Chapter 228

"Morning Doc" said Tegan walking into Kate and Sara's living room the next morning. Kate was on the couch, under a duvet looking only slightly better than she did the previous evening.

"Morning Tee" Kate said and yawned.

"How are you feeling? You better?" asked Tegan.

"Getting there" mumbled Kate sitting up slowly, her hair ruffled.

"Here you go baby, breakfast and an extra-large coffee" said Sara handing Kate a tray before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks honey… I'll be fine, you guys have business to discuss, go ahead. I'll watch Amelia" said Kate.

"Oh no you won't… Amelia's going to have you running around after her. You should be resting, and definitely not picking up babies. Kirsten will be here in 10 minutes. I'll go get you some coffee in the meantime Tegan" said Sara.

"Thanks" smiled Tegan and sat down next to Kate.

"You look like crap" said Tegan.

"Hfff" Kate grunted.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… just didn't sleep much last night. I was exhausted but I just couldn't fall asleep. Everything was aching"

"For you to be admitting that you must have been really hurting"

"Ugh… it's nothing. I'll get some rest this morning"

"Kate… you should take the meds if you need it"

"I'm fine"

"I don't think so" said Tegan quietly.

"Tegan just drop it" Kate sighed and started pushing her breakfast around.

-o-

"Can we make this quick please, I need to get home" said Tegan.

"Why, what's up?" asked Sara.

"Nothing" said Tegan fast.

"Really, then why?"

"Linds is just… look she needs me okay"

"Okay" said Sara frowning.

The twins sat down and started discussing their schedule with their manager on speaker phone. Tegan's cell phone rang. She answered immediately.

"Hey babe it's me" said Lindsey.

"Hi, everything okay?" asked Tegan.

"Yeah, I just got a call to meet a client. Ana's here with the kids. I shouldn't be more than about two hours. Just wanted to let you know I'm going out" said Lindsey.

"Okay… take security" said Tegan.

"Yeah… of course" said Lindsey.

"Love you"

"Love you too"

-o-

Lindsey was already running late and didn't want to leave a high profile client waiting. Her business had been slow for numerous reasons over the last year.

"Jeff I need to go. Do you have somebody that can go with me?" asked Lindsey over the phone.

"Give me twenty minutes and he'll be there. One's off sick and one's with Tegan so we only have one on site" said Jeff.

"I don't have twenty minutes"

"You taking the kids? If you are, Jason can go with you"

"No… Ana's here with them. The guard needs to stay here"

"Then you'll have to wait Linds. Sorry, I'll rush him"

"It's okay… I'm going. I'll text you the address, he can meet me there" said Lindsey.

"Lindsey, I don't think Tegan will approve of…."

"I'm going… speak to you later"

Lindsey jumped into the car and reversed out of the driveway. She waved at the guard and rolled down her window.

"I'm going out for an hour or two. Please make sure the twins are safe, Ana's with them" said Lindsey.

"Will do ma'am" smiled the guard.

A few minutes later Lindsey stopped in front of a restaurant in the Hollywood hills. She picked up her bag and got out of the car. The street was quiet, the restaurant out of the way. Just the way P!nk preferred it. She absentmindedly locked the car and strolled to the restaurant, relieved that she made it there with five minutes to spare.

A sharp bout of pain flicked through her skull before it all went dark.

-o-

Tegan's phone rang again. She was surprised to see the caller ID.

"Alecia, hi!" said Tegan.

"Hi Tegan! How are you doing?"

"Really good thanks. How are you?"

"Good, good…. Hey congrats on the single. Second week in a row at number one"

"Thanks, we're so happy"

"I'm so happy for you! Tee is Lindsey around? I think we got our wires crossed. She was supposed to meet me at Beechwood Café half an hour ago but she's not here yet. She's not answering her cell"

Tegan felt the blood drain from her face and a chill run up her spine.

"Um… I'll call you back" she said and hung up.

"Get Andrew to bring the car around" Tegan yelled at Sara as she punched in a number.

"Jeff… where's Lindsey? Who went with her?" she yelled into the phone as she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

Sara followed her. "Sara stay with Kate" she said while still in conversation with Jeff.

