The best is yet to come

A reminder

- May 11th 2023 -

"Honey. Do you wanna try to get up?" Maya asked her wife, placing her left hand on her knee once crouched in front of her.

Carina slightly shook her head mantaining the same position and the same empty expression.

"Okay. No rush." The firefighter reassured her gently squeezing her left hand that was hanging aside.

She stepped out of the shower and walked to the kitchen where Leslie was waiting for both of them to have breakfast now that Joy was finally asleep again.

"She's not awake yet?" Leslie chuckled taking a spoonful of cereals and chewing loudly enough to make Maya ask her to stop.

"Today it's May 11th." The blonde wispered a little later running a hand through her hair as a long sigh left her lungs.

The girl looked at her confused with another spoonful stopped midway between the cup and her mouth.

"Yeah." She spoke raising a brow towards her mother.

"It's Andrew's death anniversary." The firefighter finally explained and Leslie nodded a few times, placing the spoon back in the cup.

They had told her something about Andrea. That he was a Doctor at Grey Sloan too, a good one, and that he was murdered to arrest a human trafficker. Carina told her some good stories about their childhood and even the bad ones about their father's illness that Andrew eventually inherited.

"Sorry I didn't remember it was today." The girl spoke standing to give her mother a soft hug from the back.

"Me neither almost. But then I woke up three hours ago and she wasn't in bed. I found her crouched in the shower like she used to do in the days that followed his death. And I remembered." The blonde sniffled, lacing an arm around Leslie's.

"But...last year she wasn't like this. I mean I would remember anyway." She spoke after a few minutes of complete silence between the two.

"I know. I think...I'm afraid that with the baby she just...forgot. That she was into this baby thing and it passed. She knew, I mean she could never forget but it wasn't a priority. You had been with us for only four months and she just acted like everything was fine, I don't know. But I'm afraid that now all that adrenaline flowed away. Joy is here, you already know all our family drama...and she just doesn't need to look strong anymore." Maya explained fully.

Leslie nodded while looking at the closed door of her mothers' bedroom.
She wanted to walk in and hold Carina tight, just like she had done with her everytime she needed it in the past year.

"Do you have to go to work?" She asked a little later once Maya had wiped away her own tears.

"I should but I'll probably text Andy to cover for me." She nodded standing up from the chair to put away breakfast.

"Mom you haven't had anything." Leslie spoke walking closer holding a seat opened for her.

Maya sit back down and drank a glass of juice biting a few cookies. She wanted to help Carina, she wanted to help her like she helped her that day, that week.
In the past three hours she just left her in the shower and the brunette didn't even talk, didn't even look at her. She felt more helpless than ever, with her family there unhable to put it together.

"I should go to school now, but I can stay home." The girl said turning to face her mother again.

"No of course not. Go baby." Maya replied standing and placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I'm gonna be back for lunch, I can skip practice today." The girl explained hugging her mother.

"If you wanna go you can go." Maya kissed her head wrapping her tight.