasp.

"Ten minutes?" Carina rasped in teary disbelief, and Maggie nodded sadly. Both moms were thunderstruck; being without a heartbeat for that long was undoubtedly fatal. That much she knew from being a first responder. If a human being's heart stops, it means that oxygenated blood no longer travels to the brain, and that vital process can only be down for three to four minutes before deficits occur. After ten minutes, the chances of survival are extremely low. Yet, here Sarah was, having gone through ten minutes of no heartbeat.

Their lives just changed... again.

Amelia stepped forward. "We'll know if she has deficits if she wakes up," she confirmed.

"If?" Maya's voice shook at the possibility that their Sarah, their girl might not wake up. That couldn't be possible... she refused to believe that. The neurosurgeon's voice was kind as she continued to explain.

"We did everything we could, and CPR ensures her a better chance, but she was down for ten minutes in the operating room... plus, she was down in the bathroom. While the odds are not in her favour, Sarah is a fighter, and I have faith she will wake up," Amelia insisted.

Carina held Maya's hand with tight desperation, her brain overloaded with anxiety. She, like Maya, knew just how slim the chances of Sarah surviving were.

How could they let this child in, fall in love with her, need to protect her, and then have to watch her die?

Maya forced a shaky smile, holding her girlfriend's hand firmly to reassure her.

"Sarah has survived this much. She will wake up. Don't worry," She whispered, and Maya squeezed Carina's hand reassuringly, laying her head on her girlfriend's shoulder and falling asleep within minutes. 

Carina laid her head against Maya's, slowly drifting off to the sounds of machines.

———

The next two days passed in a blur. Sarah's doctors decided to give her body a chance to heal by placing her in a medical coma, which meant she was on even more machines. There was a tube down her throat breathing for her, and her heart was being closely monitored.

And as the first day passed, a consultation from Sarah's new dietician, Doctor Oscar Ramirez, who worried about Sarah's weight given the events prior to the accident and now the lack of food being consumed.

So, the dietician gave her recommendation, to which Maya and Carina followed, consenting to the implementation of an NG tube for Sarah.

"I can give a quick briefing if neither of you have any experience with NG tubes," Doctor Ramirez offered, and when both women nodded, he jumped into an explanation.

"Perfect. So, the NG tube's purpose is to deliver special nutrition, as well as medication, directly to a patient's stomach. It's designed specifically for Difficulty swallowing, head and neck cancer, malnutrition and unconsciousness for extended periods of time. Sarah is a perfect candidate for one, and once she wakes up, we can move forward with having it in for longer, or taking it out. It's all a matter of preference,"

Once that was in place, it gave Maya and Carina less to worry about.

Sarah had not awoken yet, not shown an inch of fighting through the sedation, and both moms were incredibly anxious with nerves. Luckily, they had great friends; the team, plus Carina's friends at Grey-Sloan came by to relieve the two tired parents of their shifts staying with Sarah, and to keep the two moms' spirits up. Meanwhile, their friends also cooked meals for them, cleaned their house up and did other chores to help Maya and Carina in any way they could.