"Fuck! Meet me at Beechwood Café" Tegan yelled.

"She rushed to the car where the security guard sat waiting and barked instructions at him"

She felt her airways constrict as they usually did in high stress situations. Tegan tried Lindsey's number over and over but it went straight to voicemail.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" she mumbled.

"Go faster" she yelled.

As they reached the restaurant, Tegan jumped out of the car as it came to a standstill. P!nk walked out of the café door.

"Tegan!"

"Oh fuck… fuck… her car's here… where is she… her car's here" she mumbled turning around and around with her hands in her hair skimming her surroundings for her wife.

"Tegan, just take it easy" said Alecia.

"Where is she?" Tegan yelled. "Lindsey! Linds…. Baby where are you? Lindsey!" she yelled at the top of her voice, tears streaming down her face.

She started wheezing more. "Where is she…. Jeff… where is she?" she gasped.

Jeff and half a dozen security guards were searching the area.

"Tegan sit down" said Alecia with her hands on Tegan's shoulders. She led her to an outside table and sat her down on one of the chairs.

"No, where… where is she?" said Tegan looking out of it.

"They're going to find her any minute now okay…. Just sit down… where's your inhaler?" asked Alecia.

Tegan gave her a weird look and patted her pants pocked, her wheezing intensifying.

Alecia shoved her hand down Tegan's pocket and pulled the inhaler out. She put it in Tegan's hands. Tegan's hand were shaking so badly she couldn't even get the cap off.

"Tegan just calm down and take a puff…. That's it… come on deep breath" said Alecia crouching next to Tegan. Through her tears, Tegan did as instructed.

Security personnel were searching everywhere. Tegan tried to get up but Alecia held her down. "Just breathe Tegan… they'll find her okay… they'll find her" Alecia whispered looking spooked.

A minute later Tegan was phoning around hoping to get a hold of Lindsey somewhere but all she got was dead ends. Her pulse was doing triple time and she breathed hard and fast.

The phone in her hand started to ring and she answered immediately.

"Sara! Is she there? Is Lindsey there?" she asked jumping up.

"Fuck" she yelled when Sara answered that she wasn't.

"No no, Sar… stay there…. I… uh…. Fuck" Tegan swore under her breath.

-o-

Lindsey's head started throbbing immediately as she squinted her eyes open. She was lying on a bed what looked like a motel room, the air was stale and smelled like second hand smoke.

"Hello sweetheart" she heard a familiar male voice say.

She sat up fast and a wave of dizziness hit her.

"What am I doing here? Please… please let me go" Lindsey begged.

The man just laughed.

"Please" Lindsey whimpered.

"I just want to talk to you" he said.

"There's nothing to talk about" said Lindsey.

"Really? Did you expect to put me in jail and never hear from me again?" he said sounding mad.

"Hope was more like it" Lindsey mumbled.

"What did you say?" said the man and slapped Lindsey hard through the face. Lindsey tasted blood but kept her composure.

"I'm… I… I don't know what to say" she whispered.

"I guessed as much" he sneered.

"Please… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…. Please just let me go, you can go on with your life and…"

"Go on? Go ON! How?" he yelled.

"Sorry" she whimpered looking down, scared out of her mind.

"You're sitting pretty with your new, rich, little rock star wifey… which sickens me by the way. And your two kiddies… what a perfect little family. And I had to rot in jail for what…. For loving you?" he yelled.

"Please don't… please" Lindsey said looking pale.

"I love you" he said.

"Please don't" Lindsey whispered.

"I love you so much" he said softly.

"I don't love you…. You're my uncle for god's sake…. You took advantage of me… You fucking molested a child! It took me years to get over…. Get over what you did to me. I was finally over it and you're back" said Lindsey, now in tears.

"Oh please… loving you is a sin now?"

"Yes… I hate you… I hate what you did to me… what you did to those other girls… I hate you" Lindsey yelled. The next moment she felt a fist connect with her face, then another in her stomach. She doubled over, blood squirting out of her nose. A knee connected with her chest and her legs gave out. She fell to the floor gasping for air.

