PLAYING WITH FIRE

Chapter 9: The Hospital

Carina headed to Grey Sloan Memorial, her mind preoccupied with concern for Maya. She knew Maya hated being sidelined and not being able to work, but she also knew Maya's health came first.
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Carina arrived at the hospital and was met by Teddy, Jo, and Amelia in the attending lounge. They were all sipping on coffee and discussing the day's surgeries.

Teddy looked up as Carina entered. "Hey, Carina. You're late. Everything okay?"

Carina sat down at the table with them, sighing. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a situation at home that needed to be dealt with."

Jo raised an eyebrow, curious. "What kind of situation?"

Carina took a sip of her coffee, hesitant to go into detail. "Oh, just a small medical issue with my girlfriend. She's not feeling well so I had to make sure she was taken care of before I left."

Amelia said "Wait you have a girlfriend since when."

Carina smiled, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Yeah, I do. We've only been together a couple of days, so it's still pretty early days."

Jo said "Are you happy."

Carina thought for a moment, her expression softening. "Yeah, I am. She makes me happy, and I care a lot about her. It's different from any relationship I've ever had before, but in a good way."

Teddy smiled warmly. "That's great, Carina. It's nice to see you happy. Who's the unlucky mystery woman?"

Carina chuckled, a hint of secrecy in her voice. "Oh, I can't reveal her identity just yet. But she's incredible. Smart, strong, and absolutely beautiful. She's the whole package."

Jo smirked, clearly curious. "C'mon, give us a hint. Is she in the medical field?"

Carina raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Okay, I'll give you one hint. But that's all you're getting. She's a first responder."

Amelia's eyes widened, excited by the clue. "A first responder? That narrows it down a bit. Firefighters, police, EMTs."

Carina smirked, enjoying the conversation. "You're getting closer. Let's just say that I have a bit of a thing for a woman in uniform."

Jo let out a squeak of excitement. "Oh, this is intriguing. You're dating a hot firefighter, aren't you?"

Carina laughed, feeling her cheeks flush slightly. "Okay, okay, I admit it. I do have a bit of a thing for a certain firefighter. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

Andy called Carina and said "Don't be mad at me Maya decided she wanted to go to the station and go on a call."

Carina's eyes widened in shock as she listened to Andy's words. "What?! Maya is at the station? She's supposed to be resting at home! She's still sick!"

Andy's voice crackled over the phone. "I know, I know. I tried to stop her, but Maya can be very stubborn when she sets her mind on something. She was insistent on going to the station and going on a call."

Carina sighed in frustration, her worry for maya growing. "Damn it, Maya. She's in no condition to be out there fighting fires."

Andy could hear the concern in Carina's voice and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Carina. We're keeping an eye on her. We'll make sure she doesn't do anything too strenuous."

Carina pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to calm herself down. "Alright, just keep me updated. Let me know if she starts to feel unwell or if anything happens, okay?"