Author's note: Well, I've made my very difficult decision but ...... you'll just have to read to find out! *G* I'm just evil like that!
14.
Tammy was sitting in Doctor Matthews' office with Amy, sobbing uncontrollably, as doctors were striving to save Terry's life. She had buried her face in her hands, but as soon as she heard the door open, her head flew up.
"How is he?" she demanded, then noticing the doctor's solemn face.
"I'm so sorry ....."
"Oh, please, not this ....." she whispered numbly.
"..... we did everything we could, but ....."
"No ....."
"..... I'm afraid his injuries were just too severe and we were unable to save him."
"NO! There has to be a mistake!" Tammy cried out, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I really am so very sorry, but Terry's gone."
Turning to Amy, who was also crying, Tammy was pulled into a hug which tried to comfort her, but she was too grief-stricken for anything to help. She laid her head on her friend's shoulder and cried as if her heart would break; and indeed it had.
*****
"Tammy? Tammy?" came a distorted but obviously concerned voice, which seemed to be coming from a great distance through a fog in order to reach the listener.
Tammy tried to answer, but found that she couldn't and that everything was dark. Her confusion over what was going on deepened when she realised she was lying on her back. She tried to sit up, but found herself gently being pushed back down onto something soft. Managing to open her eyes, the fog cleared and she found two pairs of anxious eyes looking down at her intently.
"Wha-what's going on?" she finally asked, surprised to hear how weak and shaky her voice sounded, "What happened?"
Suddenly, the memory of everything that had happened came flooding back to her and she tried with renewed vigour to sit up, a distraught look on her face.
"Terry! He's ..... Oh, God ....."
"What? Tammy, no!" Amy interrupted, eager to put her friend's fears to rest, guessing from her expression what she was thinking. "The doctors managed to resuscitate him, he's okay, honest."
For a moment, those watching thought she was going to faint, but Tammy steadied herself and leaned back against the pillows of the hospital bed on which she was lying.
"But, I thought ....."
"You blacked out." explained Doctor Matthews, answering her first question. "You must have been dreaming or something, because I promise you, Terry is still with us. He's not out of the woods yet, but we think he'll pull through - all the signs are positive."
"Oh, thank God!" said Tammy fervently, biting her lip to keep back tears, this time caused by a mixture of joy and relief. "I thought ..... I thought I'd lost him."
"We know, honey." soothed Amy, "We thought so too, but it's going to be okay now."
"I have to go to him."
"No, Tammy," said Amy firmly. "You've had a lot of stress and, like I told you before, it's not good for you or the baby. You're staying put."
"But ....."
"But nothing! Girl, you scared the hell outta me - nearly hitting the floor like that, and you're still way too pale to be running around! Terry would have a fit if he thought I'd let you get up when you're not well."
"I'm fine now, Amy." Tammy tried to convince her, but to no avail.
"You wouldn't get to see him yet anyway." informed Doctor Matthews, "He's being closely monitored; but if you rest now, you can see him the second he's allowed visitors."
"But only if you rest now." warned Amy.
Defeated, Tammy heaved a sigh and lay back down. However, although she was disappointed that she couldn't see he was okay for herself, she was somewhat comforted by the news that the doctors believed he would pull through. She knew that if anyone could beat this, it was her Terry - he was a fighter.
*****
It was a full three weeks before Terry was finally discharged from hospital; but, considering his injuries, he was lucky to be allowed home that soon. He had been in intensive care for a week, but after that, he had started to recover surprisingly quickly - a fact which the doctors put down to his high level of fitness before the accident.
At first, during those three weeks, Tammy barely left Terry's side. However, when it became apparent that he was unlikely to suffer further complications, she was persuaded to go home at night for some proper rest, given her condition. Nonetheless, she was always back at the hospital next morning, glad that she was a freelance reporter and didn't have to worry about work commitments. She was also lucky to have had plenty of support - Amy had been staying with her; Steph and Shane had visited often; and the wrestlers who were still in Japan, but had heard about the accident, rang at regular intervals to check on Terry's condition and offer their best wishes.
