Author's Note: Shoutouts to PrettyDiva, HarryPassionFan Luschiouschell for reviewing the last chapter. It was indeed a very sad chapter and it was really hard for me to write. But I am going to continue the saga since that's what my readers want.
Kudos to Purple Strobe for being the only one to catch the little clue I left in Chapter 9. Thanks for always coming through with your lengthy reviews; they really make my day when I get to read them. I'll try not to make you cry so much in this chapter but I can't make any promises. Oh and to answer your question…my next story A Forgotten Life is not connected to this one though it will involve the best couple on the world Tommy/Kat.
Tommy closed his eyes for the first time in weeks as he sat in a chair next to the hospital bed where Katherine was still in a coma.
"Tommy," a voice whispered as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Mom, what's going on, is it the kids?" Tommy asked.
"Don't worry, their at home with Kat's parents but they need you, I know you didn't want to tell them about what happened to their mother but you haven't been home to see them since this whole ordeal started, you need to go home and because their starting to get scared," his mom told him.
"Some father I am, I'm fighting so hard for this baby that hasn't even been born yet and I've neglected the two I already have at home," Tommy remarked.
"No one blames you for not wanting to leave Katherine's side but as much as she'd want you here with her, I know she'd rather you went home to Patrick and Susie," she replied.
"You're right, I need to go at least for a little while, I have to find a way to explain to my kids why their mother hasn't come home yet," Tommy said.
"Oh son, I'm so sorry this has happened to you," she said as she embraced him.
"Mind if I come in," Kimberly asked as she entered the hospital room.
"Of course not, its perfect timing really, I'm finally going home," Tommy told her.
"That's good, those kids really miss you, I'll sit here with Kat for awhile," Kim replied.
"Thanks, I know she'd really like knowing you're here," Tommy said as he gave Kim a quick hug before leaving with his mother.
"Daddy's home!" Susan yelled as Tommy entered the house and leapt into his arms.
"Hey Susie Q, Daddy missed you so much," Tommy told her as he gave her a big hug and kiss.
"Daddy, where have you been, you left without saying goodbye," Patrick said as he joined them.
"I know buddy and I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean to stay away so long," Tommy replied as he hugged his son.
"It's ok, Grandma and Grandpa Hillard said you were with Mommy but where is she, I thought you were bringing her home," Patrick told him.
"I want Mommy, tell her to come home," Susan whimpered.
"Come here guys, we need to have a talk about Mommy," Tommy said as he led them over to the couch. He placed Susan in his lap and motioned for Patrick to sit down next to him.
"Daddy, what's wrong, why is everybody so sad when we talk about Mommy?" Patrick questioned.
"Well because they all love Mommy and they miss her just as much as we do," Tommy told him.
"If everybody misses her then she should just come home," Patrick stated.
"Mommy can't come home," Tommy told him.
"Why not?" Susan asked.
"Guys, Mommy had an accident and she hurt her head, so she's at the hospital, you remember the hospital don't you, it's where Grandma Oliver works," Tommy informed them.
"Grandma's a nurse, she makes people feel better," Patrick commented.
"That's right she does, and right now all the doctors and nurses are trying to make Mommy feel better, just like Mommy makes you feel better when you're sick or hurt and she can't come home until she's all better, so I need you guys to be really brave for Mommy because she needs some time to get better and you have a lot of people here to take care of you until she gets home, you have your grandparents and Uncle Jason and Aunt Kim are right next door and I promise not to stay gone too long," Tommy explained.
"Can we go to the hospital and see Mommy?" Patrick questioned.
"Not right now, in order for her to get better, Mommy's taking a really long nap so she can't talk to us but she's going to wake up really soon and as soon as she does we'll all go to the hospital and see her," Tommy replied.
"Alright kids, let's go get ready for bed," Marie Hillard said.
"Do we have to?" Patrick asked.
"You guys go ahead and I'll be up soon to tuck you in," Tommy told them.
