Embrace the Pain

Embrace the pain. That was the mantra in the Bishop house from the moment Maya could remember.

When she broke her arm when she was six, her dad had waited to take her in because she needed to "embrace the pain."

When she broke her toe, she still ran on it because "embrace the pain kiddo."

When she spiked a fever of 103 the morning of her qualifying race, she ran her heart out and made it to the Olympics because she "embraced the pain."

When her ankle sprained the night before the Olympics and swelled to twice its normal size, she pulled on an ankle brace and won the damn Olympics because we "embrace the damn pain."

She took that mentality to the academy and into the fire station, never letting injury or illness stop her from pushing.

When she woke up about a week after making Lieutenant with a massive headache and a stabbing pain in her throat, she got up and "embraced the pain."

She knew enough to know that she needed antibiotics for the strep that she probably had. Instead of her normal run around the park, she ran to the clinic and got checked. Then, she ran to the station, the time at the clinic running into the time she normally used to shower before her shift. She got to the station, running upstairs and showering quickly before joining the A team for their morning meeting and breakfast in the beanery.

"You look like hell," Andy said as Maya sat down at the table.

"Strep," Maya rasped out, "I jogged to the clinic this morning and got antibiotics. I'll be fine."

"Why didn't you take the day?" Andy asked, reaching over and putting a hand on Maya's forehead, frowning at how warm it was.

"I'm fine," Maya said, shaking her head, "Gotta embrace the pain remember."

Maya thanked someone on high that Miller and Hughes had made smoothies to go with breakfast this morning because her throat was on fire and nothing else sounded good.

"Alright," Sullivan said, calling them all to order.

He handed out assignments and within ten minutes, the alarms were going off.

"Are you go to go in the field today?" Andy asked as she and Maya ran down the stairs.

"I'm good," Maya said as they pulled their boots on and jumped in their respective rigs.

Maya was with Hughes in the engine today.

"You look like hell," Vic said as she started driving.

"I have strep," Maya said, leaning on her arm.

"You should be home," Vic said, giving her a side eye.

"I don't do sick days," Maya said, shaking her head, "I'm fine. I got antibiotics this morning."

Vic just shook her head, knowing all about how crazy Maya was with her work ethic. They got to the scene finding a house that was already ablaze.

They got inside, Maya grateful that she wasn't on search and rescue because she didn't think she would have been able to help carry out the two large, grown men out of the third story of the house.

She helped battle the flames, helping spray foam to get the grease fire out.

Once they finished up the call, she helped reload the truck and they all headed back and showered.

Maya was exhausted and went to crash in the bunk room, just intending to take a quick nap. She woke up to the alarm going again. She pulled herself out of bed, running downstairs and jumping in the engine.