A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update. Time goes way to fast. I've had a few very busy weekends, which is a lame excuse I know. But I finally took the time to write, starting when I was on the train Monday morning. I was actually planning on writing something for my internship paper, but realized I sent it to my email but forgot to copy it to my laptop. So I spend my time very useful making a big start on this chapter, and used the following evenings to finish it.
I jumped about a week in time compared to the next chapter. As the title tells, this is the day of Emily's surgery. Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed the last chapter, and don't hesitate to let me know what you think of this one!
Chapter 21 Day of the surgery
"Good morning Mrs. Gilmore."
Emily slowly opened her eyes, not recognizing the room she was in. She turned on her right side to see if Richard was still in bed, but found out that the bed was too small to fit him in. She turned to her other sides and looked in the eyes of a nurse.
"Good morning Mrs. Gilmore. How are you feeling this morning?"
Emily blinked a few times and realized she was in the hospital. Before she had the chance to say something, the nurse continued chatting. She was way too bright so early in the morning.
"It's a big day for you isn't it? You must be nervous. Your husband and your daughter will stop by before they take you to the nuclear medicine department. You have enough time for a shower, since you can't have breakfast or something like that. Would you like that?"
Emily nodded slightly. "A shower would be nice."
"Do you want me to lay down some clothes for you to wear?" She walked into the direction of Emily's closet.
Emily was suddenly awake. She sat up and stared at the nurse in disbelief. "I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself, thank you."
"Well, someone's a little cranky this morning."
Emily just shook her head. It was too easy to comment. All she did was hoping that she had another nurse to take care of her the rest of her stay in this hospital. And if she didn't, she would make sure that she had.
The nurse stared at Emily, realizing she wouldn't get a conversation out of her. "Fine. I'll leave you alone to shower. Your husband should be here in about 30 minutes."
Emily nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." And with that she turned around.
Emily sighed in relief. "I can't believe that woman." She murmured under her breath. She got out of bed and walked towards the closet. Opening it, she took out a pair of satin pajamas and some clean underwear. Then she took her toiletries out of the drawer and walked into the shower.
When the hot water hit her shoulders five minutes later, she felt some of the tension release. She remained in the shower for almost fifteen minutes, thinking back on the previous week. In a way it had been a good week. Lorelai stepped by with Lucan every day, and Luke tagged along a few times as well. Rory and Warren visited on Saturday evening to tell Richard about the engagement, and to check up on her. Emily had found it hard to keep the engagement a secret from him, because she was trilled. From the first moment she met Warren, she liked him. And even though he does not come from a good family, he's very serious and it's obvious that he loves Rory very much. And over the years Emily realized that's all that really matters.
Richard too, was very pleased to find out about the engagement. He offered to pay for the wedding and to help them find a place to live next year. Rory replied that it wasn't necessary, but when he pressed a little, Rory agreed to let him pay half of the wedding.
Those thoughts made Emily forget where she was, but when she turned off the water and changed into pajamas instead of normal clothes, thoughts on the upcoming surgery were inevitable. Even though she decided to just let it all happen, she was scared of the outcome of the surgery, and the radiotherapy that would follow. She knew what her mother had been through years ago, and it was hard to believe she was about to go through the same now. But things had changed within time. She knew she had a better chance than her mother ever had. The techniques were better, and they caught the cancer early. Even though there was enough to be scared about.
When she walked out of the shower, she was glad to see that both Richard and Lorelai were waiting for her. Emily walked towards Richard first and let him take her in his strong arms. For the first time that day she felt really safe, and wished she could stay there for the rest of her life, and make everything else go away.
Lorelai watched her parents and was happy they found comfort in each other. Since she got together with Luke, she knew how much a simple hug meant and how safe it could make you feel. She wished he was with her now, and would take her in his arms and make everything go away. But he had to take care of Lucan, while she had to be there for her mother. She was glad to be there though. Even more when Emily finally let go of Richard, and pulled Lorelai in a hug. Never before meant a hug with her mother so much. No words were necessary, they simply understood each other.
Lorelai couldn't help but smile when Emily finally released her and was happy to see a smile on Emily's face as well. For a few moments she remained silent, but then had to ask. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. I don't think you can ever be completely ready for something like this."
Lorelai nodded, understanding.
