Chapter 227

Kate sat down behind her desk and leaned back in her leather chair, smiling. She worked on the paperwork as fast as she could but she felt her thoughts clouding with fatigue every now and then.

Her phone ringing startled her.

"Hey Sar" she sighed.

"Hi… what's happening babe, everything okay over there?" asked Sara.

"Yeah, just finishing my report now. Tegan is absolutely fine, I'll tell you the details when I get home" said Kate.

"Make that soon, I miss you" cooed Sara.

"I miss you too… keep the couch warm, I'm beat"

"You okay though? You sound completely drained"

"Just not used to being on my feet. I'm fine sweetie"

"Alright… I'll make your favourite pasta for dinner. Love you"

"Love you more" Kate smiled and hung up.

She re-read her report and printed it before signing it and taking it out to her PA.

"Here you go. Send a copy to Dr Altman and Dr Stevenson please. Oh and book her next routine check for about 4 months from now" said Kate.

"Good to have you back Kate" her assistant smiled.

Kate's vision suddenly became a bit blurry, she felt lightheaded and hung onto the desk closing her eyes, swaying slightly.

"Kate? You okay? Sit down for a minute, you're white as a sheet"

"I'm okay" Kate mumbled pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Sit down!" her assistant said strictly.

A sudden wave of nausea hit and she took a deep breath to try and get rid of it. A cold sweat broke out over her forehead.

"Abby, can you come up to Kate's office, she's not looking well. If you can't, send a doctor" Jenny said into the phone.

"It's not necessary, I'm just tired"

"Shhhh…. Come with me"

Kate got up and swayed around again. She was led into a small exam room next to Kate's office.

"This is ridiculous, I'm going home" Kate complained.

"You're not going anywhere" said Owen Hunt walking fast into the room with Abby.

"You didn't need to call the cavalry you know" Kate complained.

"Lie down" he instructed and Kate obliged.

Kate groaned.

"Talk to me" he said.

"Just… tired. Suddenly felt a bit dizzy" said Kate.

"Any dizziness now?"

"A little… it's better now though"

"Abby get me some vitals while I check the incisions"

"Damn it Abby, I told you that in confidence" Kate complained when she realised that Owen now also knew about her appendectomy.

"When I get a call that you look as if you're about to go down, confidence means shit to me" said Abby.

Kate just sighed and closed her eyes. She knew nothing she would do would get her out of this examination.

"Incisions look good. Who did your op?" asked Owen.

"Why don't you call for my file" said Kate stubbornly.

"Kate"

"Saxon Sinclair" Kate replied.

"Oh… impressive" said Owen. Sax had a reputation as the best in the business throughout the country.

"You in any pain?" he asked.

"No more than usual. It's very mild and manageable" said Kate.

"Pulse 104, BP 80 over 55, Resps 12, Sats 99, Temp 36.7. Glucose a little low, 55" reported Abby.

"Have you eaten?" Owen asked.

"Yes" said Kate uncertainly.

"Not much, quarter of a sandwich, if that" said Kate's PA.

"I had a big breakfast" said Kate.

"Let's do a full blood panel" said Owen.

"Owen I'm fine, I just had a busy day while I should have been resting" said Kate sitting up. She still looked pale and a bit unfocused.

"I'm not getting into an argument about this. You know post-surgical complications can be serious and a low BP doesn't exactly ease my fears. Lie back and relax" said Owen pushing her back softly.

"My ride is waiting for me. So are my wife and kid"

"I'll call Tegan on her cell and tell her to go ahead without you" said Kate's PA.

"Where's my phone I need to call Sara" said Kate as Abby took Kate's blood and Owen palpated her abdomen.

Kate didn't phone Sara but texted that she may be an hour or so later than anticipated.

Tegan came storming into the room the next minute.

"Kate! Oh shit, are you okay? What's going on guys?" asked Tegan looking horrified.

"I'm fine, I was just a bit dizzy. Overdid things today" said Kate.

"Her blood pressure is low but she seems okay. We're doing some blood tests to make sure we're not missing anything and since you'll be lying here waiting for the results I'm going to run in a quick bag of saline" said Owen tapping her arm for a vein.

