Chapter 191
Tegan walked into the airport with a hoody over her hair and sunglasses hiding her eyes. "Tegan this is LA… if you WANT people to recognize you… wear the stupid hoody" said Sara. Tegan took the sunglasses off but kept the hoody on. "Hope you got us VIP check in" said Tegan. "I did grumpy" said Sara.
"Hi… I'm sorry but I was wondering if I could have a photo… big fan" said a guy jumping in front of Tegan. Tegan obviously wasn't in the mood but she shrugged and posed for a photo with a half-hearted smile. "You know the fandom is going to freak out when they see you with puffy eyes and a swollen nose" said Sara. "Well… what the fuck did you want me to do… say no to the photo?" said Tegan. "No… just saying" said Sara.
Tegan and Sara checked in their bags and moved through security. "Ma'am… please move this way" said a chubby, nasal sounding female security guard to Tegan. "Ma'am what is this?" she asked. "It's… it's" mumbled Tegan. "It's ashes" said Sara. The lady looked at the urn and put it through the x-ray. "And this?" she asked. "It's an oxygen concentrator" said Tegan. "How do we know that?" said the guard. "Um… because it says oxygen concentrator on here. Here's the number of my doctor if you need to clear it with her" said Tegan and wrote down Kate's number. "It doesn't have a cylinder" said the girl looking sleuth. "It doesn't have one… it takes oxygen out of the air… concentrates it… and pumps it back out in.. well… higher concentration. For when people can't carry around tanks" said Tegan. "Ma'am… do you have a license to carry medical equipment?" asked the guard. "No… I didn't know I needed a license to carry this… I mean does diabetics need licenses to carry insulin?" said Tegan annoyed. "Well I'm going to have to check this with my superior" said the girl. "Great… didn't want to bring the fucking thing in the first place" mumbled Tegan. "Come with me" said the woman. "Sorry… officer… we're in a bit of a rush, we have a flight to catch" said Sara. "I'll do my best not to keep you long" said the girl. Twenty minutes later the girl was still not back. "If Jeremy was here none of this would be happening" said Tegan. Sara shook her head. "Yes Tegan…. Probably not" said Sara annoyed.
"This is fucking bullshit" said Tegan becoming very agitated. "I know" said Sara. A minute later the officer and somebody wearing what looked like a paramedic suit came into the room. "Ma'am… this is our medical officer. He's going to examine you and this device before we can allow you to board" said the woman. "You've got to be shitting me" said Tegan. "Sorry but officer Cruz thinks that you may have a contagious disease. She's following protocol. The O2 concentrator isn't a problem though" said the medic. "I don't have a contagious disease… this is bullshit…. Why don't you just phone my doctor" said Tegan loudly. "He needs to check you over. You look a bit pale and sweaty" said the woman. "Fuck this" mumbled Tegan. "Ma'am… we will not tolerate swearing" said the woman. "Tegan just let him examine you so we can get out of here" said Sara.
Tegan closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. "Just need to fill some paperwork first" said the guard. "I'll give you a minute" said the medic and left. "Can't we just do both at the same time?" asked Tegan loudly with her hands in the air. "Calm down Ma'am" said the guard. Anger was building up inside Tegan but she did her best to stay calm. The guard took some basic info before asking an annoyed "Occupation?". "Musician" said Tegan. "No, What do you do for work?" she asked. "I make music" said Tegan. "Like do you play in an orchestra?" asked the guard sounding confused. "No… I… we, make like… pop music" said Tegan. "Uh huh" said the guard not sounding impressed or convinced. "Does it really matter" snapped Sara. "Miss… why don't you wait outside for your friend. This really is none of your business" said the guard. "This is my business…. And she's not my friend she's…." spat Sara. "What is she?" asked the guard. "She's my twin sister" said Sara looking confused. "Jeez I must look like shit if you can't even see that" said Tegan rolling her eyes and actually smiling. The guard looked at Sara, then at Tegan. "Mmmm…. Could be I guess" she mumbled. Tegan looked at Sara with a dumbfounded look on her face. She shook her head and then started giggling mouthing "What the?" to Sara. "What's so funny?" said the lady. "Nothing… can we get the medic guy in here and get this over with" said Tegan.
