A/N: They say to write what you know... Most of this actually happened to me (even the cardiologist talking about Sharknado). I don't know medical terms at all, so I apologize for that. Also, this isn't written for seasons 2 or 3, but Cordelia's in it anyway. It's set around 5-6 years after season 7. Sorry to any mistakes. Enjoy! ~ThasWTLoveBiotch
"Will, come on. You don't want to be late." Tara took the stairs two at a time and opened the fridge to get herself a glass of orange juice.
"Coming!" Willow screamed down the stairs. "Do you know where my pink shirt is?"
Tara frowned in thought, "The one that says 'Campus Queen'? Do you really think that's a good thing to wear to a job interview?"
Willow bounced down the steps too, a blue shirt in hand. "Never mind. I'll wear this one."
Tara saw her girlfriend was frantically rushing around to get to her job interview on time. She knew Willow needed to calm down, and she knew just the way to calm her down.
Tara grabbed Willow's hand and spun her around so Willow's attention was solely focused on her.
"You know what? I think you worry too much. You're going to go in there and blow them away and get the job." Tara rubbed her hands up and down Willow's arms.
Willow leaned her head against Tara's shoulder in comfort. "Thanks, baby."
Tara smiled and held Willow an arms length away to gaze at her. "You look perfect. Good choice going with the blue."
Willow returned Tara's smile and made a grab for her keys on the counter. "You ready to go?"
Willow drove Tara to the elementary school where she worked and then drove herself to her job interview.
Tara was a little scared Willow would bail at the last minute, but she had complete faith in her girlfriend's abilities to charm people into giving her what she wanted. For example, it had worked on Tara. Then again, it wasn't as much with the charming as much as it was just being perfect soul mates for each other.
Willow arrived at the job interview and started to feel strange. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a while, but it definitely felt familiar. She went to the bathroom before she was called in to the room where the interview was conducted.
Willow splashed water on her face and took deep breaths. "Breathe, Rosenberg. You'll be fine." She told herself out loud, thanking her lucky stars there was no one else in the bathroom.
Suddenly, Willow felt nauseous and dizzy. The next thing she knew, everything was black. Then Tara was there, cuddling her from behind. "Get up, you're going to be late." Tara whispered in her ear. "Hurry up! Wake up!"
"Hello?" Tara answered her phone. She was on lunch break and she was confused as to why a strange number was calling her.
"Hello. Is this Tara Maclay?" A strange woman's voice answered on the other line.
"Yes? What's wrong?" Tara was becoming frantic. Why would someone be calling her if it wasn't an emergency? Oh god! It was an emergency!
Before giving the woman a chance to answer, Tara asked another question. "Is it Willow?" It felt as if all her breath had been knocked out of her as she waited for the response.
"Willow had an accident. She was taken to Sunnydale Hospital-" The woman was cut off when Tara hung up on her and abruptly ran out of her classroom. She found someone to cover for her classes and rushed to the hospital.
All the way there, Tara was thinking one thing: 'God, I hope she's okay.'
She arrived at the hospital and ran in the building as fast as she could. "I'm here for Willow Rosenberg. I'm her girlfriend. Can I see her?"
"Sure, name please." A nice woman spoke in an even voice that any other time would have been fine, but in Tara's panic, it annoyed her. How could this woman be so calm when her girlfriend is probably in pain right now, scared and alone, waiting for Tara to go see her.
"Tara Maclay." Tara practically screamed at the woman.
She had to sign a few papers and was soon escorted down a hallway to Willow's room. Before she was allowed into the room, the nurse that had lead her to it tapped Tara's shoulder and smiled.
"Your girlfriend passed out. It was probably from nerves or dehydration, but we need to do a few tests to make sure she doesn't have a heart murmur or something more serious. As soon as she woke up, she told us to make sure Tara knew she was okay. Then she passed out again. What she's been through has been traumatic and very tiring. She just needs your support right now." The nurse smiled again and left Tara alone with her thoughts.
Before she stepped in the door, Tara took a deep breath and half smiled. Willow asked about her even when she was the one passing out. She was selfless enough to care about Tara when she was afraid of what was happening to herself.
Tara slowly opened the door and fully smiled at Willow, who was half asleep in the hospital bed. "Willow." Tara's hoarse voice managed to make out her name before she started crying.
Willow motioned for Tara to come over to her and reached for Tara's hand, squeezing it in reassurance.
"Baby, shh. I'm fine. Are you okay?" Willow stroked Tara's hair.
"Look at me." Tara laughed at herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're the one that just passed out twice in a row and I'm the one comforting you."
"It's okay. It's good to be the one comforting instead of the one being comforted. Oh, and by the way, I skipped my job interview." Willow smiled and giggled.
"Why would you do that?" Tara mocked confusion.
"Something else kind of came up." Willow and Tara fell into a fit of giggles and barely noticed when the doctor stepped into her room.
"Hello, Willow." The doctor smiled and fiddled with the clipboard in his hand.
