Chapter 203

Tegan drifted in and out of sleep the entire night with Lindsey in her arms. The painkillers knocked her out pretty fast but every time she moved the pain woke her up. She tried to move Lindsey's sleeping head off her arm in order to get up for more pain killers. She sat on the side of the bed trying to work up the courage to get up.

"Fuck" she whispered to herself.

"Tegan? Are you okay?" whispered Lindsey.

"Yeah… sorry I woke you up Boo. Go back to sleep" said Tegan.

"That's okay… Can I get you anything?" asked Lindsey.

"If you could just hand me the crutches I'd be so grateful… I'm sorry" said Tegan.

"No problem at all sweetie" said Lindsey and handed Tegan her crutches.

Tegan got up with great difficulty to go to the toilet. She came back covered in sweat.

"Everything okay?" asked Lindsey.

"Dammit… I forgot to grab the pain pills" said Tegan.

"Oh honeybun… here you go. Let me go get another ice pack" said Lindsey handing Tegan her pain meds.

"No I'm okay… just… need something to take the edge off" said Tegan lying down.

She eventually drifted back to sleep as the painkillers started numbing her foot.

-o-

Kate never let go of Sara, her arm protectively over her partner. Sara started stirring and mumbling in her sleep. She suddenly threw Kate's arm off her and mumbled. "No… please don't… no".

Kate immediately sat up and shook Sara's shoulders.

"Sara! Sara wake up! It's okay… you're okay" said Kate loudly.

Sara woke up with a gasp.

"Kate" she whispered.

"I'm here… I'm right here… I've got you… it's okay" said Kate as she held Sara in her arms.

"I'm sorry" whispered Sara.

"Why are you sorry? It's okay" said Kate.

"Hold me" said Sara and pulled Kate's arm tight over her body.

-o-

Lindsey was up early and made sure the kids didn't wake up Tegan who was finally sleeping peacefully. Tegan opened her eyes and looked at Lindsey's side of the bed, it was empty.

"Linds" she said out loud.

"Boo" she yelled louder this time. Lindsey didn't come.

"Lindsey" she yelled really loudly.

"Coming Tee" she heard Lindsey yell and lay back with a sigh.

"I have a surprise for you two! Come here silly! No we're not playing catch now. Come with me" she heard Lindsey say in the hallway. A massive smile broke out on Tegan's face. The door creaked open.

"Monkeys!" Tegan yelled. The kids shrieked and ran to the bed, absolutely ecstatic to see their mom.

"Get up here you two beautiful babies" said Tegan.

Lindsey picked them up and put them on the bed. The kids were all over Tegan showering her with hugs, kisses and laughs. Tegan was loving every second.

"I'm going to get your morning coffee" said Lindsey.

"I've missed you! Yes I did! I love you. Were you two good for mommy?" said Tegan and started tickling the kids.

"Ouch" she exclaimed. She felt absolutely horrible but the sight of Casey and Ryan made her feel a bit better.

-o-

Sara woke up and opened her eyes to find Kate staring at her face.

"Good morning… how are feeling?" asked Kate softly.

"I'm okay… how are you?" smiled Sara.

"I'm good if you are" said Kate.

The baby monitor crackled and Sara laughed when she heard Amelia seemingly babbling to herself.

"She's been up for a while but she's good at entertaining herself" smiled Kate and kissed Sara's hand softly.

Sara got up and jogged to Amelia's room. Amelia gave an audible giggle when she saw her mother. Sara picked her up and held her tight.

"Hi my angel… hi sugar lips. Look at you! Mommy missed you so, so much" she cooed as she walked back to the main bedroom.

"Morning peanut" said Kate and tickled Amelia.

"I swear she's grown in these few days" laughed Sara.

"Probably did yeah" said Kate and got out of bed.

"Where are you going? Please tell me you don't have to work today" said Sara looking desperate.

"No I'm not working today… I'm just desperate for a cup of coffee. Do you want one?" said Kate and kissed Sara on the forehead.

"Oh yes, please!" said Sara.

-o-

Tegan flinched every time one of the kids came close to her leg.

"Tee let me have a look at your foot" said Lindsey.

Tegan put the moon boot back on during the night out of sheer desperation.

"No, please don't" said Tegan looking scared.

