A/N: WOW – how awesome is the 3 Juno awards the real Tegan and Sara won! Congratulations to them. So proud! Now back to fictional T&S

Chapter 117

Tegan was fast asleep for three hours after lunch. Lindsey was finally relaxing a bit reading and smiled as Tegan snuggled up as close as she could even though they were in different beds. She touched Tegan's forehead to push away her bangs and frowned when it felt really warm. She immediately pressed the call button. "Lindsey?" said Abby as she walked in. "Tegan feels really warm again" said Lindsey looking upset. "Jeez why doesn't she just get right inside your bed? She's going to fall down the gap here" said Abby trying to reach over to take Tegan's temperature. "Mmm she does feel warm" she said as she put the thermometer into Tegan's ear. The device flickered and Abby looked at the screen. Her eyes went wide. "I'll be back in a sec Lindsey" she said and left the room in a rush. Lindsey looked over to Tegan's monitors. Her heart rate was a bit faster than earlier but it still looked okay from what she could tell.

Kate and Sara were making out for the last hour when Kate got up. "Baby hang on... I need to go check on your sister" she said giggling and kissed Sara again. "I can't get enough of you" Kate smiled. "You look so hot in those scrubs... how does the staff get any work done with such hotness around them every day!" joked Sara. They heard a knock on the door and it immediately opened. Sara was suddenly relieved that they stopped making out two minutes ago. "Kate, I need you in Tegan's room" said Abby and left immediately.

Kate came jogging into Tegan and Lindsey's room with Sara hot on her heels. "What's up Abby" she asked. "Tegan's got a fever. Temp's at 102.8" said Abby. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap" said Sara sounding scared. "I'm attaching a core temp monitor now" said Abby. Lindsey was freaking out, Tegan was still fast asleep. "Lindsey... it's okay we've got this" said Kate. They moved the beds apart and Lindsey started crying as she let go of Tegan's hand. Tegan's cheeks were flushed. She was lying on her good side and was giving fast and shallow breaths. Kate called out drug orders and blood tests and took the covers off Tegan's body to cool her down. "Well no wonder she's warm... she's covered up like an eskimo here" said Kate shaking her head trying to put Lindsey and Sara at ease. Tegan woke up with the commotion. "What now?" she said groggily. "You have a bit of a fever Tee. We're going to cool you right down hang in there" said Kate. Tegan felt her head spin as Kate turned her on her back and put a stethoscope to her chest. She gave a weak cough and closed her eyes again. "Abby let's get a chest X-ray please" said Kate. Sara was standing against the wall with her hands over her mouth. A few minutes later Tegan was back from X-ray. "Well the chest X-ray looks clean as a whistle. No fluid build up. Bloods are back and everything's fine" said Kate. "Then why is she burning up" asked Lindsey. "Most probably post-operative fever... the body's inflammatory response to surgery. This is good news Linds. It's manageable, doesn't look like an infection. We're going to manage this with some meds, a cooling blanket and some chilled saline into her IV with some cooled oxygen. She's going to be fine guys" said Kate confidently. "First she's too cold and now she's too hot?" said Sara. Tegan woke up again. She had a splitting headache and felt like throwing up. "Sara... Sar... don't go... don't... go" she whispered through shivers. "I'm not going anywhere Tegan. I'm right here" said Sara.

It took hours but Tegan's temperature was finally back to a more manageable range. She was exhausted after that and she felt as if she couldn't even move. She felt completely drained and powerless. "I need... to get up..." she whispered. "Okay Tegan we're going to help you" said Abby. They helped Tegan sit up and swing her legs off the bed. They put Tegan's arms around their necks and pulled her up. She couldn't hang on and her muscles went limp. Tears were streaming down her face now. "I can't... I... can't" said Tegan. "No... Kate she can't... no, don't force her" said Sara protectively. Tegan couldn't even hold her body up and she leaned against Kate. "Okay let's get her back on a foley... she's way too weak" said Kate putting Tegan back against the pillows. She reattached the oxygen line and Tegan's eyes rolled back in her head. "Keep checking her core temp please. Leave her on 15 liters per minute by mask let's give her some more pain meds" said Kate. "Lindsey, you haven't had any rest the last few hours. Please try and sleep now" said Kate as Adison checked her vitals and the fetal monitor. "Is she okay now... she doesn't look okay" said Lindsey crying. "She's just fine Lindsey, her temp is back to normal. She's just really exhausted. A fever like that will do that to you. She's going to be fine in the morning provided her temp doesn't spike again but we've got her on meds to prevent that. Just relax and get some sleep now" said Kate.

