Katy had been as cheerful as possible around her family. It was only when they left her alone in the hospital that she let her true feelings show. She avoided making eye contact, let alone conversation, with anyone else on the ward. Only when the nurses and doctors came to check the central line they'd inserted, run tests or change her medications did she speak to anyone.
Glenda came to visit twice a day, knowing how her granddaughter would be isolating herself. Jack and Roxy visited intermittently, neither of them particularly comfortable with the situation or their surroundings but wanting to show their support, whatever the response. Katy had refused to let any of the children or Whitney visit, not wanting them to see the central line protruding from her chest or how ill the chemotherapy was making her. She knew that Ruby, in particular, knew exactly what would be happening and the reasons behind it. Katy wasn't sure whether she was happy that her daughter coped with the situation by finding out about it, but Glenda had assured her that the eight-year-old was much happier knowing than not.
On Friday, Ronnie had gone to visit Katy as soon as she'd finished donating the stem cells. She felt as though she'd been hooked up to the cell-separator machine for more than the three hours she knew it had been but, when she'd flippantly told her daughter that, Katy had sarcastically replied that she had no idea how that must have felt. Ronnie sighed, wondering whether she'd ever be able to say something without the younger woman jumping down her throat.
Knowing that she'd overreacted, Katy grudgingly apologised, blaming how ill and tired she felt for her bad mood. Ronnie knew that she didn't really mean it and Katy knew that she knew. The rest of the time, before Ronnie said goodnight and left the ward, was spent making awkward small talk. Katy had really thought about Whitney had said and knew that her friend was right. She couldn't quite bring herself to fully embrace the idea of moving on, though.
The day after Katy's conditioning treatment ended, the doctors ran through the next steps, scheduling the transplant for the next day. They told her that the surgeon who specialised in the specific transplant that she was having would be down to speak to her that afternoon, to run through the last minute information and answer any questions she might have. Katy listened silently, nodding in the right places and forcing herself to concentrate on what was being said rather than running through worst-case scenarios in her head.
When visiting time rolled around, there was no sign of anyone. Katy frowned, realising that she was disappointed. When, finally, Glenda appeared on the ward, there was an anxious expression on the older woman's face that immediately sent Katy into a panic.
"What's wrong?"
"Your father's on his way." Glenda informed her, not answering the question. "Have they told you when they're doing the transplant yet?"
"Tomorrow." Katy told her dismissively. "What's happening, Gran?"
"Sorry…" Jack appeared, a little breathless, beside the bed. He squeezed her hand and smiled warmly. "How are you feeling today?"
"What's going on?" Katy demanded, looking between them irritably. "What aren't you telling me?"
Her father and grandmother exchanged a look, clearly wondering whether to tell her the truth. When she arched an eyebrow at them, clearly not intending to give up without an answer, they both looked tiredly back at her. Jack shrugged his shoulders, glancing towards the older of the two blondes.
"Veronica was brought in this morning." Glenda announced finally. "She collapsed and Sonia couldn't wake her up, so she phoned an ambulance."
"What?" Katy's expression dropped and she looked panicked. "What's wrong with her?"
"They don't think it's anything serious." Jack assured her quickly. "They think she might be a little anaemic after donating yesterday and she's exhausted and stressed what with this situation."
"She didn't give blood, just the stem cells."
"No one's blaming you, Katherine." Glenda snapped, her tone just as sharp as her granddaughter's.
"I wanna see her." Katy demanded, looking around to try and attract a nurse's attention.
"Don't be ridiculous." Jack scoffed. "You can't go wandering around the hospital. If you get an infection all this might be for nothing; your immune system is completely shot."
She glared at him. "I wanna see my Mum."
"Look… just give it a couple of hours." Glenda suggested soothingly. "I'm sure Veronica will be fine and then she'll be able to come and see you."
To Katy's immense frustration, the nurse that appeared a few moments later echoed her family's sentiments. She was expressly forbidden from leaving her bed and roaming the hospital. They did promise, however, to get Ronnie's doctor to come and speak to her if her mother couldn't visit herself.
Hours passed; visiting time ended and Katy was growing more and more agitated. Finally, just as she was considering going against all orders and gong to find Ronnie, the blonde appeared on the ward. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Katy shifted against the headboard impatiently waiting for her mother to reach her.
"Are you OK? What happened? What did they say?" She demanded immediately, assessing the older woman quickly. There were no IV lines visible and Ronnie wasn't wearing a hospital gown, so she hoped that it wasn't anything serious.
"I'm fine." Ronnie assured her with a soft smile, reaching out for her daughter's hand. When Katy clung on tightly, her smile widened. "It was absolutely nothing to worry about. You're the important one here."
"Mum… I'm sorry." She hung her head, feeling foolish. "I just… I was hurt and I was scared. I missed you so much and I…"
"I missed you too, sweetie, every single day. If I could go back in time…" She shook her head, exhaling sharply. "But I promise you, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you and Matthew and the girls however you want me."
"Do you promise?"
Ronnie's heart broke at the quiet, unsure tone of her daughter's voice when she asked the question. Before answering, she took the opportunity to really look at the younger woman. Katy looked incredibly ill, more unwell than Ronnie had ever seen her before. Her face was pale and drawn, her hair limp and lifeless. Ronnie was sure that it was thinner than it had been and the realisation that she had probably been losing her hair during the conditioning chemotherapy, without her mother there to reassure her that she still looked beautiful, broke Ronnie's heart all over again.
"I promise you." She said seriously, cupping Katy's face. "I'm not leaving you again. Ever."
"I want to believe you, so badly."
"I understand." Ronnie assured her gently. "I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you."
"All I need you to do is be there, Mum." Katy told her honestly. "I don't need any big promises or grand gestures. I just need you."
"I love you, Katy, so much. I'm so sorry that you ever doubted that. I never wanted you to feel about me the way I felt about Glenda…"
"Fresh start." The younger blonde announced decisively. "I'll have this transplant and we'll come out the other side of that and of this. We're Mitchells; we're family."
Ronnie smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "We definitely are."
After her transplant, Katy was moved to a private room and the number of visitors she was allowed was limited. For the first couple of weeks she was incredibly ill, needing regular blood and platelet transfusions and having to be fed through a tube. As she had been the one to donate the stem cells, Ronnie felt unnecessarily guilty, feeling as though somehow it was her fault that her daughter's recovery from the transplant was so difficult.
Things weren't much easier for her on the Square, either. Glenda was incredibly reluctant to give her daughter anything, the troubled relationship between them from their past, adding to the tension between them. She had agreed to let Ronnie and Roxy spend time with Ruby, Matthew and the twins because Katy had asked her to. Every time she saw them, however, she made it incredibly clear that she wasn't happy with the arrangement.
Ruby was also taking a long time to soften towards her grandmother and great-aunt, taking pointers from Amy who was giving her mother hell. The twins and Matthew were much more forgiving, not really thinking about the effects of the last few years. Ronnie and Roxy spoilt them, doing their best to make up for the upset and uncertainty they'd caused, doing whatever they could to bring things back to normal.
A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. I'm so happy you're enjoying it!
To the guest who commented about Sharon and Glenda on the last chapter, Sharon and Katy have ALWAYS hated each other. It's entirely mutual. It mostly stems back to the fact that Katy was Team Shirley all the way. As for Glenda, nope, she hasn't been retconned and neither have Katy or Ronnie. They had to work hard to get to where they are now and even that isn't always plain sailing!
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