The medic came in and unbuttoned Tegan's shirt. Tegan felt self-conscious. "I'm hearing a bit of wheezing" said the guy. "Yes, because you upset her" said Sara defensively. Tegan wheezed more and pulled out her inhaler. She took two deep puffs. "There… wheezing gone" said Tegan. The guy proceeded with a BP and temp check. "I'm going to need to send you for a chest x-ray at the airport's medical facility" said the guy. "No fucking way. My doctor checked me over this morning. I don't have a fever" said Tegan jumping up. "Ma'am please… if that checks out you're free to go" said the guy. Tegan was now losing her shit. "All I want to do is get to Canada…. How fucking difficult can that be… this is such bullshit… Sara, let's just go home" said Tegan pacing around. "Sorry guys… please phone Dr Morgan. She'll give you the all clear" begged Sara. Tegan was pacing around like a caged animal. "I need to get out of here… I need some fresh air" said Tegan. "Stay where you are ma'am. You need fresh air you use your little fresh air machine" said the guard sarcastically. Tegan was shaking with rage but she sat down to try and regain her composure. She knew that if she got any more upset her pulse ox would drop and she would need to use the supplemental oxygen. She didn't want to give them more reason to keep her. "Okay… okay" said Tegan with her hands in the air.
Sara eventually convinced the guy to call Kate who in turn explained everything to the medic and sent through documents confirming Tegan's medical clearance to fly. "I'm sorry for keeping you" said the guard. "We missed our flight didn't we" said Tegan. "Yeah… why don't you go sit down in one of the airport lounges? I'll go sort out our tickets for the next flight" said Sara. "Next time… just book us a private flight so we can bypass this bullshit" said Tegan.
"Here you go… a latte and a muffin. I'll be back in a few minutes Tegan… just going to the ticket counter" said Sara after settling Tegan in on one of the couches in the frequent flyer lounge. "Okay" mumbled Tegan. She was already looking tired. Tegan drank the coffee in a few fast gulps but didn't touch the muffin. She sat with her backpack on her lap and her head on her backpack when Sara came back into the luxury airport lounge. "First flight I could get leaves in two and a half hours" said Sara. "Fucking great" sighed Tegan and leaned back. "Just relax, why don't you take a nap?" said Sara. "Not tired" said Tegan. "You look tired" said Sara. "Sara, just mind your own business" said Tegan. Sara got up to go get a snack and a cup of coffee but more to avoid snapping at Tegan. Tegan just stared out in front of her.
An hour later Sara looked up from her book. Tegan was still in the exact same position, staring out in front of her. "Tee… helloooo" said Sara and waved her hand in front of Tegan's face. Tegan snapped out of it and looked a bit embarrassed.
An hour later Tegan and Sara were finally waiting to board the plane. Tegan had her hoody back on. "Aren't they boarding first class yet?" said Tegan. "There's no first class on this flight. All economy" said Sara. "And the hits just keep on coming" said Tegan sarcastically. "Since when are you so hung up on first class. Thought you said it's a waste of money. You used to insist on flying economy" said Sara. "Yeah well… that was when I didn't mind crowds" said Tegan. She kept facing away from people, desperate to not be recognized again.
They finally boarded the plane. "Can I have the window?" asked Tegan already moving in first. "Go ahead" said Sara. Tegan shoved the oxygen concentrator in the overhead compartment but kept her backpack on her lap. She buckled her seatbelt and turned her head to look out of the window and hide her face from the other passengers boarding. She took her phone out and dialled. "Hey baby…" Tegan spoke into the phone softly. "No no… we were delayed. We only boarded now…. Everything okay over there? ….. That's good… Miss you guys already…. I will…. Okay sweetie… love you… bye". Sara listened to the one side of the conversation and suddenly felt guilty for taking Tegan away from the one place where she felt safe if not happy right now. "You okay?" asked Sara softly. "I'm fine" said Tegan and cleared her throat. She put her head back and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry miss… you can't keep that bag on your lap, let me put it in the overhead stowage for you" said an air hostess and reached over to take the bag from Tegan. Tegan yanked it away quickly. "No no… I'll hang on to it" she said fast. "Ma'am you're at an emergency exit. You can't have anything on your lap" said the air hostess. "I'll put it under my seat" said Tegan. "Sorry, noting under the seats either" said the air hostess becoming a bit agitated but remaining professional. "Sara" said Tegan pleadingly, close to tears, still gripping the bag tightly. "Can you please give us a minute" Sara asked the air hostess with a smile. "Sure" sighed the air hostess. "What's wrong with you Tegan? Give me the bag" said Sara. "No… I'm not shoving Jeremy in the overhead compartment" said Tegan looking petrified. "Oh…. I see…." said Sara. Tegan breathed heavily. "Okay… calm down. I'll sort this out" said Sara and waved the air hostess over. She got up and softly spoke to her "Is there any way that we could swop seats. You see the thing is… my sister is, well... she's a bit under the weather and also she has the ashes of her best friend in that bag. I don't think she's the right person to have by an emergency exit right now" said Sara. "Oh my gosh… the poor thing. She does look pale. Not to worry, I'll make a plan" said the air hostess. Plenty of tall people were very willing to swop seats with the twins. They were moved to the first row of seats. Tegan was happy to have a wall in front of her instead of more people.
