Chapter 33
Sara was sitting on the side of Tegan's bed talking to her twin after breakfast. The support team decided that it was a good idea to give Tegan a bit of alone time with everyone as she seemed to get overwhelmed quite easily at the moment. Tegan was given some protein milk that tasted like card board and made her queasy but she managed to keep it down ok. She felt a bit better than the previous day. Nurse Abbey came in to check on her "I'd kill for a cup of tea..." whispered Tegan. Sara knew that tea always made Tegan feel better, it was one of Tegan's favorite things in the world. "I'm sure I can hook you up" she smiled. She asked the nurse if Tegan could have some. "Dude, what happened... to your hand" asked Tegan. "Nothing Tee..." said Sara blushing. "Doesn't look... like nothing" said Tegan cocking her head. "I... got angry and frustrated and I punched a wall and broke my hand okay. It's not a big deal. They say there won't be permanent damage. Tegan's eyes went wide. "You what... Sar... why?" Sara didn't answer, she didn't need to. Tegan knew all about Sara's anger issues. Tegan just looked at her twin for a while. Sara was staring out of the window uncomfortably, she thought about Tegan's singing future but didn't say a word. "Sar... thank you" whispered Tegan, her throat still hurt when she tried to speak and she became out of breath very easily, she coughed weakly... "For having my back... for being here... I... love you sis... you okay Sar?" asked Tegan. "Love you too... I'm good if you're okay Tee. I... I hate seeing you hurting... It kills me... I'm very proud of you... you're very brave" said Sara sounding slightly embarrassed. Tegan and Sara loved each other so much. They both knew they were loved and appreciated but they hardly ever showed or told each other just how much they were loved. It was a flaw in their relationship And they both knew it. The nurse came in with a cup of tea to break Sara's awkward silence. Sara put a straw in the cup and held it to Tegan's mouth. Tegan sipped it slowly and felt it soothe her raw throat and sensitive stomach. "Hey Tegan want some cool news?" asked Sara. "No..." joked Tegan. "Yes, of course". Sara pursed her lips and started talking. "Ummm, where do I start..." said Sara looking down. "Whaaat?" urged Tegan. "Emy... umm, Emy is..." said Sara uncomfortably. "How is Emy? I miss her..." smiled Tegan in between tea sips. "Oh good because you're seeing her later today" said Sara. Tegan looked confused and coughed out some tea. "Tegan, Emy and I are... we're back together... and I know you're gonna tell me this is a bad idea but just hear me out" said Sara quickly. "Why would I tell you it's a bad idea? You know I love Emy... I've always wanted you two... to make it work... but at some stage... I gave up... But, It's great... you two... were made for each other" said Tegan weakly. Sara burst out in tears. "Thank you Tee, you know... how much your approval means to me... I just thought that you wouldn't think it's a good idea if we..." Sara trailed off. "I just... I don't... want to see you... get hurt Sara... don't hurt each other"
Tegan was asleep for most of the morning after going for some scans and x-rays and having a nurse take enough blood for tests to make Lindsey feel nauseous. She heard a bit of movement in her room and opened her eyes. Sonia was sitting next to her and she squeezed her hand. Staff was wheeling some equipment and an examination table into her room. Tegan's brow furrowed. Kate came walking in, turned to Tegan and shook her head "the hoops we'll jump through for you Quin!" She removed the oxygen mask and replaced it with a nasal cannula.
Lindsey came walking in with Dr Montgomery. "Hi Tegan. It's good to see you awake. You feeling a bit better?" asked Adison. "Yeah, a lot better... thanks" said Tegan. "Well firstly, congratulations! You must be so excited" said Adison. "Super excited" smiled Tegan weakly. "If Tegan can't come to the mountain we'll bring the mountain to Tegan" winked Dr Montgomery. "We've got all our equipment here to do Lindsey's ultrasound. We're done with the blood tests already. "We'll give you a minute to change Linds." said Adison. Sonia got up to leave "Mom... don't go..." said Tegan. "Munchkin, as much as I would love to stay, some things you need to experience first time without your mommy" she smiled and left. Tegan started to feel nervous. She watched Lindsey turn around and get changed into a gown. She followed the curve of her spine with her eyes. So gorgeous. Tegan's heart monitor sped up.
"Hey Emy, are you on the way to the airport yet?... Give me a ring when you know if your flight's on time... Yeah, a little better every day... Lindsey's having an ultrasound now... hold thumbs. Can't wait to see you... soooooon... I love you too Em, so much" Sara pressed end and smiled. Everything is falling into place. Everything's going to be fine.
