Through A Different Lens {Marina/Maya & Carina}

Craving Time (Chapter 9)

Is it physically possible to be so bored that you could probably die from it? If you really put your mind to it, if you convinced yourself hard enough?...Well, maybe death is slightly exaggerated...but Maya is sure that if she spent another minute, sitting on her sofa with a boot around her leg, she would end up in a coffin within the week.

You see, parental leave sounded great at first. A way to escape any chance of her commanding officer, Lucas Ripley, finding out about her injury, and of course a relaxing break. But, Maya doesn't do breaks, well at least not for an extended amount of time. She needs a rhythm, a routine that she can dedicate herself too, and a month-long parental leave did not help with that.

That was the smallest amount of time she could take off by the way. When she had the discussion with Lucas about taking parental leave, for one he was very excited that she finally gave in, he then proceeded to write her down for three and a half months, too which Maya did not allow. She technically demanded him to not give her so much time off, which also did not surprise the commanding officer. So he just sighed it off and wrote her down for one month.

She was happy with that. She was left with only one option after the hospital appointment, which left her in the boot, but knowing that she would be back in a month and with Andy covering her captaincy, she knew her station was in good hands.

But now it has been nineteen days into her thirty-one day parental leave, and Maya's head feels like it is going to explode from...nothing. She does nothing, she tries very hard to preoccupy herself, but living with a doctor, let alone dating one, restricts her. She knows Carina only cares for her and wants her safe and healthy, but when it gets to the point that she offers to grab the tv remote for her off the coffee table...the same tv remote that is merely inches away from her, it makes Maya feel like she is going to implode.

Her ankle isn't even sore anymore, maybe just a slight pressure, you know that kinda feeling a bruise would give? Yeah that, that's all she feels. But Carina refuses to let her take off the boot for unnecessary reasons. But then again, Maya did want to go on a run a literal week into her parental/recovery, so I guess Carina has every reason to be cautious for the ruthless firefighter.

Now, something Maya didn't expect, was the effects that this parental leave would give her. Meaning, everyone was right about taking the time off for her to understand Finns needs better. Obviously she was too...stuck up, to admit they were right. But throughout the leave, she was actually thankful for her injury, mostly because it didn't make her feel guilty for taking time off and it taught her new things about Finn that she wouldn't have known if she weren't to take the time off.

For one, he preferred the baby bottle with the rubberized grip on the side, just so he can drag it along the floor, making a funny sound. Secondly, if there was literally anything on the tv, he would need to instantly be in someone's arms, needing comfort away from the sounds that Maya thinks he assumes are people. Thirdly, he likes to bury his face in Carina's pillow.

How did she discover that one? Well, during Maya's leave, she had picked up a new sleep schedule, so now she didn't really wake up with Carina, and started waking up to Finn's times. But, one day, Finn had woken up before Maya, and Carina took it upon herself to bring Finn from his room to theirs, using him as a human alarm for Maya to wake up, and when she did, she was met with Finns giggles being muffled by his face being buried in Carinas pillow. Weirdly enough, it was only Carinas pillow, he wouldn't do it to Mayas or even the couch cousins, it was only Carinas. But it supplies both women with a good laugh every time the infant's cuteness is delivered.

So now, when Maya can't find a way to calm him down, she gives him Carina's pillow. Much to Carina's disapproval, especially when she comes home from a shift to see her pillow missing and Maya sleeping peacefully on her own pillow. There have been a few nights that Carina just stole Maya's pillow, but they usually end up with one person's head on the other's chest anyway.