Maya ~
I blast the heat in my car before I grab my ice scraper and brush the snow off of my car before getting down to that thin layer of ice.
"Hey, Maya?" someone asks behind me.
I turn to see Adrian, one of the new nurses that was hired after I complained to HR, walking up to me, "Hi, what's up?"
"Well, I was going to ask Sydney, but I've heard to stay away."
I laugh, "She's not the easiest person to talk to. What do you need?"
"I've been here for a few weeks now and I'm just wondering how I'm doing. I'm a new grad so I'm a bit anxious."
"We've all been there, you know? It's something to adjust to and you've adjusted well. I've enjoyed working with you. You're a great asset to the ER."
He lets out a breath, "That means a lot. Thank you."
I smile, "You're welcome. Have a good night."
"Thanks, you too."
I toss the scraper back into my car before pulling out of my parking space and driving home. I pull my bags out of the back and set them on my kitchen table.
I turn on the TV for background noise. I shower and made dinner before sitting down for the night and listening to the news as I scroll through my phone.
"Milwaukee has an MVP! Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, Christian Yelich has notched his first MVP earlier tonight," the news anchor says.
I look up in shock. What?! MVP?
The video plays of him getting the announcement surrounded by his friends and family. Holy shit!
I go to Instagram and immediately see his most recent post. His MVP post. Wow. I can't believe it. I didn't even know he was in the running for MVP.
I want to call him but I should probably wait. I don't want to take him away from his family and friends while they celebrate.
I'm so happy for him. He deserves it.
I waited until it was later on the west coast to call. It's pretty late in Milwaukee and I'll regret it in the morning. But I wanted to congratulate him before I forgot.
The phone rings for only a second before he answers, "Hey."
"So what I'm hearing is that I'm sleeping with an MVP?"
He laughs, "You saw?"
"Are you kidding me? It's all over the news. I saw your post. That's incredible. Congrats."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome."
"How have you been?"
"Pretty good. We got our first big snowfall so it's cold and annoying."
He laughs, "I bet."
"What about you?"
"Well, pretty good right now. I knew I was nominated but I didn't think I'd actually win."
"You were incredible. You deserve it."
"That means a lot. I truly appreciate it."
"You know I'll always support you."
I can almost picture the smile on his face, "How's Maya been? No strong weather appearances?"
I laugh, "No, we've kept those to a minimum."
He laughs with me, "I was hoping to hear some drama."
I scoff, "Oh, I see how it is."
"You don't have anything for me?"
"It's been uphill. We got our new nurses. They're great. They're scared of Sydney, but who isn't?"
"You."
"Besides me."
"Right, she's scared of you."
"She should be."
"Well, I hope you're doing well. I mean that too."
"Thanks. You too. Congratulations, you earned it."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah, you too."
"Hey, girlfriend," I say, walking happily into the nurse's station where Bridget is.
"You're in a good mood for 7:30."
I sit next to her and move my chair closer to hers. I lower my voice, "I'm sleeping with an MVP."
She looks at me, "What? No way."
"Yeah. National League MVP."
"That's so cool."
"You're the only one that I can only brag to about it."
She laughs, "Did you talk to him?"
"For a few minutes, yeah."
"How's it feel?"
"Really happy for him."
"You should be. You have such a weird relationship."
"It's unusual."
"Amen."
I put my phone down after I posted my second post of the year on Instagram. I make about two annual posts because nothing interesting happens in my life besides work. There isn't much to post.
Except when I'm dragged out of the house by Bridget to celebrate my 27th birthday. I had zero intentions of celebrating. But she had other plans for me.
My second day of being 27 and I'm slightly hungover and doing chores around my house before I have work in the morning.
My phone buzzes and I dry my hands to answer the text.
Christian: I guess we skipped the birthday questions, huh? I'm a day older than you
I smile. He sends me a screenshot of my recent post along with the text.
Christian: Also, you shouldn't be allowed to look that good while I'm not in town to do something about it ;)
Me: Looks like you're going to have to come back soon and do something about it. I don't make the rules
He calls me, "Seriously, happy belated birthday."
"Thanks, you too. What a weird coincidence."
"What's 27 got in store?"
"Who knows at this point? Anything for you?"
"Might try to win another MVP. We'll see though. I can't jinx it."
I laugh, "What have I told you about you and your ego?"
"Oh, I know, I just love hearing you say that."
"Awe, are you missing me?" I tease.
"I'd be lying if I said no."
I smile and bite my bottom lip. "You have any plans to come out here? It's pretty cold, you might freeze."
He laughs, "I think I could survive. Actually, yeah, the Brewers are holding Brewers On Deck at the Wisconsin Center on January 28th. I'm flying in on the 26th."
"I get back from Nashville on the 24th."
"How convenient."
"Are we planning for sex like seven weeks in advanced?"
He laughs, "Guess so."
We laugh, "It was good hearing from you. Happy Birthday."