They stayed together in Emily's room until a nurse came to get them. Lorelai talked about Lucan and how his walking improved every day. And Emily complained about the nurse that had woken her up that morning. Richard promised he'd make sure she would never see the woman again.
-xxxxxx-
They were sitting in the waiting room at the nuclear medicine department. They had been waiting for only a few minutes, when someone came to get them. "Mrs. Gilmore?"
All three of them stood up and followed the woman. She stopped in front of a changing room. "Hi, my name is Linda."
"Emily Gilmore, and this is my husband Richard and my daughter Lorelai."
She turned to face Richard. "You can't go in the exam room with your wife. I have to ask you to wait in the waiting room. The examination will take about 45 minutes."
"I understand."
She turned to face Lorelai then. "I would advice you to go home."
"What why? Why can't I wait with my father? I promise I'll be good."
Linda looked at her confused, then she understood. "It's not like you're not allowed to wait with your father. Of course you are, and I can understand that's what you want to do. But we're going to inject your mother with a little bit of radioactivity and you're pregnant. It's not like it could harm the baby or something, but if it's not necessary we don't like to expose children to radiation. The dose is very low and sometimes, if we really have to, we'll do examinations on pregnant woman or babies as well. But it's just like an x-ray. We prefer not take an x-ray of you right now either."
Lorelai nodded. She turned to her mother. "I would really like to wait here."
"I understand that Lorelai, but I want you to go home. I don't want my grandchildren exposed to something they shouldn't be exposed to. Their health is much more important."
"But she said it can't harm them."
"But she still advices you to go home, and that's what I want you to do. I really appreciate everything you've done for me Lorelai. But right now you have to choose for yourself and the babies. I wouldn't want it any other way."
Lorelai nodded and before she realized it her eyes filled with tears. "But I don't want to say goodbye yet."
Emily took Lorelai in her arms. "We're not saying goodbye. You can come to visit me in the afternoon, after the surgery."
Lorelai nodded as a few tears escaped from her eyes. Emily kissed Lorelai's forehead. "I love you Lorelai. And I'll see you this afternoon." Looking directly into her eyes she asked. "Okay?"
Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She hugged her mother once more. "I love you too mom."
Richard put an arm around his daughter, then gave Emily a quick kiss without saying anything. She mouthed 'thank you' when he lead Lorelai towards the waiting room.
-xxxxxx-
Lorelai followed her father into the waiting room. She took a few minutes to compose herself and wiped at her eyes. "I'm so sorry dad."
He pulled his daughter in a hug. "Don't be. Your mother understands."
"It's just… I thought we had a little more time you know."
"You have so much time left with her Lorelai. You'll see her again this afternoon."
"I know that, it's just…" She was frustrated she couldn't explain how she was feeling.
Richard, however, understood perfectly how she was feeling. Even though he could stay with her until the surgery, he had to leave her alone at some point and knew he wouldn't be ready for that no matter what. "I know. I know."
"Do you want me to stay with you for a while? I mean, just before mom comes out or something?"
"No. This is no place for you to be right now."
Lorelai knew he was right. "Are you waiting in here when they take mom into surgery?"
"I was planning on going home."
"Why don't you come to Stars Hallow? I'll be at Luke's all day. We can wait together."
"I'd like that Lorelai."
"Just call me if you need anything okay. And if you call when you're about 10 minutes away from the diner, I can make sure Luke has a burger ready for you when you get there."
He smiled. "Maybe I will."
-xxxxxx-
Luke looked up when he heard the bell ring. He was surprised to see Lorelai enter the diner. "Hey, why are you back so soon?"
Lorelai sat down at one of the stools. "They kicked me out."
"Who? Your parents?"
"No, at the hospital. They were injecting my mom with some kind of radioactivity and said it wouldn't be good for the babies."
He studies his wife and saw she was sad that they made her leave. "I'm sure your mother understands."
She nodded. "I know that. I just…"
"I know." He took her hand in his and squeezed it.
She sighed. "Pfffff…" Then she put her head on the counter. "It just sucks."
Luke smiled slightly. "Yeah it does." When she looked up at him, he saw how tears had filled her eyes. He walked around the counter and took her in his arms. "She's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."
Her voice broke. "I know."