"Tegan… you're in obvious pain my love" said Lindsey.

"Ugh… can I just have my coffee first" said Tegan.

Lindsey propped some pillows behind Tegan's back. Tegan had her coffee as the kids played next to her. She put her mug down on the night stand and turned to Lindsey.

"I've missed you" said Lindsey and touched Tegan's face.

"Oh my gosh, you're really warm Tegan" said Lindsey suddenly looking horrified before Tegan could even answer. She put her palm on Tegan's forehead.

"I am?" said Tegan sounding surprised and touched her own forehead.

"Yeah you really are" said Lindsey.

"I'm not!" said Tegan.

"You can't feel your own temperature silly" said Lindsey.

"I just had coffee" said Tegan.

"Coffee doesn't give you a fever Tegan" said Lindsey storming into the bathroom.

"Linds just relax… I'm fine" yelled Tegan.

Lindsey stormed back into the room with a digital thermometer. Without asking she put it into Tegan's ear. Tegan sighed looking annoyed.

"101.4…. that's a fever" said Lindsey.

"Oh come on… it's not a massive fever. I'll take some paracetamol" said Tegan and started playing with Casey's stuffed toy.

"Baby…" said Lindsey softly. Tegan ignored her.

"Tegan… look at me" said Lindsey. Tegan turned her head looking emotional.

"I'm worried about you. You're so pale. Please let me at least call Kate?" said Lindsey.

"Kate? No… that's even worse. Sara needs Kate right now. I'm not going to hog her" said Tegan.

"Okay… shhhh, take it easy!" said Lindsey gently.

Tears were building in Tegan's eyes. The phone on her nightstand started ringing. She grabbed it and looked at the screen before answering immediately. "Sara" she said fast.

"Morning Tegan" said Sara.

"Are you okay?" asked Tegan sitting up.

"Yeah I'm fine… good to be back with my girls. How are you feeling?" said Sara.

"I'm okay" said Tegan fast.

"Good, Kate wants to speak to you" said Sara.

"Oh… okay" said Tegan.

"Hey T-bag. How are you feeling today?" asked Kate.

"Hi… I'm fine" said Tegan.

"Yeah? How's your pain?" asked Kate.

"Its fine" said Tegan. Lindsey gave her a dirty look.

"Okay… it's not. It hurts like hell" said Tegan.

"Okay Teegs… I'm coming over" said Kate.

"You don't have to do that. I just need some rest" said Tegan.

"Let me speak to her" said Lindsey looking mad.

"No!" said Tegan and turned away from Lindsey.

"Tegan let me speak to her…. Okay don't worry, I'll call her on my own phone" said Lindsey.

"Okay…. Alright" said Tegan.

"Lindsey wants a word" sighed Tegan and handed Lindsey the phone.

"Hi Kate. Listen here's the thing. Tegan is in a lot of pain and she has a bit of a fever" said Lindsey.

"Do not" yelled Tegan.

"Okay, this doesn't sound good. I'll be there in a few minutes" said Kate.

"I don't want to take you away from Sara and Amelia. I can just take her to the ER" said Lindsey.

"Don't be silly. Let me just check things out real quick and we can make a call from there. Maybe it's nothing" said Kate.

"Thanks Kate, I appreciate it. Bring Sara and Amelia if you want? I can make brunch" said Lindsey before hanging up.

"This is totally unnecessary you know" said Tegan while playing with the kids.

"Maybe, but I'm not willing to take chances with your health Boo" said Lindsey. Tegan gave a dramatic sigh.

Kate walked into Tegan's room a few minutes later. Casey and Ryan were lying in Tegan's arms and she was reading them a story. Kate leaned against the doorframe and smiled as she caught the tail end of the story.

"Then he looked beyond the thornbushes, out into the big dark night. Nothing could be farther than the sky. "I love you right up to the moon," he said, and closed his eyes. "Oh, that's far," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "That is very, very far."Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, "I love you right up to the moon - and back." Tegan finished reading and kissed her babies' hair.

"Again" said Casey in baby talk.

"Again? How about a different one monkey?" laughed Tegan. Ryan was already busy with one of his toy cars again.

"Morning guys! That was great Tee, please read us another one" joked Kate.

"Funny!" said Tegan. Lindsey came into the room.

