All I Want for Christmas - Marina

Chapter 22: Carina and Maya

Carina

I wait for the aid car and feel like Andrea keeps hovering. I feel a little on edge because Maya messaged and called me earlier. I told myself I would decide what to do once my shift ends.

"Why are you here?" I ask Andrea. "This is an OB case."

"Dr. Bailey assigned me," he says.

"Andrea, I can tell so easily when you're lying to me. Why are you here? Is this because you're worried that I'm upset about Maya?"

"Yeah!" He exclaims. "I just want to look after you and make sure you're okay."

"I'm an adult. I'll be fine." I hear the sirens and notice it's an aid car from station 19. What are the odds Maya will be in it? Two women step out of the aid car to open the doors to the back. I saw one of them the first day I met Maya. The doors open and Maya is there with the patient. Her hair is much shorter. We make eye contact, and I remember the first time I saw her. I still find her eyes as mesmerizing as the first time.

"Carina," she says looking at me. "I need to say something." How can she say this in the middle of an emergency? Why isn't she bringing the patient out. Suddenly I hear the woman inside scream scaring all of us. Maya jumps at the sound. I quickly run into the aid car ignoring Maya, and... who is this?

"Sorry, was that too dramatic? Do women in labor scream that loud?" The man in a wig and stuffed shirt asks me. He was also here the day I met Maya.

"What is going on?" I ask incredibly confused. I look at the guy laying down and Maya stands on the other side of him. He looks from me to Maya and then back to me.

"Ca-" Maya is about to say something but the guy on the stretcher interrupts her.

"Hi I'm Travis," he extends his hand while still laying down. "Funny we meet in these circumstances," he jokes and goes on a tangent while we shake hands. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what's going on.

"Travis, I swear to god if you don't get out of that aid car!" The woman I recognized yells from outside. Maya looks at Travis like she will throw him out of the aid car herself.

"Sorry!" He sits up and starts scooting to the edge of the stretcher. It feels like an eternity before he actually gets off and joins the two women and Andrea outside.

"Maya," I say exhausted looking at her. "What is happening?"

Maya

I rehearsed what I was going to say about twenty times, but now that I'm here I feel like I can't remember anything.

"Carina," I say reaching for her hands which are on the opposite side of the stretcher. It feels awkward with the distance between us. I told Travis so many times to make sure to get the stretcher out before I say what I have to say. Oh well, I will do this regardless. "I'm so sorry, Carina." Travis chooses right now to be the perfect moment to pull out the stretcher that's between Carina and I. I can see Vic and Andy shaking their heads. "Are you serious?" I ask exasperated. Carina laughs a little and the second I look at her she bites down on her lip to hold in her laughter.

"I'm PANICKING I've never done this before!" Travis yells as he finally removes the stretcher.

"Travis, stop talking," Vic tells him. I bring my attention back to Carina, and while holding her hands, I take a few steps closer to her.

Carina

"Carina, I'm sorry. What I did at my house wasn't right," I nod my head in agreement with her. "You've been nothing but great to me from the moment we met." She pauses. "Okay maybe not from the moment we met," she says.