This is Fire

FIRST WEEK (11)

MAYA POV

I'll admit that I've been really hesitant to leave the apartment every morning. I trust Mason but I don't trust myself. I know that sounds weird, but I feel like when I leave I'm disappointing him. He's always on my sofa just waiting for me to leave, always with a bowl of cereal on his lap and the news of the day playing in the background. I want to stay with him. I feel like I have an opportunity now to really be there for him and now that I'm working all the time, like I'm already neglecting him and it hasn't even been a week.

Today is yet another day that I'm on shift, and it's a 24-hour shift. The first of the week and I'm terrified, I do know that once I'm at work I'll be in my work mode and won't be thinking too much about Mason but right now I'm terrified of leaving him alone. He's fine and he's sober but I don't want my neglecting to be a cause for him going off of track.

"Bye Mase" I say as I grab my keys and put my bag on my shoulder. He nods as he slowly stirs his cereal around his bowl with a heavy sigh. I know he's bored out of his mind. When he came home, we discussed what he could do while I was working. He's looking at jobs which is great, he's hoping to teach art which I know is perfect for him. But it seems that there are no vacancies for him to fill.

-

It's been 10 hours since I left Mase alone and we've been texting. He asked if I could pick up some art supplies on my way back from my shift. You'd think that getting him art supplies would be the first thing I'd think of, it's the perfect thing to keep him busy. He's given me a list of all sorts of things, very specific with brushes and paints. I didn't realise there was so many specifications when it came to art, like when did canvases come with numbers, which wasn't just the size of them?

There hasn't really been any fires today yet, I hope there are some. The whole point of not being on aid car is to fight fires and it seems like everyone in Seattle is playing it safe today. Our beanery is full of my team laughing and shouting over each other, I'm not really taking part. Silence fills the room when I see my brother and Carina standing there.

"What are you guys doing here?" I say standing up to greet them both.

"Can we talk?" Mason asks in a very serious tone; I look over to Carina and she nods with a small smile telling me that everything is okay.

"Yeah sure" I say already leading them to one of our conference rooms out of the way of the beanery.

Sitting down in the room I know my anxiety is sky high. Has he really gotten high? Is me leaving for 24 hours too much for him? Have I just messed up my brother's sobriety? My brain goes into overdrive, my breathing quickens.

"Come back to us, Bella" Carina breaks me out of my trance, drawing small circles on my thigh. She knows physical touch helps.

"S-sorry yes?" I reply as I start to calm down.

"Maya I got offered a job" Mason proudly states, a smile gracing his face.

"Oh wow, where?" I ask, I can feel myself matching his facial expressions.

"At Grey Sloan. They're asking someone to update the rooms on the children's ward" He shares.

"That's awesome Mase, when do you start?" I ask.