The women of Station 19 were all close. In a field dominated by men, they had to be. So, that meant that they knew a lot of things, personal things about each other.
Like for example, Andy couldn't even smell broccoli or she'd throw up. Vic, who still didn't know how to use a tampon.
For Maya, it was that she had very painful, nauseating periods. Maya was forced into telling them when she passed out from the pain.
From then on, Vic and Andy always were sure to keep an eye on Maya for any signs that she was on her period.
This shift, they both noticed the tell tale signs of it. Maya was pale, paler than usual, and the obvious wincing at any movement.
"Cmon, Maya, let one of us take you home." Andy pleaded, knowing the blonde was one of the most stubborn people she knew. "No, guys, I'm fine." The firefighter argued weakly, though she really was on the verge of passing out.
"I'm just gonna go lay down in my office, okay?" She said, turning and closing the door behind her.
Vic turned to Andy with a sigh, "Do you think we should call Carina? Try to convince her?"
"I can try. I don't know if Carina even knows about it, though." Andy replied, grabbing out her phone.
Andy pulled up her contacts. She only had Carina's number because of the one time Carina cooked for them, and she promised to teach Andy had to make homemade pasta.
"Andy?" Carina answered the phone, confusion laced in her tone. It's not like the two women were close, so she was wondering why the Latina called her.
"Hey, Carina. So, this is kind of weird. I know you and Maya haven't been dating all that long so you probably don't know this, but Maya has a really hard time on her period. She tends to either pass out or just lay down for hours with a muscle relaxer. Vic and I have offered to bring her home, but she won't have. We were wondering if you could maybe convince her to go home, or maybe even pick her up? She can't work like this and she's too stubborn to admit it." Andy explained.
"Oh, she should've told me, it's my speciality. I could've helped her." Carina replied, heart clenching at her girlfriend being in pain.
"I know, don't take it to heart. Maya's tough on the outside but she's let you in more than anyone I've ever seen." The firefighter admitted.
"I will be there in 20 minutes, my shift ends then anyways." Carina said. "Awesome, thank you!"
•••
True to her word, Carina arrived at the station shortly after their call. "She's in her office. Thanks for coming." Andy said with a smile, watching the woman move towards the door.
"Bambina? Can I come in?" Carina asked, trying the door, but finding it locked. After a minute, the door opened, revealing a very pale looking Maya.
"Carina? what are you doing here?" Maya asked with a surprised look on her voice. "Your friends called me, Bella. I didn't know you had dysmenorrhea." Carina said, sympathy in her tone.
"It never really came up. I'm fine." Maya insisted, swaying on her feet and stumbling forward slightly.
"Okay, let's sit you down." Carina said, catching her and guiding her towards the chair in her office, nudging the door shut.
"Maya, you can't work like this. Can I take you home? I brought a heating bad and mild sedative from the hospital." The Italian asked, kneeling in front of Maya and putting her hands on Maya's knees.
"I can't go home, I'm in the middle of a shift." Maya argued. "Okay, as captain of the station, if Andy or Vic were struggling like this would you let them continue to work?" The OB challenged.
"No." Maya sighed after a moment of hesitation. "Exactly. So can I take you home? Please?" Carina asked, looking into those big blue eyes.
"Okay." Maya breathed, allowing Carina to pull her into a standing position and gather her things.
The two women walked out of the office, Carina's arm around Maya's waist, holding her steady. "So she can get you to leave, but we can't?" Vic teased, watching the two leave.
•••
Once the two women got back to Maya's apartment, Carina laid Maya down on the couch with the heating pad and handed her the sedative with a bottle of water.
"Thank you." Maya said, downing the pill and leaning back into the cushions. "Do you need anything else, Bella?" Carina asked.
"Just you." The firefighter responding, tugging Carina down to lay next to her. Carina smiled as Maya nuzzled her face into her side.