"This see saw up and down shit is killing me" said Sara as they left the room. "I think I may have an ulcer" said Sara only half joking. Kate held Sara in her arms "I hate seeing her like this" said Sara, her voice breaking. "I swear it physically hurts me" she said as the tears started flowing. "I know baby... I know... She's okay" whispered Kate rubbing her back.

Tegan had a really good night and woke up feeling almost human again. She was full of shenanigans and was driving Lindsey and the hospital staff nuts. "Have you been doing your lung exercises Tegan?" asked Kate. "I have, religiously. Lindsey is working me like a dog with those" said Tegan. "Good... keep doing them. Thanks for being the police woman Linds. I've got to go check on your tests. Sara's waiting outside, I'll send her in" said Kate. "Guess what Tee?" said Sara while visiting. "What?" asked Tegan. "For some reason our record sales are going absolutely nuts! We've sold like 8 times as much in the last 3 months than we did in the previous 3, and that was while we were actually out there touring" said Sara. "Great news! All this media exposure huh... No biggy, you can thank me later" winked Tegan. "I would rather sell nothing than to have you in here" said Sara shaking her head. "Well either they miss us... or they're glad to be rid of us... or they think the better buy now before I croak" said Tegan. "Tegan don't say that" Lindsey scolded her. "Just joking babe, chill" said Tegan. "Well... I'm just glad we're still out there. Apparently we're getting heaps more radio play too. Tom is ecstatic. The media and the fans got wind of the fact that you're back in here though. I sent out a statement saying it was for 'routine observation'. I don't know if I should've given out more info" said Sara. "No... it's none of their business. So, what time do we have to be in court on Tuesday?" asked Tegan trying to change the subject. "What do you mean we" said Sara frowning. "I'll be out of here by then" said Tegan. "Yeah and you'll be staying home" said Sara. "No... I'm coming with you guys" said Tegan confused. "No Tegan... please just... I would prefer it if you stayed home"' said Sara trying to be patient. Tegan bit her bottom lip and thought about her next words for a minute. "I really want to go..." said Tegan and got cut off by an irritated Sara. "If you go we'll just be worrying about you all the time... and I don't want that. I want to know you're okay and safe at home. I don't want to put you through this" said Sara. "Sara... hear me out please... You guys were here for me, every day... for months on end. That wasn't easy for you either but you did it. I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm going" said Tegan. Sara shook her head and didn't answer. "Sar... I'm not some delicate little flower you need to protect... I can take care of myself" said Tegan. "Yes Tegan" is all Sara could get out.

Kate wasn't ready to let Tegan go home yet and kept her and Lindsey in hospital for another night. Tegan was stable and Kate was very happy with her progress but she wanted to play it safe. Tegan slept like a log again but Lindsey was up half the night feeling big and uncomfortable. It was Monday morning and Tegan was walking around the halls as instructed clutching her IV stand while Lindsey was catching up on lost sleep. It felt great to be moving again. She was bored stiff and walked up and down the hallways slowly. She even went to visit fifteen year old fan in the pediatric ward. She loved every second. The priceless look on the girl's face, the comparing of bruises and war scars. Talking and laughing, even taking pictures with her. Tegan suddenly realised how much she missed it. The music, the interaction, their wonderful fans and the incredibly awesome culture around their band. She was desperate to have it back. She walked back into the room and found Kate and Adison talking to Lindsey. "Hey, did you have a good walkabout?" asked Kate. "Yeah that was loads of fun, thanks for bringing her to my attention Kate. I think she really appreciated it. Think I'll send Sara around later. By the way, you guys need to redesign these gowns, they're really revealing. I kept thinking my ass is hanging out. She's going to put me on Instagram with my ass hanging out" laughed Tegan. "Oh but what a cute ass... they should be so lucky" laughed Lindsey. "Guess we should check that girls hormone levels now... they must be raging" laughed Kate. Tegan leaned over and kissed Lindsey and Lindsey grabbed and squeezed her bum. "Gimme that cute ass" whispered Lindsey seductively. Tegan giggled like a schoolgirl. "And I guess that's it for our little 'routine observation' lie seeing that I look like crap and have an IV in my neck" said Tegan. "Ah stufff it... I don't care. I had a great time with her and I want her to have her moment on Instagram" she said.