A few days before Terry had been discharged, Chris Irvine and Chris Benoit had arrived at the hospital, both men looking slightly shaken. Finding Tammy speaking to a doctor in the corridor, they had waited until the doctor had moved away before hurrying over to Tammy.
"Hi, guys!" she had smiled as they approached, "Did you two fly down here specially? That's really sweet."
"It was the least we could do." Benoit had said, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Are you two okay?" she had inquired, wondering what was wrong.
"Dammit, Tammy - it should be us asking if you're okay!" Irvine had exclaimed, "I am so sorry this happened - we both are. If we hadn't hired that damn car, this might not have happened ....."
"Chris, don't be silly - and that goes for both of you! This was not down to you two; you did Terry a favour, you couldn't know this would happen." she had assured them, hugging them both warmly.
With their minds somewhat set at rest, they ad accepted when Tammy offered them the chance to pay Terry a visit. They had also tried to apologise to him, but he had brushed the issue aside just as quickly as Tammy had, changing the subject.
"Did Tammy tell you the news yet?" he had asked, with a smile.
"No - what news?" Benoit had asked.
"Well, I would tell you to keep your diaries free, but since there's no date yet, I won't bother!" Tammy had grinned in reponse, "But anyway, you've got a wedding to go to!"
"Oh wow - you guys got engaged! FINALLY!" Benoit had grinned, "Congratulations!"
"Yeah, congratulations - now we know why you were so anxious to get home, Terry!" Irvine had rightly guessed, "D'ya know, Tammy, he drove us crazy on the plane - he never stopped talking about you!"
"Glad to hear it!" she had giggled in response, before informing them that they had not yet been told all the news.
"There's more? Jeez, you'll be telling us you're pregnant next!" Irvine had laughed, stopping suddenly as he saw Terry beaming proudly. "Oh my God - you are, aren't you?"
Tammy had barely had time to nod when he had jumped from his seat and gently pushed her down onto it.
"Good grief! Here we are sitting down and you on your feet - why didn't you say something?" he had panicked.
"Calm down, Chris, I'm fine! Pregnant is not a code word for invalid - it's not like I'm going to give birth NOW!" she had laughed, receiving a kiss on each cheek, one from each of the guys.
"Congratulations, sweetheart." Benoit had said, "We're really happy for you both."
"Hey, that's not fair - that's MY fiancée you two are kissing!" Terry had complained from his bed.
"Aww, are you feeling left out?" Tammy had teased; nonetheless getting up and moving to sit on the edge of his bed, kissing him lightly.
Suddenly she had winced, pressing a hand to her stomach, and Terry sat up as quickly as he could.
"Is something wrong, honey?" he had asked anxiously, but to his surprise, when she had looked up, there had been a smile on her face.
"It's okay." she had started to explain, "The baby just kicked!"
"Really? Can I ....."
"Of course!" She had taken his hand and placed it on her stomach, moving it a little until he jumped a little.
"You felt it?" she had smiled questioningly as he looked at her in wonder.
"I can't believe that's my baby in there." he had said, his voice filled with awe, "It's ..... amazing."
And Tammy could only agree.
"Terry, man, in one day you defy death, get engaged AND find out you're gonna be a dad - you sure don't believe in doing things by halves!" exclaimed Irvine, only to be nudged in the ribs by Benoit.
"Tactful as ever I see, Christopher." Benoit groaned, rolling his eyes while Terry and Tammy could only laugh.
"So when's the big day going to be?" he asked, ignoring Benoit.
"Lets just take these things one at a time, huh, Chris? It's not like we need to rush, we've got all the time in the world." smiled Tammy, resting her head on Terry's shoulder.
"Yeah," murmured Terry, lacing his fingers through hers, "Looks like we've got forever afterall."
"Forever." echoed Tammy happily, "I like the sound of that."
*****
*FIN*
Author's note: Well, this is the first fic I've ever finished - yay me! That doesn't actually sound too good, but when you consider it's only the second thing I've ever let anyone read ..... I'm not doing too bad! I've got an idea for a sequel to this but I'm not sure if I should do it - what do you guys think? Feedback much appreciated. 0:-) Angel