"Hello." Willow nervously smiled back.
"We're going to have to do a couple of tests to make sure everything's alright. You'll have to make an appointment to get your blood drawn for testing and you'll have to fast for twelve hours before that. Also, we're going to need you to wear a 24-hour heart monitor to make sure there's nothing wrong with your heart. You will also have to make an appointment with a cardiologist to check you out. If you need a reference for good cardiologists, I can get you a list printed off. You're free to go after you sign these release papers and I'll get a nurse to come in and get those electrodes off of you." The doctor smiled again and walked out the door, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Tara squeezed Willow's hand and kissed her knuckles. "It'll be okay, sweetie. Just a few tests. I'm sure you're perfectly normal."
Willow nervously smiled and kissed Tara, tangling her fingers in Tara's blonde hair. The nurse walked in and awkwardly cleared her throat.
"Sorry to disrupt you. I just have to get these electrodes off. Can you lift up your shirt please?" The nurse blushed and moved as quickly as she could so she could leave Willow and Tara alone.
Willow hissed in pain as the nurse slowly peeled the sticky electrodes off of her stomach and chest area. Tara cringed and a few tears welled in her eyes, but didn't spill out. Tara hated seeing her lover in pain.
Tara put her hand out for Willow to hold, who gratefully grabbed the hand she was offered and squeezed when the pain got to be overwhelming. The nurse ripped off the last few electrodes and exited the room, smiling encouragingly in Willow's direction before shutting the door.
"You okay, baby?" Tara asked, concern clearly etched in her voice.
Willow nodded and swallowed, squeezing Tara's hand in reassurance. "I'm fine. Just glad I didn't pass out in front of my possible future employers. Plus, the passing out thing wasn't totally bad. I was dreaming of you when I was blacked out."
Tara smiled slightly at that. "You can dream while you're passed out?"
Willow nodded enthusiastically, happy to have something to tell Tara that she didn't know before. "Oh, yeah. I used to dream like that too. It's always the same. I'm sleeping and someone has to come wake me up."
Tara's face crinkled in confusion, "Wait, this has happened before? Why haven't you told me?"
"It used to happen when I was younger. First time in second grade. I am kind of used to it, but for some reason this time seemed more intense. Maybe it's because it hasn't happened since junior high school, but it seemed worse this time. I don't know." Willow mumbled something about how she was tired and drifted off to sleep again.
Tara patted her hand firmly and got up to look for something for Willow to drink when she was certain the redhead wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Tara made it to the vending machine and back before Willow had awoken, setting the blue Gatorade on the table beside Willow's bed.
The redhead woke up a few minutes later and smiled gratefully at the blonde. The doctor came back in the room and Willow signed the release papers. Tara helped her off of the bed slowly and held her arm as they walked to the car.
"Next time you go for a job interview, I expect you to actually go through with it." Tara smiled as she helped Willow into the passenger seat of her car.
Willow laughed and smiled at Tara gratefully. "Thanks for picking me up, baby. My car is still in the lot if you want to drop me off."
Tara shook her head as stared at Willow open-mouthed. "How do you think there is any way in hell I would ever let you drive your car after this."
"Come on, Tara. I need to get my car." Willow whined.
Tara handed Willow her cellphone. "Call Xander and ask him to pick it up for you and bring it back to the house."
Willow shot Tara a deathly glare and pouted, tears coming to her eyes. Tara glanced over and saw the sparkle of newly formed tears in Willow's eyes through the reflection in the window. "Baby, please don't cry. What's wrong?"
Willow inhaled sharply and blew out her breath slowly. "I don't like feeling helpless. Too many times before I've felt like I was powerless. I can handle getting my own car, Tara. I'm an adult and it's not up to you to make decisions for me."
Tara stared, mouth open in confusion and hurt, before quickly snapping to attention so they wouldn't get into a crash. She regained her focus on the road and blinked back tears.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Willow spoke up. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you're only looking out for me. I just don't feel good right now."
Tara just nodded her head and continued staring blankly out the window. Willow mentally kicked herself for treating her girlfriend like crap after she had just done everything for her.
"Shit. Tara, I'm so sorry. I messed up and feeling sick is no excuse for being rude to you. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met, no, the most amazing person I've ever met and you deserve to be treated that way. I give you permission to break up with me if I'm ever that rude to you again." Willow swallowed loudly and nervously looked at her hands.
"Willow, you weren't being rude. Everyone has bad days and feeling sick is definitely an excuse for being snippy. I love you and I'm not going to break up with you for one stupid comment."
Willow smiled and exhaled audibly. "Thank you. I really am sorry. I'll call Xander now."
Tara's grin returned to her face and she intertwined her fingers with Willow's and rested their connected hands on the redhead's thigh.
Willow dialed her friend's number and put the phone to her ear, shooting Tara a wide smile and winking. "Hey Xand!"
"Hey, Wills. What's going on?" Xander's voice rang out through the phone.