"How are you feeling? You've been up for a while" asked Kate. "I feel fine... really good actually. Can I go home now?" said Tegan. "Yes, you can. After you're taken a nap and only if you promise to take it easy, follow doctor's orders" said Kate. "Adison said I can go home today too" smiled Lindsey. "Good because there's no way I would leave you here alone" said Tegan. "You forgot to add that you have to stay in bed, and I mean strictly stay... in... bed!" said Adison. "Or the couch?" asked Lindsey trying her luck. "Yes okay then! Only because I know Kate will be there. You get up only to shower and go to the loo please" said Adison. "Not much of a holiday you're having hey Doc... I'm sorry" said Tegan. "Don't sweat it Tee. I would've been bored stiff doing nothing anyway" smiled Kate. "I'm going to replace that Jugular IV with a subclavian central line first" said Kate. "Nooo... do we really have to" moaned Tegan thinking she'd dodged the bullet. "We had a deal Tegan. Or if you want you can keep the ones you have but it looks kind of ugly and they must be really uncomfortable. At least this one will be covered by your shirt and I won't have to keep poking needles in those bruised arms any more" shrugged Kate. "Gee thanks" said Tegan. "We need this line Tee... and trust me when I tell you this is the least annoying option" said Kate. Tegan sighed and got into bed. "Why don't you just fuse the fucking thing in there permanently" she mumbled incomprehensibly. "Sorry what were you saying?" asked Kate reattaching Tegan's heart monitor and oxygen line before washing her hands and putting on gloves. "Oh nothing" said Tegan with a fake smile. "Why do I suddenly need the monitor again" asked Tegan. "Because we need to check your heart rhythm through the procedure to make sure the guide wire or the cannula don't touch your heart... or... well plenty of reason's Tegan. Just relax and breath the oxygen through your nose please" said Kate. "Okay we're keeping the one in until we have the new one secured" said Kate cleaning the insertion site under Tegan's clavicle and draping it, Abby handed her a syringe with a small needle. Sara walked into the room eyes wide. "Sar we were just giving Tegan a central line so she can go home this afternoon. We'll give you a call as soon as we're done" smiled Kate. "Let her stay... she loves this shit" said Tegan. "Your call" said Kate. "It's fine, really" said Tegan trying to sound cool but secretly wanting Sara, her security blanket with her. Lindsey was holding Tegan's one hand and Sara grabbed the other and patted it. "Cool... squeeze my hand if it hurts" said Sara. Kate brought the needle closer. Kate started talking Tegan through what she was about to do. "I've had one of these before you know" said Tegan nonchalantly. "Yeah, and you got that one when you were unconscious" said Kate. "Fuck that thing is huge" said Tegan sounding scared. "This isn't the big one, it's just the little numbing one Tee" laughed Kate. "Close your eyes or look away" said Kate. "Little sting" said Kate. "Oh... that was okay" said Tegan. "I still can't believe that after all you've been through you're still such a wuss!" said Sara laughing. "Oh we'll see how you handle a million needles being poked into you" huffed Tegan in anger and looked away. "Okay Tee... I've numbed you up but I'm not gonna lie to you, this will hurt!" said Kate taking a much longer and thicker needle from Abby. "Yay" said Tegan sarcastically. Abby handed Kate an ultrasound probe. "Let's just make sure we put this in the right vein... we're going to put it in the superior vena cava and we don't want to hit an artery. I need you to stay really still" said Kate looking over the rims of her glasses. She proceeded and talked a very interested Sara through the entire procedure. "Abby, keep an eye on the ECG and her pressure please" said Kate noticing that the beeping coming out of Tegan's heart monitor sped up significantly. "Just try and relax Tegan. I know this is scary but everything's okay. We'll be done in a jiffy" said Kate in her calm and gentle way.

