PLAYING WITH FIRE

Chapter 16: Infection

Carina couldn't help but chuckle again. "Okay, okay. Maybe your pretty little pouty face will win me over."

She leaned in and gave Maya a softer, more lingering kiss on the lips.
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Maya smiled into the kiss, feeling a flutter in her chest despite her weakened state. The feel of Carina's lips on hers was a comfort she needed more than air.

When they slowly broke apart, Maya whispered, "Finally. That's more like it."

Carina smiled, gently caressing Maya's cheek. "There, you got your proper kiss. You happy now?"

Carina's smile faded as she suddenly started coughing.

Maya, despite her own discomfort, looked at Carina with concern. "Babe, are you okay? That cough doesn't sound good."

Carina waved off Maya's concern. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just a little tickle in my throat."

But as the coughing continued, it was clear that Carina wasn't as fine as she was pretending to be.

Maya, though weak, tried to sit up a bit. "Carina, that doesn't sound like just a 'little tickle.' You're not sick, are you?"

Carina, refusing to admit to it, tried to brush it off. "Of course not. I just need to clear my throat, that's all."

But the persistent coughing betrayed her words, revealing that she was, in fact, falling ill.

Maya, seeing through her fib, scolded with feigned annoyance, "Carina DeLuca, you are the worst patient I've ever encountered. You're literally a doctor, and yet you can't even admit when you're sick."

Carina attempted to defend herself between coughs, "I'm fine, Maya. It's probably just a cold or-"

This was interrupted by another fit of harsh coughs, making it evident she was lying.

Maya, exasperated but caring, firmly scolded, "Stop acting tough, Carina. You can't take care of me when you're falling sick yourself. You have to let me or someone else take care of you, understood?"

Carina, despite her stubborn nature, was finding it increasingly difficult to argue with Maya. The coughing and the fatigue were becoming harder to ignore by the minute.

She protested softly, "But you are the one who is sick..."

Maya, stubbornly, insisted, "And you are the one falling sick now. It's my time to take care of you now, and you can't say no."

Carina, feeling too weak to argue further, gave in, albeit reluctantly.

"Fine... I guess I'll let you take care of me just this once. But only because you're being so stubborn."

Maya smiled weakly, satisfied that Carina had listened to her. "Good. Because I'm not going to let you try and be a hero when you should be resting and recovering."

Carina, though conceding defeat, teased, "You know, you are more bossy and annoying when you're sick."

Maya, finding strength to retort, chuckled, "Oh please, I'm bossy and annoying when I'm healthy too."

Carina, despite her illness, couldn't resist a laugh. "Can't argue with that."

She was about to continue the banter when another series of coughs interrupted her, her body shaking with the force of them.

Maya's playful expression turned to concern as she watched Carina struggle through another round of coughing.

She reached out to gently rub Carina's back. "Hey, easy on the lungs there, Doctor. You're pushing yourself too much."