"I had an accident at my interview, but I'm fine. Can you pick up my car? It's in the parking lot of the bank." Willow gritted her teeth hopefully.
"Sure. What kind of accident we talking? Like you had too much water and forgot to schedule a bathroom break or what?"
Willow laughed out loud and just held her hand up when Tara looked over at her questioningly so as to say 'I'll tell you in a minute'. "Xander, I'm a little old to be having those kind of accidents."
Xander chuckled. "You're never too old, Will. My grandpa just had an accident the other day, and he's way older than you. He's got a good 70 years on you."
Willow giggled and held a hand to her mouth. "Let me rephrase. I am just the right age to not be having accidents."
"You're lucky I'm your friend and understand Willow-speech because that was the most confusing definition of something I've ever heard."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Remember the time you tried to explain why aliens existed?"
"Hey!" Xander defended himself in mock-offense.
"I don't think 'aliens exist because once our substitute teacher, Ms. French, turned her head all the way around to look out the door' is an acceptable reason for life on other planets." Tara glanced at Willow and laughed, enjoying the absurd conversations her girlfriend always seemed to have with her friends.
"It happened, okay? I watched it happen! Ask Buffy, she watched it happen too!"
"Okay, Xand. I have to go, but could you stop by the house to pick up my keys then bring my car back over?"
"Sure. I'll be over soon. Bye." Xander hung up the phone just as Tara pulled into their driveway.
"When do you want to schedule all those tests?" She asked as she shut the garage door and got out of the car.
Willow shrugged her shoulders, appearing to be nonchalant, but she was terrified inside. "Whenever."
Tara glared down at Willow scoldingly. "If you don't make a decision, I'll make it for you. And I know how much you hate feeling like you're not in control."
Willow crossed her arms over her chest and stomped into their house. "Why do you always have to be so responsible?"
Tara laughed and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a glass of water for Willow and an iced tea for herself.
"Here, drink. We're not having you passing out again today if I have anything to say about it." Tara laughed, but there was sincerity behind her words.
Willow smiled and stuck her tongue out at Tara before she held the glass to her mouth and drank. "Ready to plan some appointments?"
Tara sat down at the table, grabbed a calendar, a pen, and the phone. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Willow clutched the phone and dialed a number. A woman picked up on the other end. "Hello?"
Willow sucked in a deep breath. "Hello. Can I make an appointment."
"Sure. Name?"
"Willow Rosenberg."
There was a slight pause as the woman processed her name. "Alright, Willow. When would you like to get your blood drawn?"
Another pause, this time on Willow's end. "Uh, are there any open spots tomorrow?"
"Yes. We have an opening for 1:30 pm and 3 pm."
Willow inhaled and glanced at Tara, who held up three fingers in indication of the time Willow should pick. "I'll take the one at 3. Thank you so much."
Willow hung up and Tara held onto her hand. "You did it, baby. I'm proud of you." Tara marked the appointment on the calendar she had sitting next to her.
Willow handed the phone to Tara and silently begged the blonde to make the next phone call for her. "Cardiology next?"
Tara got a nod in return, so she started dialing the number for the cardiologist the doctor had suggested. "Hello?"
"Hello. Calling for an appointment?" A woman's cheery voice answered.
"Yes, an appointment for Willow Rosenberg." Tara saw Willow was visibly paling and motioned with her hand for Willow to rest her head on her shoulder. Willow laid her head against Tara and visibly relaxed. Tara ran a hand through Willow's soft hair as she talked with the woman.
"What time?"
"Do you have anything for Thursday?" Tara asked.
There was a pause while the woman looked for open spots on the day Tara had requested. "Yes. We have one at 3."
Tara smiled and let her hand fall down to Willow's back, rubbing soothing circles into the redhead's spine. "That's perfect." She took her hand away from Willow's spine for a few seconds to write down the appointment on the calendar.
"Alright you're all set, Willow." The cheery woman said, then hung up.
"Willow?" Tara asked in confusion.
"Tara?" Willow answered back, thinking Tara was asking for her.
"No, that woman thought I was you."
Willow stifled a laugh, but couldn't hide her smile. "That's because you never said your name. You just asked for an appointment for Willow Rosenberg." Willow explained, laughing the whole way through her clarification.
Tara slapped a hand to her forehead and smiled too. "How could I be so stupid?"
Willow giggled and looked into Tara's eyes. "I thought you were smarter than that, baby."
Tara nodded. "I thought I was too."
Willow leaned toward Tara and captured the blonde's lips with her own. Her hand went to Tara's hair and grasped her girlfriend's head as she deepened the kiss. Tara's hands went up to cup Willow's face, stroking her soft cheeks every once in a while. Willow groaned and reluctantly broke the kiss when she heard the doorbell ring and an impatient Xander knocking at the front door.
Willow flung the door open, looking annoyed. "What?"
Xander looked like a deer caught in headlights. "You asked me to come over here. I, um, was supposed to get your keys then get your car."