"Guys guess who's here! Your cousin Amelia, come let's go see" said Lindsey.

"Ahhh" complained Tegan.

"Kate's not going to be able to do a thing with these two here Tee. I'll bring them back soon enough" smiled Lindsey and took the kids out of the room.

"Sorry for taking up your family time Kate" said Tegan.

"No problem. You are family" smiled Kate. Tegan snorted nervously.

"Kate… Is Sara okay?" asked Tegan looking worried.

"Well… she's shaken up alright but she's going to be okay. Thanks for taking care of her Tegan" said Kate.

"Wish I could have hurt the fuckers more than I did" said Tegan shaking her head.

"You did well Tegan" said Kate.

"It was such a great trip until…" Tegan trailed off.

"Sara says it was a great trip anyway. Don't let this spoil it Tee" said Kate.

"Yeah… Kate, you make sure she sees somebody about this please. She's trying to be strong but this thing shook her… it shook her hard" said Tegan.

"I will Tegan. I promise. I'll take good care of her" said Kate. Tegan nodded.

"Okay, talk to me… what's up with your bod?" said Kate sitting down next to Tegan on the bed. Tegan swallowed hard.

"Um… well… it's just really fucking sore… what can I say" said Tegan. Kate smiled.

"Anything else? Breathing difficulty? Lindsey said you have a fever?" said Kate.

"Ugh… I don't know… I'm just tired from the trip. I'm sure Sara told you all about the two breathing incidents… that was sorted out. No problems since then" said Tegan.

"Let's have a look" said Kate and started taking off the air boot. She pulled her eyebrows up when she saw Tegan's swollen, purple foot.

"Holy shit, you don't mess around when you sprain something" said Kate and tried to move Tegan's foot.

"No no please! Don't touch it" exclaimed Tegan.

"I have to… I'm sorry" said Kate and moved Tegan's foot.

"Mother fucker" breathed Tegan into the pillow.

"Okay okay… I'll stop moving it. I've called to request the x-rays from Canada and from the hospital you went to after… you know... Was quite difficult to get that info from Sara. She's not even sure what town you were in" said Kate.

"How'd you get it then?" asked Tegan. Sara gave me the number of some cop you dealt with" said Kate.

"And?" asked Tegan.

"Got the first x-rays from Canada and a set of scans from the hospital. Looks as if they x-rayed everything BUT the ankle in that ER" said Kate.

"Really? I can't remember I was a bit out of it" said Tegan.

"Probably thought it was under control. Anyway… I'm no orthopedist but in my professional opinion we should get another x-ray. See what's changed. It could be nothing but I feel we should check for a break or any further complications" said Kate.

"Fuck… I really don't feel like spending the day in the ER Kate" said Tegan looking despondent.

"I know! Neither do I. Just a quick in and out Tee. We really need to check this out properly" said Kate.

"Yeah… whatever" said Tegan.

"First thing's first though, let's check your vitals" said Kate.

"It's fine… my foot is the problem" said Tegan.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that eh" said Kate and wrapped the BP cuff around Tegan's bicep.

"This is fucking bullshit" complained Tegan.

"Do you want to get better? Or do you want to be in pain for months… unable to tour" said Kate annoyed. Tegan didn't answer.

"BPs a bit low. 100 over 70, pulse is fast" said Kate.

"Sats… strangely look okayish" said Kate. Tegan grinned.

"Ha" she said looking happy with herself. Kate put the thermometer in Tegan's ear.

"Temp however, has gone up… 101.7" sighed Kate.

Kate felt around Tegan's glands in her neck and under her arms.

"Open up… let's have a look" said Kate and looked into Tegan's throat and ears.

"Well… I don't see any infection but a blood test will tell us more" said Kate.

"I thought I'm only going for an X-ray" said Tegan.

"Tegan, don't start" said Kate getting annoyed.

"Sorry" said Tegan. "As I was saying… glands are a bit swollen" said Kate while listening to Tegan's heart and lungs.

"Lungs sound clear but I want to check your infection markers anyway" said Kate. Tegan sighed dramatically.

"Okay let's go" said Kate fastening the moon boot again. Tegan sat up looking disheartened.

"Do you need help getting dressed?" asked Kate.

"No… just call Lindsey please" said Tegan looking sorry for herself.

