A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, especially you 'Guest' lol! Hope this chapter is better for you :)
Kenzie stared dully at the heart-rate monitor, jumping despite herself when it alarmed periodically. Paul and his nurses had managed a miracle, had pulled Gunner back from what Paul admitted was Gunner's fifth cardiac arrest since he'd been brought to the hospital, the fifth time his heart had stopped and been shocked back into reluctant beating.
"He won't give up, so neither will we." Paul murmured encouragingly to Kenzie after he'd gently led her back into Gunner's room.
"Thank you, Paul." Kenzie whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek in gratitude. Turning back to Gunner, her attention narrowed down to him and him alone and she didn't even notice when Paul slipped from the room, nodding to Barney and Lee, who sat outside.
Now, hours later, Barney had taken up residence in the chair across from Kenzie and was sombrely keeping watch with her. Although Kenzie was encouraged that Gunner had survived these first few critical hours, it did not make it any easier to sit and stare at his motionless body.
Barney had known Gunner half his life, had run black-ops together with him back in their military days, and although they'd gone their separate ways, when Barney had decided to put together another team after the Stonebank's clusterfuck, and Doc going off on his own; Gunner had been the first person Barney had called. They were brothers in every way except blood, even though they hadn't always seen eye to eye, and Barney knew with absolute certainty that the deep crippling sorrow he felt did not even come close to touching the anguish he knew Kenzie to be in right now.
"How did he do it?" Kenzie whispered.
"Do what, honey?" Barney asked, his voice raspy with disuse.
"Sit here and look at all the wires and tubes and listen to all the alarms and beeping and that fucking unnatural robot machine hissing and knowing there's nothing you can do but sit here and listen to all the alarms and beeping and look at all the wires and tubes and pray that the love of your live can somehow pull through and not leave you here all alone!?" Kenzie's voice had started out as a tired whisper and had grown with each word into a hysterical shout. "How did Gunner do it?!"
Barney knew Kenzie was just giving voice to her panic and despair, that she would sit here with all the wires and tubes and alarms and beeping and that fucking unnatural robotic hissing for years if that's what it took, that she would never leave Gunner. "He did it because he loves you, Kenzie. He loves you with everything he has. He sat with you the whole time you were in that bed, just held your hand and talked to you."
"I remember that." Kenzie said, her voice quiet again, too exhausted to maintain any level of hysteria. "I didn't know at the time, thought I was dreaming, but I heard Gunner when he spoke. I heard everything he said, when he told me what we'd do when I woke up...and when he begged me to stay." Kenzie sighed and swallowed hard. "I know now how he felt, looking at me, not knowing if I'd wake up or not."
"He will, Kenzie." Barney murmured.
"And if he doesn't?" Kenzie asked, but there was no real fight in her.
"Then we'll take it one day at a time." Barney replied lowly. "And you'll raise your babies to know just what type of man their father was."
"The best." Kenzie whispered, so quietly Barney almost didn't hear.
"Yeah, he is."
Kenzie leaned forward, rubbed at the sore spot on her lower back. She had remained here, at Gunner's side for six days now, and the cot she occasionally slept on was doing a number on her body. The chair Kenzie usually found herself sleeping in was no better, but Kenzie truly didn't care.
Paul had been anxious to reduce any complications for Gunner from long term ventilator use, like infections or deterioration of his diaphragm, and had monitored him closely for signs of spontaneous breathing. His diligence had paid off, and Gunner was breathing on his own now, had been since late yesterday, when Paul removed his breathing tube. Between Kenzie and the nurses Gunner was watched carefully for developing pressure sores and his limbs were moved regularly to help stave off muscle wasting. These tasks gave Kenzie something to do, helped to keep her mind off the fact that Gunner was still deeply comatose, and that Paul was becoming concerned with his continued unresponsiveness, no matter how well he tried to hide it from her.
Kenzie was just yawning, contemplating lying down on the cot she'd pushed up against Gunner's bed so she could hold his hand while she slept, when someone cleared their throat from the doorway. Kenzie turned to look.
"Dr. Fellows!" She exclaimed, hurrying to stand and hug him.
Robin's eyes widened as he took in Kenzie's condition, and he looked at her in wonderment. "Kenzie. Wow, congratulations."
Kenzie looked down, touched her belly with a tender hand. "Thanks. I didn't find out until after my last appointment with you. We're having twins." Kenzie gazed briefly down at Gunner. "Gunner was so excited." Her expression faltered, and she felt herself growing unsteady on her feet.
Robin was at her side instantly, gripping her elbow to help her sit back down. "You're married too, I see." He said, nodding to her ring.
