Home is wherever i'm with you

she will be the worrier of the north and southern seas

Around noon Dr. Ndugu came into Mayas room. "Her latest x-rays have been better. She is breathing over the vent. We will take her off now and see if she wakes up." "Okay." Carina was happy, but also scared, what if it wouldn't work. Dr. Ndugu took out the tube and Maya chocked slightly. She wasn't awake enough yet, but she was getting there. "i'm here, bambina. Its okay. Wake up."

About half an hour later Maya woke up fully. She was very disoriented and having trouble breathing, so they uped the oxygen on the nasal canula.

The next few days were rough. Nina came home on Tuesday. She called in sick at her classes and just took the bus to Seattle. She couldn't do it. Maya had to stay at the hospital for four more days, which ment she came home the day after the tripplets birthday. They decided to celebrate once Maya was home and so they did on Saturday, when they girls weren't in school.

Carina took a few weeks off from work. She couldn't concentrate and felt like she was not being the doctor her patients deserve and so she went on leave. It did wonders for her mental health.

Maya had missed a week of chemo, because she was too weak, when she went back for the new round on monday, it hit her pretty hard. The cycle was bad and had her throwing up, fainting and in a lot of pain. Carina had gotten her a wheelchair and eventually they needed to have a bed downstairs, Maya being unable to get up the stairs anymore and their injurance not covering a stairlift. Andy and Jack got a bed off of facebook marketplace and fixed it up. They took down the girls desks, as they were doing their homework in school now and set up the bed where the desks had been. The only left one desk, because Louise still liked to use it to draw sometimes. Around the bed they put stringlights and set up the TV that used to be in the parents bedroom across form the bed. Maya was happy, that her friends did this for her. She was sad, that this had to be happening, but even Maya had to agree, that the stairs were no longer an option for her. Carina slept in the downstairs bed most nights, sometimes sleeping upstairs, with one or all of the girls. The bed was a double, but not as big as their bed upstairs was and so when the girls joined it got pretty crammed.

When the girls came home, they often joined Maya in her bed. Reading, listening to music or telling Maya about their day. She enjoyed this time a lot. Eventhough she felt sick and weak she would never not want to spent time with her kids.

The next round, her fourth, was pretty uneventfull. She wasn't getting better, but also not significantly worse. She worked in PT to keep some strength, but eventually she just needed to waitout her treatment and see how the recovery goes. The chemo part of her fifth round was over and finaly spring came around. It was nice to have sun shine through the windows and it lifted everyones moods a little. The girls were able to play in the backyard again and seeing them running around made Maya incredibly happy.

On Saturday it unfortunatly rained again, so the girls played with legos. Maya had moved to the couch to watch them and had fallen asleep, when someone shoke her. "Mommy. Mommy. Meena is making silly faces." "What?" Maya was not able to understand right away. "She is making weird sounds." Maya looked at her daughter and really Meena looked like she was choking. "Louise where is Mamma or Andy?" "Mamma is doing laundry and Andy is running on the treadmill." "Get them. Fast." Maya said and got up to help Meena. Tears were running down the little blonds cheaks and her lips started to turn blue. Maya opened her mouth, but she couldn't see anything. She looked around. There was a bowl of blueberries. Maya patted Meenas back, but it didn't work. So Maya pulled Meena over to a chair and positioned her infront of herself, like she does with Ellies assisted coughs. She pressed down onto her stomach fast for a few times. The blueberry fell out. Maya let out a sigh of relieve. Meena cryed and clinged onto her. Carina and Andy came up and checked on what had happend. "What?" "Meena choked on a blueberry." Maya said. She was out of breath herself. "Take her." She said and Carina quickly picked up the crying seven year old. "Lets get you some water and take some breaths." Carina said and went to the kitchen. Maya leaned back heavily onto her chair. "Are you okay, Mai?" "No. Help me back to the sofa, please." Andy nodded and helped her up.

Maya managed about three steps, when her legs gave out and everything went black. "Maya. Shit." Andy cursed and caught her. She lifted her up and layed her down on the sofa. She felt for a pulse. It was very high. "Maya. Hey, come on wake up." Carina came into the living room again. Meena was happy again, sucking on a popsicle. "What happend?" "She overdid it and passed out again. Her heart is racing." "Lets check her temperature and her bp." Carina suggested and they did. She didn't have a fever, but her bp was low. "Fluids?" Andy asked and Carina nodded. "Maya. Come on open your eyes." Maya groaned and moved. "Its okay its okay. Andy is just hanging some fluids." "What happened?" Maya slurred. "You passed out. You overexerted yourself and passed out." "Meena. She was.. oh my god. Is she okay?" "Yes. She is fine. She has a popsicle and already stoped crying." Maya was hurting and Carina could see it. There were tears in the sick womans eyes. Andy took the girls upstairs to watch a movie, so that the parents had some space. "Are in pain, Bambina?" Maya nodded. "Everything hurts. I feel sick. Carina this sucks. I feel so weak. I don't know how long i can do it." "Don't talk like that. You will get better. It will be okay. Do you want to have a bath? It will help with your bonepain and maybe calm a little." "Yes. But i can't move. And i feel so bad for Andy to have to carry me all the time." "Bambina. You weigh like a 100 pounds. That is nothing for Andy." "I know, still." Maya still had tears run down her cheak. Carina sat with Maya, while the fluid drip ran and caresed her arm softly. When it was done, she prepared a nice hot bath and got Andy to get Maya upstairs. It was weird for Maya at first to have Andy lift her in the tub, naked. But Andy had seen her naked before, so they just ignored it. Carina sat on the outside of the tub. She started reading to Maya. Something they had picked up since Maya got sick. Maya loved the sound of her wifes voice and Carina loved any for of comfort she could give Maya right now.