Realization dawned on Willow and she smiled at her friend. "Sorry, Xand. I forgot."
Xander nodded in understanding and held out his hand for Willow to give him her keys. "When I get back with your car, you're totally telling me what happened today."
Willow nodded and shoved Xander out the door so she could resume making out with Tara.
"Want to make the call for your heart monitor so we can get it out of the way?" Tara asked when Willow sat back down at the table.
Willow sighed and nodded shyly. "If I have to."
Willow picked up the phone and dialed.
"Hello?" This time a man answered the phone.
"Hi. I'm Willow Rosenberg and I'm calling to get a 24-hour heart monitor." Willow nervously tapped the pen she was holding before Tara grabbed it out of her hand.
"Alright. Come by our office and we can get you set up with one." The man's easygoing voice said.
Willow raised her eyebrows in surprise, thinking it would be harder to get the piece of equipment. "Alright, that was easy. Thank you!"
"It's not rocket science." The man laughed, said goodbye to Willow, then hung up.
Xander knocked on the door a few minutes later and invited himself into their house, pushing Willow aside slightly when she just held her hands out for the keys. "You don't get the keys until you tell me what happened."
Willow sighed loudly in annoyance, tired from the long day of excitement. "I passed out again today, like I used to. Only today was worse and they have to do testing and give me a heart monitor and everything."
Xander's mouth slightly hung open. "I thought the last time this happened was in junior high."
"It was, but apparently it's back." Willow rolled her eyes. Xander finally handed her the keys, realizing she might want some rest.
"Bye, Wills. Bye, Tara. Have a nice night!" Xander called into the kitchen where Tara was sitting and opened the door to leave. Willow watched him go to make sure he got into his car safely, fully aware that nobody should ever be left unattended in the creepy town of Sunnydale.
"Tomorrow's a big day. You better get some rest." Tara said as she ran a hand up Willow's arm and started leading her toward the stairs.
Willow started to protest, but her own yawn cut her off and she smiled in Tara's direction.
"Willow, stop freaking out. It'll be fine." Tara soothed as she and Willow sat in the waiting room to get Willow's blood drawn. Tara was filling out Willow's information sheet because Willow's hand was shaking too much to answer and her mind was racing too much to be competent.
Willow's leg was shaking and Tara laid her hand overtop of the redhead's kneecap and held her leg to the floor. "I'm scared, Tara. I'm not exactly scared of needles, but I'm scared of the hype of needles."
Tara gave Willow a questioning glance, which prompted her girlfriend to explain herself and inadvertently take her mind off of the situation at hand.
"Everyone's supposed to be afraid of needles because they're large and pointy and they hurt for maybe two seconds, but I'm not. Needles aren't that bad because they only sting for a minute at most. Plus, if someone is there to take your mind off of it, it's not so bad. And needles are helpful! They give us medicine and vaccinations keep the world a healthier place so really I don't know why people complain."
Tara smiled at her quirky girlfriend and squeezed her hand. Next thing they knew, someone was calling Willow's name for her to go back and Willow was sweating. "Strong like an amazon." Tara whispered as they were lead to a back room with tons of medical equipment.
"Strong like an amazon." Willow gave Tara a brave smile and sat on the tall chair in the corner of the room.
The woman taking her blood asked her questions about her insurance and general information, all the while Willow was becoming more and more nervous.
"Just tell me if you get lightheaded." The woman smiled at Willow and tied her arm off with an orange rubber band.
Willow smiled wordlessly and watched as the needle was guided into her arm and slowly started filling up with blood. Willow stared straight ahead at Tara the whole time, giving her a smile from time to time.
Tara stared at Willow intently. "Are you okay, honey?"
Willow nodded and swallowed nervously. "Yeah, I'm fine baby."
The nurse looked at Willow and watched as her face paled and sweat gathered at her hairline. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good."
Willow nodded and smiled again. "I'm fine."
The tubes continued filling with bliss and suddenly Willow didn't feel good. She felt nauseous and lightheaded and sweaty. "Okay, now I don't feel so good. I'm going to pass out." Willow informed the nurse, who promptly ripped the needle out of her arm and held cotton over Willow's arm so it wouldn't bleed.
And then it was dark. It was dark and there was Tara. Light out of darkness. Tara out of fright and destruction. Tara out of all things. Tara was shaking her girlfriend and crying because she wouldn't wake up. Why was she crying?
Willow woke suddenly and smelled ammonia, the scent almost making her sick. She heaved a few times and the nurse held up a trash can if she vomited. Tara was in the hall crying, yelling for Willow while one of the staff members held her back.
"Is Tara okay?" Willow asked, becoming hysterical for her girlfriend's health. "Tell Tara I'm okay and to please stop worrying."
"She's calling an ambulance right now." The nurse informed Willow. Then, Willow was unconscious again and dreaming of her blonde beauty. Willow woke once more and there was another woman in the room.