Tegan sat down and opened her backpack to get her iPod out. The bag somehow fell open and the urn with Jeremy's ashes tumbled to the ground. "Oh fuck… O fuck! Where is it…. Sara where is it!" Tegan almost yelled. "Where's what Tee?" said Sara. "Jeremy!" yelled Tegan. Tegan was now on the floor searching. The simple wooden urn had rolled two rows back. "Sara! There… there it is" said Tegan. "Where?" said Sara trying to spot it between moving feet. "Two rows back" said Tegan. "Excuse me… sorry… excuse me" said Sara trying desperately to reach the spot that the urn rolled to. "Sara quick" said Tegan still on the floor. "There, there" said Tegan. The air hostess was now also searching. "Got it" said Sara and picked up the tube. Tegan was now flat on her stomach, she buried her face in her arm in relief. People were walking over Tegan's feet now, this made the air hostess very angry. "Can you please just hold up… just stop for a minute" she instructed the long row of passengers. She helped Tegan up. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah yeah, sorry for the commotion" blushed Tegan.
Sara sat down next to Tegan and handed her the urn. "There you go" she said. Tegan checked that the lid was screwed on tight. She held it tight and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Don't run away again Jer" she whispered and zipped the urn back in her backpack. Sara smirked. "You know he'd be laughing his ass off if he was here" said Sara. "I know" said Tegan and cracked a smile. Sara looked at Tegan's hands. They were shaking. "Hey… it's okay. We got him back" said Sara. "I know… just trying to get over the adrenaline rush" said Tegan and tried to take a deep breath. Her chest felt tight.
"Looks as if we may have an empty seat next to us" said Sara a few minutes later as she looked around the plane. Most passengers have boarded already and only two more came on in the last few minutes. Tegan didn't reply but turned her face towards Sara, she looked pale. "You okay?" asked Sara. "Uh… yeah" mumbled Tegan. "You sure? Tegan?" asked Sara sounding scared. Tegan nodded. "Take deep breaths" said Sara. Tegan nodded. "I'm fine" she said softly. A girl came running onto the plane just in time for take-off. She plonked her bag down on the empty seat next to Sara while she took her jacket off. "Fucking A" said Tegan softly, rolling her eyes and sinking further into her seat. Sara grunted.
"Hi, I'm Jemma" said the girl and held her hand out for Tegan and Sara to shake. "Hey, I'm Sara and this is my sister Tegan" said Sara. Tegan nodded and looked away. "Oh my god… Tegan and Sara… like THE Tegan and Sara!" exclaimed the girl. Sara smiled, "Uh huh". The girl starting talking like a speeding train. Tegan pulled out her ear buds looking annoyed and shoved them in her ears to drown the girl out. She pulled the hoody back over her head. The air hostess stopped next to their row again. "Miss… We're ready for take-off, please switch off your iPod" she said. Tegan did as instructed. She closed her eyes and heard the girl yacking away. She shoved Sara's arm. Sara turned her head. "For god's sake…. Please… Shut her up" mouthed Tegan. "I'll try" Sara shrugged. Sara tried her best to slow the conversation down but the girl was still talking.
Tegan felt her seat bounce forward, a second later the second bounce. Annoyed she looked back and saw a toddler kicking the back of her chair. She sat forward with her face in her hands. "Stay cool Tegan… stay cool" she mumbled. The kid kept kicking and kicking. Tegan unbuckled her seatbelt and got up looking annoyed. "Excuse me…. Could you ask your boy not to do that please?" asked Tegan. "Just relax" said the kid's father, still reading his paper. "Sara… hold me down because I swear to god this is going to get ugly" said Tegan softly. "Sir, please. My sister isn't feeling well. She would appreciate some peace and quiet to get some rest" said Sara. The man rolled his eyes and told the kid to stop. Tegan sat back down and turned to Sara. "Thanks" she mumbled. "Sure, just relax now. Try and get some sleep" said Sara.
