A/N: Hope you're still enjoying the story? I have two chapters ready. Here's one so long, may or may not post the other today. I have a few errands to run. Please remember to review!
Chapter 69
Tegan and Sara were franticly searching through the box with fan mail, ripping open letter after letter and scanning it before throwing it aside. "Dammit, where is it" exclaimed Sara. Erin came running in, "we have an IP address but it's pointing to a large building in Echo Park – don't know which apartment" she started ripping open envelopes with the twins. This went on for some time, the girls silently working through the pile. Tegan was standing on her knees next to the coffee table, she grabbed a plain white envelope and tore it open. Her face changed and she sank down onto her bum, her shoulders slumped as she read the letter. The content was more or less what was in the post on the forum but more heart breaking. "Got her" mumbled Tegan. Sara's head snapped up "Is there an address... Tegan!" she demanded. "No... I... I don't see one" said Tegan and started to panic. Erin grabbed an envelope "Is this the envelope Tee?" she asked. "I don't know... there were so many... I don't know" gulped Tegan. The letter in her hands started shaking. "Let's compare the handwriting" said Erin calmly. She held up two envelopes and threw it aside but had a match with the third. "This is it, it's definitely it. And there's an address and a name... 'Carmen'... no last name" said Erin. "Let's go" yelled Tegan and got up. Charles and Jeff walked into the room "no, no, you're not going anywhere" said Charles. "Oh yes we are... she's going to kill herself if we don't" said Sara intensely. "Alex will kill me if I let you do this" said Charles. "Bring as many guards as you want but please we need to go... we can't let this girl do this" pleaded Erin. "Call the cops. They will take care of it. Or we'll go... alone" said Charles sternly. Tegan was becoming teary, her voice shook "Please... please guys we need to help her" she said. Charles couldn't say no to them any longer. "Okay then, get in the car. You three follow our orders please – it's for your own safety" he boomed. "Yes boss" said Erin and ran to the door.
Kate stood was in her office doing some admin waiting for Sara and Erin to arrive for their check up's and removal of their casts. Callie the ortho resident entered. "Hey how're you doing" she said and gave Kate a long hug. "I'm great thanks, how are you?" smiled Kate. "Same old, same old... tired... overworked but good" laughed Callie. "You look great. The bit of rest is doing you good. You needed it! Although from what I hear you still have your hands full with your patient" she said. "Not really. It's a pretty big vacation compared to being at work" said Kate with her hands behind her head. She did look so much more relaxed than usual. "I've got to go check on a patient but I'll see you in an hour with Sara and Erin" said Callie and left. Kate sat back in the leather chair and stared at the photos on her desk. She loved her job, she was addicted to it but she came to a realisation when she stood still and did some introspection for the first time in months. She realised that she was burnt out and running on fumes. Physically and also emotionally. Before this break she wasn't spending nearly enough time with her family and friends, her love life was in complete shambles, her eyes had constant dark rings under them due to lack of sleep and she was constantly on edge, stress never really leaving her body. She contemplated her options. She could return to work full time but she knew that she would be back in the same situation in a week. She could ask to scale down her hours a bit but she knew that wouldn't work. Something or some patient always came up and before she knew it she would be back to 3 hours sleep per night, she didn't know how to say no. Or... she could take an extended leave of absence and go find her mojo again, she had more than enough money to be able to do it. She looked at a photo of her teaching Tegan and Erin to surf a couple of years ago. Three fresh young smiling faces holding surfboards and being goofy. She smiled – what happened to that carefree girl, the one that got her adrenaline rush from surfing, from travelling, from playing music not from a hospital.
Tegan, Sara and Erin stayed hidden in the back of Charles' SUV. He came and went a lot so the paps didn't really take much notice. The SUV pulled up in front of the building and everybody jumped out. They rushed inside to the elevator and Sara pressed the up arrow repeatedly. "That's not going to make it come faster" said Jeff dryly. "What are we gonna say when we get up there" asked Erin. "We're gonna wing it... I guess" said Tegan, already seeming out of breath. The doors opened and they all rushed in and Sara pressed the 5 button. "Hold the elevator please" said an old lady with a walker coming in through the main door. "Dammit... go Charles, go don't wait" said Sara. Charles kept the door open. "Fuck... let's go let's go" said Tegan through her clenched teeth. It felt like forever before the old lady finally entered the elevator. "Good afternoon" she said with a smile. "Good day m'am" smiled Tegan and everybody else also mumbled their hellos. "5 please" said the old lady. Sara was tapping her foot. "Does this thing always go this slow?" asked Sara. "Hey... you look an awful lot like Tegan from that band Tegan and Sara" said the old lady and turned around. "Hang on – you look like Sara. It's you isn't it" she said. "Wow m'am, you do know your modern music" said Charles stifling a chuckle. "My granddaughter... she's staying with me right now and she's a big fan. She loves you guys. She's a lesbanian to too like you two" she said. "Ehhem, I think you mean lesbian m'am" said Sara. Tegan pulled her facial muscles trying to hide her laugh. "Yeah Carmen sit in her room the whole day liste..." the old lady got cut off by Tegan who's face changed instantly. "You're granddaughter is Carmen?" she asked frantically. "M'am... is she home right now?" asked Sara. "I don't know... I guess she is. These days she's always home, crying in her room. She came to live with me a month or so ago... don't know what's going on with her. She's nice though, she sent me to Palm Springs for the weekend. I was on my way to the station in the cab but I forgot my glasses and had to turn back. Now I don't feel like going anymore"
The doors opened and everybody started running down the hall without a further word to the old lady. "She sent her away so she could do it..." screamed Sara. They got to the door and Sara knocked. Tegan came walking out of breath a minute later. Sara knocked again. "Come on... where are you Carmen" she whispered. She could hear loud music coming from inside. Very familiar loud music. She knocked again but there was still no answer. The old lady came walking around the corner with her walker. "What are you all doing here..." she asked. "We're friends of Carmen's m'am... we need to speak with her urgently" said Tegan putting her hand on the old lady's shoulder. "Oh okay where's my key" she said and started digging through her handbag slowly. "Can I help you m'am?" asked Tegan trying not to sound alarmed. "No... no... thanks... oh here it is" she said and put the key in the lock. "Erin, keep gran outside please" whispered Sara. Erin started chatting to the granny, she seemed super chuffed that she's meeting a movie star.
Kate looked at her watch and then at Emy and Alex sitting in her office waiting for Sara and Erin to arrive. "Guess they had trouble getting out of the house with all those leeches outside" said Emy. "I'll call E" said Alex. The phone rang and Alex heard Erin's voice "Hey Alex... I'm sorry I can't really talk right now" she said. "Erin where are you, you have a doctor's appointment" he said. "Shit... totally forgot" cursed Erin. "Alex, please cancel it. We're not gonna make it. We're okay, I promise... I'll phone you soon. Trust me please" she said and the phone went dead. Alex felt his heart drop to the floor as he stared at the phone.
"Stay behind me" said Charles and walked in. He checked the rooms one by one. Tegan and Sara recognised their own voices booming from the bedroom. The Con seemed to be on repeat. The bathroom door was closed. Tegan stood right behind Charles, her heart felt as if it would beat out of her chest, she was breathing fast. "You okay Tee?" whispered Sara concerned. "Yeah" replied Tegan swiftly looking as if she was going to throw up any second.
Charles knocked softly. A sob could be heard inside "go away Gran... just give me some privacy please". "Open it" mouthed Sara to Charles. He turned the doorknob slowly. A girl was sitting against the wall on the bathroom floor in only her panties. There was blood...