The woman propped Willow up with her leg. Willow was sliding off the steep chair every time she passed out. "Tell us about yourself, Willow." The woman tried to make conversation to keep Willow responsive.
"My name's Willow Rosenberg and Tara is my girlfriend. We've been together for six years and we met in college." Willow mumbled, wanting to go to sleep and wake up next to Tara, hoping this traumatic experience was all a hallucination.
Tara was in the hall, calling Buffy to come meet them at the hospital. Willow was once again plunged into darkness. She woke again and there was orange juice in front of her.
"Take small sips." The nurse told her, holding the juice for Willow.
Willow asked for Tara, so the nurse brought Tara into the room. She was crying and her eyes were red and puffy. "Baby, please don't cry. Don't cry, baby girl. I'm okay, see?"
Tara held Willow's hand and smiled bravely for her girlfriend. "I see."
Willow looked deep into Tara's eyes and repeated the calming words Tara had said to her in the waiting room. "Strong like an amazon, remember?"
Tara smiled and sniffled back her oncoming tears. "Right, strong like an amazon. Sorry, Willow."
Willow shook her head and smiled sweetly, sipping her orange juice and sharing a few kisses with Tara while they waited for the ambulance. However, Buffy showed up before the ambulance. Buffy stumbled into the room, panting heavily and sweating.
"Buffy? How'd you get here?" Willow and Tara both were surprised to see the blonde there. They knew she could run but, damn, who knew she could run that fast?
"I ran. Ask questions later. Where's the ambulance?" Buffy mumbled, catching her breath and quietly checking her best friend out to make sure it wasn't an emergency.
The ambulance arrived a few minutes after Buffy, and Tara was informed nobody was allowed to ride with Willow in the ambulance. The paramedics were met with much resistance from Tara, but ultimately it was the rule and Tara had to abide.
"Alright, Will. Buffy and I are going to ride behind you to the hospital and we'll be there when you get out. Trust me, I would never leave you. I promise I'll be there." Tara wiped a few tears that threatened to spill onto her face and kissed Willow's hand.
Willow was put onto a stretcher and lifted into the ambulance. "You ever been in an ambulance before, Willow?" A woman paramedic asked.
"Nope. It's all new." Willow answered, nervous yet excited to be experiencing something new. Willow looked all around the back of the vehicle as she was strapped onto the stretcher.
A man started to flick the veins in her wrist, trying to find a place to put an IV in. Willow looked at him quizzically and the man kindly explained what he was doing. "I'm going to put an IV in because you're very dehydrated." The man slid a needle into Willow's left arm.
Willow winced slightly in pain and the woman smiled at her and took her blood pressure and other customary tests. Willow was watching out the back window of the vehicle and she could see Buffy and Tara driving right behind her. Buffy was driving and Tara was in the passenger seat, Willow presumed it was because Tara was hysterical and driving wouldn't be the best thing for her.
They reached the hospital and Willow was wheeled throughout the hospital halls until she reached a room. Tara came running through the door as soon as Willow was settled, looking slightly disheveled and flushed.
Tara grabbed Willow's face and kissed her all over, not leaving any unmarked spots.
"Baby, Tara, I'm alright." Willow giggled as Tara's kisses tickled her face.
"Just making sure." Tara mumbled between kisses.
Willow took Tara's face in her hands and held her away from her own face so Tara would calm down. "Baby, I said I'm okay."
"What? I'm not allowed to kiss you?" Tara laughed.
"Oh no. I deserve many Tara kisses!" Willow giggled.
Tara's face instantly got semi-serious. "Will, you don't honestly think you deserve my kisses. As if my services to you are entitled to you. You know I'm a feminist, right Will?"
Willow swallowed visibly and Tara broke into a fit of giggles. "I'm just kidding. I'll give you Tara-smoochies whenever you want."
The doctor came in and explained that he was going to send Willow to get her 24-hour heart monitor as soon as she got out of the ER so they could get her fainting spells under control. He had the nurses remove the electrodes on Willow's chest and stomach and remove her IV.
Tara drove Willow to get her monitor and walked in with her. They sat in the waiting room and Willow nervously tapped her foot, bouncing her leg in the process. Tara put a hand on her knee and held her hand. "You're going to be fine, baby. I'll make sure you come out alive."
Willow blew out air nervously and leaned her head against Tara'a shoulder to wait until her name was called to go back.
A nurse came out and called her name, then lead her to a back room. There was a tall dark-haired woman standing behind a desk sorting through paperwork. She glanced up as Willow and Tara entered and adjusted her glasses. "Hello. My name's Nicole. I'll be administering your monitor today." Nicole stuck her hand out for Willow to shake.
"Take off your shirt, please." Nicole squirted hand sanitizer into her hands and rubbed them together before walking over to Willow.
Willow peeled her shirt off her body and glanced uncomfortably at Tara. Tara smiled at her and mouthed "It's okay" to Willow.