The plane started ascending into the sky and Tegan felt her body being pushed against the seat. She stuffed her jacket into a ball and used it as a pillow. She was so incredibly tired having not slept much the previous night. She felt herself start to relax. Just as she was about to nod off she felt a kick against the chair again. "Fuck" she mumbled. It was quiet for another few minutes before the kicking started again in full force. "Dammit" said Tegan leaned forward with her hands over her face. Sara was still being kept busy by the chatting girl next to her. Two more kicks. "Fuck this" mumbled Tegan and unbuckled herself. She propped herself up on her knee and turned around. She stared at the kid. "Please… don't do that" she asked politely. The kid looked her in the eye and gave the chair another kick. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" said Tegan loudly. Half the plane was now staring at her. The kid started bawling. "Oh great" said Tegan and threw her arms up in the air. "What's the issue here?" asked the air hostess. "This lady just upset my son" said the dad. "I upset him? I… upset HIM?" said Tegan. She looked livid. "Ma'am just calm down for a second" said the air hostess. Tegan took a deep breath. "He… he would not stop kicking the back of my seat. I asked very nicely more than once" said Tegan. "Is that true sir?" the air hostess asked the dad. "He may have accidentally bumped the seat" said the guy. "Bumped the seat? Bumped the seat?" said Tegan loudly, her face red, her breathing labored. "Is this accidentally bumping?" exclaimed Tegan and started yanking the chair forward and backward.
"Tegan calm down!" said Sara. Tegan sat down as the dad started explaining again. "Deep breaths Tegan… deep breaths" she whispered with her eyes closed. Suddenly everything was just too much. She burst into tears with her face in her jacket. "Is she okay?" asked the kind air hostess looking at Tegan concerned. "I don't know" said Sara with her hand on Tegan's shaking back. "What the hell? You're crying?" laughed the rude dad. "Shut up you jerk" mouthed Sara. "Sir… can you just be quiet now" said the air hostess. "Tegan… Tee" said Sara softly. Tegan just shook her head, face still buried. "Hey… it's okay… take a deep breath. Do you need your inhaler?" asked Sara. "Oh my gosh! She can't breathe! She can't breathe!" screamed the girl next to Sara when she heard the word inhaler.
The rest of the plane was suddenly in hysterics. "Whoa, whoa! She's okay… she's fine… please just give her some space" said Sara. Tegan felt her airways close up and patted for her inhaler. "Somebody help her" screamed another lady. "Is there a doctor on the plane? We need a doctor! She needs help!" shouted the man on the other side of the isle. "I'm okay… everybody just calm down" said Tegan and took two deep puffs from her inhaler.
"Excuse me… move away" said another air hostess followed by a good looking blonde lady. "Can everybody just sit back down. This is a doctor, she will help her. Please sit down or the plane will need to turn around!" said the air hostess. This was enough to get everybody back in their seats. "Get up. There's a seat open in the back row. Go sit there" said the air hostess to the girl next to Sara. "No, I don't want to move" said the girl. "I'm not asking you, I'm instructing you" said the air hostess looking serious. Tegan was still wheezing quite badly, her head facing the window. She felt embarrassed to have the entire plane looking at her. "Everybody sit down… right now!" said the air hostess loudly. Tegan was still struggling for air through her sobs. "Tee… it's okay. Deep breath" repeated Sara.
"Sir, I need you to control your son" said the air hostess strictly. "Oh shit… is she… is she okay? I'm sorry I didn't realize" said the guy looking spooked. "Ma'am. Can you move up one seat so the doctor can have a look at your sister" said the air hostess. "She's okay" said Sara still sitting next to Tegan trying to calm her down. "Hi… can I have a quick look at her?" asked the doctor. Sara looked down at Tegan and saw her still wheezing. "Sure" she sighed. "Tee… I'm going to let the doc have a look at you" said Sara. "Tegan?" asked the doctor. Tegan turned her head. "Hi… I'm Jo, I'm a doctor. Are you okay?" asked the lady. "Yeah" said Tegan wheezing. "Just sit back for me and relax" said the doctor. The air hostess was now standing next to Sara to block the rest of the passengers' view with a blanket. "I'm just going to listen to your lungs Tegan" said the nice doctor and put her stethoscope on Tegan's chest. Tegan started sobbing again. "It's okay... deep breath" smiled the doctor. "I'm sorry… sorry" mumbled Tegan. "Hey if I were you I would have probably slapped someone so well done" joked the doctor. Tegan laughed through her sobs. "You're still wheezing quite a bit… do you have a history of asthma? Any other lung problems?" asked the doctor. "How much time do you have?" said Tegan. Another air hostess handed Tegan a bottle of water. Tegan thanked her and took a few large gulps.
