"How's Sara Mom?" asked Tegan sounding worried. She was sitting in a wheelchair outside the nurses' station waiting for the physical therapist to take her to the therapy room for the first time. All her previous physio sessions took place in her bed. She was still on nasal oxygen and a lot of IV bags hung on a pole next to her. She was also still on a portable monitor attached to the IV pole.
"She's okay Tee. Emotional you know. She saw Amelia today. We were hoping it would trigger something but it didn't. She still doesn't remember more. It upsets her a lot" said Sonia.
"Fuck… I'm so worried about her. What if she never remembers Mom?" said Tegan close to tears.
"The doctors are optimistic. They say it will probably just take some time and…"
"Optimistic… what does that even mean? It may come back and it may not? It's been more than three weeks Mom. I don't know… it's not looking very positive now is it" said Tegan in a whisper so Sara wouldn't hear inside the room.
"We need to stay positive Tegan. Please, just stay positive for Sara's sake"
"Yeah, I hear ya" said Tegan shaking her head.
"What did the doctors say about me? When can I get out of here?" said Tegan.
"Um… well. They still need to monitor your lung function and cardiac rhythm. They say you're improving every day. So, out of ICU maybe in a week or two. Out of hospital? No idea" said Sonia.
"I need to get out of here. My kids need me. They cannot spend weeks in a hotel room"
"They're not just in a hotel room Tegan. It's a nice, homey suite. It's even got a little garden. We take them out regularly. They're fine"
"Still… they need both their parents there for them"
"Yes, they need them both healthy please" said Sonia strictly.
"Mrs Quin, sorry to interrupt. Time for some physical therapy. Let's see if we can get you walking today. We're also going to do some breathing exercises and do some postural drainage" said a cute blonde woman of about Tegan's age.
"Yay… sounds like fun" said Tegan sarcastically under her breath. "Told you to call me Tegan" Tegan smiled diplomatically at the woman.
"Alright Tegan, you ready to get going?" said a nurse.
"Yup… let's roll"
"Hi, can I come?" asked Lindsey jogging up to them.
"It's probably best if you don't this time Lindsey" said the physical therapist.
"But I… I just want to be there for her" said Lindsey looking dejected.
"It's okay baby. Next time" said Tegan.
"I'll be right outside Boo, you call me if you need me" said Lindsey.
Tegan took her hand and kissed it. "I will, love you"
-0-
"Alright, if the family can just move against the wall for us please we can get going" said Sax snapping on some surgical gloves and a mask.
"Close the curtain please" Kate wrote.
"Alright, Sara's asleep though" said a nurse.
"I know, in case she wakes up. Don't want her to see this" Kate wrote.
"Fair enough" Sax smiled and listened to Kate's chest.
"Time to put the iPad away. You ready?" she asked.
Kate nodded looking a bit pale.
"Alright, just relax for me. Dr Johnson, can I have a fresh set of vitals please?" Sax asked a resident.
"Pulse nice and stable, 78. BP is 105 over 76, Sats a beautiful 99, CVP is 10, Temp's normal"
"Not even nervous huh?" smiled Sax trying to thaw the room a bit. Kate just lifted her eyebrows.
"Can I hold her hand please?" asked Kate's mom.
"Of course you can" smiled Sax.
"Alright, team's all set. Get the bed down and let's do this" said Sax.
"I'm sure you know the drill Dr Morgan but I'll repeat it just in case. We're going to suction you now. Dr Sinclair will remove the tape holding the tube in place. After that we're going to pull the tube out and cover up the hole. You'll probably feel a bit short of breathe for a few minutes after we've removed the tube. Just focus on your breathing. Everything's fine" said the kind female resp tech.
Kate nodded. She knew exactly what the procedure entailed. She appreciated hearing it again though.
Kate squeezed her mother's hand tight as the team suctioned her trachea, something they did numerous times during the day, every time it felt horrible.
"Alright Kate, ready? On three" said Sax and pulled the tube out of Kate's neck smoothly after counting.
Kate didn't move, she patiently lay there waiting for the procedure to finish, staring at the ceiling.
"Good job Dr Morgan, I'm just going to give you a bit of oxygen now" said Sax and put an oxygen mask over the hole in Kate's neck. Kate did seem a bit short of breath. She gave a thumbs up sign though.
"You're okay, just breathe as normally as you can" said Sax. Kate nodded and tried to even out her breathing. It felt weird feeling air rush in through a hole in her throat.
"Vitals are holding. Sats 96… 97 and climbing. Pulse 85. BP 103 systolic. Resps 22"
"Okay, let's move that mask to her face and get the gauze and plaster on please" said Sax. Kate was as calm as she could be under the circumstances.
