Home is wherever i'm with you

Life doesn't discriminate

The next few day they followed the system. Because the kids were home from school, who ever had them would do fun trips with them and Maya and Carina made time with them in the evening. On the 29. there was a knock on Mayas office door. "Come in." Mayas voice was rapy. It was Chief Ross. "Hello Chief Ross." Maya coughed to clear her voice. "Hello Chief Deluca-Bishop. You don't sound so well." "I am not. But i am going to take sometime off, once the new Battalion Chief is promoted." "Okay. Well then i have good news for you. I am here at 19 to make two promotions. "That is great. Wait two?" "Yes. I am promoting Captain Herrera to Battalion Chief and Lieutenant Gibson to Captain. I read your recomendations and the union agrees." "Why did it take so long?" "That is internal business. But i am very sorry of the inconveniance and you can definatly take your overtime once Chief Herrera is stable in the Job." "When would that be?" "She will start with the new year. Give her two weeks. She is good. Then i you can take time off." "Okay. I can not promise, that i will be there everyday though. My wife has me under a strict rule to not work with a fever." "Well that is smart." "I seem to spike those quite commonly nowadays. You must have noticed." "I did. But i have also heard your wife stuggles with mental health and i figured you were with her." "Yes. Both." Maya said. "I am very sorry. I hope you and your wife get better soon." "We will. I just need some time off." "Well gets go promote people." The chief said and Maya followed her out of her office.

"Captain Herrera. I am promoting you to Battalion Chief." "Thank you, Chief. I am honored." "I am also promoting a new Captain for 19. Lieutenant Gibson, i am promoting you to Captain of Station 19. That makes Lieutenant Montgomary the senior man. Followed by Lieutenant Hughes. You will get an new Firefighter and a new Probie soon. Captain Gibson, picking a good person for your team will be your first job. Both of you start with the first of the new year." "Thank you, Chief." Jack said. "Dismissed." The Chief said and everyone walked away. "Have a nice day, Chief Deluca-Bishop. Get some sleep, you look tired." Maya chuckled. There was nothing, she wanted more than that. But she still had work to do and it was Sunday which ment the girls were home and she promised them to play in the snow in the afternoon.

The next few day were tough. Maya helped Andy get into her new work. She checked Andys reports and went over her budgets while doing her own. It was still better than before, because Andy was good and there was rarely a mistake and before Maya had to do all of them by herself, so definatly an improvment.

Carina had worked hard on her food intake. Amelia a managed to get a small variety of foods in her diet already. It was still not enough for her to loose the tube, but it was definatly better.
She would have a plain greek yogurt for breakfast, some steamed potatos and sometimes carrots for lunch, and some applesauce for dinner.

Maya worked the Wednesday/thursday 30h on call shift and decided to stay at the station. Andy had the ex-storage room for her office and Maya and her shared the bunk and bathroom, because they were never on call together, they just decided it would work.
Maya had worked until about 10 pm last evening, because she had so much to do and so she decided to sleep at the station. Carina knew not to worry when she didn't come home, when she was on call, but she shot her a quick text saying she was fine and she was sleeping at the station. She went to bed and fell asleep quite quickly.

When she woke up, she felt the telltale signs of a fever. She was increadibly cold, sore and her nose was stuffy. She got up, washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She was pale. Her cheeks were flushed and there were big dark bags under her eyes. She put on some makeup to seem less dead and went to do some more work.
At 10 she couldn't take it anymore, her head was pounding and she felt sick to her stomach. She went to lay down again. But the alarm rang almost every half an hour and had her vertical in her bed, listening if she was needed.

At half past three Andy came. Maya had worked herself up to sit back at her desk and pretend to do work, to not be suspicious. But Andy didn't realize it, looked like she had been crying all night. "Hey. Andy. What happend?" "He filed for divorce." Andy said, starting to cry again. "Domenik?" "Yes. I got the papers yesterday." "Oh. I am so sorry." "I called him, he accused me. Said it was my fault, because i was supposed to have followed him, why? Why did i have to uproot my life to be with him?" "You didn't it is not your fault. Absolutly not." "I feel so shitty." "Yeah." Maya rubbed Andys back. "I love him. I love him. But i know this doesn't work. And i am not going to hold on something that doesn't work, but it hurts." "Yeah. I am so sorry." "Thanks for listening." Maya smiled at Andy. "I would love to give you a hug, but i am definatly contagious." "Oh, Maya. I am so sorry." "Its okay. I am going home and i can rest some there. And i did have an uneventful morning, i got some sleep." "That is good. But Maya, we had an agreement." Andy felt Mayas forehead. "You have a fever." "I know. But what was i supposed to do?" When she had spiked a fewer during a shift, Andy had coverd for her. "Jack just made captain." "Yeah, but Maya..." "I know. I am going to get better." Maya got up and got her things. "Thats why i am going home now. "

Maya ended up been very much out of order for the entire weekend.
Sunday night she broke her fever which ment Carina let her work her tuesday on-call shift.

Maya felt okay. She was called to a 4 Alarm. It was a big Apartment complex on fire. She coordinated it quite well, about three hours in, she had gotten all the civilians out and the fire was 80% contained. Maya advised 54 to help 19 on fire attack and hit it with their ladder on the delta side. She watched them run to action, when a dizzy spell hit her and an she stumbled. Nobody saw it and she collected herself. She asked for updates from her captains and noted them down.
Half an hour later Jack, Vic and Dean came outside for a break. "Everything alright, Chief?" Maya was just fighting another dizzy spell and just nodded.
Another hour later the fire was out and 54 and 88 stayed for overhaul. Maya packed up her things and wanted to hitch a ride with 19, when another wave hit her out of nothing and she collapsed. Everything went black.