"What have the doctor's told you?" Kat's father asked once the kids had gone upstairs.
"Well, so far there's been no change, the swelling in her brain hasn't gotten any worse but Kat's condition grows more critical with each day that passes without the baby being born," Tommy informed him.
"I want you to know that Marie and I will support whatever decisions you make, we know how much you love our daughter and what an impossible choice this is," Jack told him.
"I'm gonna go tuck in the kids and then take a shower before heading back to the hospital," Tommy replied.
A few days later, Tommy sat in Kat's room when there was a knock on the door.
"I hope its ok that I'm here," Tanya said as she walked in the room.
"Why wouldn't it be, is Adam here too?" Tommy asked.
"No, he stayed home with the boys but he said to tell you he's praying everyday that Kat will wake up from this," Tanya replied.
"Please sit down, I need to see if I can find the doctor, you should talk with her, it might do her some good to know you're here," Tommy said as he got up from his chair and quietly left the room.
"Hey Kat, I'm not even sure what to say to you, I feel like this is all my fault, if only I hadn't encouraged you to go home early, I should have made you wait, I shouldn't have let you leave so late at night, you wouldn't have listened though would you, you were so determined to get home to those kids and who could blame you because their great, and they need you, so wake up because you definitely don't need the beauty sleep, you're already so beautiful inside and out, you're my best friend Kat and we still have many years ahead of us to watch our kids grow up," Tanya said.
"Tommy, why did you call us all down here?" Kat's mother asked as she sat in waiting room with her husband and Tommy's mom and they were surrounded by all of Tommy and Kat's friends. Tommy's father had chosen to stay at home with Susan and Patrick.
"I spoke with the doctors and I've decided to let them perform the C-section," Tommy announced.
"Oh Tommy, are you sure?" his mom asked.
"What does this mean for the baby?" Marie Hillard asked.
"They ran some tests on the baby and even though it's still a little early, the tests indicate that the baby is developed enough that survival is likely," Tommy informed them.
"And what about Kat?" Hayley asked.
"As soon as they get the baby out, they're going to operate on Kat's brain and try and relieve some of the pressure, after that we just have to wait and hope that she's strong enough to come out of this," Tommy answered.
"If anyone is strong enough to beat this thing it's Kat," Jason said as he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder.
"I hope you're right," Tommy told him.
"Mr. Oliver, your wife's been prepped for the C-section, if you'll come with me I'll help you get into some scrubs," a nurse said.
"You mean I can be there when the baby's born?" Tommy questioned.
"Yes, if you'd like," she replied.
"I'd like that very much," Tommy said as he followed her.
"Please let the baby the ok," Kim said as she and the others waited for news.
"She has to be, Tommy fought so hard for that little girl, she just has to be ok," Hayley said as Billy put his arm around her.
"Here he comes," Kat's father said as Tommy walked down the hallway towards them.
"I hope its good news," Kat's mom replied as she held hands with Tommy's mother.
"She's beautiful, she only weighs about two pounds and she's having some trouble breathing so they rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit," Tommy informed them.
"Do they think she'll make it?" Jack Hillard asked.
"It's too early to tell, we just have to wait and see, she'll probably be in the hospital for a couple of months," Tommy told him.
"What about Kat, what's happening with her?" Tanya asked.
"They've already taken her to surgery, I can't sit around here waiting, I'm gonna go home for awhile and tell the kids about their little sister," Tommy replied.
"Why doesn't everyone just go home and get some rest, we'll call you if there's any change," Kat's father told everyone.
"I'll drive you home," Tommy's mom said to her son.
A few days later, Tommy sat in the N.I.C.U. watching his new born daughter.
"She really is beautiful," Kim said as she came up next to him.
"I didn't think they would let anyone but family in here," Tommy replied.
"Shh, your mom told them I was your sister, I hope you don't mind," Kim told him.
"No, I'm glad for the company," he said as he got up from his chair and offered it to her.
"Lauren is pretty name," Kim remarked as she read the baby's name tag.
