Chapter 281
It was early morning by the time Cam was admitted to the hospital from the ED after every test they could think of. Craig walked into the room looking glum.
"Can I go home now? I feel okay" Cam lied. She didn't look okay. Dark rings under her eyes. Pale and clammy. Her breathing was shallow and fast and she felt like crap. She just really hated being a patient.
"Sorry Cameron. Not just yet" said Craig not smiling.
"Are you sure we can't call anybody for you?" he asked.
"No I'm fine. I'm not waking my family in San Francisco up this time of the morning" she said.
"Okay. Cam…" he said and sat down on her bed. He took her hand in his.
"I've got some bad news"
-0-
Both Tegan and Kate were fighting for their lives for the next two weeks. Tegan was back on the ventilator, but other than her lungs she was holding out okay. Her condition remained critical though. Kate's infection count was up and down constantly. It kept hovering in the very dangerous range though. The sepsis caused her blood pressure to be down the tubes constantly. She remained on the verge of multiple organ failure. Both were only awake every couple of days for a few groggy minutes before being put under again.
Sara was also sedated most of the time. Physically she was doing better but she was still not close to well enough to leave the ICU after her fat embolus scare. She still didn't remember a thing after 1999. It upset her greatly and when she was awake she was severely agitated and had to be restrained. The psychiatrist and Sara's doctors all felt it better for her to be sedated until there was improvement with Tegan or Kate. They continued to give her drugs to dissolve the fat embolus further. They also treated her with some brain stimulation via electrodes. It didn't hurt Sara but it agitated her tremendously.
Lindsey spent most of her days and nights next to Tegan. She and Sonia took turns to be with the kids in the hotel across the road. The kids definitely sensed something was wrong and they were acting out.
Every time any one of them left the hospital surrounded by security, the media was all over them. Alex still refused to send out a statement. Tom, Tegan and Sara's manager was pushing more and more to speak to the media.
Lindsey missed her little interactions with Cam and wondered why Cam never initiated contact. She sent Lindsey short and vague replies to her texts. She never answered her phone. Lindsey felt a bit hurt. She now considered Cameron a friend. A friend who had way more access to status updates than any of their other friends did at the moment. She let it go though, hoping Cam was just busy.
"Morning team" said Sax walking into the unit rubbing some hospital strength gel sanitiser into her hands.
Everybody mumbled hello looking tired and worried.
"I've got some good news. I just had a look at the latest set of Tegan's chest x-rays. She's on a bit of a roll here. Making a great comeback. Lungs look great. I think we can take her off the vent today. All her other vitals are holding just fine. She hasn't had a fever in a couple of days either" Sax smiled.
"Thank you… thank you" Lindsey cried and kissed Tegan's cheek.
"Kate continues to show improvement. We'll wake her up again today so she can get her bearings at bit. She's off dialysis and making urine by the buckets! BPs still a little choppy though. I'll probably leave the vent in for a while, she's very weak so she'll need the support. But we'll have her breathing on her own for a few minutes, then hours. Still a long road ahead but I think they are both out of danger for now" said Sax with a smile as wide as her face.
"Thank you… I don't know how to thank you enough" said Sonia hugging an awkward Sax.
"It was a team effort. They're all obviously going to need quite a bit more time in ICU but I'm happy right now. They're stable and improving. We're going to be monitoring them all very closely to make sure they don't relapse"
-0-
When Tegan woke up she felt confused and groggy as always. She remembered everything though and almost instantly turned her head to Sara's bed.
"Hey baby… relax, they're okay. They're going to be fine, so are you. I love you" said Lindsey stroking Tegan's hair.
Tegan squeezed her hand and looked around the room. She pulled up her hand that was momentarily out of its usual restraint trying to find the ET tube.
"Easy, no no… Dr Smith will come and remove that in a minute babe. Just relax now. Everything's alright" said Lindsey.
"I'm so proud of you Tegan. I love you" said Sonia ruffling Tegan's hair.
Tegan gave a weak thumbs up and tried to smile. The stupid tube in her mouth made it difficult.
Tegan heard a very groggy and grumpy Sara call her name on the other side of the curtain.
"Open the fucking curtain" said Sara sounding a bit like a drunk.
Sonia opened the curtain and Sara tried to sit up more.
"Teetee" she said swaying a bit.
Tegan gave the thumbs up again.
"She okay now, is she okay?" asked Sara.