The procedure still hurt like hell even after the numbing meds and it felt really weird. "Oooo it's bleeding quite a bit" said Sara highly intrigued. "Shit Sar, you're not helping here" said Tegan annoyed. Tegan let go of Sara's hand and bit her forefinger. "Fuck me!" she breathed with tears in her eyes. "No she's already fucking me" said Sara, her filter seemingly not on today. Kate put her hands in the air and Tegan's body shook slightly as she laughed. "Sar... shhh don't make us laugh! This is a delicate procedure" said Kate. "Oh fuck... Sorry" said Sara. Kate's brow furrowed in concentration as she guided the tube into Tegan's vein and flushed all the lumens after she was sure the tube was in correctly. Tegan's face showed nothing but pain. "Okay baby, almost done" cooed Lindsey. "Gosh you're pushing this thing in real deep" said Sara looking a bit grossed out. "Yeah, pretty much all the way to the heart" said Kate. "Shut the fuck up Sara or I'm going to puke all over you!" said Tegan.

Kate inserted the central line without any complications and Sara beamed at her. "How did you get so smart" she smiled. "Boring, antisocial hours and hours in front of books. That and years of practice and way too many all-nighters as an intern, that's how" said Kate. "BP's dropped to 100 over 70, pulse still quite high... 105" reported Abby. "Tegan, you feeling okay?" asked Kate. "Groovy" said Tegan sarcastically. "Just keep taking deep breaths okay... I'm going to stitch it in now and this other little piece is also going to be stitched into your skin" said Kate. "You're giving me scars" complained Tegan. "Baby your scars are hot" joked Lindsey. "Oh no Tee... no more bikini tops on stage" said Sara and rolled her eyes. "Bite me Sara" said Tegan. "All done, I'm going to send you for another X-ray now to make sure the line is placed correctly. Then you should get some rest before we go home" smiled Kate while putting a dressing over the wound. Tegan gave a big, shuddering sigh.

Erin and Alex arrived later that afternoon to take Tegan and Lindsey home. "Guys, Alex and I happen to drive past a property that's up for sale earlier today and we went to have a look. It's really great and I think it's just so, so perfect for you guys. Five bedrooms, beautiful garden, gorgeous hardwood floors. A block from our place and two from Kate's. Maybe you should go have a look sometime" said Erin. "Sounds great... sounds expensive though" said Tegan. "It's not that bad. Just go have a look" said Alex. "Yeah well, your not too bad and our not too bad isn't the same thing Al" said Tegan. "Five rooms though! Sounds like heaven" said Lindsey. "One for an office slash studio, one for us, two for the kids, one for when grandma and grandpa come visit" said Tegan. "What about me?" joked Sara. "Um... last I checked you were moving in two blocks away" said Tegan. "So you'll check it out?" asked Erin. "Sure, I just don't want to get our hopes up" shrugged Tegan.

Tegan insisted on walking out of the hospital. "Tegan just sit your ass down" said Kate annoyed. "Why... I've been walking around the whole morning" said Tegan. "Rules. Sit the fuck down" said Kate. "Okay then... jeez relax" said Tegan rolling her eyes. Security was tight but Sara spotted a photographer with a zoom lens in the distance. She shook her head and muttered. "Fucking paps" but didn't alert Tegan to his presence.

They left through the basement and drove past the property Erin and Alex were talking about. It was in one of the best areas of LA. "There it is guys" said Erin. "Wow... looks awesome from outside. Great security too. Do you think we can go have a quick look?" asked Tegan. "The estate agent said she'll be here the whole day so if Kate's okay with it?" said Erin. "Yeah okay... make it quick though Tegan. Lindsey's supposed to be on bed rest you know" said Kate. "Well we've got the damn wheel chair in the back you know" said Lindsey annoyed. "Okay... take it easy though Tee" said Kate.

