Chapter 274

"How are you feeling?" Sara asked.

"I'm alive… that's something. I'm good. Hurts like a mother fucker though" Tegan smiled weakly, clearly uncomfortable. "You feeling okay? How's the leg?"

"I'm okay… but apparently it's not 1999" said Sara.

"Huh?" said Tegan frowning.

"Sara…. Well she's having some memory problems and…" said Sonia before being cut off.

"What the fuck?" said Tegan as loudly as her sore and injured body would allow her. "She thinks its 1999?"

"Well I don't think so anymore…. I know it's not… I just can't… remember anything since… well 1999" said Sara.

"Fuck… Is this… permanent?" asked Tegan.

"Tegan just relax please" said Lindsey rubbing Tegan's shoulder..

"Hopefully not… the doctors are working on it" said Sonia. She didn't really know what to think, the doctors have been kind of vague.

"It's going to be okay Sar… it's going to be fine" said Tegan.

"You don't remember… the accident… what happened after?" asked Tegan a few seconds later.

"No… nothing" said Sara.

"Maybe that's a good thing" said Tegan softly. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

"Tee…" said Sara softly.

"Yes Sar"

"I… my wife… Kate… I'm scared… I don't know her… I'm scared I won't love her" said Sara. She sounded tired and weak.

"You will… and if you can't remember her… well, you'll build new memories" said Tegan.

"She's really sick… they took her back to surgery" said Sara.

Tegan's heart rate and blood pressure suddenly skyrocketed and her breathing increased. "They what… Mom? Is Kate okay?" said Tegan trying to sit up.

"They're taking good care of her Tegan" said Sonia trying to get Tegan calm.

"Why didn't you tell me?" said Tegan clearly distressed.

"Tegan its okay, just calm down" said Lindsey.

"Don't tell me… to calm down" said Tegan out of breath and weak but clearly mad as hell.

"Tegan loves her" said Sara mostly to herself.

"Kate's one of Tegan's best friends Sara. They've been friends a really long time. Long before the two of you got together" said Sonia.

"Oh god… please… she has to be okay" said Tegan through tears.

"Hey… from what I hear she's a badass. She'll be okay" said Sara now also close to tears.

"And Amelia? Do you remember Amelia?" asked Tegan.

"Who?"

"Your little girl Sara" said Tegan sounding frustrated.

"I have a kid? I have a child?" said Sara, her monitors started screaming.

"Shhhhh, you have a little girl Sara. You and Kate struggled so long to conceive and the day you heard you were pregnant you…" said Sonia before being cut off.

"Hang the fuck on… I was pregnant? It came out of me? Now I know you're lying" said Sara breathing hard and fast, sweat beads popping up on her forehead.

"Shhhh Sara… it's okay… you're okay" said Sonia stroking Sara's hair.

"Let me see her" said Sara weakly.

Sonia showed Sara a photo on her phone of Amelia.

Sara stared at the photo emotionless.

"She's gorgeous… she looks like me and Tegan… but I don't remember… I don't remember my own child mom… I don't remember" Sara started wailing.

"It's okay Sara… Shhh" said Sonia.

"Sar… it'll be okay… you're okay" Tegan wheezed and patted Sara's arm weakly.

"Tegan, let's just get this mask back on you" said a nurse. Tegan was still wheezing.

"Let's nebulise her, see if it opens up her airways. Have point 4 of IV albuterol on standby" said a resident.

"Tegan… is she okay? Mom? Tegan!" Sara exclaimed faintly but looked utterly distressed when she saw the medical personnel around Tegan.

"She's okay Sara, she's okay they just need to nebulise her a bit to open her airways. Just relax" said Sonia.

"I'm… okay" said Tegan through wheezes.

A resident sedated Sara without her even knowing. Seconds later she was out.

A few minutes later Tegan's breathing was pretty much back to normal.

"Is there… news on… Kate?" Tegan asked still sounding out of breath.

"Nothing yet sweetie" said Lindsey and kissed Tegan's fingers.

"She needs to be okay… Sara needs her. Fuck… I'm so scared" said Tegan.

"I know, we all are" said Sonia.

Tegan groaned softly as her pain was progressively getting worse.

-0-

Twenty minutes later Lindsey walked into the cafeteria for some coffee. She just needed a bit of a break and Tegan was sleeping soundly after a pretty potent dose of pain meds. Lindsey didn't want to sleep, she was eager to hear news on Kate's condition. After paying she saw Cameron sitting in a corner with a half empty cup in front of her. She was holding her head in her hand. Her eyes were closed.

"Hey" said Lindsey touching her shoulder.

Cameron jumped. "Jeez you scared me" she said.

"Are you okay? You look a bit under the weather?" said Lindsey.

"I'm fine… I dozed off. Crazy shift. I think I'm coming down with something so don't come too close" said Cam with her hand up.

"Oh okay" said Lindsey stepping back. She really didn't want to catch a cold or something and not be able to be with Tegan in ICU.

Cam coughed into her napkin. She really did look like shit. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes. Her body ached, her head wanted to explode. Her shift just ended and she needed to be up at 5 again the next morning so she just had to man up. Today was the last day of her extended training. If she got through this she could go home to California. If she didn't, it meant 6 more months in this frozen hell hole.

"How are they doing?" asked Cam and coughed. "Tegan and Sara are both doing okay, they're stable. But Kate is back in surgery right now, she's critical" said Lindsey becoming emotional.

"I'm so sorry… I want to hug you but I don't want you to get sick" said Cam.

Lindsey shook her head and smiled as she wiped her nose.

"I thought Kate was doing okay… What if Tegan gets a setback like that. She's not that strong anymore, her strength has been depleted…. I don't know how much more she can take" said Lindsey, still crying.

"She's good now… she's getting better. Stay positive" said Cam.

"Yeah… I'll try. Maybe you should call in sick, you really don't look well"

"I'm fine, worked through way worse. I'm not on life flight tomorrow, we're doing our final training runs. After today, I get to go home, I mean real home, LA"

"Good luck… I'll miss seeing you around and talking. But hopefully we'll catch up in LA?"

"Yeah me too. But you can call me on my cell phone any time if you need to talk to somebody. I'll listen"

"It's a pity I won't be able to introduce you to Tegan yet. She'd love to meet you"

"Soon, hopefully you'll be out of here in no time" Cam smiled.

"Your support has really meant a lot to me Cameron. Thank you" said Lindsey.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could be of some help" said Cam. Lindsey didn't know why but there was a deep seeded sadness to Cam. From the first time she met her it was there, Lindsey just couldn't put a name to it.

"I better get back to the ICU, Sonia's coffee is getting cold"

"And I better go get some sleep before training day, it's going to be brutal"

"Goodbye Cam. Take care of yourself" Lindsey half smiled.

"You too. No hug… sniffles" said Cam pointing at her nose. "Bye Lindsey… good luck. Be strong" she said and smiled. She turned and walked away. Lindsey stared at her until she was out of the cafeteria door.