The doctor picked up the inhaler on Tegan's lap and looked at the label. "How many puffs have you had?" she asked. "Two just now… and two a couple of hours ago" said Tegan. "Let's just see what that's doing to your BP" said the doctor. "Listen doc… I'm fine. I just need a few minutes to calm down" said Tegan. "Let's just make sure" said the doctor. "God this is embarrassing" said Tegan. The doctor took a pulse ox meter out of her bag. Tegan knew she was in trouble. She felt light headed and out of breath. She was nauseous and had a headache. All classic symptoms of a lack of oxygen. The doctor put the pulse ox on her finger before wrapping the BP cuff around her arm. Her eyes went wide and her eyebrows lifted as she looked at the pulse ox screen. "Your pulse ox is quite low" said the doctor. "I know… it often is" said Tegan looking down at the blinking 88 on her finger.
The doctor took her BP. "Your BP is on the low side too but it's still okay" said the doctor. She put her hand on Tegan's clammy forehead. "You don't feel too hot but you may have a fever" she said but checked Tegan's temp anyway. "Mmm – slightly elevated but not too bad" said the doctor. "I'm okay though… really just need to relax and get some rest" said Tegan. The doctor waved the air hostess closer. "Do you have extra oxygen on board for medical emergencies?" asked the doctor. "We do" said the air hostess. "It's okay, I have an oxygen concentrator" said Tegan wheezing. "I want you to take another nice, big puff of your inhaler. Keep it in your lungs for a while" said the doctor. Tegan nodded and did as instructed. She felt her airways respond better now that she was calmer. "It feels better thanks" she said to the doctor. Sara handed the doctor the oxygen concentrator. The machine was virtually silent and the doctor wordlessly put the nasal cannula into Tegan's nose and tucked the line behind her ears. Tegan was too exhausted to complain and she simply pulled her hoody back up over her eyes. "Try and relax and get some rest. I'll stay with you" said the doctor. "Thanks, it's not necessary" said Tegan. "Don't have much else to do during this boring flight" said the doctor. "Yeah right" smiled Tegan but closed her eyes. She nodded off almost immediately.
"Thank you" said Sara to the doctor. "No problem" smiled the doctor. "Is she okay?" asked Sara. "Her wheezing sounds better. She should be just fine. If I see her oxygen levels don't come up or her wheezing doesn't go away I'll give her some other meds" said Sara. "What meds? Do you have something with you? Tegan's got some stuff but I'm sure it's in her checked luggage" said Sara. "I don't, but planes usually have those kinds of meds on board" said the doctor before checking the number on the pulse ox again. "Looking better already. Can you tell me about her medical history?" said the doctor. "Uh… wow… where do I start" said Sara. "That sounds… long and serious" said the doctor. "It is" said Sara at looked over at Tegan looking pale. "She's asleep" said the doctor. Sara suddenly looked emotional. "She's going to be okay" said the doctor. "I know… she always is" said Sara.
The air hostess treated them like royalty for the rest of the flight. Tegan slept restlessly through most of it, covered in a blanket supplied by the air hostess. The kid behind Tegan started his shenanigans again halfway through the flight and they were promptly asked to move to the back of the plane.
Tegan woke up as the plane was starting to descend. "Hi, feeling better?" asked Sara when she saw Tegan awake. "Yes thanks" said Tegan softly. Doctor Jo next to her checked her pulse ox again quickly. "Looks as if you're back to an acceptable number. Take it easy though. You're going to be tired for the rest of the day" said the blonde. "Sorry for spoiling your flight" said Tegan. "Don't mention it. Anyway, I got to talk to your very interesting sister for the rest of the flight" said Jo. Tegan's face was a mix between a frown and a smile. "Miss Quin… Are you okay? Is there anything I can get you before we land?" asked the very nice air hostess. "No thank you, I'm fine" said Tegan. "Great. Please stay seated when the plane lands until the other passengers have disembarked" said the air hostess. "Why?" asked Tegan frowning. "Protocol… oops I better take my seat" said the air hostess. "I just want to get out of here" said Tegan shifting around uncomfortably.