Tegan moodily got dressed and dismissed Lindsey's help.

"Tegan just let me help you!" said Lindsey.

"I'm fine… I'll manage" said Tegan.

"Baby I'm sorry you have to go the hospital again but hopefully you'll be back in a couple of hours and we can just spend the rest of the day in bed playing with the twins" said Lindsey kissing Tegan.

"I'm so fucking annoyed with myself right now" said Tegan shaking her head.

"Boo… Just get it fixed" said Lindsey.

"That's what I'm doing!" yelled Tegan.

"Do you have to yell?" said Lindsey and turned to leave the room.

"Baby I'm sorry… Linds… I'm sorry" said Tegan.

"Call me if you need anything" said Lindsey.

"Boooo… come back… I'm sorry" moaned Tegan.

Lindsey turned around and walked slowly back to Tegan.

"I'm not the enemy Tegan" said Lindsey. Tegan shook her head looking down.

"I know you're not… nobody is" said Tegan.

"Come on, let's get going. Hopefully we'll be back by the time the twins wake up from their nap" said Lindsey.

"No Linds… stay here please" said Tegan.

"But…. I want to go with you. Sara can stay with the kids" said Lindsey.

"Babe no… Kate will take me, it's not a big deal. We'll be back soon. Please stay here... stay with Sara. She needs somebody with her. I already feel guilty for taking Kate away" said Tegan.

"Are you sure?" asked Lindsey.

"Yes!" said Tegan.

"I don't know" said Lindsey.

"I don't want to lose my temper again… please, stay" said Tegan.

Lindsey kissed Tegan softly on the forehead. "Come back soon… I love you" whispered Lindsey.

"Love you too" smiled Tegan looking nervous.

-o-

A few minutes later Kate pushed Tegan into the ER in a wheelchair. Tegan looked miserable, slumped to the side with her head in her hand. "Its Tegan mom" she heard a teenager cry out.

"Here we go" sighed Tegan.

"Tegan, Tegan, I'm a big fan, can I please have a photo with you?" asked the girl.

"Um… I'd rather not if you don't mind, not looking my best today as you can see" said Tegan pointing at her bruised face.

"Oh okay, no problem, what happened?" asked the girl.

"Skydiving accident, I'm such a clutz" said Tegan.

"Oh no! Feel better soon Tegan" said the girl.

"Would you like me to autograph something?" asked Tegan suddenly feeling guilty for not allowing a photo.

"Yes please! You're the best" smiled the girl.

-o-

Sara sat on the lawn as the kids played nearby. Lindsey handed her a cup of tea and sat down next to her.

"You okay Sar?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay" smiled Sara.

"I'm sorry you had to go through this Sara" said Lindsey sincerely. Sara shook her head.

"I should have listened to Tegan and hopped a flight back home" said Sara.

"Hindsight is 20/20 vision" said Lindsey.

"I guess… I just… I feel so violated. I can't stop seeing his face…. Feeling his hands on me. Thank God Tegan got there when she did... I don't know how I would have possibly coped if she didn't" said Sara and wiped some tears from her eyes.

"You're going to get through this Sara. It's okay" said Lindsey and squeezed Sara's shoulder.

"Thanks Linds. I just don't want this to affect my relationship with Kate. Right now I can't even imagine anybody touching me again" said Sara.

"Difference is Sar… that Kate, Kate loves you more than anything in this world… Kate is there to make you feel safe… to love you unconditionally. You should never confuse that" said Lindsey.

"I know... and, I'll try" shrugged Sara.

"Go see Violet Sara. It's important to work through this" said Lindsey.

"I will but I am working through it. That time in the car was great. And Tegan by the way was just absolutely phenomenal through all this. She was there for me when I needed her. She was strong when I was falling apart. And you know what… she made me gain some perspective. I'd be forever grateful for that" said Sara.

-o-

Callie, head of ortho was there the minute the nurse got Tegan settled into an ER cubicle and onto a bed.

"Tegan, I think you may have briefly met Dr Torres" said Kate.

"Oh yeah… I think so, nice to see you again" said Tegan.

Callie was blushing.

"Dr Torres is a big fan" winked Kate.

Tegan snorted. "Thanks… This doesn't really require the head of ortho does it? I'm sure you have more important things to do?" she said with a question.