"It's okay." He whispered as he hold her tight. "It's okay."
Lorelai remained in his arms, even after she calmed down. It wasn't until she heard Lucan calling her several times, when she let him go. She smiled through her tears as she walked to the playpen. She picked up her son and hold him against her. "Hey buddy."
"Mama."
She turned to face Luke who was smiling at her. "He wants to comfort you too. He doesn't like to see his mommy all sad."
"I'm glad. I just hope he remembers that when he gets older so he'll never break my heart."
He shook his head. "Don't even go there."
She laughed out loud. "You know there's a chance right, when he gets older and starts to get his own opinion. Think about when he's 18 and desperately wants a motor cycle."
"He's never going to get one. No matter how hard he begs."
"But then he gets a job so he can buy one himself."
"Not happening." He walked to Lorelai and took Lucan out of her arms. "You hear me, you're never going to get a motor cycle."
Lucan put his head on Luke's shoulder. "Dada."
"See, he's begging you already."
"No he's not." He kissed the top of his head. "He's just being a good boy trying to prevent his father from having nightmares."
"Well, since he's only a year old I guess we don't have to worry about all the things he wants when he's turning 18. But I'm telling you, I already got lucky once so I'm sure one of our kids will turn out the opposite. If it's not him, it'll be one of the two little once in here."
He shook his head. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Make my kids seem bad even before they're born. You can't do that."
"Sorry, I'm just saying…"
Lucan started to fuss so Luke put him on the floor. The little boy crawled to one of the stools where he pulled himself in a standing position. He started walking to the stool next to it.
"It's already starting."
"What is?"
"All of them are starting to protest. Lucan by showing you that he's on his own feet already, that he doesn't need us as much as he used to, and these two in here, by kicking me."
Luke's eyes started shining. "They're kicking?"
She took a few steps towards him and took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "You feel that?"
He nodded. "Wow."
"I know." Then she moved his hand to the other side of her stomach. "And this is the other one. I swear that they're fighting in there."
Luke was too amazed to respond.
She smiled. "You're acting like you haven't felt that before. You felt Lucan kick so many times when I was pregnant with him. I mean, you remember that time when he…"
He silenced her with a kiss. "Don't even go there again."
She laughed out loud. "You should have seen your face. I've never seen you get off me so fast."
"I thought I was hurting him."
"Oh no, you were definitely not. He was just mad that I got all the attention. Which actually proves my point."
"How?"
"He was already a rebel when he was in my stomach. Just think about how it's going to be when he grows up."
Luke shook his head and stared at his son. The boy was sitting on the floor, sucking two of his fingers. "I can't believe you're seriously thinking that. Just look at him."
Lorelai smiled when she saw him. "Maybe you're right. I guess only time will tell."
"A lot of time." Luke stated, and there was nothing Lorelai could bring in against that.
-xxxxxx-
Richard looked at his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. He sighed, wondering what took them so long. Emily had been in there for more than 50 minutes already, even though they said it would only take 45. He was afraid something went wrong or that they couldn't find whatever it was they were looking for. He stared back at the magazine and tried to focus on the words. But he knew there was no use. He'd been trying to read the same page for the past half hour, without success. He was glad Lorelai asked him to come to Stars Hallow later, because if he was already feeling this way now, he couldn't even try to imagine how it would be when Emily went into surgery.
After what seemed like forever, Emily finally appeared in his sight. He stood up immediately. "And?"
"It went fine."
He sighed in relieve. "I'm glad. What's going to happen next?"
"The doctor is going to call dr. Keaton to tell her that I'm ready for surgery. We're supposed to go back to my room and they'll come and get me when she's ready."
"Okay. Let's go." He took her hand in his and together they walked back to Emily's room.
One of the nurses was already waiting for them when they arrived. "Doctor Keaton is ready for you in about half an hour."
Emily was happy she didn't have to wait long. "What's going to happen now?"
"You have to change in the operation gown, and I'm going to give you some medicine to help you relax. Transport will be here in about 15 minutes to take you to the operating room, where the anesthesiologist will explain to you what happens after that."
It all went a lot faster than Emily thought, and before she knew it the guys from transport where there to pick her up.
"Can I come with you?" Richard looked at the two man.
"You can walk with us for a little while."
