Chapter Text
Joe’s bar is buzzing with noise. The room is warm in contrast to the brisk February Seattle air outside. A tall woman with dark brown hair sits down at the bar and orders her usual, a glass of white wine. A blonde wearing a bomber jacket is sitting there also nursing a whiskey. The brunette feels drawn to this woman and can’t help but strike up a conversation. Neither of them knows it yet, but tonight is a defining moment that will change the trajectory of both their lives.
“You look familiar. Were you at the hospital earlier?” the brunette asks.
“Yeah, I was. I’m a firefighter, I was… bringing something,” the blonde replies, keeping her answer brief, not really feeling much in the mood for small talk.
The brunette’s eyes light up with recognition. “Oh my god, yes, you were the one who ran in with the nose!” she exclaims, and the blonde can’t help the laugh that escapes her mouth, finding the other woman’s enthusiasm in regard to the gruesome detail that would make any normal person’s stomach churn, funny.
Nodding, she says, “Yes,” and extends her arm to formally introduce herself although she is off the clock. “Captain Maya Bishop.”
“Doctor Carina DeLuca,” the other woman says, her accent accentuating her impressive title.
Maya remembers working briefly with a male doctor from Grey Sloan with the last name DeLuca, but he was nowhere as near stunning. Maya finds herself caught off guard by the mysterious and bold woman to her left. She wants to know everything about her, but her words get caught in her throat, something that rarely happens. Luckily Carina continues the conversation.
“Well okay, if I buy you a drink would you tell me the story of how you ended up carrying a nose in a plastic bag?” she asks, gesturing wildly with her hands.
Maya grimaces. “I’m sorry, I’m drinking alone tonight,” she says, deciding to omit the fact that it’s not by choice; trying to ignore the fact that her team, the people she once considered her closest friends, her second family, are sitting at a booth in the back, blatantly ignoring her, likely mocking her failed attempt to earn back their respect at the camping trip
She is not normally one to wallow in self-pity, but the events of the day, of her entire captaincy thus far, are weighing heavy on her heart, and while this woman, Carina, would be a great distraction, she doesn’t have the energy to put on a brave face. She turns away instead, and stares at the glass of whiskey in her hands, hoping to hide the sadness in her eyes.
“Okay, are you sure?” Carina presses with a cheeky grin, never one to back away from a challenge.
Maya looks back at her, and pauses. In another universe she swallows her misery and decides to listen to the voice in the back of her mind telling her to give his woman a chance. In another universe, she says, “Maybe not,” and a free drink turns into late night texts and delivering a baby in the middle of a snow storm, which turns into a fun fling which turns into her first real relationship, which turns into love mixed with betrayal mixed with reconciliation and love again. In another universe, Carina fixes the broken pieces inside Maya made by her father’s abuse and Maya returns the favor when Carina is drowning in grief after her brothers untimely death. In another universe, a story about a nose in a plastic bag blossoms into a beautiful and passion-filled marriage with the two of them breaking their family patterns. In another universe, they have two kids, without having to sacrifice their career aspirations. It wasn't easy, and sometimes they fight, but they always make up in the end. In another universe, they find their home in each other, and nothing else matters.
But the Maya in this universe makes a different choice, one that doesn’t end in a happily ever after. She shakes her head solemnly. “I’m sure,” she states, taking a large swig of her drink, relishing in the way it burns down her throat.
Disappointment flashes across Carina’s face, but she recovers quickly. “Have a goodnight then, Captain Maya Bishop,” she says before grabbing her glass of white wine, and getting up from the bar stool to socialize with some of her colleagues who are over by the dart board.
Maya finds herself alone once again, this time by choice. Then why does she feel so shitty? She downs the rest of her whiskey and decides to leave. She has to be up early to finish up some paperwork anyways and she’d rather not be hungover.
She throws a twenty-dollar bill down on the counter before heading out of the bar. Once at home, she goes through her normal night routine, trying not to think about how empty her apartment seems ever since Andy abruptly moved out. Maya lays in bed and stares up at the ceiling. She can’t believe that earlier today she was face to face with a bear.
A million thoughts are rushing through her anxious mind, and she tries to think about the clouds, something she has done since she was a child to help her fall asleep. Still, there is one thought, well technically one person, that the clouds are not strong enough to extinguish. Carina DeLuca is the last thing on her mind before she succumbs to a restless sleep.