Callie shook her head looking embarrassed. "No not at all. Slow morning. Let's have a look at your ankle" she said.

"Only the best for the hospital's star patient" winked Kate mockingly.

"Wow… that looks painful" said Callie a few minutes later.

"Uh huh" grunted Tegan.

"Well, let's get an X-ray and see what we're dealing with" said Callie and positioned Tegan's foot for imaging.

After the x-ray she started moving Tegan's foot. "Oh god do you have to do that" breathed Tegan in pain.

"Sorry! I have to. We'll give you something for the pain in a minute" said Callie.

"Nurse, can you start an IV line for me, hang some saline" said Kate while patting Tegan's arm to take some blood.

"No no, hang on Kate… an IV?" said Tegan.

"Just to give you some decent pain meds and to get that BP up a bit Tee. No big deal" said Kate.

"She's right you know, IV pain relief is sooo much better than oral" said Callie.

"Oral's great" said Tegan. Kate coughed to conceal a laugh. Callie was blushing beet red.

"Sorry... that came out wrong. Okay do the IV I guess… but please don't make me stay here tonight… please" said Tegan desperately.

"We're going to try our best not to okay, let's just wait for the x-rays before we start over reacting" said Callie.

Kate continued to examine Tegan. "You're temp hasn't budged much. 101.8" said Kate.

"What the fuck is up with that?" said Tegan.

"Well, your lungs are clear. Sats are a bit low but I'm thinking it's because of the excursion, pain and your shallow breathing. Waiting to see what your infection and inflammation markers tell us. Sit tight. I'm going to put something in the IV to bring that temp down and get you some oxygen via the nasal cannula" said Kate.

"My lungs are fine okay" complained Tegan.

"Relax, it's just a little bit of supplemental oxygen. It will speed up your recovery" said Kate.

"Ugh… I hate this" said Tegan. "Yeah bud, I hate it too" said Kate.

Callie came back into the room a few minutes later.

"Got your x-rays back. Happy to report that I don't see a break but I'm afraid there's a definite nasty ligament tear. You obviously aggravated the injury quite a bit. Can't believe you spent twelve hours in a car with this. I'm convinced that all that traveling is responsible for most of the swelling and pain. At this stage I want to approach this conservatively and wait it out for a couple of days. With your medical history I don't want to go the surgical route if we don't have to" said Callie.

"Oh great, neither do I" sighed Tegan.

"That being said. I want you at the physical therapist once a day for the next few days. You need to stay in bed as much as possible. Ice and elevate. Keep your weight off it when you do move around! Come back in a few days and we'll reassess. I'm hoping that if all goes well your foot will feel loads better in a day or two. If not, it's not the end of the world, we'll take care of it" said Callie.

"But how long though… Sara and I need to launch a record" said Tegan.

"Well… I'd say stay off it for about two weeks. Use your crutches, after that you can hopefully start using it, while wearing the brace. If all goes well you'll be able to lose the brace in another two. Sorry Tegan, I know this sounds over the top but this is a grade three ligament tear. If you don't take care of it it won't heal and then it's surgery time" said Callie.

Tegan look shocked. "Okay" is all she could get out.

"Bloods are back too. Infection markers look normal but your inflammation markers are off the charts! I expected that considering the swelling and how warm it feels. Anyway, I'm happy that that seems to be the cause of the fever and not something else. I'm going to take you home. Set up another IV with some immune boosters and vitamins since you're a bit run down, pain killers, anti-inflammatories. You're going to feel a lot better once you have some decent meds in you" said Kate.

"Is this fever thing normal?" asked Tegan.

"No, not really. Your body is kinda freaking out a bit. It's going into overdrive sending lots of soldiers into battle. That explains the swollen lymph nodes too. It's kind of like your body's screaming "Something hurts, something's not feeling well. Send it the troops because there's no way we're getting sick again" exclaimed Callie with an animated voice.

Tegan and Kate burst out laughing.

"Well good for those troops… I agree, there's no way I'm getting sick again" said Tegan.

"Okay, let's just check that BP again and we can get out of here" smiled Kate.

"I'm just going to do your paperwork. I'll be back soon. Just lie back and relax" said Kate a few minutes later.

"Okay, hurry up please" said Tegan closing her eyes.

Kate walked up the counter and started filling out paperwork.

