The Doctor and Nurse brought Peri back to her cubical where Leela, Cameron and Tom where waiting for her.
"Tom, you came" Peri said excitedly as she noticed him standing by her Mum.
"Wanted to see my girl, of course I came" he replied coolly making Peri blush slightly.
"I'm glad you're here, I missed you" she said as she sat cross-legged on her hospital bed.
"Where did Tegan and Ste go?" she questioned as she looked around.
"They've just gone to the shop, they'll be back soon" Leela told her.
"We have your results..." a Doctor said as he came back into the cubical holding a file "Are you alright for everyone to be here?" he asked Peri as he looked at all the people in the room.
"Yeah, it's fine" Peri said "So can you operate?"
"Yes, we can go ahead with the operation as planned" the Doctor told her before looking towards Leela and Cameron "We were a bit worried for a while as on the way to the scanner your daughter coughed up some blood but it hasn't grown so that's a really positive step"
"When are you going to operate?" Cameron asked from where he stood with his arm around Leela.
"Well, we have a slot free in about 2 hours, so if everything's okay we will go ahead then" the Doctor said "We've got all the consent forms so that's fine and Peri has had nothing to eat or drink since last night, right?" the Doctor asked, looking at Peri in question and she nodded.
"So it's 3 now, we're looking at about 5 and the operation can take anything between 3-5 hours, if it takes longer it doesn't mean anything it just means it's taking longer, obviously any operation involving the brain is complex so these things can just take time"
"What will happen after the operation?" Peri asked from the bed.
"Well we'll give you a general anaesthetic then after the operation we'll wake you up and bring you back to the ward, then a Nurse will check for any signs of movement, memory, coordination and any other problems you may experience, and if everything is fine you will be kept in overnight then discharged the next morning"
"Thank you Doctor" Leela said as she watched her daughter closely for a few moments.
"The Neurosurgeon will come in about 2 hours to take you down" the Doctor told them before asking if they had any more questions than leaving.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tegan asked as her and Ste walked into the cubical, passing the Doctor on the way.
"She can have the op" Leela whispered.
"Hey, that's good" Ste said as he watched his sister who was leaning into Cameron's side for support "She'll be okay" he said "Our Peri is strong, she'll get through this" he smiled gently at Peri "She take's after her Mum" he grinned.
"Yeah, stubborn and gobby" Tegan teased gently before continuing "You're so brave and strong, you know, you're so much like your Mum it's unreal, I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner"
Peri smiled at Tegan's comment; she was glad she was like her Mum, it was hard at first and a bit strange because most of her life she knew Leela as her sister but now she was glad that she knew, she had accepted it fully and she couldn't ask for better parents.
Cameron and Leela where loving but they were also cool and understanding, they listened to her before yelling at her whereas Sam and Danny often yelled at her without hearing what she had to say, she still loved them of course, she missed them every day but she was so grateful for her real parents.
...
Everyone stayed with Peri for the next hour before Ste and Tegan left, hugging Peri goodbye and promising to see her tomorrow as they wished her good luck before finally leaving.
Tom sat on the bed with Peri while Cameron sat in the chair with Leela in his lap "Mum, do you mind if I have some time with Tom? He's got to go soon and..."
Leela cut her daughter off and said it's fine, dragging Cameron out off the cubical with her and leaving the two teenagers alone.
"Are you really okay with just leaving them alone all the time?" he questioned once they were in the corridor.
"Yeah, aren't you?" she wondered.
"Well, I don't know, honestly not really" he told her truthfully.
"Cam, they're fine, they're probably only talking"
"They could do that with us there" he stated.
"Oh Cam" she laughed slightly before looking at him seriously "Stop worrying, she's a sensible girl, plus I really don't think her mind is on anything other than her operation right now"
Walking to the cafeteria they grabbed something to eat and sat down for a bit.
"It'll be okay, you know?" he whispered as her face displayed nothing but worry.
"I hope you're right" she mumbled.
They sat there for a couple more minutes as she leant across the table and kissed him softly before pulling away.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"Because I love you" she told him with a smile "And for not leaving me"
"I'd never leave you"
Back in the cubical Peri was resting her head on Tom's shoulder as she just enjoyed being with him.
"Tom" she mumbled "You know, if after the operation..." she lifted her head to look at him "If after the operation, what if... What if something happens, what if... What if you don't want me anymore?" she asked, unsure of what to say.
"What?" he asked in surprise "Why would you say that? I love you"
"I love you too, but the Doctor said I could loss my memory or I might not be able to walk, will you still want me then?" she asked.
"Yes, I love you Peri, I love you because you're amazing, you're the kindest girl I know and you'd do anything for the ones you love, I want to be with you forever Peri" he told her.
"Do you see a future with me, like when we're older... marriage, kids? Because I do" she asked "I know we're young and that but..." she rambled on quickly.
Taking both her hands he laced their fingers together "I would love nothing more than to marry you, be the father of your kids, everything, and I promise I'll give it all to you one day"
"Do you mean that?" she asked with a massive smile on her face.
"I do, I'm really glad you came into my life"
"I'm glad too, I was never really interested in boys until you" she admitted.
"Well that's good" he laughed before leaning forward and kissing her passionately on the lips, she kissed back; they were both a lot less timid in their relationship now; well they had almost slept together once so they were well and truly over being awkward with each other.
They both wanted to take that step, but something was always stopping them. They had both decided they weren't ready just yet for that intimate part of their relationship but everyday they were moving that one step closer to it, and they knew they were still young but they both loved each other and they wanted to show the other just how much.
"Tom" Peri sighed as she pulled away from the kiss "I love you"
"I love you too" he told her intensely.
"I think I'm ready" she told him.
He looked at her as he wondered what she was telling him but then it clicked.
"As soon as I'm out, I want to, I want to be with you in that way, in every way" she told with confidence.
"Just focus on getting better first" he said as he placed a kiss to her cheek "Anyway I need to go, I promised Nancy and Darren I'll be home by half 4, Love you" he quickly jumped off the bed and gave her one last hug "Good luck"
"Bye" she said as she watched him go.
...
Leela and Cameron sat with Peri until it was time for her to go down for her operation; the Doctor said they could walk with her until they got to theatre so that's what they did.
"We'll be right here waiting for you" Leela promised, giving her one last hug and kiss before letting her go.
"Love you kiddo" Cameron said before she was wheeled though the double doors of the operating theatre.