"Kat picked it out," Tommy replied.
"Did she pick out the name Audrey too?" Kim asked referring to the baby's middle name.
"No, that was my choice, it means strong and right now my little girl needs all the strength she can get," Tommy explained.
"It's a perfect name, what's the word on Katherine," Kim replied.
"The whole point of letting the baby be born early was so that Kat would have a better chance of recovery but so far there's been no change in her condition, there's nothing more the doctor's can do, it's all up to Kat now," Tommy told her.
"Kat loves you and your kids so much, I just know she's going to fight to come back to you," Kim said.
"I hope you're right but all this waiting is killing me, I feel so helpless, I can't do anything but watch as my daughter struggles to live and my wife fights to wake up, I don't know what I'm going to do if they don't make it," Tommy told her.
"You have got to stop thinking that way, they need you to believe in them, I know it feels like you're doing nothing but it's all you can do right now," Kim replied.
A week after their daughter's birth, Tommy sat in Kat's hospital room holding her hand.
"Hey Kitten, I just came from seeing Lauren, the doctor says she's getting stronger everyday and she finally started breathing on her own, I think she's fighting for you, she wants to meet her mother, she looks so much like you, I think her hair color's going to stay blonde unlike her brother or sister's, I haven't gotten to hold her yet, I probably wouldn't even if I could because I want you to be the first one to hold her, come on baby wake up, come back to me, come back to our kids, I need you so much, I can't raise them without you, we have so many years ahead of us, remember how we used to talk about growing old and playing with our grandkids, I'm not doing that alone so wake up and open your eyes," Tommy said as he put his head down on the bed and cried.
"Tommy," someone whispered and he looked up to see who had entered the room but was surprised to find he was still alone.
"Tommy, where am I, what's going on," the voice said again and Tommy felt her squeezing his hand.
"Kat, oh thank god you're awake," Tommy said as he reached up and kissed her forehead.
"Where am I?" she asked.
"You're in the hospital but you're ok now, everything's going to fine," Tommy told her.
"What happened to me, did something happen to the baby?" she asked.
"The bus you were on was in an accident and you ended up in a coma but you're awake now, that's all that matters," Tommy replied.
"I don't remember any accident, where's my baby, I can't feel her anymore, what happened to the baby," Kat cried.
"It's ok, she's ok, they had to do a C-section, but she's ok," Tommy told her.
"But it's too early, she's not ready," Kat stated.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't let them take her until she was ready, and I promise you she's fine, a little small but she's so beautiful, just like you," Tommy explained.
"I want to see her, take me to my daughter," Kat demanded.
"Honey, you just woke up from a coma, let me get the doctor first," Tommy said as he quickly ran from the room to alert the staff on Kat's recovery.
"What's going on?" Tommy asked. He had been standing outside of Kat's room while the doctor examined her and was surprised to see a nurse pushing her in a wheel chair.
"She's insisting on seeing the baby, she said wouldn't get any rest unless we let her go see the baby," the nurse informed him.
"I can take it from here," Tommy replied.
"Is she really ok?" Kat asked once they arrived at the N.I.C.U.
"She had some problems at first but she's getting better everyday," Tommy said as he wheeled Kat up to the incubator where their daughter was being held.
"You named her Lauren," Kat said as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I knew it was what you wanted," Tommy told her.
"Hi Lauren, its Mommy, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here, we love you so much," Kat told her.
The next day was filled with family and friends who were all grateful that both Kat and Lauren had survived. After some discussion with the doctor, Tommy was finally able to bring the two visitors that Kat wanted the most.
"Mommy!" both Patrick and Susan yelled as they rushed over to the bed.
"Careful guys, Mommy's still a little weak," Tommy told them as he helped both up the up on the bed.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you, Mommy is never going to leave you ever again," Kat said as she held both of them in her arms.
"Daddy, why are you crying?" Susan asked once Kat loosened her grip on them.
"I'm just happy to have our family back," Tommy told her.