"You bitch… If I can't love you nobody will. Fuck your pretty little Tegan" he shouted as he kicked Lindsey again and again.

Lindsey felt herself slipping as the pain took over.

"Fuck you… You hate me do you? I'll give you a reason to fucking hate me" the man yelled and kept kicking.

-0-

"What's going on babe?" asked Kate.

"I don't know… Lindsey… sounds as if Lindsey's missing. I…. I need to call Jeff" said Sara looking spooked.

"Let's just go! Beechwood Café right?" said Kate getting up.

-0-

Tegan was pacing around in front of the restaurant. She felt her pulse rate skyrocket as two police cars drove up to the restaurant.

"Jeff… what… what are they doing here…. Oh Jesus please don't let her be hurt… please God" Tegan mumbled.

"I called them Tegan. They can't officially do anything until somebody has been missing for 48 hours but I have friends on the force. Let's just give them a heads up"

"Jeff… there's something you guys should know about her past"

"Let me go speak to them Tegan. Sit tight" Jeff said.

"Sara! Kate!" Tegan exclaimed and jumped up when she saw her sister and her friend approach.

"Tegan what's going on!?" asked Sara.

"You should be resting" Tegan said to Kate.

"I'm fine Tegan"

"She's gone… We can't find her…. Oh fuck, oh fuck" said Tegan with her hands in her hair. She looked on the verge of a breakdown.

"Sit down" said Kate and pulled Tegan down next to her looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Tegan… this is detective Stuart. Can he ask you some questions?" said Jeff.

"Yeah" Tegan nodded looking pale.

"I… I have some information you may need" said Tegan. Nobody moved from the table.

"Guys can you gives us a few minutes… this is… I don't think Lindsey wants to share this with the entire world. It's personal" said Tegan.

"Oh… alright" said Sara and got up. As did Kate and Alecia.

-o-

"Talk to us Tegan" said Jeff sitting down with a police officer.

"She… um… her uncle… he just got out of prison and I think he's looking for her"

"Why do you think that?" asked the cop

"Because she put him there. He raped her… he beat her. Not just her, a few girls. Lindsey testified against him. It's been about 20 years I think but… How the fuck did he get out of prison anyway" said Tegan loudly.

"Detective, we had a report of a domestic struggle going on. Officers went in, found a female victim. Male is in custody. Do we know what Mrs Byres was wearing?" an officer asked.

Tegan looked pale and swallowed hard. "Um… blue jeans and a… a black pullover unless she changed"

"Thanks! We're on our way guys… Possible match" said the officer into his radio and jogged to his car.

"Where is she? Is she hurt… Is she okay?" Tegan rambled.

"Get in the car Tegan" said Jeff.

"What's going on Jeff… is she okay?" Tegan continued. Sara and Kate shoved her into the SUV.

"We'll call with an update" Sara said to Alecia and closed the door. The SUV sped away, following the patrol cars. The motel was only about three blocks away.

"Oh my god… Linds… oh god please don't let her be hurt" Tegan mumbled with her eyes closed. When she opened them flashing lights of an ambulance greeted her, medics were running towards a room.

"Lindsey… Oh god no… Lindsey" she yelled and stumbled out of the car.

"Tegan wait" Sara yelled and pulled on Tegan's shirt.

"Let me go… I need to see her…. I need to see her" Tegan yelled and shouldered her way past two cops.

She stormed through the door and stopped in her tracks when she saw her wife, broken on the bedroom floor.

"Baby… oh god… Lindsey" she exclaimed and fell down on her knees next to Lindsey on the floor.

"Is she… is she okay?"

"Ma'am please just give us some room to evaluate her" said the medic. Tegan didn't move. Lindsey's face was full of blood and swollen.

Kate stormed into the room the next minute. "I'm Dr Morgan, what have we got?"

"Patient's unconscious. BP 90 over 60. Belly feels slightly distended. Possible internal bleeding, possible fractured ribs, facial and head injuries"

"Oh my god… oh my god" Tegan gasped looking petrified.

"Breathing?" Kate asked shining a penlight into Lindsey's eyes.