He was glad he could hold off saying goodbye a little longer. He held Emily's hand when they wheeled her bed towards the operating rooms. They stopped in front of two big doors.
"This is as far as you can go sir."
Richard nodded. He looked at Emily. "I promise I'll be there when you wake up."
She smiled slightly and placed a hand on his cheek. "You better be."
"I love you Emily."
"I love you too Richard. Promise me you won't worry to much."
"I promise." Even though he knew it was a lie, and she knew it too.
"Keep an eye on Lorelai okay? She shouldn't worry too much. It's not good for the babies."
"I'll promise I'll take good care of her."
"Good."
He kissed her. "See you in a few hours."
After one more kiss, the transport guys opened the door and pushed Emily's bed through the door opening. Richard watched her until the doors closed, then turned around and walked outside. In a way it was easier than he imagined it would be. Emily was so calm and that gave him confidence that everything would be okay.
-xxxxxx-
It was a little before lunch rush when Lorelai's cell phone went off. She answered quickly and for once Luke didn't tell her to go outside. "Dad?"
"I'm 10 minutes outside Stars Hallow. You told me to call you."
"Yeah I did. I'll make sure Luke has the burgers ready when you get here."
"Sounds good. Just promise me that you'll never tell your mom."
"I promise. How was she?"
"She was okay. It all went quicker than we thought. But I'll tell you when I get there, okay?"
"Okay, see you soon." She put her cell phone back in her purse. "My dad's on his way."
"I heard. I already gave Caesar the order."
"Thanks."
When 5 minutes later, the bell rang, Lorelai expected to see her father. She was surprised to see Rory and Warren enter the diner instead. "What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to wait with you. Is grandpa coming too?"
"He's on his way. Should be here any minute." She walked towards Rory and enveloped her in a hug. "Thanks for coming."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Lorelai smiled, let go of her daughter and hugged Warren. "Thanks for being there for Rory."
"You don't have to thank me. We're all going to be a family so we're in this together."
Lorelai pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "It doesn't matter when the wedding takes place. You're already family."
Warren smiled. "Thanks. It really feels that way. I forgot how it feels to have a family until I met you."
She shook her head. "Don't say that. I'm sure your dad loves you."
"You've heard the stories Lorelai."
"I did. But you've heard the stories about me and my mother and look how we are now."
"I guess I can only hope that things will be better with my father one day. But I gave up hope a long time ago."
Lorelai gave him a sad smile. "No matter what happens, you're a part of our family now."
"That's all that matters." He put his arm around Rory and pulled her against him.
Lorelai smiled and turned around when she heard the bell ring. "Dad." She walked towards him and hugged him tight.
He put a hand on her back and waited until she was ready to let him go. "She's going to be alright."
Lorelai took a few steps back. "Let's all sit down. I'm sure Caesar has the burgers ready soon so we can all eat. Rory and Warren are here too."
Richard smiled, happy to have them all there. He looked at his granddaughter and her fiancée "Thank you for coming."
"There's no place in the world we'd rather be right now grandpa."
They all sat down, and as Lorelai predicted the burgers arrived soon. When Lucan started fussing in his playpen Luke took him out and sat down at the table as well.
"So dad, how was mom before you left?"
"She was doing better than I expected. She didn't seem nervous at all."
"I'm glad. So far everything went alright?"
"They found that lymph node without any problems. After that we went back to her room where a nurse was already waiting. Your mother had just enough time to change before they brought her to the operating room."
"I guess that's nice. Better than having to wait so long."
"Yeah. This way there wasn't much time to think. We've done enough of that the past few days."
Lorelai nodded. "Did they say how long it will take?"
"About an hour and a half."
"And what time did she went in?" She looked at her watch.
"About half an hour ago."
"They'll call your cell phone right?"
"They will. And they have your number in case they can't reach mine. And I also gave them the number of the diner as a third backup. Don't worry. Just eat because the burger is getting cold."
"Right."
They all ate in silence for a few minutes, until the diner bell disturbed that. They looked up and saw how Miss Patty and Babette entered.
"Look at that. The whole Gilmore-Danes family together. What a beautiful sight." When they looked better, they saw Emily was missing. "Lorelai, where's your mother?"
Lorelai stared into Luke's eyes for a few seconds before focusing on the two women. "She can't be with us right now."