Nicole rubbed some medical jelly on various spots across Willow's chest and stomach before putting a few sticky patches on Willow's skin over the jelly. Then, she brought over a machine with a bunch of different colored cords and set it on the table beside Willow.
"I'm just going to snap these into the sticky patches and then the wires will collect the data in this machine. You'll have to clip it to the waistband of your shorts for the next 24 hours so we can monitor your heart and see if anything is wrong there." Nicole lifted Willow's bra in the front so she could slide a wire under it and connect it to a spot on Willow's chest.
"I have to put it under your bra incase you'll be changing in the time you have it on then the wires won't come unattached." Nicole explained then motioned that Willow could put her shirt back on. Willow whipped her shirt on in record time, feeling uncomfortable with anyone other than Tara seeing her shirtless.
"When you're done with this, just pull the wires out and you can return it whenever you want, but the sooner the better. You can't shower or get this wet in any way." Nicole smiled at Willow, handed her some paperwork to give to the receptionists at the front desk and sent them on their way.
Tara brought Willow a bowl of popcorn and a coke to her spot on the couch. "Lazy." She joked as she sat down beside Willow. Willow moved them so her head was resting on Tara's legs so she could look up at Tara's face.
"It sucks that I can't get this wet." Willow pouted and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.
"Doesn't mean I can't get you wet." Tara smirked as Willow blushed and smiled.
"But then I wouldn't be able to shower and then I would smell and then you would dump me and I'd live as a hermit forever and probably die by the time I reach thirty."
Tara laughed at Willow's racing mind. "Sweetie, that would never happen in a million years, trust me. It's only twenty-four hours and then you can take as many showers as you want."
Willow nodded and threw a handful of popcorn in her mouth, sitting up and coughing when the kernels got stuck in her throat. Tara rubbed her back and handed Willow her coke so she would stop coughing.
Willow smiled sheepishly when she finished coughing and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "Maybe I should sit up when I eat." Tara nodded her agreement and turned her attention back to the movie on TV.
"What's this movie called?" Willow asked after taking another sip from her coke.
Tara pulled up the guide on the TV that showed what shows and movies were playing at what times. "American Pie."
Willow nodded and settled back into Tara's side. When the onscreen character, Michelle, yelled for the lead male, Jim, to "say her name, bitch", Willow giggled loudly and tapped Tara's side. "How would you react if I would do that?"
Tara laughed and threw her head back, imagining Willow getting vulgar in the bedroom. "I'd probably just go along with it, honestly."
Willow nodded and seemed to take in that information, possibly forming a plan in her mind to surprise Tara. They sat in silence for a while, watching the movie in contentment, until Willow spoke up again. "Who's your favorite character?"
Tara chewed her lip in contemplation before she looked at Willow and answered. "Michelle."
Willow giggled and buried her head in Tara's shoulder. "You just like her because she's hot!"
"Who is your favorite character?" Tara asked.
"Nadia." Willow answered without any hesitation.
"Why do you like Nadia, Willow? Is it because she's hot too?" Tara smirked and gently brought Willow's head up from her shoulder so she couldn't avoid the question.
Willow put on a serious face and looked offended. "I don't have to tell you my reasoning for preferring one fictional being to another. They're all unique and have different personality traits and for some reason Nadia's drew me in more than the others. Deepest apologies."
Tara smacked Willow playfully on the arm and smiled. "It's okay, Willow. I won't be jealous."
Willow grabbed the remote from its spot next to Tara on the couch and changed the channel to something she hoped she wouldn't get in any more trouble for. "Here. Something called 'How I Met Your Mother'. Ever heard of it?"
Tara frowned and shook her head, grabbing Willow's coke to take a sip out of it for herself. "No. You?"
Willow also shook her head and sunk farther into the couch so she could watch the comedy.
Halfway through their third episode, Willow again asked Tara who her favorite character on this show was.
"Lily." Tara answered this time without hesitation, concentrating on the scene that just so happened to have the character of Lily in a stripper outfit.
Willow pouted for a few seconds before Tara asked her the same question. "My favorite character is Ted."
Tara was taken aback by her girlfriend's answer, expecting her favorite character to be Robin, the other lead female on the show. "Ted? Why?"
Willow sighed. "He's just looking for the love of his life, and for me, I already know everything I want in life. All I want is you and I've already found you. Seeing someone else go through that journey is kind of heart-warming because someday I know he'll find the girl of his dreams and be happy just like me."
"Wow." Tara kissed Willow's temple and pulled the smaller girl to her.
They settled into quiet silence once again and finished watching about ten more episodes of How I Met Your Mother. By the end of their TV marathon, Tara had predicted Lily and Marshall would stay together forever, just like her and Willow. Willow predicted Ted would find the love of his life and live happily ever after. They also had a joint prediction involving Robin and Barney falling in love and getting married.
Willow fell into a light sleep on Tara's shoulder and Tara put her hand on Willow's knee. Warmth radiated off of Willow, warming Tara throughout her body. Tara couldn't even dare to think about what she would do if she were to lose her lover.