"Sounds okay right now but I would advise intubating to be sure. There's a lot of blood from that nose bleed running down"

"Pupils 8mm, equal and reactive but slightly sluggish. Secure her neck and spine. Get her on a monitor and start two wide bore lines. Start a litre of saline in one. Hold intubation, suction that blood out and assess breathing again. Start her on 10 litres of O2" Kate instructed calmly. Tegan was losing it next to Lindsey and was wheezing uncontrollably through sobs.

"Tegan… buddy… we've got her okay…. Just sit back and let Sara help you with your inhaler" said Kate softly while touching Tegan's shoulder.

"I'm okay! Just help her! Lindsey, baby wake up… baby come on…. Oh jesus… please… please Linds wake up" Tegan wheezed.

Sara tried pulling her away but Tegan still didn't budge. "Tegan let them do their jobs!" Sara yelled.

"Oh jeez… Lindsey baby, I'm here… I'm here" Tegan said stroking Lindsey's hair.

Lindsey felt herself slowly come to. Pain hit her like a sledge hammer and she coughed up some blood as her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh thank god… baby I'm here… you're safe now… they're taking care of you, he's not going to hurt you again, ever… I'm here my angel hang on" Tegan said softly stroking Lindsey's hair.

"Tegan… Tee… where… he's here… get out" Lindsey mumbled.

"They got him Linds… they got him. He's not going to hurt you again"

"Can you tell me your name hun?" asked Kate shining the light in Lindsey's pupils again.

"Lindsey" she whispered.

"Good…. You know where you are right now?"

"Uh… No" Lindsey grunted.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Um… thr… two?" said Lindsey squinting to get Kate's fingers into focus.

"Lindsey just relax for me, we're going to take good care of you, you're okay" said Kate squeezing Lindsey's hand as the medics rolled her onto a back board.

"Ahhh…. Hurts" Lindsey moaned and tried to spit out some blood but her neck was immobilised.

"More suction, pack that nose" Kate yelled.

"I know baby… I know… I'm sorry…. For god's sake can you give her something for the pain" said Tegan.

"Let's get 5 of morphine on board" said Kate to the medics.

"I… love you" Lindsey whispered to Tegan before medics shoved something up her nose to stop the bleeding.

"I love you so much… I'm right here okay… right here" said Tegan and kissed Lindsey's hand.

"Okay guys we need to move" said Kate. She looked a bit pale but the adrenaline rush obviously gave her a much needed boost.

"Sara, we'll meet you at the hospital. You check on the kids okay" said Kate walking to the ambulance next to the stretcher.

"I'm here baby… it's okay, it's okay" Tegan kept saying while stroking Lindsey's hair.

Two cops led a man through the door of one of the rooms. Tegan looked up and went pale.

"You fucker! I'll fucking kill you" Tegan yelled throwing herself at the man, she tackled him hard with her shoulder into his stomach and he went down with a thud.

"Tegan!" Lindsey tried to yell but only a whimper came out.

"If you ever touch her again I'll rip your fucking heart out with my bare hands" Tegan yelled as her fist connected with his ear. The next moment she was lifted off the man by numerous strong hands. She thrashed around some more and started wheezing again. "Let me go! Let me go!" she yelled.

"Tegan… let it go. No! Calm down!" said Sara with her hands on Tegan's shoulders.

"I'll kill that fucker!" Tegan yelled.

"Tegan, the cops have him… they'll make sure he doesn't hurt her again" said Jeff still holding Tegan in a restraining grip.

"Tegan" Lindsey moaned as she was pushed into the ambulance.

"Tee… calm down and ride with the ambo or ride with the cops bud" said Kate.

"I'm sorry" Tegan mumbled and almost collapsed onto her knees before being caught by Jeff. He made sure Tegan was safely in the ambulance before shutting the door.

"I'm here Linds… I'm here and I love you" said Tegan crouching down next to her wife.

"Love you" Lindsey whimpered under the oxygen mask.

Tegan's wheezing increased again.

"Tegan sit back, take a puff" said Kate while still checking on Lindsey.

Tegan did as instructed, only because she was starting to feel light headed and nauseous.