Kate didn't reply, she knew Owen was right. Her low BP could just be due to fatigue or it could be due to an infection. Sepsis for instance didn't have many warning signs and was very deadly, but a fast pulse and low BP were two of those signs. At least the absence of a fever was a good thing. She closed her eyes, putting that horrific thought out of her mind.

"Oh jeez… You're going to be okay Katy just relax and hold on" said Tegan gripping Kate's hand tight.

"I'm holding on!" Kate laughed out loud. "I'm relaxed, I'm alright" she said amused.

"I told you working today wasn't a good idea" said Tegan.

"Yeah, yeah"

"Here you go, strong and sweet cup of tea and a home-made choc chip cookie" said Kate's PA.

"You know how much I love your cookies. Thank you" said Kate. The colour seemed to be slowly returning to her cheeks as the glucose kicked in and the saline upped her blood volume a few minutes later.

"Have you called Sara?" asked Tegan.

"I texted her that I'll be late" said Kate.

"She's going to be livid when she finds out you kept this from her"

"I'll tell her when I get back home… or if the bloods come back with an issue and I have to stay"

"Do so at your own risk… just saying" said Tegan.

"I don't want to worry her about nothing"

"Fair enough… but you'll have to tell her eventually"

"No I don't"

"Alright" said Tegan holding her hands up defensively.

"Go home Tee… I'm okay"

"Not a chance. Anyway, we got talking to Karev on our way down to the coffee shop and ended up not even ordering. And I'm really craving a custard Danish. So… we're going to go do that… you close your eyes and get some zee's. Abby will call us when you're ready to go" said Tegan.

Abby smiled and nodded.

"Thanks guys" said Kate.

"It's the least we can do" said Tegan before leaving the room with Lindsey.

Kate put her arm behind her head and sighed.

-o-

"Holy shit... Please let her be okay… please let her be okay" Tegan mumbled walking down to the coffee shop.

"Baby… it's alright, she'll be okay" said Lindsey.

"I need a pill" said Tegan stopping to dig in her bag.

"You were very calm and collected in there… the whole day you were fine" said Lindsey.

"I'm a good actress" said Tegan before swallowing the anxiety pill.

"Tegan… just breathe… calm down" said Lindsey holding on to Tegan's biceps.

Tegan took Lindsey in her arms and just held her for a minute.

"It's okay... it's okay" Lindsey whispered stroking Tegan's back.

"Let's get that coffee" Tegan said softly a minute later and kissed Lindsey's cheek.

-o-

45 minutes later Owen studied the blood tests results as Abby re-checked Kate's vitals.

"BPs much better. 115 over 81. Pulse back to 68. Temp's still normal. Glucose okay" said Abby.

"Your blood tests look fine. Dizziness better?" asked Owen.

"Yeah, no problem" said Kate.

"Alright, I'm going to let you go. But I want you resting for the next two, three days. I mean really resting. Catch up on some series. Keep an eye on your temp. I'll be following up and if I find out you've been pushing the envelope again I'll slap you in a hospital bed so fast you'll have reason to be dizzy" said Owen.

"Okay! Jeez" said Kate shaking her head as Abby removed the IV line.

"I just want you to take care of yourself Kate. Please" said Owen sincerely.

"I will Dr Hunt. I promise" said Kate.

-o-

Kate walked down to the coffee shop. She felt a lot better than an hour ago.

"Hope you saved me a Danish" said Kate behind Tegan.

"Hey, they let you go? You okay?" asked Tegan.

"Yeah I'm fine, just need to take it easy for a day or two" said Kate.

"I'm relieved… Let's grab that Danish to go and get out of here" said Tegan.

"I'm all for that" Kate smiled.

Tegan called the security team and informed them they would be leaving in a few minutes. Keeping security in the loop had almost become second nature.

Lindsey casually took the car keys out of Kate's hand, Kate didn't complain, she knew she wasn't supposed to be driving for a couple of weeks.

When the car stopped in front of Kate's house Sara came walking out the front door.

"There she is… there's mom!" she said pointing at Kate with Amelia on her side. Amelia giggled excitedly.

