PLAYING WITH FIRE

Chapter 101: IVF Meeting

Maya nodded, buttoning up her coat. "Yeah, we have an appointment with Dr. Montgomery at 10. Gotta go get the ball rolling on our family planning."

She chuckled, glancing at Carina's brother. "And it looks like we're not the only ones rising early. Though I think Andrew might have overindulged a bit."
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Carina chuckled, shaking her head. "That's just Andrew for you. He never knows when to quit. I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with a headache later."

She looked at her brother, a mixture of fondness and resignation on her face. "He'll be okay, though. He always is, somehow."

Maya nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Well, we'd better head out. We don't want to be late."

She looked around, making sure they had everything. "Everyone be good while we're gone, okay? And behave yourself, please, Andrew."

Carina chuckled, adding her own reminder. "Yeah, Andrew, don't cause any trouble while we're gone. And if you do wake up, please try to behave yourself."

Andrew lifted his head, giving them a sleepy wave. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be good. Have fun at your appointment."

Maya and Carina said their goodbyes to Andrew, Andy, and Megan before heading out the door.

As they made their way to the car, Maya turned to Carina. "Your brother is something else, you know that?"

Carina laughed, nodding in agreement. "Oh, I know. He's never boring, that's for sure. But as much as he drives me crazy sometimes, I love him."

She walked around to the driver's side and unlocked the car, opening the door. "Get in. Don't want to catch a cold out here in the snow."

Maya nodded and quickly got into the passenger seat, grateful for the warmth of the car.

As Carina started the car and pulled away from the curb, Maya watched the snowfall outside the window. "It's really coming down out there, huh?"

Carina nodded, focusing on driving through the snowy streets. "Yeah, it is. But the traffic is actually not too bad considering the weather."

The car was filled with a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Carina spoke up again. "You nervous about the appointment?"

Maya took a deep breath, feeling the familiar flutter of nerves in her stomach. "A little bit, yeah. I mean, it's exciting, but it's also a big step, you know? It's not every day you decide to start a family."

Carina reached over, resting her hand on Maya's thigh. "I know. But we're in this together, remember? We'll take it one step at a time."

She gave Maya's thigh a gentle squeeze. "Just try not to overthink it, okay? Everything will be fine."

Maya smiled, appreciating the touch and the reminder. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just going to focus on the exciting parts, like seeing our baby on a screen for the first time."

Carina nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Exactly. And just think, this time next year, we'll be holding our little one in our arms."

She glanced over at Maya, her eyes softening. "We've got this, okay? We're going to be amazing parents."

Maya's heart skipped a beat at the thought of the future, a mix of excitement and nervousness flooding through her. "Yeah, we are. We're going to make a great team."

She reached over, taking Carina's hand in hers. "Just promise me you'll always be by my side, no matter what."

Carina looked at Maya and said "I want our baby to call me mama."