A few minutes later Lindsey was pushed into the emergency room. Tegan and Kate walked right next to the stretcher.

"Its okay baby… they're going to fix you right up" said Tegan through her tears before the team lifted Lindsey from the stretcher onto the exam table.

"I need a head, chest and abdominal CT when she's stable, get me an emergency abdo and chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasound. Full bloods. Cross match for 4 units" said Kate taking charge.

"Dr Morgan, I've got this. Feel free to wait in the lounge" said Owen Hunt.

Kate continued barking instructions.

"Kate! You're not cleared for duty. I've got this. Sit down it looks as if you're about to vomit" said Owen.

Kate was quiet for a few long seconds.

"Okay… take care of her Owen" said Kate softly.

"You know I will" he said.

"Dr Hunt is taking the lead" said Kate and backed away.

"Tegan… come, let's wait in the lounge. She's in good hands" said Kate.

"I'm not leaving her!" said Tegan through her tears.

"Baby… it's okay… go" Lindsey mumbled.

"We're taking her to radiology now anyway. I promise I'll come get you as soon as we're done" said Owen.

"I love you. Don't be scared baby… you're going to be okay" said Tegan squeezing Lindsey's hand.

-o-

The moment Tegan saw her sister in the waiting room she started to break down again. Sara took Tegan in her arms and just held her tight.

"I'm sorry" said Tegan a minute later and pulled away.

"It's okay… it's alright to cry Tegan" said Sara.

"How is she?" Sara asked Kate.

"She's stable, they've taken her up to radiology" said Kate and sat down looking wobbly.

Tegan sat down looking pale and disheveled. "That fucking bastard" she mumbled and put her head in her hands.

"They've got him Tee… he's not going to hurt anyone again" said Sara.

Tegan looked up at her sister. Tegan looked as if she was about to feint sitting down. Sara crouched in front of her and put her hand behind Tegan's head and pulled it forward.

"Just put your head down for a minute Tee… deep breaths" said Sara softly.

Tegan did as instructed.

"It's my fault… I should have made sure she didn't leave without security" said Tegan.

"It's not your fault Tegan… don't say that" said Sara.

Tegan just shook her head. "I need to check on the kids"

"I've already done that. Ana is fine with them. Everything's okay. I've spoken to mom, she's catching a flight in the next few hours to come help out" said Sara.

"Thank you" said Tegan softly.

Sara sat down next to Kate and put her arm around her lover. She was surprised to find that Kate was trembling.

"Katy… you okay? You're shaking" said Sara.

"Yeah… just had a bit of an adrenaline rush" said Kate.

"You sure?"

"Uh huh" Kate grunted.

-o-

Thirty, long minutes later Owen walked into the staff lounge.

"How is she?" Tegan asked getting up fast.

"Let's sit down" said Owen

"I don't want to sit down, just talk to me" said Tegan.

Kate put her hand on Tegan's shoulder and pushed her back down in a chair.

"Lindsey is stable. I'm happy to say it probably looked worse that it is. She's got a nasty concussion and a laceration on the back of her head but the CT shows no brain bleed or swelling. We'll keep an eye on that since she did lose consciousness but we're optimistic that it's minor. There's a hairline fracture in the eye socket though, there will be some pain and swelling but we're not expecting complications. We'll stitch up the laceration soon. Neck and spine came back clear. She's got 2 cracked ribs on the left. That will hurt but shouldn't cause too many other problems if she takes it easy. Lots of bruising but no further breaks. Her left kidney seems to be bruised but there's no active bleeding right now. We're taking a wait and see approach on that"

"What do you mean wait and see… shouldn't you operate?" said Tegan loudly.

"We don't want to do an exploratory laparotomy if we don't need to"

"Tegan… they know what they're doing okay. Trust them" said Kate.

"We're monitoring her very closely Tegan. We'll pick it up if it's there" said Owen.

"I need to see her" said Tegan.

"Okay… she's been asking for you" Owen said with a sad smile.

-o-

Tegan stood outside the door to the trauma room trying to compose herself. Her hands were shaking and her heart racing like a freight train. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Lindsey lay in the white hospital bed, her head at a 45 degree angle. Tegan was relieved to see the cervical collar removed. Two bags of IV fluid ran into lines in her arms and a monitor beeped in the background.

