Keep Breathing
An alternative ending to "Let Our Angel Live" Kelly/Kris is heavily implied.
---
"The storm is coming but I don't mind.
People are dying, I close my blinds.
All that i know is I'm breathing now.
I want to change the world... instead I sleep.
I want to believe in more than you and me.
But all that I know is I'm breathing.
All I can do is keep breathing.
All we can do is keep breathing now. "
- Ingrid Michaelson, "Keep Breathing"
----
Kris made it clear immediately after Kelly began to drift back to consciousness that she had no intention on leaving the hospital. Or the room. She was glued to the chair that was next to Kelly's bed, and she wasn't going anywhere. Her friend's moments of awareness were short lived, but were becoming more frequent. She kept her hand laced with Kelly's limp one, so when she did wake up, she knew someone was with her.
Every time Kelly's eyes fluttered open, she instantly gave Kris' hand a squeeze.
It had been twenty one hours since the shooting.
Kris was now running on coffee only. Julie wanted to stay, but it was after she noticed Bosley looked like he was going to collapse from exhaustion at any second, Julie decided to drive him home. Kris insisted Julie go home herself as well, and come back after she had gotten a decent amount of sleep.
She knew she looked frazzled. Bad enough to where the nurses were suggesting to her she should sleep. But she didn't know how she was supposed to sleep. The intensive care unit was noisier than she expected it to be. It must've been the amount of machines beeping together all at once. But after so long, those beeps faded into the background. All she could focus on was Kelly. She didn't want to miss her waking up for another few seconds.
Kelly's speech was slurred when she tried to talk, and and what words she managed to say made little sense. Kris' heart jumped into her throat, dread filling her mind that Kelly's brain had been damaged after all, and the surgeons hadn't realized it. But after a quick evaluation, they assured Kris that it was natural after major brain surgery – and that the sedatives weren't allowing Kelly to wake up fully.
She believed them, or tried to. She couldn't sleep though. She wanted to keep a record of everything Kelly managed to mumble together. The last time she spoke was nearly two hours ago – too long in Kris' book. "No, don't give her more cake. Or pie. She can't have the pie, that's mine."
Kris had quirked her eyebrows, and gently tried to make Kelly talk to better detail. She gave her hand a slight tug, and touched her face lightly with a finger tip. Avoiding the IV was her main concern. There were several of them embedded in Kelly's arm, and Kris inwardly winced each time she saw them. The one in her hand was already turning Kelly's pale skin an ugly color of purple.
The angel wasn't opening her eyes anymore when she spoke. Kris didn't find out who Kelly was holding out food on. She smiled a little, taking a wild guess that it might be one Jill Munroe. She had called Jill earlier, which resulted in Jill going into a hysterical state and spending four minutes assuring her Kelly wasn't dying. All while she convinced Jill, she felt as if she was convincing herself. There was always that chance of anything going wrong, especially with a serious head injury. She didn't dare mention the embolism to her sister. They caught it before it had done any damage, so decided that detail was best left unsaid over the phone.
"I'll be there," Jill had spoken rapidly, and Kris could already hear her clothes being thrown into a suitcase. "I'm in France, so I don't know how long I'll be. But I'm leaving now."
Kris tried to reason with her and make her stay to finish her race, but Jill heard none of it and hung up before Kris could say anymore. A delicate smile crossed her lips as she stared at the telephone in her hands. Jill never was one to listen to reason, but it relaxed her knowing her sister would soon be joining her. It shouldn't have surprised her, Jill thought of Kelly as the third Munroe sister. It didn't matter if there was no blood shared, Kelly acted just as much as Jill's sister as she did.
Of course, Jill deemed Kelly the big sister she never had. Kelly could never figure out if she should have been insulted or not.
Kris left it up to Bosley if he wanted to call Sabrina or Tiffany. She didn't feel the need to do it. Not in the slightest. If Kelly woke up and asked specifically for either one of them, she would personally call herself. Until then, Jill was the only one notified other than Charlie.
She relaxed into the padded chair. Hours had passed since Bosley and Julie had gone home, but she wasn't sure how many. Kelly was sleeping, but mumbling. She couldn't decide if she wanted to shut her eyes or stay awake and take note of everything her brunette friend muttered. It would be easy to compile a list and use it as blackmail one day. When she was better and they were able to look back at this and laugh.