"Happy Birthday to you too. I'll be counting down."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll be counting down as well."
"Maya, how's that boy doing?" my mom asks as she hands me dishes to dry off.
"We don't have to talk about that."
"Why not?"
I shrug, "There's nothing to say. We're just friends." (Friends that sleep with each other).
She DOES NOT need to know that. "I liked him. He was very kind and really cared for you. He was a nice boy."
"Only because you made him promise you."
"All I'm getting at is that you're 27 now. You're not getting any younger. Your dad and I thought you'd be settled down by now."
I shake my head and scoff, "Just because you two were married at 22, doesn't mean your kids have to do the same."
"I'm just saying. Everything was going so well with you and Andrew before you broke up with him. We thought that was the guy you'd settled down and have kids with."
"Well, that was always the plan before he decided to cheat on me."
"Have you checked in on him recently? He can't be up to too much."
"Mom, he has a wife and two kids with the girl he cheated on me with."
"Oh."
I throw the towel on the counter, "And I don't date cheaters. Are you done?"
"Yeah."
I walk away but I've got a few more things to say, "Mom, you have a granddaughter and she is amazing. Fix the mess of a situation you and Dad have with Ash. It's not worth it anymore. You hardly see Ella. She deserves to see her grandparents more than her aunt in a year. It's the 21st century, not everything is focused on kids and getting married as early as possible. I'm focusing on my career and that shouldn't make you upset but I know it will because nobody can be as perfect as you were, right? That's what you want? All of your kids to be perfect?"
She doesn't say anything else. "I'll be in my room. Merry Christmas."
I pick up my phone from the coffee table before going upstairs to my room. I pass my siblings, Ashley and Brandon. "What was that?" Brandon asks.
"Just leave it alone. Don't worry about it."
They follow me into my childhood bedroom, "Maya, talk to us."
"All they've ever wanted is for each of us to be perfect and that isn't going to happen. Mom doesn't get it. Every time she brings it up, I can't help but feel awful about my career path. I just can't do it right now."
They hug me, "You're doing better than either of us. I'm not just saying that either. You've got your head on your shoulders in the best way. She's just going to expect the most out of you."
"Thank you."
I wipe my cheeks, "I'm probably heading out early tomorrow. I've got to be back for work."
"Okay, we love you. Night."
"Night," I say as they exit my room and shut the door behind them.
I change into different clothes before finishing up packing. I leave my bag by my door and go to my bed. I decide to text Christian to see if he's busy.
Me: Hey, you busy?
Christian: Is this a bootycall?
Me: Please never say that again
I call him instead. I'd rather hear his voice, "What's up?" he asks, still quietly laughing from our texts.
"I just wanted to hear a familiar voice. One that won't piss me off."
"Oh, shit, are we expecting high winds and a lot of rain?"
I laugh, "No."
"Whew, I was worried there for a second."
I can't help but laugh even more, "Seriously, what's going on? I can tell in your voice that something isn't right."
"Just my mom wanting each of her kids to be perfect like she was. You know, be married and have kids by 25, and definitely don't focus on your career because that's not important."
"She said that?"
"She implied it. You know, I worked my ass off for so long and I still have to do that. But she won't approve until I settle down and get married and have a kid because that's what's important to her."
"Is she forgetting she has a granddaughter?"
"Oh, I told her. God forbid they fix that relationship with my sister. But then again, she's not married and had Ella at 18. Can't expect too much."
I turn onto my side, "Well, if I was there, we'd be heading home and doing some serious stress relief."
I laugh, "That'd be great."
"Oh, I know it would be."
"She keeps asking about you and I keep telling her that you're just a friend. Because if she found out, I might be responsible for her own death."
"And that wouldn't be good."
"Oh gosh, no. She'd come back and haunt me."
"What does she say about me?"
"It's always 'He's a nice boy,' or 'He's very handsome.' It's always one of those."
"Hmm, I think I like your mom."
"Of course, you do."
I think I fell asleep while on the phone with Christian last night. I was really tired. I look through my call log. This call goes until 2:30.
Me: You did not stay up while I slept
Christian: Just keeping you company. Once I knew you were asleep, I hung up. You mumble in your sleep
Me: Oh thanks for the info
Me: And you like put your arm over my neck so I can't breathe
Christian: Lies
Me: Not even close to lying. I have proof
I send him the picture I took one night because I woke up with his bicep on my neck. I could still breathe and it wasn't traumatizing but I definitely moved it off of me so I could breathe better.
Christian: That's not me
Me: Whatever
I get up and get ready for the day and my drive home. I bring my bag downstairs, "You're leaving?" my dad asks.
"I have work tonight and it looks like we got more snow so I want to get home early."
"You should go talk to your mom."
"Why? So she can tell each kid how they're not perfect?"
"Maya, stop. We don't expect perfection."
"Really? I don't believe that."
"Go talk to her. She also made breakfast and you won't be able to leave until you eat."