"Yeah, remember we got engaged while I was still seeing you?" Kenzie smiled, touching the ring and blinking away tears. "It's been almost a year now. We had this casual beach wedding at this beautiful little resort down the coast. Gunner took me to Scotland for our honeymoon."
"That sounds wonderful. I'm sorry I was unable to make it to the wedding, but thank you for the invitation. I am so happy that everything worked out between you two." Robin said, genuinely pleased, pulling a chair up beside Kenzie and sitting. After a moment of silence, he asked quietly. "Can I ask what happened to Gunner?"
Kenzie hesitated, quickly working out what she could say. Four days earlier two New Orleans detectives had come in to question Kenzie while Barney was there. A covert look had passed between Barney and the two detectives and they'd gently asked Kenzie if she remembered anything about what happened. Thinking fast, Kenzie had said that she hadn't seen the shooter, but had heard tires squealing in the street. The detectives nodded seriously, writing in their notebooks and then said, "Sounds like an innocent bystander caught in a drive-by shooting. We've been having real trouble with the local gangs lately." Then, with a meaningful gaze at Kenzie, the lead detective had thanked her for 'her cooperation', nodded at Barney and left, his partner trailing silently behind. When Kenzie asked Barney what the hell that had been about, he'd told her that 'Lee, Gunner and I got those two out of a, uh...sticky situation a few years ago. They've been 'cooperating' with us ever since. Don't worry, nothing's coming back to any of us, they'll make sure of it.'
"Gunner was caught in a drive-by shooting, an innocent bystander." Kenzie mumbled, the tears in her eyes genuine, the memory of Gunner's body jerking backwards as he grunted in pain and surprise flashing in front of her.
"Oh, my. That's terrible." Robin murmured and Kenzie felt a fleeting flicker of guilt for lying to him. It was brief however, her instincts to protect Gunner and her team far stronger.
"I just returned from vacation and ran into Paul. I understand you've been here for six days already?"
"Yeah...six days. It doesn't sound all that long when you say it out loud."
"I imagine it's been a lifetime for you already."
Kenzie nodded, the tears in her eyes finally trickling down her cheeks. "Gunner stayed here with me, I'm going to do the same."
Robin nodded, smiling encouragingly. He reached out and patted her knee gently. "Did you need to talk with me about anything?"
Kenzie considered a moment. "Not right now, Dr. Fellows. But thank you, can I take you up on that another time?"
"Of course. Do you still have my number?"
"I do."
"Excellent. You take care, Kenzie. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, I'm still here Tuesdays and Fridays."
"Thank you, Dr. Fellows."
Robin patted her shoulder softly and left.
Kenzie turned back to Gunner and blinked rapidly. It was so hard to sit here and see Gunner in this state. He was such a giant of a man, both in size and personality, and to see him helpless on this bed, unresponsive and unmoving was devastating. Kenzie drew in a ragged breath, fighting back tears; she'd only end up more wretched feeling if she gave in, as she'd learned through bitter experience these last six days. She got up and stepped outside the room for a break.
A sharp kick in her swollen belly jolted her out of her sorrow. "Oh!" Kenzie gasped, pressing a hand to her side. One of the twins had been giving her holy hell lately, kicking terribly whenever she left Gunner's side. "Easy, Dolph." She soothed.
As Kenzie's belly had started to grow, Gunner would often lay beside her, on the couch, or the bed or even the floor and rest his head on her abdomen or lap and talk to the babies for hours on end. It had quickly become a favourite pastime for him and he would hold long conversations with the twins in both English and Swedish. After many hours of debate, with Gunner suggesting many nicknames that the twins apparently all put the kibosh on, he had announced; with a toothy grin, his cheek touching Kenzie's belly, looking up at her; that the first twin, the quiet one, the one Kenzie fancied had Gunner's brains and her tranquil spirit, was Hans. The rowdy one, that Kenzie imagined was a miniature duplicate of his daddy, all the way down to a tiny denim vest and Bowie knife, was Dolph.
"Hans and Dolph?" Kenzie had asked with a raised brow.
"They're good strong Swedish names!" Gunner had protested from her lap.
"What about good strong English names?" Kenzie teased. Kenzie had taken voice classes when she'd first started at the Remington, and had almost completely lost her accent, but could bring it back at will, and did now, throwing an extra twang in for emphasis as she said English.
"They like Hans and Dolph." Gunner had pouted.
Kenzie found the names had grown on her, especially since Gunner's coma, and spoke to the twins often using them. She turned around and returned to Gunner's side, sitting down heavily in her chair.
"You win, Dolph." She whispered, touching her belly gently with one hand and Gunner's hand tenderly with the other.
"Kenzie?" A deep voice groaned.
A/N: How are you liking Kenzie's Turn so far? :)