Right now, laughing was the last thing she could do. She lazily reached over and touched Kelly's hand, but didn't hold it. The bruising looked painful, and she didn't want to cause any further discomfort, even if Kelly was in a deep slumber.
Could she sleep now, maybe? She was well on her way to being up a whole twenty four hours, and she could feel it settling in. Nausea had been making her feel dreadful all day, but now it was to the point where she was sure she would be sick. She didn't know if it was due to Kelly's injury, not sleeping, or a horrible mix of both. Kris ran a hand over her face and let the palm settle over her lips – like it would help her. She would sleep when someone else was here with her. Hopefully Bosley or Julie showed up soon, because Jill's flight was going to take her at least eleven hours.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the nurse enter the room.
"Ms. Munroe?"
Kris lifted her head, and looked at the older woman. Apparently, she looked worse than she thought because her eyes grew wide with alarm. It took her a second to figure out how the nurse already knew her name, but she then realized it was the same nurse that had been checking on Kelly she had been able to stay in the room.
"Marcia?" Kris echoed the nurse's name back, looking at her with a raised brow. She was taller than Kris, but slightly heavier. Tight red curls could be seen underneath her nurses' cap, and she looked to be nearing the age of sixty. Kris wondered how long she had been a nurse, and she wanted to ask but the question didn't form at her mouth. She felt too sick.
"Oh dear," Marcia made a small 'tsk' sound with her tongue, "You're going to make yourself sick by not getting rest. Isn't there anyone -"
"I'm okay," Kris lied, shifting around uncomfortably in her chair. Too bad it didn't recline back and have a foot rest. It would save her stiff legs due to tucking her knees under her chin. "They'll be here later."
"Even if I promised you Ms. Garrett would be perfectly fine, you wouldn't rest, would you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was her making a statement. Apparently Marcia had been a nurse long enough to know that each patient had one person that worried themselves sick over the condition of their loved one. Kris was that person – and Kris wasn't going to relax.
Kris shook her head. Wrong thing to do because it increased her nausea. "No," She spoke shakily, and rested her head against the chair with a sigh.
Marcia looked at her with concerned, green eyes. Eyes that reminded Kris so much of Kelly's. If Kelly would just wake up, be coherent, and allow her to see those deep fields of emerald...
"Here," Marcia took off out the door and returned minutes later with a pillow and a blanket. She laid it an empty chair on the other side of Kelly's bed. "Now if you feel like sleeping, you can come over here and get these whenever you want."
The pillow and blanket looked too good to be true. "Okay," Kris uneasily smiled, "Thank you."
There wasn't much of a response, and when she peered her head over, she saw the nurse standing over Kelly, observing the monitor and each wire carefully. She pulled out a small flashlight and took a thumb near each of Kelly's eyebrows and pulled her eyes open. The light shined into her eyes, which caused Kelly to stir and moan tiredly.
"Oh," Marcia chuckled, "Ms. Garrett can you hear me?"
Kris jerked up instantly, all feelings of sickness and tiredness leaving her body in an instant. This is why she didn't want to sleep. What if she had missed this – Kelly waking up?
"Nnngh," Kelly grunted, "Kris?"
"Kelly," Kris breathed, and with a blink of an eye, she was sitting on the hospital bed next to Kelly's legs. Marcia quietly moved out of the way, and watched Kelly blink several times. It looked like she tried to find her focus, but couldn't, and decided to keep her eyes shut. "Kelly," Kris said again, feeling like her chest was going to explode from joy, not caring if Kelly couldn't open her eyes. Just to hear her made her smile so big that her face ached. "I'm right here, honey. I'm here."
"Kris," She croaked, her voice awfully strained, "Your damn sister... she ate my cake."
The vivacious smiled drooped. She looked at Kelly in utter confusion, then over at the nurse, who was containing a giggle. "Uhm," Kris swallowed, "Sweetie, Jill's not here. But she's coming, she's coming--"
"No, no, no," Kelly repeated, "She can't come to our house, she eats everything."
Kris blinked. Our house?
Seeing the befuddlement on the young blonde's face, Marcia voiced herself. "It's the medication, she's talking out of her head. It's common."
Kris laid a hand on Kelly's stomach, and felt the gentle rise and fall. "Are you sure?" She whispered.
"Yes. If you'd like to, play along with what she's saying. She'll fall asleep again in a few minutes," The nurse moved toward the door, "I'll be back in. If there is any trouble, I'm right outside."
