Chapter 237
Early evening
The day felt like an eternity. Amelia kept improving but nobody allowed themselves the luxury of relaxing.
"I think she's ready to be extubated" said Dr Martinez that just came back on shift.
"I don't know… are you sure?" Kate asked.
"Dr Morgan, I know it's hard to let go of your control but I need you to trust me right now" said the doctor with her hand on Kate's forearm.
Kate let out a shuddering sigh. "Okay. I know you're right. If this was any other patient but my daughter I would have extubated her ages ago already"
"Then we agree, I'm going to do this while she's still out of it to make it a bit less traumatic" said the doctor.
"I can…" said Kate but Sara pulled her hand and shook her head when Kate looked at her.
"You guys want to grab a coffee and wait outside? I know it's not a nice thing to see"
"We're fine. I'm staying, you can go if you want Sar" said Kate.
"No just do it" said Sara and squeezed Kate's hand.
Kate and Sara took a spot on the other side of the bed next to Amelia. Sara softly touched her baby's thick brown hair.
"Mommy's here sweetie. I love you" she whispered.
Kate held Amelia's little hand as she fought a wave of nausea. She watched the team suction Amelia's lungs one more time and pull out the tube.
"She breathing?" asked Kate nervously with her hand on the stethoscope around her neck. She glanced at the heart monitor suddenly picking up speed.
"Let's just give her a little encouragement" said the doctor calmly and put a mask over Amelia's face. She squeezed the ambubag attached to it a couple of times.
"Okay sweetie… breathe for us" she said as calm as if she was reading a bedside story.
"Sats looking good… and… she's breathing on her own" smiled the doctor and removed the mask. She listened to her lungs and heart for a few minutes.
"Good job angel… good job!" said Kate in tears.
Amelia was still out of it and lay perfectly still under her Smurfs blanket. The doctor put a nasal oxygen cannula in her nose after listening to her lungs. She secured it with some Mickey Mouse plasters.
"Perfect… lungs sound really good and her vitals look great. The meds should be worked out in about an hour or two. I'll come check on her before my shift is over"
"Thank you so much" said Kate and Sara in unison.
"You're welcome" the doctor smiled and left the room.
Sara put her arms around Kate's neck and hugged her.
"She's going to be just fine baby, she's okay" she whispered.
-0-
An hour later Kate and Sara was still staring at Amelia sleeping. All of her vitals were good. Her saturation levels were normal, her blood pressure was up and her pulse strong and regular. Most of the swelling had subsided.
"She's gorgeous isn't she" said Sara and leaned back into Kate's arms.
"She's amazing" Kate whispered.
Amelia started to move her head and made a sucking motion with her lips the way she always did when she was waking up. She gave a large sigh and brought her hand up to her nose to scratch the itch that was obviously caused by the oxygen cannula. She pulled her legs up.
"Hi sweetie, don't take that out" whispered Kate and softly brought her hand back to her side.
Amelia's eyes opened, she blinked a few times and treated her moms to a wide but groggy smile.
"Hi sweetie… hi Amelia… mommy's super star" Sara and Kate cooed.
Amelia rolled on her side and gave a weak giggle. She reached out to Sara. Her little arm had a stabilising board for the IV and a bandage around it. Amelia looked at it perplexed but didn't touch it.
Kate shone a penlight gently into Amelia's pupils. She wriggled around but didn't complain much.
"Can I pick her up? Please let me pick her up" Sara said to the nurse. The nurse smiled and nodded.
Kate helped Sara with the IV line and wires and Sara picked up her baby. She held her tight against her and started sobbing. Kate encircled them both with her arms.
Amelia looked up at Sara and touched her face.
"I'm okay sweetie… just so happy you are"
Kate was stroking Amelia's hair. Amelia was loving all the attention. She rested her head her mother's breast, she still looked a pale and weak. Another nurse came in with a bottle of Amelia's formula.
"You up for dinner brave girl?"
Amelia held out her hands eagerly and immediately started sucking on the bottle when she had it. Kate covered her with a soft baby blanket.
"She's okay Sar… she's okay" said Kate and kissed the top of Sara's head.
Amelia finished her bottle and gave a large burp. Her mom's burst out laughing. A few minutes later she was sitting in bed with a book and some toys in front of her as if nothing had ever happened.
"Look at her… 24 hours ago she was in a critical condition" said Sara.
"Kids…. They usually hold out well then, when they crash, they crash hard and fast but they bounce back just as quickly" said Kate.
"Well would you look at little Miss Amelia! Somebody's feeling a lot better" Dr Martinez smiled a few minutes later.
