A Year Without You

Chapter Eleven

I feel twenty times lighter. I look at Andy as we walk back to the car and I know she's proud of me for doing what I just did. We get back in the car a I sigh in relief Andy smiles as we look at each other "Let's go get you married Bishop" she says as she puts the car in gear.

We get to Kaminski's and so Carina and I didn't see one another yet Andy and I slipped through the back door. It honestly took all myself control not to go find Carina because I was dying to see what she choice to wear because even though she made the statement "I'm not the groom" When she was watching Andy try to help me find something to wear when I said, "Then let me see what your wearing" She looked at me with a side eye and brushing out her hair responded with a "No never". I was so nervous that it was insane, but I was also excited. But something in the back of my mind felt like I was forgetting something, but I couldn't place my finger on it though.

I stand in the entrance way of the dining room of the restaurant Ben comes down the hall with a smile on his face "Well look at you" I can't help but smile cause honestly if it weren't for Ben Carina and I would have never moved in together after Ben talked sense into Carina about us staying apart because of wanting to be in solidarity with Bailey because she and Warren were staying apart when the pandemic first started. But those three weeks only felt like torture compared to not having Carina home for a full year. I smile back at him "I could say the same for you Warren guess we both clean up pretty good for a wedding" I stand next to him and link my arm with his, Ben must feel my nervousness because he looks over at me and say lowly so only, I can hear him "deep breaths Maya you got this." I take a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Just then I hear the sound of heels clicking from the opposite side of me and Ben, I shift my eyes a little and see out of the corner of my eye that it's Carina in a white dress that hugs the natural curves that she has, she looks fucking amazing. She links arms with Ben on the other side I take a deep breath we start to walk down the makeshift aisle as Vic starts to sing "Love Me Tender" on the ukulele. We look around a smiling at our Station 19/ Grey-Sloan family I can't help but feel tears well up in my eyes when I see my mother, I can't believe she came just it showed which one of my parents actually gave a damn about me no matter what. We get to the end of the aisle, I take Carina's hands in mine and mouth the last few words of the song as I look in her eyes, she smiles a little as she blushes a little. We keep looking at one another in my head at this moment I say to myself in my head that nothing could go wrong today, but I still in some small way couldn't help thinking I forgotten something. Then Ben starts to speak "Now, I understand you wrote your own vow?" as soon as I hear that sentence that is when a full wave of panic hits me when I realize that is what I had forgotten. I right away blurt out "Oh, my god!" Carina looks at me with concern "What" I look between her and Ben starting to panic more "I f-f-forgot we were writing our own vows." Feeing myself wanting to breakout in full tear" Oh, my god. I got so excited about it. I'm so sorry. I'm—" Carina cuts me off softly laughing trying to calm me down says "No. No, no, no, no, no. Hey. hey, hey, Bambina" I keep stammering as I try to focus on Carina "I can't—I'm so "Carina finally gets my full attention "This is perfect. It's okay, It's okay. Listen to yourself. Queen of the Clipboard Maya Bishop was so excited about something that she forgot. I love that."

I calm down realizing she was right and that everything was going to be ok in the end I sigh "Sorry" everyone laughs softly even myself. I look into Carina's eyes because right in that moment there is only one thing that I need to say "I love—I love you. And I choose you. Forever." Carina wipes some tears off her face, and we keep looking at one another "I don't need to say anything else. We're good. "Ben looks at us both to confirm that all that needed to be said was said in the moment "You're good?" We both nod "Yeah. Yeah." Ben starts to speak again "Then, Maya Bishop, do you take—" I cut him off again cause all I want to do is kiss the love of my life at this point "I do." Carina speaks up after me "Me too." Which causes everyone else to chuckle. Ben finishes knowing that it's better to get right to the point by now "Well, I now pronounce you wife and wife." That's all I needed to hear I gently grab Carina's face and pull her into me as we kiss. We try to pull one another close as possible with things getting to heated cause we were in public after all. We look out at our friends and my mother as then cheer for us finally being married.

We all dance the night away laughing and having fun at one point Carina and I get so wrapped up in each other that we end up just drowning everything else going on out. At this point nothing could ruin this day for me, but little did I know that the honeymoon for us was going to be over before it even began because no matter how hard you try reality has to come fuck things up for you somehow. Like I said a lot can change in a year and for Carina and I this was only the beginning of more changes to come.