"Hello gorgeous" Sara smiled and kissed Kate's cheek.

"Hey my girls" Kate smiled.

"You sure took your time? What was the holdup?" asked Sara.

"Guys we're gonna go, don't want to leave the twins with Kirsten much longer. Thanks again Kate! Love your work" said Tegan.

"Okay… bye guys. Good job Tegan" said Kate.

"Take care of yourself" said Tegan into Kate's ear while hugging her goodbye.

Kate nodded.

"I heard the great news Tegan. Congratulations" said Sara and hugged her sister.

"Thanks Sar. We'll talk tomorrow. Lots of logistics to discuss" said Tegan.

Tegan and Lindsey got into the SUV of their security detail and disappeared around the corner.

Sara took Kate's hand and led her inside.

"Put your feet up sugar. Hard day at the office" Sara winked.

Kate smiled.

"Are you okay?" she asked seriously when she put Amelia on her play mat.

"I'm okay" said Kate quickly.

Sara just stared at her, she knew exactly when Kate wasn't being straight up.

"Okay… alright… I… I kind of feel a bit crappy…. I had some dizziness earlier which would have passed but they sent half the hospital to check me out. Turns out my BP and blood glucose were a bit low, hence the dizziness but they sorted that out. Everything else checked out okay. I'm fine now… I promise. I just need to veg out on the couch for a few days" said Kate.

"Damn it… I knew you were going too fast. You shouldn't have been working today" said Sara sounding mad.

"I'm sorry… I was fine most of the day though. I should have eaten lunch" said Kate.

"Don't scare me like that" said Sara close to tears.

"Don't cry please" said Kate, softly touching Sara's cheek.

"You! You are not leaving this house, or more specifically the bed or the couch until the weekend. Then maaaybe I'll consider giving you parole" said Sara.

"Deal" said Kate looking tired.

Sara kissed her quickly.

"Will you be my sexy nurse?" Kate breathed seductively into Sara's neck.

"Cool down… none of that now. Put your feet up, I'll go start dinner" said Sara, her cheeks flushed.

Kate giggled as Sara walked away. She put her feet up and pressed a button on the remote control to switch on the TV.

-0-

Kate put her plate down after forcing herself to finish her food. Her appetite was still pretty much non-existent.

"Thank you, that was excellent" she smiled lay back on the couch and put her feet up.

"You're welcome honey"

Amelia tried to pull herself up to the couch. Sara helped her and gently put her down next to Kate before giving her a bottle.

"I did the test Sar" said Kate softly.

"The… drug test?" asked Sara and swallowed hard.

"Yeah… it was clean. And I feel like an asshole for doing it" said Kate shaking her head.

"I'm sorry for putting you in that situation, but I'm glad you did it… I will not let her fall again" said Sara gritting her teeth.

"I know… its okay. We did what we needed to do" said Kate rubbing Amelia's belly softly.

"Yes we did" said Sara.

"Sar… keep it between us please" said Kate.

"Of course I will" said Sara.

A few minutes later Sara gently picked Amelia up and tucked her into bed. She sat down next to Kate and kissed her.

"I missed you today! Did you have fun?" asked Sara.

"Fun… not really. But it was exciting to be back" said Kate.

"How did you cope with the cast? And what did the staff have to say about you being there?" asked Sara.

"Cast was… annoying but okay I guess. And everyone was fine. Curious I guess but happy to see me" said Kate and kissed Sara's fingers.

Sara softly touched Kate's pale cheek. "You should go get some sleep. You look exhausted" she whispered.

"Will you come with me and snuggle?" Kate smiled, her tired eyes suddenly sparkling with mischief.

"You bet" laughed Sara and helped Kate up. Kate flinched.

"Still sore?" Sara asked.

"Sometimes… not always. It's been a long day it's all" said Kate walking to the bedroom.

"I want to check your vitals please" said Sara.

"Alright" said Kate without protesting. That scared Sara a bit.

Kate lay on the bed after a luke warm shower and allowed Sara to take her vitals.

"Everything looks okay, you agree?" said Sara.

"Yeah… I'm fine baby, I'm just tired" sighed Kate.