Tears immediately flooded Tegan's eyes again.

"Hey baby" she said softly and touched Lindsey's hand.

Lindsey opened her one eye, the other was almost swollen shut. The nurse that was holding the ice pack to Lindsey's face smiled at Tegan.

"If you'll hold this here I can give you some privacy"

"Thank you" said Tegan and held the icepack lightly to Lindsey's face.

"How are you feeling Boo?" she asked and softly touched Lindsey's hair.

"Ugh… terrible" said Lindsey but managed a smile.

"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I let him get near you. I'm sorry" said Tegan through tears.

"Tegan no… no… it's not your fault. I was foolish to leave without security. This is all on me babe" Lindsey said through gritted teeth.

"I promised that I wouldn't let him near you… ever…. I was so scared… I've never been more scared… God… I love you so much. I'll kill that mother fucker" said Tegan.

"Yeah, you almost did" laughed Lindsey and winched.

Tegan laughed through her tears.

"Did he… oh God… did he…"

"Rape me? … He didn't… that I know of at least. He was about to though" said Lindsey, tears welling up.

"I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry" Tegan kept repeating over and over.

The door opened after a soft knock and Kate and Sara entered.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" asked Sara taking Lindsey's hand.

"I'm okay… been better though" said Lindsey softly.

"Hang in there okay. One of the Docs will be here soon to stitch up the cut on the back of your head. I'd do it myself but…." said Kate pointing at the cast on her hand.

"That's okay… thanks for being here" said Lindsey sounding tired.

"Linds… there's something else… the team wants to do a… a rape kit" said Kate empathetically.

"I don't think he did… I… I don't think… but… I don't know… he knocked me out" said Lindsey as tears started rising again.

"Shhh it's okay…. It's alright… Would it be okay with you if they did the rape kit? It's a bit uncomfortable but it will be over soon. It's important" said Kate.

"I guess" mumbled Lindsey looking away.

"Alright… I'm going to get Abby to do it. You okay with that?"

"I have to be" said Lindsey.

Kate and Sara left the room.

"Do they know? Everything? Who he is… what he did?" asked Lindsey.

"No… they don't. Not my story to tell. Jeff knows and a cop. I had to tell them so we would find you" said Tegan softly stroking Lindsey's arm.

"Tell them… I don't want secrets… just, tell them everything" said Lindsey with a shuddering sigh.

"Okay… if you're sure?"

"I am… I didn't do anything wrong… I… I need to deal with this and… get over it!" said Lindsey.

"You're amazing" said Tegan and kissed Lindsey's fingers.

"I don't feel amazing" Lindsey whispered with her eyes closed.

"Sweetie… I think you should talk to someone… I mean, I'm always here for you but maybe… perhaps… you should speak to a professional? I can ask Violet to come by" said Tegan.

"Whatever you think baby" Lindsey mumbled, now staring into space.

A few minutes later Abby was ready to do the rape kit.

"Tegan you can wait outside" said Lindsey.

"I want to stay with you babe, we'll do this together" said Tegan.

"I don't want you going through this"

"I'll be going through it outside too. It'll kill me to not be with you" said Tegan softly. "There's no way I'm going to let you go through this alone"

"Okay… I love you" said Lindsey and sighed softly.

"You and me babe" whispered Tegan.

"Me and you" Lindsey whispered back.

"Linds… you ready?" asked Kate popping her head in.

"Yes" said Lindsey softly. Kate left the room talking to a resident.

"Okay Linds… let's just get your legs up. I'm so sorry if this hurts. I know your ribs are sensitive" said Abby gently starting her examination.

"Its okay baby" Tegan whispered and kissed Lindsey on her healthy cheek and held her hand tight. Tegan had her eyes shut and listened to the sound of the beeping monitor.

"Babe… talk to me please… just… tell me something nice, or funny…. Anything. Just talk shit to me" said Lindsey.

"Um… okay…" said Tegan sounding nervous.

