Chapter 48
Tegan groaned and moved her head slowly from side to side. Her brow furrowed and her lips started moving, she muttered something incomprehensible. Her heart monitor picked up speed and Sonia got up out of her chair. She walked over to Tegan and held her hand. Lindsey stroke her hair and looked up at Sonia. "I hate it when this happens... she seems to be having so many nightmares" she said. Kate rushed in and put her stethoscope in her ears while looking at the monitors. The nightmare seemed to be getting worse and Tegan groaned some more. "Can we wake her up Kate, please... she's having another nightmare..." asked Lindsey desperate. "Okay but let's try and keep her calm guys" said Kate and injected something into Tegan's IV. She gently shook her shoulder. "Tegan... wake up... open your eyes buddy... wake up" Tegan heard Kate's familiar voice mixed into her nightmare. Her eyes flew open and she breathed fast. "Shhh Tee, just relax... it was just a dream... everything's ok" said Lindsey. Tegan felt confused again, like she always did when waking up in this hospital. She tried to put together puzzle pieces in her mind. Her mind picked up an ugly one... Tegan whipped her head to look at Kate. "Sara... where's Sara... and Erin... what happened?" she asked confused and scared. "Tegan, they're okay... everybody's okay... stay calm for me... nice deep breaths please" said Kate. "No... Where are they? I want... to see them" said Tegan annoyed but weak. "Sweetie, Sara and Erin... got hurt... they are taking great care of them okay... they're right next door but they're sleeping" said Lindsey. Tears burst from Tegan's eyes. "Who did this... why... why did they... do this... are they okay... did he hurt them... what happened?" she was soon sobbing. "Just calm down... shhhh we'll tell you all about it later. Let's just take care of you now okay" said Kate. She was itching to sedate Tegan again but she knew that she would have to face this emotional trauma at some stage. Her vitals were holding up reasonably well considering her emotional state and she couldn't keep her sedated forever. Lindsey picked her up and just held a sobbing Tegan tightly to her chest. Tegan's arms just hung lifeless down her sides, she was still too weak to even hug her fiancé... it pissed her off! She hated every second of feeling powerless... hated it! Everything just crumbled... she couldn't be strong anymore. "It's okay baby... it's okay" repeated Lindsey over and over again. Sonia rubbed her back. Kate was getting worried, Tegan's pulse ox was falling slowly due to the sobbing. Lindsey put her back on the pillows and Kate put an oxygen mask over her face. Lindsey started singing hoping it would calm Tegan down. "baby don't worry, about a thing... Cause every little thing's... Gonna be alright" The sight of her child in pain was killing Sonia and she put her hand in front of her mouth as if to keep her emotions inside. "Tegan, you need to calm down now or I'm gonna need to sedate you again" said Kate. "No... please... no..." said Tegan and took two deep breaths of the oxygen. Her diaphragm was still contracting causing some stifled sobs. "There we go... nice and easy. We'll let you see them soon okay... very soon just relax for me" said Kate. Tegan felt completely shattered. She cried herself into a restless sleep a few minutes later.
Sara was negotiating with Dr Hunt when Kate entered. "What's going on here?" she asked. "Kate, please let me see Tegan and Erin... please... I'm fine really" said Sara. "Hmm – well we do want you up and about as soon as possible but not quite yet. You need to just take it easy" said Kate. Sara sighed. "Please... I... I really, really need to see them... I have to see them" begged Sara, she was close to tears. "Oh alright! You Quins making us jump through hoops again hey..."
Sara's bed complete with medical equipment was pushed down the hall. Tegan was in a different room – her old room had crime scene tape all over the door. Sara put her healthy forearm over her eyes when she saw it and breathed in deep. Emy saw her reaction and put her hand on her shoulder. "It's okay baby, I know it's difficult..." she said. Sara felt as if Emy was reading her mind. Her chin started to quiver but Emy's touch calmed her. She had never been happier to have Emy with her, she needed her support and love more than ever. They turned the corner into Tegan's room. Lindsey and Sonia both grinned. Tegan seemed to be asleep but the commotion made her stir. They parked Sara's bed next to Tegan's moving a few machines to the side so the twins could face each other. Sara looked at Tegan and smiled. God how I love you Tegan... she thought. Tegan had the stuffed giraffe clutched in her one arm. Tegan opened her eyes. "Hey brother..." said Sara softly. "Sasa..." whispered Tegan. "You're okay..." Sara took a second to compose herself "You bet I am..." she smiled and grabbed Tegan's hand with the hand without a cast. "We're gonna give you two a few minutes alone" said Sonia. Everybody else left the room. "Hey Sar... I bet it stung..." said Tegan chuckling weakly at her own inside joke. Sara just smiled. "What happened Sar?" asked Tegan, serious again. "Ugh... I'm sure you don't want to know..." said Sara looking up. "I don't... but I need to" said Tegan. "Sara... look at me... Sara!" Sara looked at Tegan, her eyes glistening with tears. Sara proceeded to tell Tegan about the kidnapping. She left out the really violent parts trying not to upset her sister too much. It wasn't working. Soon Tegan was weeping "I... can't... why..." Sara told Tegan why and Tegan simply shook her head. Clear mucus was running from Tegan's nose and she weakly pulled her hand to her face. Even this little bit of movement exhausted her. "Let me help you Tegan" said Sara trying to move. She fell back in pain. "You guys okay in here" said Kate popping her head around the door. Sara nodded and waved Kate over. Kate took a tissue and wiped Tegan's nose. She gave her a drink of water and left. "Fuck... I'm like a baby... even need to have... my nose wiped" said Tegan. She seemed a bit calmer now. "What happened then... in my room..." asked Tegan. Sara told Tegan everything she could remember. Tegan was speechless for a while trying to compose herself. "You saved me Sara... you saved my life" she smiled. "Thank you Sara... thank you..." Tegan whispered weakly. "No... Erin saved your life Tee. Twice. She pulled that IV with the syringe out... and she slapped his hand away when he tried to shoot you and she willingly risked her life by coming in here when she knew he was crazy." said Sara. "You both did... what have I done to... deserve you two... you two are... Fucking phenomenal" smiled Tegan. "Sar... tell me about your injuries... and Erin's" asked Tegan. "Oh it's nothing... few scrapes and bruises" said Sara. "Yeah... you end up in ICU... with scrapes and bruises" said Tegan with her brow raised. Sara told Tegan about her injuries and everything she knew about Erin's. Tegan's tears were flowing freely again. "Sara... Is she gonna wake up soon... Please tell me... she's gonna wake up soon" said Tegan. "Yes Tee. We're all gonna get through this – just stay positive"