"Good job sweetheart, good job" said Kate's dad and ruffled her hair.
"No talking just yet Kate. Just relax for us" said Sax working.
Kate nodded.
"There we go, all done. We're going to monitor you closely for a while but well done Kate!" Sax smiled after dressing the wound that would probably close on its own in time.
Kate smiled under her oxygen mask.
"We love you sweetie" said Kate's mom kissing her forehead.
"Love you too" Kate whispered under the oxygen mask.
"Ready for some ice chips? Things must be pretty dry in there" said Sax.
Kate nodded as a nurse put the bed head up.
A few seconds after Kate had the ice chips she tried speaking.
"Sara" she grunted sounding hoarse.
"Let's see if she's awake" said Sax and pulled the curtain open.
Sara had heard everything. She lay with the covers pulled up high breathing hard and fast. She can't remember ever being more nervous.
"Hi Sara. We have a surprise for you. Somebody special wants to talk to you" said a nurse.
The medical team pushed Sara's bed closer to Kate's.
Kate smiled weakly and reached out for Sara's hand. Sax leaned over and lifted some IV tubing out of the way.
"We're going to give you a few minutes, we'll be back" said Alex. They all left the room.
Sara turned her head to look at Kate who was slightly pale but looked relaxed and was smiling.
"Sara" Kate said weakly, her voice sounding a bit rough. She looked straight into Sara's eyes.
"I love you" she said softly.
Sara's breathing and heart rate suddenly increased. She blinked fast a few times looking confused.
"I love you… so much. You're my everything. I will never give up on you… on us. I love you" said Kate.
Sara was now almost hyperventilating.
-0-
Tegan was finishing up her very successful physical therapy session. She even managed to walk a few feet assisted. Suddenly she had an anxious feeling rush over her.
"Sara… something's not right with Sara" she said as the therapist helped her back into the wheelchair.
"Sorry what?" said the therapist.
"I need to get back to the room please! Like right now! Take me back to the room" said Tegan.
"I'm sure everything is fine Tegan just relax"
"Please just hurry!" said Tegan looking worried.
-0-
"I… I love you too… I remember… I remember" said Sara. The moment she heard Kate actually say she loved her memories started flooding back as if Kate's voice was some sort of key to a Pandora's box of memories. Bit by bit things seeped into her consciousness. She saw Kate in her mind's eye. Kate laughing at a party, Kate next to Tegan's hospital bed, Kate surfing, Kate under their waterfall in Hawaii, Kate gloriously naked in bed, Kate delivering Amelia, Kate on their wedding day"
"I remember" Sara whispered.
"I knew you would… God I'm so in love with you" said Kate sounding a bit breathless.
"I love you… Kate I love you" Sara laughed through tears.
Sax came charging into the room from where she was watching the monitors at the nurses' station. Sonia who just arrived at the hospital was right on her heels.
"Sara you okay?" she asked.
"I remember" Sara mumbled. The memories kept coming. Suddenly Sara's face fell and her breathing increased again. Her hands started shaking and she held them in front of her face. Sax was quickly checking Sara's vital signs.
"I remember… the plane" she whispered. Suddenly she tried to sit up but was pushed back onto the bed by Sax.
"Just stay still Sara" said Sax.
"Oh god… that was… oh shit I'm going to be sick" said Sara.
Sax handed her a bowel and Sara violently vomited into it a few times.
"I'm here… It's okay. We're all alright, we're safe now" said Kate as loudly as she could manage.
Sax quickly suctioned Sara's mouth out and gave her a drink of water before cleaning her up.
"Tegan… is Tegan okay?" asked Sara suddenly confused.
"She's okay, she's fine now, she's just having some physical therapy" said Sonia.
"Sara just breathe normally. Try and relax, it's okay" said Sax putting an oxygen mask on Sara. She checked her pupils.
Sara tried to push the mask away from her face. "Kate" she mumbled.
"Get her on a nasal cannula" said Sax. The nurse obliged.
"Kate… I love you… I love you. I love Amelia. Where's Amelia? I want my little girl" said Sara.
"I love you too" said Kate trying to move closer. She winched in pain.
"Stay still Kate" Sax snapped. Kate grabbed Sara's hand again.
"We'll bring Amelia for another visit soon okay" said Sonia.
"Organise a head CT please" said Sax to a nurse.
"Sara? Sara are you alright? What's going on in here? Is Sara okay?" said Tegan as her wheelchair was pushed through the door.
"Tegan! Tee… I remember… I remember" said Sara sounding startled.
Tegan stared at her as if she didn't hear what she just said.