The blonde regretted having to wake Willow up to take her upstairs, but Tara was tired herself and didn't think she could carry Willow up the stairs. Willow made a few soft noises in protest of having to wake up. Tara tried the only thing left she knew would wake her girlfriend up. "I'm going upstairs. You can sleep on the couch if you won't wake up."
Willow shot off the couch quicker than Tara could blink and hurried up the stairs, falling into bed and immediately closing her eyes. Tara fell into bed right behind her and spooned her from behind, their legs tangling together under the covers.
The next morning, Tara woke before Willow and made her breakfast. Tara cut strawberries and made pancakes for Willow to enjoy, adding a dot of whipped cream before she carried it up the stairs.
Willow wasn't in the bed like she was expecting. Instead, Willow was in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror. "What in the hell are you doing?"
Tara wrapped her arms around Willow's waist from behind and rested her head on the redhead's shoulder. "Cordelia called."
"And what wisdom did she have to offer?"
Willow sighed and brought her hands up to grab her own face, staring at herself disgustedly. "She said that the fluorescent lighting from all my hospital visits were not helping my skin and I can kind of see her point."
Tara took her arms out from around Willow and turned the redhead to face her. "Cordelia was just being Cordelia. She didn't mean it. If Cordelia doesn't have anyone to insult, she will make something up. I think you look even more beautiful, fluorescent lighting or not."
Willow smiled gratefully and turned back around to face herself in the mirror. "I guess you're right. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me." When Willow tried to put her arms around Tara to hug her, the redhead's arm got tangled in the wire from her monitor and she groaned. "I wish this thing would come off already."
Tara nodded in understanding then smiled cheerily. "I can't get you out of that thing any sooner than three o'clock, but I can make your experience less shitty."
Willow wandered out into the bedroom where Tara had a tray set up with Willow's pancakes and strawberries. A glass of milk accompanied her breakfast because healthy teeth and bones were always a priority in their house.
Willow smiled and kissed Tara hard on the mouth. "Thank you, baby. Come on. Share this with me."
Tara agreed to help Willow devour all the food in front of them and sat down on the bed beside her. "This is delicious. I really know how to make a good pancake."
Willow laughed and shook her head. "It is delicious, Ms. Pretentious."
At three o' clock, Willow ripped the wires out of her monitor and sighed happily. "I'm finally free! Let's go conquer the world, Tara."
Tara laughed and put a hand on Willow's arm. "Hold on just a minute. Let's take the sticky patches off you before we succeed in world domination."
Willow sat still while Tara gently pulled the patches off Willow and threw them away. "What was that you were saying about conquering the world?"
Willow giggled and started to strip her clothes. "I'd rather take a shower first, if that's okay with you."
Tara nodded. "That's fine with me. On one condition. You have to let me wash you or no deal."
Willow continued stripping her clothes, which Tara took as agreement and headed into the bathroom with her girlfriend.
When Tara returned the monitor, she also drove Willow to the cardiologist so they could kill two birds with one stone.
Willow sat in the waiting room, nerves flaring, hands shaking, and overall dread sitting in the pit of her stomach.
"I've never been to a cardiologist before." Willow squeaked out and rested her head on her knees.
Tara stroked the redhead's hair with her hand and rubbed her back. "I have."
Willow sat up slowly, happy to have something to distract her from what she was feeling. Tara was always good at distracting.
"Oh, really? Why?"
Tara took her time in answering. Apparently the memories had been pushed to the back of her mind and it took much coaxing to bring them to light. "I had a heart murmur when I was younger. They said it was normal and that it would probably go away after a while. It did eventually, but they still had to check."
Willow nodded glumly and put her head back down. Tara continued her soothing rubbing motion and tried to distract her girlfriend again as best as she could. "What do you want for lunch?"
"Red Lobster," Willow mumbled, never lifting her head to face Tara.
"What are you going to get at Red Lobster?"
Willow sighed and flung her head up. "I don't know. I'll decide when I get there."
After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Willow got up abruptly and mumbled something about having to go the bathroom. She asked the receptionist where the bathroom was. The woman pointed her to a door on the right and Willow walked off.
Tara knew her girlfriend enough to know she should have been out of the bathroom sooner than she was. The blonde started to worry, so she followed her into the bathroom.
Willow was facing the mirror crying to herself. Mascara was running down her face, but Tara still thought she was as beautiful as ever. "What are you doing?"
Willow pulled the hands that were cupping her own face away and turned around to hug Tara. It was the desperate kind of hug that is seen in movies. The one where the person just completely flings themselves onto the other, needing their full trust and support to get them through that moment.
Tara put her hands around Willow's back and let the redhead sob onto her shoulder freely. Tara stroked Willow's hair softly and ran a hand down her back. "What's wrong, baby?"
Willow choked back a sob to answer, though her head never left Tara's shoulder. "What if something's wrong and I don't get to marry you and have kids with you and grow old with you? What if I never see our grandchildren? What if I die?"
