5150

Recovery

Mayas pov

Two months later

I grab my keys and Carina and I head to her appointment. Her hearing hasn't come back yet, and she's still in a lot of pain. She obviously can't work, the hospital was destroyed, so we've just been at home. It feels like the pandemic again, stuck at home.

The office is just outside of Seattle, when we arrive we are seated in the waiting room for what feels like forever. I've been learning a little bit of ASL to help communicate with her, she's been getting better at reading lips though too.

The doctor finally comes out and we head to an exam room. After looking in her ears, the doctor recommends surgery. She says it's a simple surgery with a high success rate, and not a lot of risks. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? She already can't hear.

The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, and we are sent home with some pre-op notes. I try to communicate it to Carina to the best of my ability, but she ends up reading her chart on the ride home anyways.

I can see her trying to choke back tears, she's obviously frustrated. When we get home, I sign to her to ask what's wrong. She sighs and takes a deep breath "I just want to work. I want my life to go back to normal." She says.

We talk about the repairs on the hospital, it's almost finished. "And you're getting a brand new office out of this" I say, to which she laughs. "Bambina, I.. I don't want to go back to the hospital. I want to open my own clinic, I want to help people the way I know how." She says.

She's always talked about this, her own clinic. I was skeptical at first, but now I support her whole heartedly. I know she could do this, she's so talented. "Okay, how do we go about this?" I ask.

We spent the rest of the night researching buildings and permits, looking at nurses and the price of supplies. She eventually fell asleep on my shoulder, she must have been exhausted.

I send a few emails out to building owners and supply companies asking how to make this possible for her. I know Addison knows a lot about this too, so I reached out to her.

We head to bed, and I can tell she's nervous for tomorrow. She can't eat anything because she's going to be sedated, and she put cotton balls in her ears to keep them dry. I pray this works for her. She needs this, we need this.

Carinas pov

The next morning

I wake up to Maya stroking my hair, telling me her alarm went off and we have to go to the appointment. I groan and roll over, I'm exhausted and in pain.

I'm so hungry but I can't eat, it'll mess with the anesthesia. We head to the hospital, check in, and I'm admitted. I'm nervous, but also excited. I can't wait to have my life back.

Maya wishes me good luck as I'm moved to the OR. I count down from 100 as the anesthesia is put over my mouth.

Mayas pov

The surgeon said it should take about an hour since she's getting both ears done. Her left is worse than her right, it must've been the side she was facing the flames. I grab some food from a cute coffee shop near the hospital, getting Carina a cappuccino and a croissant. I know she'll be hungry when she wakes up.

When I get back to her room, a nurse informs me Carina is on her way back to the room and that the surgery went perfectly. She's still asleep, but the anesthetic will wear off soon.

I text the station and tell them the good news. I see her begin to stir. I grab her hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with my thumb. "Maya" she says, smiling. She's still a little high, but it's cute.

"Hi babe." I say back, laughing a little. She obviously can't hear, the surgeon said it should slowly come back over the next two weeks while the rupture heals. "I can't wait to hear your voice" she says. I laugh, "someone's a little high still." I reply, she just smiles back at me.

After the anesthesia wears off, she's in a lot of pain. The doctor gives her some OTC meds, but I can tell she's still uncomfortable. "We're going to keep her overnight to monitor for infection, but she did great." The doctor tells me.

I'm so happy for her, for us. The day is long and boring, but I got to spend it with her. We watched some tv with captions, ate a little bit, and then she fell asleep for the night.

I woke up multiple times throughout the night, the chair I was sleeping in was so uncomfortable, but I'd rather be here than at home without her. She finally woke up around 9 am, and the nurse came in with her discharge paperwork.

The ride home is long yet peaceful, it really is beautiful out here. That's something I never really appreciated about Washington. We get home and Carina starts making some lunch. I check my computer, emailing the building managers back about touring the buildings. I want to do this for her.

Addison gave me some great information, sending me numbers of lawyers and supply companies she worked with. I put them all in a file and save them to my computer.

I can't wait until Carina gets her hearing back, and her life back. She wants to work, she wants to help people. I'm so excited for her.