Chapter 277

"Alex I'm coming. I'm bringing the kids and the nannies and we're coming. I need to be there" said Erin in tears on the other side of the line. Erin was really close to all three of them and she couldn't stay away another minute.

"Sweetie… I don't know if they'd want the kids in a plane right now" said Alex

"I don't care… I'll come on a train if I have to but I'm coming"

"Erin..."

"I feel so helpless... Please, I need to see them" Erin broke down.

"Well... I'm here and I feel helpless too" said Alex softly.

"I'm coming... You need me, I need you"

"Alright… I'll talk to Lindsey to make sure she's okay with it. Take a commercial flight. Just book out first class. Bring lots of security, it's a zoo outside. I'll book the hotel. I love you"

"I love you too… tell Kate to hang on, her baby girl is coming" said Erin

-0-

A few minutes later two nurses were preparing Tegan to be moved into the wheelchair. They removed the various monitor leads and pulse ox but replaced the pulse ox with a portable one on her finger.

They very gently helped Tegan sit up and swing her legs off the bed. Tegan was so weak she could barely keep her torso up with a lot of strain. She groaned in pain. They lifted her off the bed. Tegan's healthy knee immediately buckled and the nurses took all her weight to guide her gently into the wheelchair. Tegan was sweating and panting now and a nurse put her oxygen line back in her nose.

"You okay Tegan?" one of the nurses asked.

"Yeah, this fucking poop tube is just uncomfortable" Tegan huffed, lying. Everything hurt and she felt like passing out but she was going to see Kate come hell or high water.

The nurses propped Tegan's leg with the brace up on a platform extending from the wheelchair and her arm with the cast was propped up on a pillow on her lap. The wheelchair was one of those luxury models that ensured comfort. More like a recliner than anything else.

"Boo, do you want me to come with you?" asked Lindsey.

"No, I'll be fine… thanks" said Tegan looking pale.

"I'll be right outside if you need me okay"

"Okay, thanks" said Tegan, her bottom lip started trembling and she looked down at her hand toying with the seam of her hospital gown.

Sax pushed Tegan out towards Kate's room.

"Just, give me a minute" said Tegan looking pale.

Sax put her hand on Tegan's shoulder and spoke softly. "Tegan, I just want you to know what to expect. Kate is very sick. She has a lot of probes and monitors and tubes and things in her. She's heavily sedated but you can speak to her. She may be able to hear you"

Tegan just nodded. Kate had more machines and monitors and IV pumps and infusers next to her than Sara and her beds. Sax parked the chair next to Kate's bed and set the brakes. She handed Tegan the call button. "I'll give you some privacy. I'm right outside if you need me. Just press the button"

Tegan finally looked up from her still swollen, injured fingers in her lap at Kate looking absolutely broken on that bed. She had never seen a human being look sicker. She subconsciously touched the line in her own neck that matched Kate's and then scratched the plaster covering the central line under her collar bone. The pulmonary artery catheters in their necks allowed direct, simultaneous measurement of pressures in the chambers of the heart and pulmonary artery. Its purpose is diagnostic; it is used to detect heart failure or sepsis, monitor therapy, and evaluate the effects of drugs.

"Hey K-dawg" Tegan said softly trying her best not to break down.

"It's Tegan… You're going to be okay, you just keep fighting okay… keep fighting Kate. Your little girl needs you buddy… we all need you. Please Kate… please… you've made it this far… you can do it… I love you my friend" said Tegan before tears just started streaming down.

The crying physically hurt. Her ribs screamed in pain as she sobbed. Tegan struggled to pick up her own hand not in a cast to hold Kate's, careful not to disturb any tubes and probes. She sat like that for a while before closing her eyes. She started mumbling a clumsy attempt at a prayer. "God… please, be with Kate and hold her in your hands. Please… please make her better. She's a really good person. A lot of people rely on her and love her so much. She's your people… Please, I'm begging… please… make her better"

An alarm started beeping and it startled Tegan. She pressed the button in her lap and Sax came in immediately.

"Help her… something's not right, help her!" she said sounding tired and scared.

"It's just the IV pump telling us this bag is empty. It's okay Tegan" said Sax. A nurse came in and changed the bags.

"I think we should get you back to bed" said Sax looking at the pulse ox on Tegan's finger.

"Just a few more minutes… please"

"Okay… just a few more" said Sax and left the room.

"Kate… I'm here. I'm okay. Sara's sleeping right next door. She's doing fine. Hopefully she'll come see you soon. Sax is here and she's taking really good care of you. You fight Kate… you can do this. I didn't plunge a needle into your chest for nothing alright. You made it out of that plane and you're going to make it out of here" said Tegan. She sat in silence for a few more minutes before Sax and a nurse came back in.

"Tegan, we're taking you back to bed now. You're exhausted, you need some rest" said Sax.

Tegan nodded and squeezed Kate's hand one more time. "I love you… hang in there"

By the time Tegan was back in her room she was completely exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Nurses lifted her back into bed and re-attached her monitors. Tegan coughed weakly. She could hardly move a muscle.

"You okay Tegan?" one of the nurses asked.

"Everything hurts… so tired" Tegan mumbled, sweat beads were popping up on her forehead and nose.

"Alright honey… shhh… sleep now" said Lindsey as a nurse injected something into Tegan's IV.

"She looks terrible Linds… god… she just looks… as if…" Tegan mumbled before nodding off mid-sentence.

A nurse adjusted Tegan's oxygen flow and put her injured arm and knee on a pillow before taking her vitals.

"Pressure's down quite a bit and her temp is up. Nothing crazy yet but we need to keep an eye on it" said the head nurse to Sax when she walked in.

-0-

Sara opened her eyes about twenty minutes after Tegan fell asleep again.

"Mom" she said softly.

Sonia got up from the chair she was in and took Sara's hand.

"Where am I?" Sara mumbled.

"You're in a hospital Sara, remember?" said Sonia patiently.

"Oh yeah… is Tegan okay?"

"Tegan's doing fine sweetie"

Sara stared at the ceiling for a minute.

"How's… my wife?" asked Sara, suddenly not even remembering Kate's name.

"Sara… Kate took a turn for the worse. She made it out of surgery but her condition is very critical" said Sonia.

Sara looked distressed but didn't say anything for a minute.

"I think… I think I should see her… can I see her?"

"We'll speak to Dr Sinclair and see if that's possible"

"You say I love her… I believe you… I don't remember her but if I love her… I should be with her"

Sonia smiled sadly. "I think she'd really like that Sara"

A few minutes later Sara asked Sax if she could see Kate.

"Sara, there's really no space in that room for two beds and you're not strong or stable enough to move into a wheelchair yet. I'm so sorry, maybe tomorrow"

"But… she would expect me to be there… she would want me there"

"Tegan was just with her, her parents and Alex are with her. She's not alone Sara. She's deeply sedated"

"I'm her wife dammit, I may not remember her but I promise you… if I married her, I must love her totally and completely or I never would have done it… I know myself… I think…"

"I know you love her… she knows you love her. She would want us to take care of you right now. We'll let you see her soon Sara, rest now"

"What aren't you telling me? Is she dead?" said Sara sounding weak but mad.

"No Sara. She's still with us. She's fighting very hard"

"Fuck all of you" said Sara and turned her head away.

"Ahhh… Nineteen year old Sara" said Sonia sounding embarrassed.

Sax smiled. "I understand"

"I promise, as soon as possible okay"

"Uh huh" said Sara and closed her eyes and tried to tell herself that this was all just a horrible dream.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me some comments. I love hearing from you, keep posting please!