A tear fell down Tara's cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "Willow, that's absolutely ridiculous. You're going to be fine. I promise I won't let you leave me."
Willow nodded and wiped her own tears. She pulled Tara into a slobbery, tearful kiss and laughed when she looked into her girlfriend's blue eyes. "I'm overreacting. I'm sorry."
Tara shook her head. "You're worried. I get it. I'm worried too, but I believe in you wholeheartedly and you've never let me down yet."
Willow lead Tara out of the bathroom and back to their seats in the waiting room when she had calmed down and straightened out her makeup.
The nurse called her name shortly after and she was lead back to a dark room.
The cardiologist shook her hand and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Doctor Snyder."
"I'm Willow and this is Tara."
"Nice to meet you. I'll just let you get undressed and I'll be back in shortly." Doctor Snyder left the room and pulled the curtain shut.
Willow reluctantly pulled her top and bra off, casting sad glances at Tara. "It's okay, baby. I won't get jealous."
Willow changed into the gown that was provided and sat on the bed, covering herself self-consciously with the material. "I know, but I don't want anyone else to see me but you."
The doctor knocked and entered the room. Snyder went over to Willow and explained what she was about to do. She squirted some gel onto Willow's chest and conducted her ultrasound.
The sound of Willow's heartbeat rang throughout the room. For a full ten minutes, Willow's life was surrounding and encompassing Tara. Snyder said that Willow was fine and didn't have a murmur or anything abnormal.
Tara took the towel Snyder gave her to wipe the gel off of Willow's chest and stepped out again so Willow could put her clothes back on.
A new specialist came into the room and talked with Willow about what might have caused her fainting spells.
"There is nothing wrong with you physically. The reason I think you have been passing out is your salt and water intake is low. Make sure you have water on you at all times and get enough salt. You should be fine if you do that. Always exercise with water or something with electrolytes in it."
Willow nodded along with his instructions and planned to go along with them if it meant no more passing out. The specialist was writing on Willow's sheet when he looked up and laughed. "Did you see that new movie 'Sharknado' on TV?"
Willow and Tara shared a glance and both laughed. "Willow watched it first and made me watch it the second time. It's the worst thing I've ever seen, but she loves it!"
Willow pretended to be appalled. "She obviously doesn't know entertainment value when it's presented to her. It's not meant to be realistic, baby. It's meant to be entertaining."
"I agree with Tara here. It's pointless. I laughed the whole way through." The specialist chuckled along with the two girls and signed Willow's paper so she could leave. Willow shook his hand and the two of them left.
"That was interesting," Tara spoke to Willow when they were in the car headed to Red Lobster, "And I don't just mean that specialist talking about TV. I mean when I could hear your heartbeat. I'm used to just hearing it faintly and feeling it when I lay on your chest. This was different. This was powerful and I felt it in every cell of my body. I love you, Willow."
Willow smiled widely at Tara. "I love you too, Tara. You're the peanut to my butter, the shoe to my laces, the basketball to my hoop, the pillow to my b-"
Tara laughed, "I get it, Will. You'd be nothing without me."
Willow and Tara both burst into giggles and enjoyed the rest of the drive to the restaurant.
"What can I get you to drink?" The waitress whose name tag 'said Amanda', asked the two girls.
"I'll have an iced tea." Tara ordered.
Willow ordered a water and the waitress walked away to get their drinks while they talked quietly. "So what are we going to do tomorrow? Visit the morgue?"
Tara laughed and shook her head. "Maybe, if you're lucky, we can hang out in the cemetery for a while. But only if you're really good."
Willow thought for a while before she smiled at the blonde. "What classifies as good?"
Tara blushed and looked down. "You know. Don't talk back. Don't distract me with your tantalizing woman parts when I'm doing something for work. Oh, and don't pass out."
Willow laughed. "No promises on the distraction one."
Amanda, the waitress, came back with an iced tea, a water, and a basket of fresh biscuits. "Are we celebrating anything special tonight?" She took the little notepad out of her breast pocket and got her pen ready to write down their orders.
"My girlfriend didn't die today." Tara looked lovingly at Willow and watched her blush as Amanda laughed.
"That's always a good thing. Any birthdays or anniversaries?"
Willow and Tara both shook their head no. "Alright. What can I get you?"
Willow got a Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Alfredo and Tara ordered a Center-Cut NY Strip Steak. Amanda set off on her way to the kitchen and Tara reached for a biscuit. "So do you have another interview scheduled?"
"I didn't get a chance yet. I promise I will. I was feeling confident so I'm pretty sure I can get it." Willow smiled through the crumbs of her biscuit and took a sip of her water.
They enjoyed the rest of their meal, both taking bites of the other's food and occasionally sharing sips of drinks.
Willow went home that night, rescheduled her interview, went to the interview and got the job by a landslide. None of the other potentials came close to having the same spirit and persistence that she had.