Sara lay down in her lover's arms.

"So, we're going to start cycling again" said Kate playing with Sara's hair.

"Really… you and?"

"Tegan and Lindsey"

"She okay to do that?"

"Yeah, she's fine. It will be good for her"

"You're not… not yet"

"Yes Sara… in a while, when I'm 100%, relax"

"Okay... sorry"

"Let's go get you a bike tomorrow" Kate smiled wide.

"Uh… nooo. I don't do cycling" laughed Sara.

"Oh come on Sar… it's so much fun, you'll love it!"

"Babe…" Sara groaned.

"Think about it" smiled Kate.

Sara was just happy to see Kate happy and seemingly forgetting about her pain for a minute or two.

"I'll think about it… but you're not going bike shopping tomorrow. You're staying in bed. And while I have you here, we have a wedding to plan" said Sara rubbing Kate's thigh.

"I'm all yours beautiful" said Kate suddenly sounding sleepy.

"I know… and I love that" Sara smiled and kissed Kate's jawline. She lay next to her love in silence for a while, just listening to hear deep, sleepy breathing.

-o-

Tegan and Lindsey lay on the couch after putting the twins to bed. A sudden bang outside caused Lindsey to bolt upright.

"What was that?" she asked looking petrified.

"Probably just the wind, there's a storm brewing. I'll go check" said Tegan getting up.

"No… Tegan please… No… Call the security guys" said Lindsey looking close to tears.

"Sweetie" Tegan frowned.

"Please Tegan" said Lindsey.

Tegan look Lindsey's hand in hers as she dialled the security manager's number.

"Hey Jeff. We heard something outside. Can you send the guys to check? Probably just the wind but we want to be sure" said Tegan.

"Tell them to take the dog" said Lindsey, her face pale and her legs pulled up close to her chest.

Tegan followed instructions.

"I'm going to check on the kids, want to come?" asked Tegan softly.

"Yes!" said Lindsey jumping up.

They walked into the kids' bedroom and Tegan put her arm around Lindsey's waist. She was surprised to find that Lindsey was trembling.

"Sweetie, its okay… they're sweeping the place. I promise its okay" said Tegan holding her wife's face in her hands.

"I'm scared… and I can't help it" said Lindsey.

"I know… I know angel… we're okay, the guys outside won't let anything touch us" whispered Tegan.

After a few minutes of silence Tegan felt her phone buzz in her pocket and she walked out into the hallway to answer.

"Yes…. you sure? Okay… thanks Jeff" said Tegan.

"All clear" said Tegan and kissed Lindsey's forehead.

"I'm sorry for making a scene" said Lindsey looking down.

"Hey… look at me" said Tegan pulling up Lindsey's chin.

"I don't mind you making a scene. I want to make sure you feel safe. And if that means security needs to check the grounds fifty times a night then so be it. But I don't want you becoming paranoid baby… fear has a way of paralyzing us. It lets him win… Don't let him win Linds" said Tegan and pulled Lindsey towards the kitchen.

Lindsey didn't reply. She felt a bit like a fool. She knew deep down that her fears were unfounded but every now and then it just spilled over.

"I'm making you a cup of milk with whiskey and honey… and then I'm drawing you a hot bath…. And then I'm giving you a nice, long massage" said Tegan.

"You don't have do that" said Lindsey softly.

"I want to… you've had a really stressful day and…"

"So have you Tegan"

"Shhhhh now… Let me do this for you please" said Tegan and kissed her wife. She felt instantly aroused but could sense that Lindsey was distant, still jumpy. Tegan knew that a good fuck would calm her down but she didn't want to push. She just wanted to be there for her.

"Have I told you lately how much I adore you?" said Tegan and winked.

"I love you too" said Lindsey, still looking worried and distant.

Tegan took Lindsey in her arms again and just held her as tight as she could. The certainty of Tegan… of her body, her warm breath in her neck made the tense muscles in Lindsey's neck slowly ease up.

"I won't let anything hurt you… ever" whispered Tegan.

A/N: sorry for the slow update. Review if you get a chance please! Hoping to have a lot more action soon.