The plane landed and passengers stared at Tegan as they walked past. Tegan just looked down. Some people were now taking photos. Word had apparently spread around the plane that it was Tegan Quin with the medical emergency. "Guys… please don't" pleaded Sara.
Tegan sat forward with her face in her hands. "I'm sorry" said a little voice when most of the passengers were finally gone. Tegan looked up. The little kicker looked her in the eye. "It's okay big guy. Thanks for saying sorry" said Tegan. His dad ruffled his hair. "Again, I apologize" said the man. "No problem" said Tegan. The plane was now empty and Tegan, Sara and Dr Jo finally got up. The next minute an entire paramedic crew entered the aircraft followed by the pilot. "What the?" said Tegan. "Hi guys, I believe one of you had some trouble during the flight" said a baby faced medic. "It was nothing, really…. All good now" said Tegan. "Please let us check you over" said the medic. "No really I'm fine… ask the doc here" said Tegan. "Ma'am… I'm sure you're okay now but it's protocol if there was a medical emergency during the flight . They can either check you over here or take you to the hospital to have it done" said the pilot. "I really wouldn't call it a 'medical emergency'... This day just keeps getting more and more fucked up" said Tegan.
Dr Jo supervised as the medics checked Tegan over. "BP's slightly low and her pulse ox isn't quite where it should be. Grab the stretcher guys" said the medic. "What?" said Tegan. "We're going to get you to the hospital Tegan. No need to worry, we'll take good care of you" said the medic. "NO! I'm not going to the fucking hospital" screamed Tegan. "Guys please…. Please don't upset her. That's when her breathing problems start" said Sara. The medic looked at Dr Jo "Doc?" he said. "I think she's okay to go. I've been with her the entire flight. I have her medical history. She's okay to go" said Dr Jo. Tegan sighed with relief. "Thank you" she whispered. Jo smiled. "Take care of yourself. If anything gets worse you go to the ER please" she said. "I will, I promise" said Tegan. "Okay… but you're catching a ride to baggage claim in a wheelchair" said the pilot. "I'm fine, I can walk just fine" said Tegan stubbornly. She picked up her backpack and her oxygen concentrator and started walking out of the plane. "I'm sorry I disrupted the flight" said Tegan to the pilot. "Just happy you're okay" said the pilot.
Tegan walked past the kind air hostess. "Thank you… you were really nice to us" said Tegan. "My pleasure Tegan. Hope you feel better soon. Can't wait for the new album. Big fan" winked the air hostess. "Really?" Tegan smiled. "Superclose Society for the win" joked the air hostess. "Can we have a photo with you?" asked Sara. "A photo with me?" said the air hostess. "Yeah… so we can remember how great you were" said Sara. The air hostess posed for the photo with both girls. Then with Sara only. "I want to tweet this but Tegan didn't have her make-up done this morning" winked Sara and looked over at her sister whose hair was standing in weird directions now.
Tegan walked out onto the Jet Bridge. Things started getting fuzzy again and she suddenly saw double. She clumsily bumped her shoulder into the wall. She stopped and held onto the wall to stabilize herself and closed her eyes. Sara looked at Tegan and jumped forward when she saw her sister's knees start to buckle. "Whoa…. I think the captain was right. You definitely need a ride" said the Doctor as she helped Sara guide Tegan to the floor. "I'm okay… just give me a minute" said Tegan. "No Tegan… wheelchair or stretcher… you choose!" said Sara. "Okay… Jeez" said Tegan still sitting on the floor. "It's quite a walk to baggage claim Tegan" said the air hostess. "F… M…. L" said Tegan but allowed the medics to help her up and put her in a wheelchair.
By the time they went through passport control and reached the luggage carousel most of the passengers had taken their bags and left already. Tegan, Sara and Dr Jo's suitcases were the only ones left on the carousel. Sara put the cases on a trolley. "Where's Gerty?" said Tegan searching the carousel for her guitar. "Probably still coming. Relax" said Sara. Tegan patted her hand impatiently on the wheelchair. Dr Jo took her suitcase. "Will you guys be okay from here?" she asked. "Sure, thanks so much for your help" said Sara. "Thanks again" said Tegan before the Doctor left. "I'm going to check at the counter. Maybe it's with the fragile luggage" said Sara.
