A/N: Alright, sorry guys, but I'm skipping ahead past, Tig is told he's the donor, blagh blagh blagh, to they're in the hospital, talking to Nick, while Nick and Tig are getting ready for their surgery. Until I actually get back in the swing of things, if I get stuck on something, I'm skipping it, so I can keep going. If I stop, I won't start again. So… yeah. Tig was told, obviously he accepted. Sorry it's so short, but again… I've gotta keep pounding, or it's gonna fall apart. I apologize for the length, I apologize for the choppiness, the attempted sappiness, the failed sappiness... In general, I apologize for this. : ( It WILL get better I promise. I'm struggling my way through.
One Week Later
Tig knocked quietly on the door, before stepping inside Nick's hospital room.
"Tiggy," Chibs greeted, standing from the chair, and giving his best friend a hug. "How ya feelin'?"
"Doin' okay. How's she?" He asked, nodding towards Nick's sleeping form.
Chibs sighed as he sat back down. "The medication is keepin' her pretty out o' it. You been takin' yours, aye?"
Tig rolled his eyes as he sat down at the edge of the bed. "Yeah. Makin' me sick, but I'm takin' 'em," He said sarcastically, fixing his gaze on Nick's still form. "Today's the big day."
"Aye. An' uh… Can't thank ya enough for this, Tig," Chibs said quietly.
"Hey, don't mention it," Tig said uncomfortably.
"Well, I jus' –"
"I said don't mention it."
"Hey, baby."
Nick opened her eyes slowly, and smiled. "Tigger," She said with a yawn, reaching her arms out for a hug. The older man hugged her back gently, before easing her back down onto the bed.
"Today's the big day, sweetheart. How you feelin'?"
"Tired," She admitted, rubbing at her eyes, then frowning at the monitor attached to her finger as it scratched at her forehead. "Can't wait to get outta here."
Tig grinned. "I bet you can't. Gonna stay with your mom afterwards?"
Nick shook her head. "Gonna stay at the house. Mom said she'd come over in the morning, and Chibby's gonna cut out after lunch, so I won't be alone. How 'bout you?"
Tig shrugged. "Figured I'd crash in the dorms, make that new prospect my bitch for a while. Haven't found much else he's good at," He said with a grin.
"Oh c'mon. Juice is a sweet kid," Nick said with a small laugh, before coughing. Instantly, both Chibs and Tig were hovering by her head.
"Ya all right, luv?" Chibs asked concernedly.
"Geeze, I'm fine," She wheezed. "It was a cough. And no, Tig, you're gonna stay at the house with me," She said, although the sternness of her voice was somewhat lessened by the rasping note to her voice.
"Nick…"
"It's not… debatable, Trager," She said firmly, in-between another bout of coughing. "You're giving me a kidney; the least I can do is make sure you're taken care of."
"Mr. Trager?"
All three heads spun as one towards the door, where a young, blonde nurse stood.
"It's time to get you into pre-op. They'll be coming for Ms. Telford soon."
"It's Mrs. Telford," Nick corrected quickly, before turning back to Tig. "Tigger…"
Tig waved his hand, cutting her off. "Don't mention it, sweetheart. Besides, how else am I gonna play out my hot nurse fantasy?"
Nick laughed again. "Oh yeah, great reason to give up a kidney," She choked out, as another coughing fit over took her.
Tig frowned, and smoothed back her hair. "You just take it easy, alright, babe? Everything's gonna be just fine," He said softly, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you on the other side, alright?"
He waited until he was outside the room, before collapsing in the chair. The nurse looked at him sympathetically as she sat next to him.
"You uh… You a good nurse?" Tig asked slowly.
"I've been here for three years, spent three years in medical school," The woman replied. "So yeah, I'd say I'm fairly competent."
"Alright… What are her chances? And don't give me any bullshit," He added harshly. "Is she gonna make it through this?"
The nurse sighed. "Mr. Trager, there's always things that can go wrong. And obviously with both of her kidneys failing at the same time, there is a risk of permanent damage, or that her body will reject the new kidney, or… Well, you get the idea. But relatively speaking, kidney transplants are a very minor transplant. Very, very few people die from this, as long a donor kidney is found.
Tig looked up at her hopefully. "So… she's got a good shot, right?"
The woman smiled, as she stood, and offered him her arm. "A very good shot. But we've got to get you prepped; the sooner you're ready, the sooner we can get her a good, functioning kidney."
Nick sighed as Tig left the room, her throat raw from coughing. "This sucks, Chibby," She said quietly.
Chibs grasped her hand firmly, and brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her fingertips. "I know, luv. But it's almost over. Another hour, an' next thing you know… You'll be wakin' up, and everythin' will go back ta normal."
She smiled as he set her hand on his face, and went to speak, when another knock on the door interrupted.
"C'mon in," Chibs called out, rolling his eyes. "Ya know, jus' once I'd like ta have ya all ta myself," He said playfully, planting a kiss on her nose.
Nick laughed as Opie, Piney, Juice, Bobby, Clay, Jax, and Gemma entered the room.
"Hey guys," Nick said happily as she was suddenly surrounded. She laughed again as the questions rained down on her, so fast she could barely keep up with who was asking what, or who was giving her advice.
After a few minutes, Gemma squeezed through the group with a smile, and laid her hand on Nick's. "Alright, boys. Get lost. Give a mom some time with her daughter," She said good-naturedly, shooing the others towards the door. After a nod from Nick, Chibs also left.
The only people still in the room were Nick, Gemma, and Jax.
"How you feelin', sis?" Jax asked, plopping down in the chair next to the bed.
"Glad that this is gonna be over," She said with a weak smile, before turning towards her mother. "Tell the guys I said thanks for coming?"
Gemma smiled as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "I will, baby, but trust me… You don't have to tell 'em. Hell, I think I would've had to run most of 'em over to keep 'em from coming."
Gemma expected a smart ass response; maybe even a gentle word or two about her numerous 'uncles'. What she didn't expect was for her daughter to break out in tears.
Jax shot his mother a knowing look, before quietly sneaking out of the room.
"I'm scared, mama," Nick sobbed, one hand over her mouth, the other scrubbing at her eyes.
"Baby… Honey, it's gonna be fine," Gemma said soothingly, wiping the tears off of Nick's face. "In a few hours, this is all gonna be over. And then we can go back to worryin' about when you're gonna give me grandbabies to spoil."