Lindsey's examination table was pushed right up to Tegan's bed. Tegan held onto Lindsey's hand as tight as she could. Kate and Adison walked in. I hope it's okay with you if Kate stays Lindsey. She needs to keep an eye on Tegan's vitals, this is not usually done in the CCU you know. "Yeah, of course, no problem... Thank you for making this happen" said Lindsey nervously. "How have you been feeling lately Lindsey" asked Adison, sitting on a stool next to her bed. Kate was standing on Tegan's far side with her arms crossed watching Tegan's monitors like a hawk. "I'm alright, morning sickness was pretty bad there at some stage but it seems to be getting better, or perhaps I'm getting used to it. My breasts are super sensitive and... large" she chuckled. She felt Tegan squeeze her hand and smiled as she squeezed it back. "No dizziness, cramping?" asked Adison. "No dizziness in a while now and no cramping" reported Lindsey. Adison took Lindsey's BP and listened to her heart. "All normal... Ok let's see what we have here" smiled Adison and squeezed gel onto Lindsey's stomach. She rolled around the ultrasound probe for a few seconds. Tegan was staring at the screen but couldn't make out a thing. She started breathing faster. "Alright, there we go, I can see the amniotic sack... hang on..." she said. Tegan's heart monitor sped up again as nerves got the best of her. "Easy Tegan just breathe" urged Kate. Tegan took a deep breath, squeezed Lindsey's hand and swallowed hard. Lindsey turned her head and looked straight into Tegan's eyes. Calm washed over Tegan and she smiled. "OK, now let's see if we can pick up a heartbeat". Adison rolled the ultrasound probe over Lindsey's stomach. She had a concerned expression on her face and she kept quiet for a few seconds. "Juuuust give it a second, where are you little one?" she mumbled to herself. Tegan's heart started racing again. Kate had turned off the sound to Tegan's monitor but kept a close eye on it. Her elevated pulse was expected in this kind of situation but Kate didn't like it one bit. Tegan squeezed harder and took another deep breath. "There it is..." smiled Adison. Tears spilled from Tegan's eyes as she watched the monitor showing a heartbeat of 100 per minute. She had never seen a more beautiful thing"
"Mmmm" said Adison cocking her head to the side. "What have we here, another amniotic sack". Lindsey closed her eyes and held Tegan's hand to her chest. "Come on number two, show us your heartbeat" said Adison. She pressed her fingers into Lindsey's belly. Come on... where are you" said Adison calmly but both Tegan and Lindsey were freaking out. "Tegan, breathe – deep breaths" Kate held the oxygen mask over Tegan's face again. The few seconds Adison spent searching for a second heartbeat felt like an eternity. Her frown turned to a smile "Congratulations, you're expecting fraternal twins – there's the second heartbeat. Nice and strong. Everything looks perfect guys" Tegan was a wreck and she burst out crying. "Thank you ... thank you..." Lindsey was dumbstruck. She turned her head slowly towards Tegan with wide eyes and smiled. "I love you". They watched the screen for a few minutes marveling in their little miracles. "That one looks like you" joked Tegan. "Funny Tee..." said Lindsey rolling her eyes. Tegan giggled "Twins... twins..." Lindsey smiled "Quin for the win eh!" She leaned over and kissed Tegan while Adison was removing the gel on her stomach.
Sara, Sonia and Erin was pacing up and down nervously outside as Kate appeared. "Is everything okay?" asked Sonia. "Everything's fine grams, so are both moms. I'll leave it up to them to share the details" smiled Kate. "Thanks Kate... do you have a minute?" asked Sara. Kate looked at her watch, "sure what's up?" she said. "Could we talk in private?" asked Sara. Sonia frowned but let it go. "Okay, let's go to my office" said Kate. "What's on your mind Sar?" asked Kate as they sat down in her office. "I just wanted to talk to you about... ummm... I just wanted to ask if Tegan will be okay to sing again?" said Sara looking down. "I thought that may be on your mind..." Kate sighed. "Sara, Tegan's lungs have been through hell, some patients recover fully from ARDS relatively quickly, some take very long to do so and some never regain full function..." Sara's shoulders slumped. "Tegan is strong and we have no reason to believe that she won't regain full pulmonary function, she's been impressing me so much but there's no way of telling yet. Her vocal cords should be okay but there may be some damage from the tubes. I'm planning on sending a scope down her throat tomorrow so we can have a better picture of what we're dealing with. Her lungs will need a lot of physical therapy... She's going to have to work hard but let's stay positive!" said Kate forcing a smile. "Not that it matters in the greater scheme... I'm just happy she's okay... But singing is her life you know..." said Sara. "I know Sar, I know... We're going to make sure she gets the best possible treatment... We'll get her singing soon.. Sara, don't mention this to her just yet okay" said Kate, Sara nodded and swallowed hard to stop the tears that were building.
A/N: remember to review pretty please!