"Not there either" said Sara. "Fuck, fuck, fuck" seethed Tegan. "They better find this guitar... I swear to god if they lost it" ranted Tegan. "Tee, they're searching for it" said Sara. "They can lose the suitcase but not Gerty" said Tegan becoming emotional.
An airline representative walked up to them twenty minutes later. "We found the guitar! It was on the earlier flight, the one you were supposed to be on" said the man. "Where is it!" demanded Tegan sounding pissed off. "Somebody has gone to get it. We'll have it to you in no time. Sit tight" said the man. "That's all we've been doing the whole damn day... waiting" said Tegan. "I apologize for the inconvenience" said the man. "Just... find it!" seethed Tegan.
Another twenty minutes later somebody brought them the guitar. Tegan didn't even thank him and simply got out of the chair. "Sit down" said Sara. "Fuck off Sara... I'm fine now" said Tegan. "Okay" said Sara with her hands in the air. Tegan thanked the guy waiting to push her outside and started pushing the trolley towards the exit. The electronic doors slid open. Tegan walked through them looking straight in front of her.
"Tegan!" she heard a shriek. She stopped in her tracks and turned to see her Sonia jogging up to her. "Mom" she said and fell into her mother's arms. Sonia kissed her baby's cheek a few times. The tears started coming again. "Hey pumpkins! How are you?" asked Sonia as she hugged Sara hello. "Are you okay Tegan?" asked Sonia holding Tegan's pale face in her hands. "Yeah, I'm fine" said Tegan.
"How was your flight?" asked Sonia. "I've had the worst fucking day ever" said Tegan wiping her eyes. "Really? Why?" asked Sonia. "Loooong story... we need wine before I can recount it" said Tegan. "Hey... you're here now. I'm going to make you some pancakes and tea as soon as we get home. And then maybe we can open a bottle of wine" smiled Sonia. "Mom... thanks but we need to get going. We're behind schedule as is" said Tegan. "Tee, It's getting late. You're exhausted. I think it's a good idea if we stay at Mom's tonight and get going first thing in the morning. Let's just make sure you're okay" said Sara. "I'm okay. I just... I want to get going so I can get back to my family" said Tegan. "One night Tee... we'll make up the time" said Sara. Tegan was too tired to argue. "Well... I'm dying for a cup of Mom's tea" said Tegan.
A lot of people recognized the twins but Sara respectfully brushed them off. She knew that Tegan wasn't up for smalltalk and photos. "How are my gorgeous grandkids?" asked Sonia trying to perk Tegan up in the car. "They're so great mom. I miss them already" said Tegan. "Can't wait to come visit. I was thinking of getting a little place in LA for when I come down" said Sonia. "To buy? You can stay with us" said Tegan. "Yes, to buy... So I can stay longer and not get under your feet" said Sonia. "Oh... Okay I guess" said Tegan. "I picked up the car for you Sara. Fueled it up and had it serviced. She's ready to roll" said Sonia. "Thanks Mom, you didn't have to do that" said Sara. "My pleasure" smiled Sonia.
As soon as they stepped into Sonia's house Tegan plonked down on the couch. "Should we check your pulse ox again?" asked Sara. "No... Stop it! I'm fine... I know when I need to check my pulse ox" snapped Tegan. "Tegan I'm just trying to help" said Sara. "Yeah whatever" said Tegan. "I'm sorry I brought you on this trip Tegan... Maybe I should have just left you to wallow in your own misery... So... here's the thing. I give up... we can go home tomorrow if you want... or you can pull yourself together, change your attitude and then maybe... maybe you'll benefit from this trip... maybe you'll even have fun" said Sara. Tegan rolled her eyes and Sara stormed off to the kitchen.
A few minutes later Tegan came into the kitchen. "Sara... I'm sorry. You've been great today... thank you. I know you're just trying to help and... I appreciate that... I really do. I've committed to this trip... I'm doing it. I'll try to change my shitty attitude" said Tegan. Sara didn't say a word but took Tegan into her arms and hugged her tight. "Aawwww... you guuuuys" cooed Sonia with her hands over her heart. "Moooom" said the twins in unison and rolled their eyes. Both burst out laughing. "Thought we're having pancakes?" said Tegan and sat down at the kitchen table.
A/N: Wow, Tegan sure had a long, shitty day. Hopefully the trip will turn out to be great. This turned out to be a really long chapter! What's up with the lack of reviews? Please send feedback!