"Yes Sara, they'll take the breathing tube out soon. Calm down for me" said Sonia gently and patiently.
"Where's um… what's her name…. Kate? Is Kate okay?" asked Sara although the memory of Kate other than the one or two times she got to see her after the accident was still missing.
"She's fine sweetie, she's doing so much better. She's okay" said Bruce stroking Sara's arm.
Sara looked down at Bruce's iPhone on the counter over the bed.
"Do you know what this is Sar?" asked Bruce.
"Of course, it's a phone" said Sara.
"What kind of phone Sara?" asked a doctor next to her bed.
"An iPhone… 6 maybe?"
"Good job" smiled Bruce.
"She remembers an iPhone but she doesn't remember people and events" said the doctor. It's a step in the right direction though.
"Okay Sara lie back now. We're going to give you a bed bath now while they extubate your sister" said the lead nurse.
"No… I want Tegan"
"And you'll get Tegan as soon as we're done okay. Just take it easy now"
Sara started crying. She was like a naughty school kid.
"Sara sweetie, it's okay kiddo. Let them clean you now. You can talk to Tegan soon okay. Just relax for mom" said Sonia calming her kid.
-0-
Tegan stopped counting how many times she has had to endure an ET tube being pulled out through her vocal chords. Every time it hurt, every time she was out of breath and felt like gagging. Every time she was ecstatic that it was out.
"Hi" she whispered to Lindsey before they put an oxygen mask on her face.
"Just breathe this for a few minutes before you try and talk okay" said Dr Smith.
Sax was watching from the doorway. Tegan spotted her and looked at her for a few seconds before turning her head back to Lindsey. She tried to pull the mask off again. Lindsey gently raised the mask so Tegan could still get oxygen but try and communicate.
"I love you" Tegan whispered. Her throat was on fire but she knew that would pass.
"And I love you… so much! I'm so happy to see your smile" said Lindsey and kissed Tegan's forehead.
"Sara and Kate?" Tegan whispered.
"What I told you five minutes ago is still true Tegan. She's okay, Dr Sinclair says you're both out of danger" said Lindsey.
Tegan looked at Sax again. "Thank you" she mouthed. Sax just smiled, nodded, turned and walked out to the nurses' station.
"Thirsty" Tegan mumbled. A nurse gave her a spoon full of ice chips before spraying something into her throat.
"So cold" Tegan whispered and looked pleadingly at the nurse. The nurse checked the monitor showing her temperature constantly.
"Well, your core temp is normal right now so I guess I can give you another blanket. You sure you're cold?" she asked.
"So cold" said Tegan again. "Sometimes with hypothermia patients, they continue to feel cold. Some say it's all in their heads from the trauma they've experienced.
"I'm really cold" said Tegan softly.
"I know sweetie, we'll get you nice and toasty okay" smiled Lindsey.
A few minutes later Sonia pulled open the curtain between her girls and the nurses pushed Sara closer to her sister. The smell of soap and baby powder filled the room.
Tegan was still so weak. She smiled at Sara. "Hey you" she whispered.
"Are you okay?" asked Sara looking pale.
"Getting there" said Tegan, her voice hoarse from the ET tube.
"Don't do that again… I was so scared"
"It's okay Sar… we'll all be okay" said Tegan softly and took Sara's hand.
-0-
It was early morning. Sonia sat between her two girls staring into space. The beeping of the monitors lulled her into calm. Lindsey was sleeping on a recliner on the other side of Tegan's bed. Sonia looked up, Tegan's heart monitor was beeping faster. Sonia got up and stood next to Tegan's bed.
Tegan's eyes snapped open and she gasped. She was panting suddenly. Nurses came running into the room. Tegan whimpered, close to tears.
"Fuck…. Fuck" she whispered breathing hard and fast. Her heart monitor was in a tizz. Lindsey woke up with all the commotion and now had Tegan in her arms.
"It's okay…. It's okay it was just a dream"
"The plane… Sara and Kate are hurt… some people… some people are dead" Tegan cried.
"It's okay, it's over now. You're safe now. Shhhhh" said Sonia.
"Okay, deep breath now" said Lindsey.
Tegan took a deep, shuddering breath and coughed. She started crying.
"It's okay… you're okay" said Sonia again. Tegan was shaking.
Sonia turned and saw Sara staring at them looking horrified.
"Hey Sar, it's okay. Tegan just had a nightmare. It's okay" said Sonia.
"Jeez mom… what the hell happened out there?" said Sara looking pale.