"I remember… some… don't know how much but I remember… Kate… Amelia… the plane… our career… kind of"
Tegan swiftly wiped the tears from her cheeks as she was pushed closer.
"I knew it… well done Sar. You're going to be okay" said Tegan, now in tears.
"I love you Tee… thanks for everything… you saved us" said Sara taking Tegan's hand.
"Nah… without this one I…" said Tegan pointing at Kate. She dropped off mid-sentence. "Kate's tube's out… Kate's breathing?"
"Kate's breathing… and talking" Kate croaked and smiled.
"Whoo hooo! Nice one buddy! Good job you two" said Tegan.
"Oh the hero here walked about 15 feet just now" said Lindsey.
Everybody congratulated Tegan who was blushing now.
"Dr Sinclair. Kate's sats are dropping" said a resident softly but urgently.
Sax's face fell in an instant and she rushed over to Kate.
"Okay can we have the family outside please? Now!" said Sax.
"I'm okay" said Kate softly as Sax felt around her diaphragm.
"Kate? Baby?" said Sara sounding panicked.
Kate squeezed Sara's hand and smiled weakly.
"Breathe with me Kate, in… and out…. In… and out" said Sax.
"Alright sats coming back up slightly" said the resident.
Sax let out a sigh of relief. "Listen to me now Kate. I want you taking it very easy okay. You're still in an ICU and you've just been extubated. I'm sending the family home for the night. You need to rest now so we can take some strain off the breathing alright? Your heart is taking strain"
Kate nodded looking pale.
"I love you" said Sara looking overwhelmed.
"All three of you are getting a nice little sedative for the night" said Sax and started writing up the drugs order.
"No please… few more minutes" said Sara.
"Okay, we're going to help Tegan into bed and then it's nighty night"
Sara turned on her side as much as she could with her entire leg in a cast. She looked at Kate and smiled. I'm so happy… I'm so fucking traumatised but so happy" said Sara through tears.
"Me too. It's okay baby, we're going to get some help okay. Both of us. We're going to get through this just fine" said Kate softly. You could see she was taking strain.
"Relax now… I'm here… I'm right here always… I love you. You never gave up on me" whispered Sara.
"Love… you. And you never... gave up on... me either" Kate panted.
"Dr Sinclair, I'm going to assist breathing here for a few minutes" said a resident standing next to Kate.
"I want full bloods for Dr Morgan please. Get the Cpap ready in case she starts desatting again" said Sax.
Kate stared into Sara's eyes, still clasping her hand tight. Her eyelids fluttered a few times as if she was struggling to stay conscious.
"Dr Morgan? Kate. Squeeze my hand. Come on stay with us" said the resident as he assisted Kate's breathing.
"Dammit she's tachy now. Pulse just jumped to 148, pressure's 88 systolic. Sats just dropped to 88" said another resident looking up at Kate's monitors.
"Make space" said Sax and started pulling the beds apart.
"Kate? Katy?" said Sara sounding scared. Their hands broke contact.
Somebody pulled the curtain between the two beds.
"Kate! Open the curtain!" Sara yelled trying to sit up.
"Sara. Sar it's okay, they'll take care of her" said Tegan.
"Kate… she has to be okay Tegan…. I just found her again" said Sara through tears.
-0-
Sara and Tegan lay listening to the medical team work on Kate. Both were in tears now. A few minutes later Sax opened the curtain.
"She's okay! She's stable now. A bit too much action for one afternoon"
"You sure? Katy? Babe?" said Sara.
"We've sedated her for the night. We'll continue with the CPAP for the evening, just to gently assist her breathing. We've got her Sara. Its okay" said Sax.
"Maybe you shouldn't have taken…"
"She's okay Sara. I'm going to stay right here tonight to make sure she stays that way" said Sax patting the recliner next to Kate's bed.
"Thank you! Thank you so much" said Sara.
"My pleasure Sara. Get some rest now" said Sax. A nurse injected something into Sara's IV line. Seconds later she was out.
Tegan was tired as hell after that physical therapy session. A nurse was giving her a bed bath to get her a bit less sweaty. She was wheezing a bit. Sax looked up at the monitor and frowned. She listened to Tegan's chest.
"She's wheezy. Let's get her nebulised with 1mg of Pulmicort" said Sax. She felt like a circus worker sometimes with so many balls in the air.
"We've got it doc. After the neb we'll give her the sleeping aid" said the nurse.
"Thank you. I'll be back in a few minutes. Just going to take a quick shower and get a sandwich. Page me if there's any change with any of them please!" said Sax.
A/N: Sara remembers and Kate's off the vent. They all seem okay now, let's hope they stay that way. Please review, I need to know you're still with me!