"She's doing great. As if nothing ever happened. Look at her" Kate laughed. Amelia was now sitting on her knees slapping her hand on a large book.
"Okay sweetie you need to take it easy, I'll read that for you" said Sara.
"Kids… they bounce back really well" said Martinez.
"That's what I just told Sara" Kate smiled.
I think she's ready to check out of ICU and into a normal room but I think keeping her in ICU for he night might not be a bad idea. Let's play it safe" said the doctor.
"Yeah, when do you think she'll be discharged?" asked Kate. She was thankful that the doctor suggested another night in ICU. She would prefer Amelia's cardiac activity and saturation levels be monitored a while longer.
"If she keeps improving like this I think we may be able to discharge her tomorrow afternoon or evening. She seems perfectly fine now but I just want to monitor her, make sure she doesn't relapse. You two really need some sleep and that's going to be hard if she's discharged. I know it's difficult but try and take advantage of the fact that the meds we just pushed will knock her out for the rest of the night."
"We'll be fine" said Kate.
"She's really lucky. This could have ended…" Dr Martinez said before being cut off by Kate.
"I know… I know okay" said Kate annoyed.
Kate looked at Sara who was on the bed now reading a story. Amelia was struggling to keep awake.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit on edge. She still seems tired. Old meds must still be in her system and the new ones are kicking in" said Kate.
"This whole ordeal would have taken a hell of a lot out of her, for sure. Just let her sleep as much as she wants to for the next few days. I believe she had a good feed?"
"Yeah, finished that bottle like it was the last one on earth. I think we should try and get some light breakfast into her in the morning and see if she tolerates it" said Kate.
"I can see you have things under control here" smiled the doctor.
"Thanks again… you've been very patient with my butting in"
"I completely understand how it would be hard for you to just be a parent when your child's sick. I'm really happy she's okay. Get one of the nurses to page me if you need me"
When smiled and nodded. She turned around both Sara and Amelia were out for the count on the bed. She sighed and for the first time since the start of this ordeal allowed herself to relax.
Kate plonked down onto the cot against the wall. She drifted off into a deep sleep a minute later.
Kate awoke again after what seemed like only a few minutes but when she checked her watch she saw that it had in fact more than two hours since the last time she woke up to check on Amelia. She slept fitfully throughout the night and woke up at least every hour to check on Amelia although she knew that doctors and nurses were in and out the whole night and the remote monitors at the nurses station would alert a number of people if there was a hint of distress. She knew that Sara didn't sleep much either.
"Hi Mom" Sara held Amelia's hand and they waved. Amelia laughed out loud.
"Hi girls! Have you been awake long?" asked Kate and stretched her long limbs.
"No, ten minutes maybe" Sara smiled.
Kate got up and immediately started studying the monitors while rubbing Amelia's back. Amelia held out her arms. "Ma" she said.
"How's she feeling?" Kate asked.
"She's a bit lethargic but she's in good spirits.
"Vitals look really good, lungs sound clear" Kate said and picked Amelia up.
"Dr Martinez was in here a couple of minutes ago and she agrees. We're ready to get out of this room! Yaaay" said Sara and held Amelia's hand up.
Amelia laughed and threw her other hand up. "Ya" she giggled.
A nurse came in and started disconnecting Amelia's monitors. "We're going to keep the IV line in of course. Maybe Amelia would like a bath when she's in her new room?"
"Good idea… Mom needs a bath too" laughed Sara.
-0-
Later that afternoon Tegan, Lindsey and the twins came into Amelia's new room carrying a bunch of shiny cartoon character balloons with get well soon messages. Amelia was now wearing her own purple PJs. She laughed and held her hands out. Sara pulled up the side rails of the bed and Tegan put the twins down on the bed after removing their shoes.
"We have some gifts too but I don't want a fight, we'll give it to her before we leave" said Tegan as she hugged Sara.
"Thank you guys" said Sara.
"How is she? She looks great! So much better!" said Tegan.
"Still a bit pale but she's doing great actually, she may even be discharged tonight. She's still a bit groggy and weak but all in all she's a superstar. All her vitals are normal. Mommy's little overachiever" said Kate and winked.
"What a trouper! Good job Amelia" Tegan smiled and ruffled Amelia's hair.
Casey had made her way to next to her cousin. As if knowing what was going on she gave Amelia an awkward toddler hug.
"Oh my gosh how cute is that"
"Baba ouch" said Amelia and touched the plasters on Amelia's cheeks holding the oxygen cannula in place. She looked down perplexed at Amelia's arm wrapped with the IV board bandaged to it.
