The Weight of Tomorrow (A Marina Story)

Chapter Twenty Two

The next morning, Maya woke up in the early hours with a tickle in her throat. She tried to clear it away with a few dry coughs, but the sensation lingered, leaving her feeling a bit off. After her sixth round of coughs, Carina stirred next to her, her expression instantly filled with concern.

"Are you okay, bambina?" she asked softly, her voice thick with sleep yet laced with worry.

"Yeah, just a tickle in my throat. Sorry I woke you. I'll get some water," Maya replied, swinging her legs out of bed and making her way to the kitchen.

As Maya left, Carina tried to get back to sleep, but her anxiety flared up at the sound of that little cough. It brought back memories of a few months ago when a cough had led to a cancer diagnosis. After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, she decided to give up and followed Maya into the kitchen.

When she entered, she found Maya downing a big glass of water. Maya paused when she noticed Carina. "Couldn't get back to sleep?" she asked, her voice still a little raspy.

Carina shook her head, moving to the coffee machine to turn it on. "No, I guess not. Just worried about you," she admitted as she walked over to Maya and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Maya's shoulder.

"Is the tickle gone?" Carina asked, hopefulness in her tone.

Maya shook her head. "It's still there, but it's not bad. Just annoying. I mean, I've already got cancer, so surely it can't be anything worse," Maya said with a sad laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Bambina..." Carina said sadly, her heart aching at Maya's attempt to brush it off.

"Sorry, sorry. Just trying to make light of.. everything," Maya said with a sad smile, turning her head to give Carina a gentle kiss.

Carina kissed Maya back before pulling back a little, "I just don't want you to get sick. You're immunocompromised, Maya, and even a tickle can turn into something more serious. We learned that last time when you caught the flu," Carina said, her tone serious.

Maya sighed, muttering under her breath, "I'm already sick."

Carina ignored the comment and kissed Maya again. "You'll let me know if you feel any worse, si?" she added, her eyes searching Maya's for reassurance.

Maya nodded. "Si," she replied in Italian, practicing her language skills.

"Good. Now, what are we having for breakfast?" Carina asked, trying to shift the focus.

"Um... I'm not very hungry. I think all the party food has left me full still," Maya said, offering a small white lie. The truth was, she hadn't eaten much party food, and her taste had turned incredibly weird, everything tasting metallic to her, which had put her off eating most of the time.

Carina raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an unimpressed expression. "How about a shake? You need to have at least something."

Maya couldn't stand it when Carina looked at her like that, so she nodded her head. "Okay, I'll try a shake."

"Berry and banana?" Carina suggested.

"Sounds great, thanks," Maya replied, she hoped that she could keep the shake down to keep her wife happy.

————

The day of Maya's tests arrived, and she felt that familiar sense of anxiety starting to overwhelm her body. She still had that tickle in her throat, but it hadn't gotten worse, so she convinced Carina to let her wait to talk to Dr. Foster about it. Carina wasn't thrilled, but seeing that Maya hadn't deteriorated, she reluctantly agreed while keeping a close eye on her.