"Callie, need your signature please" said Kate.

"Just hang on a few minutes before you go or use the ambo entrance" said Callie after signing.

"Why?" asked Kate looking perplexed. "Um… shit's about to get real over there. A rape patient just ID'd the guy over there as her rapist after initially having memory loss due to a head injury and suspected date rape drug. Guy's supposed to be her student assistant, pretending to be the ever caring friend right now. He has no idea she remembers. Cops will be here in a few, don't want you walking into that" said Callie.

Kate swallowed hard. "Okay thanks, we'll leave the other way" said Kate suddenly looking pale.

"You okay?" said Callie.

"Of course" said Kate.

"Hey Kate, thanks for bringing in Tegan, we're never going to hear the end of it. Callie can't stop gushing! I mean really, seriously gushing about the amazing Tegan" laughed Karev.

"Shut up" said Callie and walked away.

"Hey Torres, she was my patient first" Karev called out to her and laughed his annoying laugh.

Kate gave Tegan's file to the admin nurse and looked at the guy sitting in a visitor's chair. She felt disgusted. Images of Sara on the floor with a man on top of her raced through her mind. She didn't want to walk past him but she eventually did. The guy looked up at Kate walking towards him. Kate looked past him but could feel his eyes on her. As she came closer Kate couldn't help glancing at him. He licked his lips seductively and winked at her. Rage built up in Kate and she lunged forward and punched the man right on the mouth before grabbing his shirt and pushing him against a wall.

"You like taking advantage of girls huh? Like hurting them?" seethed Kate.

"What the fuck are you talking about" yelled the guy.

"You fucking pervert" yelled Kate and punched him again. This time there was blood!

"Get off me you bitch or you're next" yelled the guy and swung at Kate's face. Kate stepped back but his fist still connected with the corner of her mouth albeit not as hard as it could have been. Kate leapt forward again and started punching, her punches only connecting with his arms covering his cowering face.

"Get off, Kate no… Get off" yelled Karev pulling Kate off the man.

Kate was panting and shrugged out of Karev's arms.

"He's not worth it Kate" said Karev.

"Walk away" said Callie. Kate tasted blood and touched the corner of her mouth with a shaky hand.

She gave the guy another disgusted look and started walking towards Tegan's cubicle. She suddenly felt something hit her back and fell to her knees on the floor.

"You bitch" the guy yelled.

"Security!" yelled Callie. Kate turned around and saw Karev sitting on the guys back, holding him down.

"What the fuck was that" said Kate clutching her back as she got up.

"He kicked you" said Callie.

"Fucker" breathed Kate.

"Kate… walk away… come on… let's get you checked out, cleaned up and get you home" said Callie.

Callie inspected the damage to Kate's mouth, hand and back in an empty cubicle. "Looks okay, no need for stitches. Keep the ice pack on. Let's just clean you up. If your back gives you problems in the next day or two, give me a call" said Callie.

"Thanks" whispered Kate looking down at the floor.

"What was that all about Kate?" said Callie.

"Nothing… He's a rapist and he made suggestive gestures towards me okay" said Kate defensively.

"I somehow feel that's not the whole story?" said Callie.

Kate just shook her head.

"Dr Morgan? Kate?" Callie pushed.

"I'm sorry, I can't talk about it" said Kate. A few moments of silence followed.

"Thanks for your help. I'm out of here" said Kate and got up.

"Dr Morgan, a word" Kate heard as soon as she left the cubicle.

"Dr Weber" said Kate looking surprised.

"My office, now" he barked.

"Callie, please tell Tegan I'll be back soon" said Kate.

A few minutes later Kate stepped into the boss's office.

"What was that all about?" asked Weber crossing his arms.

"Nothing sir" said Kate looking like a school girl.

"Dr Morgan, you cannot go around attacking visitors to this hospital" said Dr Weber looking furious.

"Sir, he's a rapist… and he… he" said Kate with her hand in the air.

"No Kate…. that's not an excuse, that's why the cops were called. We don't take matters into our own hands" said Weber.

"I'm sorry sir" said Kate sitting down defeated.

"Let's hope he doesn't press charges. That being said, suddenly none of your colleagues saw a thing. Hit with sudden blindness. Good thing you weren't in scrubs or your white coat, hopefully nobody identified you as a hospital employee" said Weber rolling his eyes. Kate snorted a laugh.