"Why not?"
Luke stood up before Lorelai had the chance to reply, handing her Lucan in the process. "Ladies, the diner is clothed. I have to ask you to come back tomorrow."
"What? The door was open."
He walked towards the door and changed the sign to 'closed.' That's just because there are people inside and the fire department demands a fast exit just incase. But the sign says closed so I'm closed."
"You were open just minutes ago. They have food and we're hungry."
"I'm sure Weston's open, and otherwise go to Al's or get some pizza at Joe's. And if you don't want any of that, go to the Dragonfly where I heard they serve the best lunch in town." He heard Lorelai chuckle at that. "And if you don't want any of that, honestly I don't care. Make your own lunch for a change."
The two women stared at him in shock. "Why is the diner open for them but not for us."
"Because they're my family."
"But Luke, you live in Stars Hallow. We're all family. Just think about poor Kirk who will show up any second now."
"Get out." He raised his voice and was tired of having to explain.
"Fine." The women left and Luke locked the door behind him.
"I thought the fire department didn't allow that?" Lorelai looked at him when he sat back down.
He shook his head. "Don't even think about it."
She just kissed him instead.
-xxxxxx-
After Miss Patty and Babette left, other townies showed up outside the diner wondering why it was closed. After a while Luke just closed the blinds, knowing that they would give up eventually. They had been sharing stories about Emily. And even though Warren only met her a year ago, he had some stories of his own.
"Dad. Do you remember the party mom threw for my seventh birthday?"
He shook his head. "Sorry."
"That's okay. She invited all the girls from my class. She had no idea I rather played with the boys and I hated most of the kids, and of course I didn't dare to tell her. There was a tea party with dolls and small tea cups…"
Rory smiled. "Doesn't sound like anything you would have liked."
Lorelai shook her head. "Mom was looking forward to that party for weeks. She planned it into details. All the girls were dressed up and I was wearing this pink dress. When mom was paying attention to some other kids, my friend Lea and I ran off. We went to the yard and found this beautiful tree. We figured that if we climbed in there mom wouldn't find us and we could hide for the rest of the party. I went in first and my dress got stuck. I kept pulling at the fabric and I had a big tear in it. Now I was just terrified that mom would find out because I knew she'd be so mad. I climbed higher and higher and Lea climbed in behind me. She got scared so didn't climb higher but I did. But one of my feet slipped away and I fell down. I managed to grab one of the branches but it broke and I fell on the floor. I broke my arm that day."
"I had never seen your mother so worried before. She sent all the kids home and called me from the hospital in tears."
"She never gave me a tea party again though." Lorelai smiled. "Sorry I had you guys worried." After a few seconds she added. "So many times."
"That's in the past now."
"Yeah it is. I'm glad to be where we are now."
"Me too." Rory added. "I was always curious about my grandparents as a kid. I only saw you on the holidays. I'm glad I really got to know you guys. You've done so much for me. I wouldn't have met Warren if it wasn't for you."
"How so?" Warren looked at her curiously.
"If they hadn't paid for Chilton, I'm sure I would have never gotten into Yale. And I most likely never would have gone to London to study so…"
"It's a good think I went to my parents that day then."
"Your mother was so happy. She never meant to force you to do anything, but she knew that if we'd just give you the money, you'd walk out of our lives again. That's why she wanted those Friday night dinners."
"I know. And even though I hated going there sometimes, I'm glad she invented them too."
Before Richard had a chance to ask her to explain what she meant exactly, his cell phone went off. They all looked at him with hope in their eyes. He took a deep breath before he answered. "Richard Gilmore."
"Hello, this is Lisa Mitchel. I'm a nurse at Hartford Memorial Hospital. I'm calling you to inform you that you're wife was just brought into the recovery room. The surgery went well."
"How about the tumor?"
"The surgeon will explain everything when you're here. All I can tell you now is that you're wife is alright and you can see her when she's brought back to her room."
"When will that be?"
"Approximately an hour."
"We'll make sure we're there."
Richard hung up and smiled. "She's okay. We can see her in an hour."
Without saying anything Lorelai stood up and walked to her father's side of the table, putting her arms around him. "I'm so happy to hear that."
He kissed her on the top of her head. "Me too."
