Chapter 55
Tegan's driver seemed to take all the slowest routes to Erin's house but she didn't even notice. She was safe and happy in her lover's arms. She had her head on Lindsey's shoulder and her hand on her belly. She breathed in her familiar scent and could hear her slow and steady heartbeat under her ear.
Paparazzi were already crowding the entrance of the house, seemingly not heeding Tegan's call for privacy. Erin's house was super private and pap proof though and them being outside didn't even remotely bother Tegan. Lindsey helped Tegan out of the car and led her by the hand into the house. They were greeted by more applause from her loved ones, balloons and signs that read "Welcome home Tegan". Everybody took turns to embrace Tegan and she could hardly contain her emotions. "I'm sorry that you can't go to your own home Tegan but you know that this is your home too right" said Erin hugging her best friend tight. "I know Erin... thank you for having us." said Tegan, emotion now breaking in her voice. "You are always welcome here Tee, this is your home" said Erin. "Home is wherever you guys are" smiled Tegan. Champagne bottles were popped open and the celebrations started. Tegan felt a bit wobbly and sat down on one of Erin's beautiful couches like a nervous child. Sara was staring at her from the other side of the room. She noticed again how vulnerable Tegan seemed. She was so childlike. It touched Sara deeply and she walked over and sat down next to Tegan. She put her hand on her thigh and patted it gently. "You okay?" she said softly. "Yeah... just a bit overwhelmed by today but I'm fine" said Tegan. "I'm so happy"
"Well I guess it's the non alcoholic stuff for you" said Sonia. Kate raised an eyebrow, "Oh I guess half a glass of bubbly will be okay... only if you want to Tee" she said. "Oh... okay" said Tegan softly. "Tegan, I know you must be super tired right now... so I gave them an hour max and then you can go get some rest okay. But you just let us know when you want to go, everybody will understand" smiled Kate. She put her hand on Tegan's shoulder and rubbed it.
Sara cleared her throat loudly and banged a cake fork on her glass. Everybody turned to her. "Tegan... I am so delighted to be celebrating your recovery with you today. Your determination, your courage, your bravery, your fighting spirit inspires me every day and I'm so incredibly proud of you" said Sara through her tears. Tegan still sat in the oversized couch looking small, biting her bottom lip. "We are all so blessed to have you in our lives and I am blessed to have you as my twin. I couldn't have asked for a better person to be my partner in this journey of life. So today we celebrate you! Please join me in a toast to the strongest, most incredible person I know. To Tegan!" said Sara and raised her glass. She winked at Tegan as everybody repeated "To Tegan!" Tegan wiped more tears and simply mouthed "Thank you... I love you" to Sara as her friends and family all cheered.
People took turns to sit and chat to Tegan. As soon as she had a moment alone she put her head back and immediately nodded off. The half full glass of champagne still clutched in both her hands. That was everybody's cue to break up the party. "Should I wake her and take her to bed or just leave her for a while" asked Lindsey. "She looks pretty comfortable so let's just leave her" said Kate smiling. Lindsey gently removed the glass from her hands and lay her down on her side as Kate removed her shoes, picked up her legs and put them on the couch. "Sweet dreams my angel" whispered Lindsey and kissed her gently on the forehead. Erin covered her with a blanket. "Welcome back buddy" she said.
Tegan woke up after about an hour of peaceful sleep to find Sara sitting on a chair staring at her. "Hey what happened to the party?" said Tegan softly. "We'll have plenty more parties... you just relax Tegan" said Sara. Lindsey, Erin, Kate and Sonia entered the room. "Let's get you to bed Tegan" said Lindsey. "No... I... I want to hang out here with you guys" objected Tegan. "You've had a rough day Tegan... we can hang out tomorrow. Let's get some dinner into you and get you settled into your new home" said Erin handing Lindsey a plate of food. Tegan managed to eat most of the small plate of food, it tasted a hell of a lot better than the hospital food she was used to. The girls helped her up and led her outside to the pool house. The short, slow walk tired Tegan out and she had sweat beads forming on her nose. Erin showed them around the gorgeous house and hugged Tegan goodnight "If there's anything you need, anything at all, please just call. We're here for you Tegan" she said before she left. Tegan hugged her and turned to Sara "Thank you for today Sar... and for everything" she whispered and hugged Sara goodnight. Kate sat Tegan down on the king size bed and grabbed her medical bag. The room was set up with a few medical supplies in case they needed it. An oxygen tank and a heart monitor were hidden behind a room divider to make it feel more like home and less like a hospital room. Kate wrapped a BP cuff around her upper arm "You did so great today Tegan" she smiled. She listened to her lungs and heart and took her pulse ox. "Good... Everything's just fine. I'll be right in the main house if you need me okay. Call me any time day or night. I'll be back to check on you in the morning anyway. Have a good night guys. Lindsey, take care of her! Enjoy each other" said Kate as she packed her bag. "Thank you Kate... I owe you... big time" smiled Tegan. Sonia decided to retire to her room immediately. She sensed that Tegan and Lindsey needed some time alone and she was desperate for a shower and some sleep. "Goodnight sweetie, I'm proud of you... I love you so much" she said as she hugged Tegan goodnight.