"This isn't funny Dr Morgan" said Weber.

"I know sir, I'm sorry" said Kate.

"Listen Kate… I know you had a really difficult loss yesterday. I'm sorry" said Weber.

"It's not that sir" said Kate rubbing her forehead.

"Kate… I'm suspending you for a week. I think you need the break anyway" said Weber.

"But sir…" said Kate getting up.

"No buts… go home, sort yourself out… get some rest and some perspective. We'll discuss this when you get back. I'll email you the details. I'll sort things out in in peads" said Weber.

"Yes sir" said Kate after a couple of seconds of silence.

Kate walked back into Tegan's cubicle a few minutes later.

"Where were you? Thought you were just going to be a minute!" said Tegan sounding upset.

"Sorry, got… caught up with something. Let's go" said Kate.

Tegan struggled out of bed. She looked down at Kate's hand helping her into the wheelchair.

"What the fuck happened to your hand?" said Tegan and looked up at Kate's face.

"And your mouth?" asked Tegan looking shocked.

"I um... I punched a rapist... he punched back" said Kate.

"Who? Where? Show me that fucker this boot is just itching to kick some balls again" said Tegan. Kate couldn't help laughing.

"The cops have taken him away Tee... I just, I kept thinking of Sara... I imagined him hurting Sara... and you, and I just lost it" said Kate.

"Come here buddy" said Tegan and hugged Kate tight.

"Good job" said Tegan.

"I don't know... I kind of feel ashamed... as if I stooped down to his level you know" said Kate looking down.

"Katy... you're the gentlest, kindest person I know... until something hits close to home in which case you go into machine mode to protect those you love. To do what is right. You were subconsciously just... protecting us... protecting girls in general you know" said Tegan. Kate gave a shuddering sigh.

"I guess you're right... anyway, let's go home and get you some decent pain relief, those tablets probably didn't even touch sides. And, I miss my girls" said Kate.

-o-

Kate pushed Tegan out of the hospital and they were immediately greeted by paps shoving cameras in their faces.

"What happened Tegan? Are you okay?" they yelled.

"I'm fine thanks... Had a bit of a skydiving mishap. It's nothing" said Tegan before Kate helped her into the car.

"Your sticking to the skydiving story huh?" asked Kate as they drove away.

"Yeah, it will keep them from sniffing around too much. I don't want anything else getting into the press" said Tegan.

Kate nodded. "Thanks Tee" she smiled.

-o-

"Boo! You're back! How'd it go?" asked Lindsey helping Tegan into the house.

"Good, it's a really bad sprain slash ligament tear but at least it's not broken and it doesn't require surgery. I'm fine" said Tegan plonking down onto the couch.

"I'm so happy to hear that" said Lindsey and kissed Tegan on the lips.

"Lots of rest and physio" said Kate.

"And pain meds... where are the pain meds" moaned Tegan.

"Okay alright, let's restart that IV" said Kate.

"Made your favourite breakfast... or rather, brunch" said Sara.

"Thank you guys!" said Tegan.

"Better eat fast, these drugs are bound to make you a bit whoozy" said Kate.

"Ahh no... wanted some time with the kids" complained Tegan.

"It's almost nap time for them too Tegan" said Lindsey.

"You won't sleep the entire day Tee. Don't worry" laughed Kate.

Sara turned away from the stove top and looked at Kate for the first time.

"Kate... What happened to your mouth?" asked Sara.

"It's nothing Sara, I'll tell you later" said Kate.

"No... tell me now" said Sara looking worried.

"Give me a minute to set up the IV and we can talk" said Kate.

"Okay... I'm waiting" said Sara as Kate finished hanging the IV.

"Let's go outside" said Kate.

Tegan and Kate watched Sara and Kate talk outside. Sara seemed upset at first but eventually just took Kate in her arms and held her for a long time.

Tegan told Lindsey what happened. Lindsey just shook her head looking emotional. "I love Kate... she's awesome" said Lindsey staring into the distance. Tegan laughed. "I love her too" she smiled.

A/N: Sorry for the slow update. Hope the long chapter made up for it. Glad Tegan's okay and Sara's coping. Let's launch a record! Review please! I love reading your comments.