Tegan walked into the house clutching her IV bag in one hand. Her mouth fell open and she smiled. She hadn't even seen the rest of it but it was love at first sight. "Wow... so far so good" she said and turned to Lindsey being pushed into the house by Alex. They looked at the rest of the house and were on cloud nine. The house was perfect. Beautiful and homey even when it was empty. The garden was lush and had a large lawn and a swimming pool. Sara, Kate, Alex and Erin waited outside after Tegan and Lindsey inspected every piece of the house. "Oh my god I love this place. I can very vividly picture us here. It's incredible. I don't know how much it is but we've been doing really well financially recently and maybe if I sell my place in Vancouver..." said Tegan. "Baby I don't want you to sell your place" said Lindsey. "Why... we live here now. We're a family now. We don't need a second home. We can stay with my mom when we visit" said Tegan. "I love this place Tee... should we try and make it work?" asked Lindsey. "Me too... I don't want to get my hopes up but let's try and make this work financially" said Tegan. She turned to speak to the estate agent. "Could we look at the asking price and at some financing options? We want to make an offer but we just need to go and make some sums back home. We may need a few days to sort things out" said Tegan. "So you want to live here?" asked the estate agent. "Yeah we want to live here but..." said Tegan before the estate agent interrupted her. "It's yours. Alex and Erin wants to buy if for you as a wedding gift" she said. Tegan's mouth fell open. "No no... that's not an option" she said. Lindsey looked dumbfounded. "They just wanted to make sure you like the place first" said the estate agent. "We can't... no" said Tegan and walked outside to go call Alex and Erin. "Can you give us a sec?" she asked the estate agent. "Guys... you are so incredibly generous and we love you but really... we can't accept your gift" said Tegan shaking her head. "Why not Tee? We really want to get you something special as a wedding gift and..." said Erin before being interrupted by Tegan. "Erin we can take care of ourselves... we can afford our own house" said Tegan sounding upset. "Tee this has nothing to do with you affording anything... Jeez... I knew you would react this way. If I buy you a book or a CD as a gift I know you can afford it... but it's a gift. We just... we thought that... we didn't mean to upset you... we just..." Erin stumbled over her words. Sara walked into the room after talking with the estate agent outside. "Well I don't see what the big deal is Tegan. It's a gift, a really generous one from two amazing friends" she said. Tegan just shook her head with her hands in her sides. "Erin, Alex... can I have a word alone with these two" said Sara. Erin shrugged and walked outside. "Tegan... fuck dude take the gift. I know that if you kill yourself you maaaay be able to afford this but you also have to start thinking about college funds and shit... kids are expensive" said Sara. "It just feels like a pity present" said Tegan. "Well I can assure you it's not... fuck guys... Alex and Erin are two of the best paid actors in the world. They make like $20 million a movie. And they make a shitload of them... This is small change for them. They have everything they'll ever want. Let them splurge on their best friends what else are they going to get? A fucking island in the Bahamas... well they can probably afford that in addition to this" said Sara laughing. Tegan seemed to be calming down. "Linds... what do you think" asked Tegan as she sat down on a chair in front of Lindsey. Lindsey swallowed hard and waited a few seconds before answering. "I felt the same as you initially... instinct I guess. But Sara's right. This isn't about them thinking they're better than us or... taking pity on us. You know Erin better than anybody. That's not her... I know it's not their intention. Tee I think you and I both know that this is an amazing gift. One that will make us happy for a very, very long time. I think they're amazing for offering it. I think we should take it and be grateful" said Lindsey sincerely. Tegan took both of Lindsey's hands in hers and pressed her forehead against Lindsey's. "Okay... we'll accept the gift" she said.

Tegan pushed Lindsey outside and turned to hug her best friend. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "You guys... are amazing... I fucking love you so much... thank you so much" she said. "So you'll take it?" asked Erin with Tegan still sobbing in her arms. "Yes... thank you... we'll accept your incredible gift" said Tegan, she couldn't stop hugging Erin. "Awesome! I'm ecstatic!" said Erin. Tegan finally broke her hold and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "Are you trying to get rid of us?" she joked. "Tee... if I could keep you guys in that pool house forever I would, you know that!" said Erin. Erin hugged Linsey who was also now in tears. Tegan smiled and hugged Alex. "You are the best friends in the world. I cannot get over your love and generosity" said Tegan.

A/N: A nice long chapter. Can't wait for them to move into their dream home. REVIEW please!