Chapter 266
Sax was sitting on the side of Kate's bed holding her hand as she waited for her to wake up.
"Kate. Honey, open your eyes" said Kate's dad John.
Kate didn't move.
"Give her some time. That's some pretty heavy meds she needs to work through" said Sax.
"You guys can start removing Sara's sedation" Sax said to a resident.
Half an hour later Sax was still staring at her friend. Kate's eyelids moved.
"Kate. Open your eyes" said Sax gently.
"Kate… it's Daddy. You're okay. Open your eyes for us" said John.
It took a few tries but Kate's eyes eventually opened and stayed open. She looked exhausted, her eyes were bloodshot and had dark rings under them.
Kate saw blurry images. White. Bright. She heard voices… her dad… Sax? Nothing made sense… all she knew was she was in pain. Her head was throbbing and her chest felt as if a bulldozer was driving over it.
"Kate, squeeze my hand if you hear me" said Sax.
Kate's eyes moved from side to side, her brow furrowed.
"You're okay… everything is okay. Squeeze Sax's hand sweetie" said John.
Kate very softly squeezed the hand in hers.
"Great, that's it. Good job" said Sax.
Kate felt something in her throat but was too out of it to even know what.
"She's not fighting the vent" said Sax and proceeded to check Kate's pupils. The bright light was uncomfortable. What was going on… nothing made sense…
"Kate… sweetheart, you were in an accident. Don't try to talk, you've been intubated. You're going to be okay. They're taking good care of you" said John.
Kate's mom was softly stroking her baby's hair. "Mom's here sweetie" she cooed.
Sax looked up at the monitor suddenly picking up speed. Kate was trying to pick her hand up to get to the tube in her throat.
"No no Katy you need that to breathe" said John.
"Get her in some soft restraints" said Sax to a resident.
"Kate calm down… just take it easy. I know you're worried. Do you remember what happened?" asked John.
Kate nodded her head weakly. She did remember, she remembered more clearly every second. The images in her mind came and went and she tried to make sense of them.
Kate made a gesture like holding a pen.
"You want to write sweetie?" asked Kate's mom.
Kate nodded and closed her eyes again. She was so tired… soooo tired… so sore… so confused.
She forced her eyes open again slowly.
Sax put a clip board under Kate's arm and a pen in her hand. Kate's fingers fumbled the pen. John helped her to grip it somehow. Kate made a crude, ragged S. That simple act completely exhausted her.
"Sara's okay. She's right next to you. She's going to be fine" said Sax.
Kate looked at Sax, her eyes pleading for more.
"We're right here… Sara is okay, she's right next to you. She's okay Kate. It's over… it's over" said John.
Kate closed her eyes and tried to think. It was hard. Thoughts were mangled in her brain. Sara… she knew Sara was injured but she believed them that she was okay. She had to be… They wouldn't lie to her. Tegan… she didn't know if Tegan was injured, she didn't think so. She couldn't remember… she just remembered Tegan hovering over her, trying her best to comfort her and keep her stable.
Kate made a T.
"She's okay Kate…. She's okay" said Kate's mom.
"C her" Kate wrote, it took a while before they figured it out, the writing was so bad.
"Kate… Tegan's hurt. She's okay now but she can't come see you now" said Sax.
Kate frowned again. She bit down on the tube in her mouth. Her heart rate shot up.
"Just calm down. We're taking good care of them. They'll be okay Kate. Shhhh" said Sax.
"She awake yet?" Sax asked the nurse tending to Sara.
"No sorry" said the nurse.
"We'll let you see Sara in a few minutes okay. She's just waking up. Just relax for me" said Sax trying to get Kate's mind off Tegan.
Kate knew a bullshit diversion when she saw one, even if she was injured and drugged up. She tapped the board under hear hand impatiently. She needed to know more about Tegan's condition. The action just about floored her. She was in an almost unbearable pain.
T – she scribbled again.
"Calm down! I'll be straight with you. She's injured okay. She has a broken arm, dislocated shoulder and she was a tad hypothermic when she came in. But she'll be fine. We've got it under complete control" Sax lied and downplayed Tegan's injuries significantly. Just a white lie… Kate shouldn't be upset right now.
The white lie wasn't enough to keep Kate calm though. Her heart rate remained fast. She looked dazed and unfocussed.
Kate's parents and now Alex, kept talking and trying to soothe Kate. Softly touching her face, stoking her arms up and down, kissing her forehead and her knuckles. Sax looked at the scene and swallowed down a lump. It was beautiful. Such a tight knit, amazing family. So loving and accepting of Kate, exactly as she was. Something Sax never knew growing up. Sure, she had her aunt who was like mom, dad and sibling all in one but this… it brought tears to her eyes. Kate was so lucky.
"Dr Sinclair" a nurse ripped Sax out of her thoughts. "Sara's not showing signs of waking up, she's tachy and she has a rash on the chest. Temp's spiking, it's up to 101.4" said the nurse softly into her ear.
"I'll be back in a minute" said Sax to the Morgan's but nobody listened. She walked to the other side of the curtain and started examining Sara.
"Why is this taking so long? What's up with you Sara" she mumbled and shone a penlight into Sara's eyes.
What Sax saw jolted her. "Get neuro in here stat and get a full blood panel" she said urgently. Sara gave a weird gasp, the monitor above her bed started screaming with the word "alarm" blinking on the screen. "Get an ambubag, breathing's compromised, pressure is tanking. I need to intubate. Please don't let this be what I think it is" Sax said softly but urgently to the nurse next to her.
Outside the intercom system automatically went off. "Code red, TICU… Code red, TICU"
"Sara? What's going on?" asked Sonia watching Sax push a new breathing tube into Sara's trachea.
"Sonia… I'll update you soon but you need to wait outside please" said Sax.
"No… what's going on? Is she okay?" Sonia demanded.
"I cannot talk to you now… wait outside please" said Sax sternly but not raising her voice. "I'm in… bag her and get her back on the vent. We need to get her to CT stat" said Sax as softly as possible not to alert Kate on the other side of the curtain.
The sudden commotion in the room made Kate confused. This couldn't be good. Sara… where's Sara… somebody said Sara's name… she just wanted to see her. She wanted to talk but she was too weak to move and there was a tube down her throat sending breath into her.
"Kate just calm down… it's okay" said John with his hands on Kate's shoulders.
"Get Kate sedated again… now" said Sax and gave some drug orders.
"Sara!" Sonia cried with her hands in front of her mouth.
"Get them outside!" Sax said loudly.
Kate felt herself float… images blurred… her hearing faded… she floated further and further… away from the confusion and pain until it was dark.
A/N: Oh fuck... what's happening to Sara? Review please