-xxxxxx-
An hour later, Richard, Lorelai and Rory were in the hospital. Luke and Warren stayed behind to open the diner again and to take care of Lucan. Lorelai wanted to bring him at first, but Luke reasoned that a one year old would be too busy for her mother right after having surgery. She could always bring him tomorrow.
They walked towards the nurses station. "Hello, we're here to see Emily Gilmore."
"She was just brought back from surgery. She's still asleep but you can go in to see her. Just be quiet because she needs her rest."
"Thank you."
The three of them walked into Emily's room. Emily was lying in a big hospital bed. There was an IV in her left hand, and a tube hanging from her right side. Lorelai couldn't help but think about last year when Emily was fighting for her life in this same hospital. But the way she looked now was so much less scary.
They sat down next to Emily's bed without saying a word. They watched the rise and fall of her chest until she finally opened her eyes almost an hour later. She stared into Richards eyes and started smiling. "Hey." She whispered.
"Hey." He stood up to kiss her. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sore."
He nodded. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"
She shook her head. "Don't leave."
"I won't. Lorelai and Rory are here too."
Emily turned a little and saw her daughter and her granddaughter. "Hey."
"Hey mom. I promised I'd be there when you'd wake up."
"Yeah."
They were all silent for a few minutes, not really knowing what to say and not wanting to exhaust Emily by making her talk. After a few minutes Richard stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"Shhh.. I'll be right back. I'm going to see if I can find your doctor."
She just nodded.
When Richard left, Lorelai sat down closer to her mother.
"I'm so sorry Lorelai."
"For what?"
She stared at Lorelai's stomach and then looked up to face her daughter. "I know how you wanted a carefree pregnancy." She had to take a few deep breaths before she could continue. "I'm sorry that I put all this on you."
Lorelai took Emily's hand in hers. "Don't ever say that mom. The pregnancy doesn't matter. All that matters is that these two can grow up knowing their grandmother. Plus, no matter how much I wanted it to be carefree, it has never been. Not from the beginning. I guess that it's just not me."
Emily nodded. "I know. But still. I made it even worse."
"No mom. Of course I'm worried about you but don't ever blame yourself. I'm glad we found out now rather than later."
Emily nodded, then turned to look at Rory. "I'm sorry I ruined your engagement."
"Grandma, if mom says you can't blame yourself than all I can do is say the same thing. Nothing is ruined. I'm happy that I'm engaged and it gives all of us something to look forward to for when all of this is behind us. Just like the twins."
"Exactly." Lorelai added.
"I love you girls."
"And we love you too mom." Lorelai squeezed her hand. "Don't ever forget that."
"I won't."
-xxxxxx-
Richard came back with doctor Keaton a few minutes later. "Hello Emily, how are you feeling."
"Okay. Much better knowing that it's gone. I mean, it is right?"
She nodded. "I managed to get it all. I removed the tumor in your breast and the first results of the sentinel node are negative, which means that there are no tumor cells. They will look at it closer later and you won't get the permanent results until in about three weeks. But it looks very promising. You can focus on your recovery now."
"When can I go home?"
"In a few days. You have a drain in your chest and when we're able to remove that you're allowed to go home."
"Sounds good." Emily had to fight hard to stay awake. Dr. Keaton noticed this.
"I have some other patients I have to visit. Try to get some sleep. I'll come to check on you later."
"Okay."
Lorelai stood up and Rory followed her example. "That means we're leaving mom."
"No, please stay."
"I have to go to the diner because Luke has Lucan and the diner rush will start soon. But I promise I come back tomorrow and if you feel up to it, I'll bring Lucan. But if you're not, please tell me because then we just wait a few days."
"I want to see him."
"I know you do, but we have to focus on you getting better." She turned to her father. "Dad, I'm sure you're here before me. Why don't you call me to let me know whether you think it's a good idea to bring him or not."
"I will."
Lorelai and Rory left, leaving Emily and Richard behind. Richard sat down in the chair Emily was sitting before. "Close your eyes Emmy."
"I don't want to sleep."
"I know you don't. But why don't you close your eyes and I promise I'll do the same. I'll be sitting in this chair when you wake up."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He kissed her and then sat back in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position. When a nurse walked in 15 minutes later to check up on Emily, they were both asleep.
T.B.C.