"Well… Ryan peed all over me this morning. I swear that thing has a mind of its own. And then he laughed at me, I think he did it on purpose" Tegan tried to make small talk. She could see the discomfort on Lindsey's face and it killed her.

"So… I think we should treat ourselves to new bikes. In fact, I'm treating you! I think I may finally be able to afford the one I want… yeah I know I could buy a car for that price… well not really but… it's really, really nice. It's the first really expensive thing I've wanted to buy and I…"

"Baby" said Lindsey touching Tegan's cheek. "You can stop… she's done" said Lindsey softly.

Tegan let out a big breath and closed her eyes.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"Yes… no" said Lindsey and looked away.

"Tell me how I can help you" said Tegan, tears welling up again.

"You're helping… just stay with me" said Lindsey.

"I'm not going anywhere… promise" said Tegan kissing Lindsey's fingers.

"The kids… someone should… you should go home" said Lindsey.

"The kids are fine with Ana for now. Sonia's will be here this afternoon. Everything's fine poppit" said Tegan.

"Are you sure?" asked Lindsey.

"Yes baby… everything's fine. Security has been doubled too. I promise, they're fine" said Tegan.

"Are you okay?" asked Lindsey.

"Yeah, I'm okay" said Tegan.

"Have you… have you… needed… um" said Lindsey.

"I've taken an anxiety pill… only one when we got here. Kate insisted. I'm okay though don't worry" said Tegan.

"I'm sorry for putting you through this"

"Don't be silly, this isn't your fault"

-o-

"There we go, all done. Cut didn't turn out to be too bad at all, just need to be careful when you wash your hair. Pop by in about 10 days so we can remove the stitches" said one of the younger doctors stitched up the cut in the back of Lindsey's head.

"Thanks, we'll ask Dr Morgan to do that" said Tegan.

"No problem" smiled the resident.

Owen entered the room as the resident left.

"Hello again Lindsey, we will have the results of those tests for you in an hour or two. We're going to move you into a private room in one of the wards now. Your head must be throbbing. Try and get some sleep. The meds should make you pretty groggy. Unfortunately, they'll have to wake you every hour for neuro obs for the next 4-6 hours. Hopefully if everything checks out we can allow you some uninterrupted sleep and release you in the morning"

"Can't I go home tonight? I hate hospitals... No offense" said Lindsey.

"We really need to keep you for observation tonight. We don't want any surprises. Hang in there, I'll get you out of here as soon as possible"

Lindsey nodded looking exhausted.

-o-

"Just wanted to check if you have everything you need" said Kate walking into the room Lindsey was moved to a few minutes ago.

"Yes, thank you Kate. You should go home and get some rest, you look beat" said Lindsey sounding weak.

"I will, soon. I want you to call me any time you need anything at all… day or night. Or if you don't understand anything, have questions… or… listen just call me" Kate smiled.

"We will, you know we will" Tegan smiled.

"Good… try and get some rest okay" said Kate.

"I'll be right outside guys" said Sara.

"It's okay Sar, you can go home. We'll be fine" said Tegan.

"Nice try… I'll go home a bit later. Rest now, both of you" said Sara.

"I know we have business to discuss Sar. Maybe later today. I just don't want to leave Lindsey alone right now" said Tegan.

"It's okay Boo… go… I'm fine" said Lindsey.

"Let me make sure you're asleep first. When you are, we'll be right outside that door okay. You press the button and I'm here, I promise. Either that or I'll be right here next to the bed" said Tegan.

"I love you. And Tegan, don't you dare cancel any of your plans" said Lindsey starting to sound a bit drowsy.

"I love you" said Tegan smiling sadly.

-o-

Lindsey didn't want to sleep, she was afraid that the events of the morning may penetrate her dreams. She fought with everything in her but eventually the pain meds and Tegan's soft stroking of her arm won the battle and she drifted off.

Tegan sat staring at her wife's battered face, blurry through tears. She didn't want to let go of her hand, not for a second. She eventually tore herself away and found Sara in a waiting area just outside Lindsey's door.

"Hey" said Tegan looking sick with worry.

"Hi… you okay?" asked Sara.

"Sure… aside from the rage inside of me that wants to boil over and kill that fucker with my bare hands" said Tegan shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Tee" said Sara.