Kris didn't say anything, or acknowledge her leaving. She stared at Kelly's face, and the white bandage wrapped around her head. "Kell? It's me, it's Kris."
Kelly moved her hand around, and found Kris' left one. Kris resisted the urge to squeeze her hand as Kelly held it. There was something so comforting about this woman holding her, or merely touching her, that she couldn't explain. "I know," Kelly spoke softly, though it looked like it hurt. "I know who you are. Where are the kids?"
"Kids?"
"The..." Her brows furrowed, and her lips twitched. "You know... " Kris watched Kelly's face change expression several times. Like she was searching for names. Names of children that didn't exist. "The blonde one, and the short one. The boy and girl."
Kris' mouth fell open. Where was a tape recorder when you needed one? She rubbed over Kelly's stomach gently, feeling that there were thankfully, no wires there. Her chest and arms had enough of those. "I don't know," She confessed honestly. Who were these children? "Uhm."
Kelly lowly groaned. "You lost the kids?"
"No," Kris spoke before she realized what she was saying, "Bosley is watching them."
"Okay," She sighed, and Kris felt her body relax. Had she actually been worried about people she was dreaming about? Kelly moved her fingers around Kris' hand, which made Kris look down and look back up at Kelly's discontented face.
"Kelly? Do you know where you are, honey?"
"Our bed," Kelly said simply, then patted Kris' hand. Kris opened her mouth to ask if she was in any pain, because it was clear Kelly didn't have a clue where she was or what happened, or what the hell was going on. For that matter, neither did Kris. But then Kelly asked the question that made the puzzle pieces come together in an instant. "You're not wearing your ring. Why?"
Her tired blue eyes grew twice their size. Their house. Their kids. Their bed. Her ring.
Nausea hit her again like brick wall.
Crap.
Why was a good inquiry, because Kris had no way to answer it. In the state she was in, she didn't know if she was up to answering anything that was coming from Kelly's sedated mind. But she did know that Kelly thought they were married, had two children, were in bed, and Kris – for some damn reason, wasn't wearing her wedding ring.
"Hm," Kris made a small noise, and it was actually good that Kelly had kept her eyes shut, or else she would've read Kris' face and known in a heart beat she was lying. "I always take it off before bed."
Kelly stayed silent, then a small smile settled on to her dry, cracked lips. "That's right. I'm sorry." Her voice sounded lighter and more distant than before, and Kris concluded that Kelly was falling back into the land of the unconscious. It was confirmed when Kelly slipped out a gentle, "Goodnight."
Kris' voice wavered slightly, "Goodnight, Kelly."
"I love you."
Because of the conversation, Kelly saying it didn't feel as odd as it should have. Her heart rate sped up, and she took in a shaky breath of air before replying.
"I love you too."
And when she spoke it aloud, she realized how true it was.
There was a brief moment of silence, and then Kris felt a chill run through her body when someone else spoke that wasn't neither her nor Kelly.
"Should I call you Mrs. Garrett?"
She twisted around, and stood straight up, forgetting to breathe.
"B-B-Bosley?" Kris stuttered, collapsing into the chair next to the hospital bed yet again. She held a hand up to her chest, rapidly breathing. "You can't do that, I haven't slept!"
He grinned a little, obviously having been put in a good mood due to eavesdropping on the conversation between the two women. "I'm sorry," He said genuinely, and held up the red roses in his arms for emphasis, "You might appreciate these better than the Ms. Garrett over here, these are my apology."
She shot him a look, but couldn't help but giggle. "There's a table over there," She pointed toward the corner of the room, and he spotted it quickly and walked over, setting down the roses. He really should've brought a vase too. He'd have to get that later. Bosley walked a few steps over to Kelly's bed and lightly touched her arm.
"Hey there, Kelly. I'm here, Julie will be here later today." Bosley rubbed his hand up and down her arm, his good mood falling at the sight of the sleeping woman. It was like seeing his daughter lying there, not just someone he worked with. "But don't worry, I..." He smirked in Kris' direction, "... left the kids with a reliable babysitter."
Kris groaned. "Oh my God, I was just playing along."
"Sure..."
"I was!" She shouted in a loud whisper, "Please don't mention this to Julie, or Jill... oh, especially Jill. She'll be here later, so you can't breathe a word of anything Kelly said or else I'll never hear the end of it."