"Amazing" said Kate and her jaw dropped. Amelia leaned into her cousin. Ryan was over there a few seconds later and looked at Amelia, then his mother questioningly. "Ouch" He rubbed Amelia's wrapped up arm up and down.
"Yeah guys, your cousin has an ouchie. She's not feeling so well but she'll be feeling better and playing again soon okay" said Tegan.
"She's been really clingy, loves all this attention" Sara laughed.
"She deserves a bit of special attention" said Lindsey smiling.
Tegan sat down with a sigh. "That must have been so difficult for you guys" said Tegan shaking her head.
"You know what it's like, you had two babies in the NICU for a long time" said Kate.
"Yeah and I never, ever want to experience that again" said Tegan.
"Guys, I think it's a good idea if you get the kids tested right here for major allergens. I made a costly mistake" said Kate looking down.
"Hey, it's not your fault okay. We have time today so if they can fit us in we'll do it" said Tegan.
"How's this going to affect her going forward?" asked Lindsey.
"We're going to have to carry around an epi pen everywhere she goes, I mean everywhere! We'll keep a few in reserve. When she's older she'll have to carry it with her. We'll teach her how to use it. It'll be fine" said Kate.
"And keep her away from bees!" said Sara.
-0-
Tegan stared out in front of her while her family was eating dinner around the dining room table in their hotel suite.
"Tee… everything okay?" asked Lindsey and squeezed her thigh.
"I'm just…. God I can't stop thinking about what might have happened. They're so fragile" said Tegan.
"We all are sweetie. At least we now know that these two aren't allergic to nuts, shellfish or bee stings"
Tegan nodded.
"When did you take your last anxiety pill?"
"I haven't" Tegan shrugged.
"What, this evening?"
"No… I took one yesterday on the way to the hospital and that was fine" said Tegan.
"Really? That's great Boo"
"I just suddenly feel… I don't know… depressed for lack of a better word. Feel like I want to burst out in tears"
"That's understandable hon"
"I don't know… one thing replaces the other"
"You should ask Violet to re-evaluate and adjust your meds when we're back in LA"
"Sure" said Tegan and scrubbed both hands over her face.
-0-
An hour later Tegan heard a knock on the door. She jumped up and opened the door.
"Surprise! We got parole early because Mom's a doctor" said Sara.
"Hey peanut! How are you feeling?" asked Tegan.
"She's a lot better I think. She'll be sleeping right between us tonight" said Sara.
"Was this all a plan to get spoilt little Miss?" laughed Tegan and pinched Amelia's nose. Amelia buried her face in Kate's shoulder still grasping the stuffed bunny Tegan brought her earlier. She looked paler and more tired than this afternoon.
"She's really grizzly right now. I think we should get her to bed. It's been a long day for everyone" said Kate.
"Long couple of days. You guys must be so relieved" said Lindsey.
"You have no idea" Sara sighed.
"Okay, here's your suite key, right next door. Have a good night guys. Please call me if you need anything at all"
"We will" Sara smiled.
"I know it's going to be difficult but try and get some rest please" said Tegan.
"Thanks Tegan, we'll try" said Kate and turned to leave.
-0-
Kate finally took a hot shower. She leaned against the wall trying to process the events of the last two days. The hot water pelted against her back and she let out a sob. Shaking she sank down to the floor. The possibilities of what could have happened raced through her mind. Amelia could have gone into cardiac arrest, she knew she was on the verge of complete cardio pulmonary collapse when she was wheeled into that ER. Her organs could have failed one by one. She sent up a prayer of thanks and sat in the same spot for a few minutes. She eventually got up and pulled herself together for her family.
Kate found Sara lying on the bed staring at a sleeping Amelia.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"I think so, she went down pretty fast after that bath. She looks pretty comfy" said Sara.
Tegan made sure Kate's medical bag made it to the hotel room safely. Kate sat down and listened to Amelia's heart and lungs.
"And?" Sara asked.
"Sounds good. I just want to check her BP" said Kate.
When the BP cuff tightened Amelia woke up and started moaning.
"I'm sorry sweetie…. But at least your BP is good" said Kate taking off the cuff. Amelia was now livid. She screamed loudly. Sara picked her up and rocked her.
"Dammit" Kate swore under her breath.
Amelia kept screaming, her face turning red. "Okay sweetheart, I'm sorry we woke you. It's alright" Sara cooed.
"She's going to drop her sats if she doesn't calm down soon" said Kate.
"You think I'm not trying here?" said Sara annoyed hopping Amelia up and down.
Kate threw her hands up in the air in frustration.
"Get the stroller. We're going for a walk" said Sara.