"Its going to be okay… let's get to work" said Tegan sitting down next to Sara where she could see the door to Lindsey's room.

"You should eat something" said Sara.

"I really don't think I can stomach anything right now. I'll eat something later"

"Okay… what should we do? Do you want to cancel Chicago?" asked Sara.

"I don't know… I think we should. I'm sorry I have to ask this. I really don't actually give a fuck about interviews and promo right now. We're doing more than fine with what we've done so far. Lindsey isn't okay, not emotionally and not physically. Kate isn't okay either. She's taking strain whether she wants to admit it or not. I want us to get our bearings back… I want you guys to get married, in peace not chased by a schedule you know. I know cancelling Chicago only buys us 5 days but…."

"I'll take it!" said Sara with a sigh of relief.

"That was easy" smiled Tegan.

"I agree with you Tegan. The most important thing is family. All the rest is secondary. We need to make sure our girls are good to go before we do anything. I don't care about anything except their wellbeing and happiness right now" said Sara.

"Thanks Sar. I appreciate that" said Tegan sincerely.

"Go, get back to your wife, I'll phone Tom to make the arrangements" said Sara.

"Okay, and then, you go back to yours please" said Tegan.

"Well, she's not my wife just yet" laughed Sara.

"Technicality, that's all" said Tegan.

"Alright, we'll try and pop by this evening" said Sara.

"Thanks for being here. I'm so happy you were with me today"

"Of course I was with you. I'm always here if you need me okay" said Sara and pulled Tegan in for a hug.

"Oh and Sar… I appreciate you not asking questions about who this fucker is. But Lindsey asked me to tell you and Kate. Tell you everything" said Tegan.

-o-

Sara stared out in front of her looking shocked as Tegan finished the story. A sudden, vivid flashback of her own assault making her take in a quick breath.

"Oh my god… that's terrible" she said and put her head in her hands, elbows on her knees.

"I'm sorry if this brings up things… you'd rather forget Sar" said Tegan.

"It's okay… I just need to… gosh I just need to… pull myself together. Give me a minute" said Sara.

Tegan rubbed Sara's back in circular motions.

Sara sat up straight a minute later looking pale.

"Thanks for sharing that. Thank Lindsey, that took a lot of trust" said Sara.

"You two are like sisters to her too" said Tegan.

"Nevertheless" said Sara pulling up an eyebrow.

"You okay?" asked Tegan softly.

"I'm fine. If you're okay here I'm going to go home and take care of my future wife" said Sara.

"Okay… you do that" smiled Tegan.

"I love you Tegan" said Sara, seriously.

"I love you too Sara" said Tegan as she turned to Lindsey's room.

Tegan sat down next to Lindsey's bed feeling emotionally fragile. She softly held Lindsey's hand as she watched her breathe.

Sara sat in the back of the SUV staring out of the window as plump tears rolled down her cheeks. Tears for Lindsey, for Tegan, for Kate…. for herself. She closed her eyes and wiped her cheeks.

"Onward and upward" she sighed and shook her head.

Half an hour later a nurse woke Lindsey up to check her neurological responses. Owen walked in just as she was finishing up.

"Neuro obs all normal" she reported and left the room.

"Lindsey, I thought you would rest easier knowing the test results. The rape kit came back negative" said Owen.

"Oh thank God" Tegan breathed in relief.

"Thank you" whispered Lindsey.

"Try to go back to sleep now. You need your rest" Owen said and left.

Tegan put her forehead softly against Lindsey's.

"It's over baby... It's over" she whispered.

"I'm wondering if it will ever be over" said Lindsey emotionless.

"I'm here for you" whispered Tegan.

"I'm tired, going to sleep now"

"Okay baby, I'm right here. I love you"

Lindsey closed her eyes to stop the tears building from spilling out but it didn't work.

Tegan softly brushed the tears away with her thumbs as her own rolled down her cheeks.

"It's okay, it's okay" she whispered until she could tell that Lindsey was asleep again.

A/N: Another long overdue update. Sorry to keep you waiting. You all still with me? Review please to let me know you are.