He held up one hand, "Scouts honor." Bosley looked at the chair that he wanted to take a seat in, and saw the pillow and blanket. Perfect. Kris could get some sleep, because she looked ready to fall over. He picked them up and walked over and put the pillow behind her head and covered her with the blanket. It was rather thin, but it would keep her warm.
She almost moaned in pleasure when her head felt the softness of the cushion behind it. "Thank you."
"Get some rest now, I'm here."
Comforted by his statement, it took her exactly five seconds to shut her eyes and fall asleep.
Kris opened her eyes when she heard voices. Two women. Not Bosley. With a jerking motion, she pushed her body forward and turned her head to see Marcia looking down at Kelly again. Bosley was nowhere in sight.
Seeing Kris out of the corner of her eye, Marcia smiled. "Hello, Ms. Munroe. Your friend... uh, Bosley, he said he had he'd be back. Something about needing to buy a vase."
Kris squinted her eyes, trying to readjust them to the light. She noticed light peering around the window shades. She knew it the sun had just began to rise when she closed her eyes, "How long have I been sleeping?"
"Oh, a few hours. It did you some good. You don't look so peeked."
Kris rubbed her head and felt through her hair, feeling tangles all over it. But she wasn't concerned with how she looked. She would try to go home and get a hot shower today, maybe that would wake her up and make her stay awake for the remainder of the day.
"Would you like to say hello to your friend? She woke up a few minutes ago." Marcia smiled as she straightened her form and watched Kris' reaction.
Kris stopped rubbing her head and stared. "She's awake?"
"Right now, I wish I wasn't. My head hurts." That voice, alert but strained, belonged to only one woman. Tears flooded into Kris' eyes as she got up quickly and sat next to Kelly, and saw that she was awake. Actually awake.
"Oh," She choked, sniffling a bit, "Kelly..."
Kelly's eyes were open. They were open.
Marcia made herself scarce for the second time, but didn't say anything. She let the two have their moment alone together. It wasn't hard to see what they meant to each other.
Kelly moved her good – untouched by needles – hand over to Kris and grabbed her hand. "It's okay," She smiled gently, "I'm fine. See? Just a killer headache."
Kris nodded, biting down on her bottom lip to stop from turning into a blubbering mess. She squeezed Kelly's hand for dear life. "You're speaking. You make sense..." Tears poured down her cheeks as she laughed, and kissed Kelly's hand. "I thought you would never make sense again."
"What are you talking about?"
Kris laughed harder. She didn't remember. "You talked a lot in your sleep."
A faint blush crossed Kelly's cheeks. "Oh," She looked embarrassed, "Anything you can hold against me?"
"A lot."
"Great. You're already planning blackmail, I can see it."
Kris wanted to do nothing more than to hug Kelly close to her and never let go. Those sparkling eyes were open, and she was awake and cracking jokes. Her emotions began to get the best of her and she struggled for a comeback, but more tears only made their way down her red cheeks. She leaned her forehead against Kelly's hand she was still holding on to, and tried to compose herself.
Kelly tried to hold herself together as well. She couldn't move to comfort her friend, and it made her angry. If she moved her eyes, she became dizzy. The thought of even moving her head was terrifying. "Kris," She said softly, hoping a question would avoid a meltdown. "Where is everyone?"
"Bosley and Julie will be here soon, Bos just left a little bit ago. Jill's flying in from France."
"She didn't have to do that."
"You know Jill, how could I tell her not to come?"
Kelly wanted to laugh but didn't. Jill couldn't be told anything. When she made up her mind, it stayed that way. "Did you call Sabrina?"
Kris paused all movements. "I - " She was going to tell the truth, but something sad about Kelly's face made her decide to go in the other direction. Neither one had seen Sabrina in several years, but Kelly talked to her every few months. She gave Kelly an assuring smile, and looked as certain as she could so Kelly didn't see through her. "She'll be here later, too." And she made a mental note to sneak out whenever possible, call Sabrina, and even Tiffany.
"Okay," Kelly sighed, looking a bit more relaxed. "So, what all did I say?"
"I'll tell you when I'm sure you're strong enough to handle it."
Kelly winced, but not due to pain. "That bad?"
An idea jumped into her head. It hit her so suddenly, that she didn't have enough time to stop her brain from going through with it. "No," She smirked, "There was something you wanted me to do though," Which wasn't a complete lie. Because Kelly had thought they were married. And surly married couples did it all the time?
Kelly saw the smirk and raised one eyebrow. "What?"
Kris licked her lips. "This."
She leaned down, and kissed her.
End.