Kate did as instructed. Amelia still screamed. Amelia was busy making herself sick with the screaming and she vomited on Sara's shoulder.
"Should we take her back to the hospital?" Sara asked looking worried as she wiped Amelia's mouth.
"No she's just upset, her vitals look fine" said Kate.
Sara gently put Amelia down in the stroller and put the back down. She covered her with a cozy blanket and popped a pacifier in her mouth. Amelia spit it out in anger and kept yelling and kicking off the blanket.
Kate had her stethoscope on her chest again and Amelia tried to push her hands away.
"Her lungs still sound clear. Let's go" said Kate.
Sara started pushing the stroller and Amelia's wailing stopped. She was now just moaning softly. The second Sara stopped, she started up again.
"We really fucking pissed her off" said Sara, eyes wide before giggling.
Sara and Kate pushed the stroller up and down the hotel hallway into the elevator. The minute the stroller was still again, Amelia started screaming.
"Give us a minute to get downstairs princess" said Kate.
For the next hour and a half they pushed the stroller up and down the foyer, they took turns to grab a quick bite at the coffee counter.
"I think she's out" Sara whispered.
"Thank god… what a temper" mumbled Kate and got up from the couch where she was sitting. Sara and Kate both look exhausted.
"Will you be leaving the hotel tonight Sara?" asked Beth the security guard.
"I hope not… unless something's up with Amelia. We'll make sure we let you know if we do" said Sara.
"No problem, there will be a guard stationed outside your door who will radio me"
"Thanks Beth. We'll be fine" said Sara.
-0-
The next morning around seven Sara and Kate walked into the breakfast area of the hotel. Kate was carrying Amelia who suddenly looked like a ray of sunshine again.
"Morning" said Sara looking grumpy and tired.
"Morning guys. Have a seat. Ordered you coffee when I saw you come in" said Tegan where she was seated with her family.
"How's Amelia?"
"We had a bit of a rough night" said Kate looking exhausted.
"She okay?" asked Tegan looking concerned.
"Physically she's fine. But it took us two hours to get her down again after she woke up when Kate checked her BP. She was mad as hell. Then she woke up every hour… she was super grumpy. Of course this morning, she woke up at 5 like ray of sunshine. She's still quite weak and pale but she's doing so much better"
"Oh Amelia, I think they're just being dramatic" said Tegan and tickled Amelia.
"Yeah right. We can't blame her though, she's been so good through all of this" said Kate before just about downing a cup of coffee in one go.
"She really has, we're so proud of you sweetie" said Sara squeezing Amelia.
"We can take her for a couple of hours if you guys want to get some rest?" Tegan offered.
"No we're fine. I'm hoping she'll go down for a long nap soon after the night she had" said Kate.
"What are your plans? Is the show the day after tomorrow a go?" asked Tegan.
"Today, we're going to veg out in our hotel room. Try and catch up on lost sleep and if we can't do that, we're just going to spend quality time with our little warrior. Tomorrow… don't know, much of the same before we head to San Francisco. I'm happy for the show to go on. Kate says Amelia is fine. We have a longer break coming up in a week. It's going to be a tough one but honestly, it's more of a hassle to cancel and I don't want the media on this, which they will be if we cancel" said Sara.
"I'll have your back. You guys get some rest today. And I'm serious, we'll be more than happy to entertain her if you need a break"
"I just feel as if I don't want to let her out of my sight… I know, right now I'm paranoid" said Sara.
"Completely understandable" said Tegan looking at Amelia who was sitting on Sara's lap with her head on Sara's chest. It was clear that she wasn't quite herself yet.
"What are you guys up to today?" asked Sara.
"We're probably going exploring a bit. Maybe take the kids to a park to run around a bit. Take a walk, have lunch at one of the cafes" said Tegan.
"Sounds like fun, enjoy" said Kate.
"I just want to thank you guys again for what you did the last two days" said Sara.
"We didn't do much, felt quite useless actually" said Tegan.
"You did, just sorting out the work stuff. Packing our stuff and getting it over here. Just being there for us while Amelia was in the hospital. We really appreciate it" said Sara.
"You're welcome Sar. It was the least we could do. Let us know if we can help with anything else, anything at all" said Tegan with her hand on Sara's back.
Sara let out a shuddering sigh. "Thank you"
"You okay?" asked Tegan softly.
"It's all just hitting me again today… We could have lost her" said Sara, tears brimming. She unconsciously pulled Amelia closer.
"You didn't… that's all that counts. She's going to be just fine" said Tegan.
A/N: Phew! Amelia is okay! Remember to review please!