I go into the kitchen and grab a plate and sit next to my siblings. This brings me back to when we were in grade school and we all had to eat breakfast at the table before catching the bus.
"Maya brought some things to my attention last night that I didn't know I was doing. We don't expect perfection."
I look at Ash and Brandon as she continues, "We just want the best for all of you, regardless of how close we are. So, I'm sorry. Brandon, I'm sorry for pushing college on you. I know you don't enjoy it. Ash, I'm sorry for the past seven years. You needed us and we didn't provide for you as much as we should've. I know just one apology isn't ever going to be enough. Maya, I'm sorry for implying that work isn't as important as a family. I want what's best for all of you."
"Mom, I'm going to finish college. I have one semester left. And I've started to enjoy it more recently," Brandon tells her.
"Yeah, Mom, I get it. I get why you were mad and upset. I would be upset too if Ella turns out pregnant at 17. I should've listened to you two. I know I messed up but she's the best thing to have ever happened to me. I want her to know her grandparents. Not just a once over once in a while."
They look at me. I didn't know we were apologizing down the line or doing it at all. "Both work and family are important to me. One just happens to be more prevalent. It's not a bad thing."
"Maya, the fire department just called, we're getting a safe haven baby to be looked at before being given to social services," Bridget tells me as I down the rest of my coffee.
Night shift on New Year's Eve never misses. "Okay, are the on-call doctors on their way? Peds?"
"Yeah, already paged them."
We wait inside the ambulance bay to keep out the cold air while we wait. "Did they say how old the baby was?"
"No."
The lights flash against the buildings. We go out to the ambulance, filled with three firefighters. We get the infant transporter out of the ambulance, "How old?"
"We're thinking about two or three days. The umbilical cord is still attached but it's clamped."
"And the mom or parents?"
"Mom left her in the safe haven box. Kept her face hidden. She did come with a note left on her with the blanket."
He hands me the sticky note.
I'm sorry. Her name is Sophie. You'll take much better care of her than I could.
"Okay, thank you. We got it from here."
One of them stops me, "Can I stay? I want to make sure she has somebody."
"If it's okay with them."
"It is."
Cases like these break my heart. But this is the better option rather than leaving the baby out to die. There are no consequences for the parents if they leave their baby in the safe haven box.
"She might be in our system. Check all recent births going back the past week. We'll get a hit if she's in the system," I tell my other nurses.
I take her out of the transporter and put her on the bed. "Hi, sweet girl."
I unwrap her from the blanket and take my stethoscope to listen. I can't hear a thing though. "You guys, quiet down."
Nobody listens, "Everybody shut up. I can't hear anything. Get out if you're not needed right now."
A few people leave but the firefighter stays right by my side. "She might have a heart murmur but I'm not going to diagnose it until I have peds in here. Somebody get cardio too just in case."
She starts to cry. "It's okay."
I swaddle her back in the blanket as my pediatric doctor gets down to the room, "What's going on?"
"She's about two or three days old. Brought in from a safe haven box. I think she has a heart murmur but I'm not positive."
"Okay, we only need two nurses in here. The others can go."
"Bridget go take over, I'm staying. Rachel stay with me."
"He needs to go too."
I look at the firefighter, "You need to wait in the waiting room. I'll come update you as soon as possible, okay?"
"Okay."
I walk into the NICU to check up on the little girl that came in earlier this morning. I check her stats and make note of all of them on my tablet. "How is she doing?" the firefighter asks.
"She's doing good. What's your name?"
"Luca. Does she have a murmur?"
"Yes, but it's super small. It'll most likely go away with age. We're not worried."
"Good."
He looks at her through the incubator. We've got her on oxygen and an IV just to make sure she's all good for social services. "How long will she be in here?"
"Well, she's healthy. It all depends on social services. She could be in for a couple of days."
"Okay, that's good."
"Do you want to hold her?"
"Oh, no- I should probably get going. Get the back to the station."
"She could really use some skin-to-skin contact. She'll benefit greatly," I tell him honestly.
"Okay, I guess so. Do I need to take my shirt off?"
"Um- if you don't want to, that's fine."
I turn around and open the incubator. I move some of the cords so I can get her out. I take her out and hold her against me. "Just make sure the oxygen tube isn't kinked. I'll get a blanket after she's situated."
I turn around slowly, moving the cords with me, and walk toward Luca. My god. I should've told him to keep his shirt on. Wow.
I set her against him, "Her head will rest on your arm. She should sleep for the next few hours."
I get a blanket and cover them. I tuck the ends between him and the chair. We share breaths before I back away, "Good?"
"Yeah."
I leave a remote with the call button next to him. "My shift is about to end and the next set of nurses should be in soon."
"Okay. Hey, was she in the system?"
"Yeah. We found Mom but because she gave her up, it's not our call to contact her. Social services will be here soon."
"Okay, thank you, um-"
"Maya," I tell him.
"Maya. Thank you."
"You're welcome."