The hours Myka spends in surgery are the longest ones of Helena's entire life. They trickle by slowly, each one stretching just long enough to cause the sort of anguish and panic Helena has rarely ever felt, maybe just once before.
She paces back and forth in the hallway by the waiting lounge making the nurses nervously glance at her as they walk past. Pete tries to talk to her. All the pacing is making him want to throw something at her. He wants her to calm down and just sit patiently. She's acting like there is something to worry about, but there isn't. This is Myka. She'll be fine. She said so herself.
Claudia has to return to the Warehouse for some tech emergency. She tries to put it off as long as she can so she can be there when Myka gets out but Artie insists and when she leaves he takes her place in the lounge besides Pete. Artie deals with his feelings by alternating between a solemn silence and a round of questions directed at anyone who will listen.
"Miss, Agent Bearing is out of surgery" A nurse comes up to Helena, "Would you like to see the doctor?"
Helena follows the nurse while Pete and Artie hang back. Her heart pounding faster with each step she takes. The woman she is following has given nothing away with her straight face and composed demeanor. Helena wishes she would just tell her how it went.
Dr. Wilder says something about complications and the tumor still invading Myka's insides and all Helena is waiting to hear is that for now Myka is alright. When the words do reach her ears she can hear herself take a long deep breath. It doesn't look good, but for now she is alive.
"What now?" Helena asks.
"We wait for her to wake up"
"And?"
"Our next course of treatment will be rigorous chemotherapy and we'll go from there"
The next person Helena talks to is Vanessa. She waits for her to come out of the door that says staff only and is prepared to shoot questions at her, but Vanessa takes her by surprise.
"Agent Wells, I assume you've talked with Dr. Wilder?"
Helena does not correct her for calling her Agent, there are more important things at hand. "Yes, how is Myka?"
"The procedure went fine but it has spread much farther than we initially thought"
Helena looks at the woman in the white coat staring back at her with solemn eyes; she wants her to explain further. She wants to know how bad it is. How little time they have left but she can't seem to form the words. Helena can feel her throat closing up and the tears forming at the rim of her eyes. She opens her mouth to ask how much time she has left with the woman she feels she cannot live without but the only thing that comes across to the woman standing before her is her desperation and her sheer terror.
Vanessa does something she never imagined she ever would, she comes forward and brings her arms around H. G. Wells and hugs her.
"How is the artifact search going?
Helena refuses to cry in the arms of a strange woman that everyone else trusts but she knows little about, she stands firm and accepts the warmth of the embrace refusing to break down.
"Nowhere" she whispers the words shamefully. "It's gotten nowhere, Dr. Calder" Helena pulls away from her and walks back to Pete and Artie.
"She's out. They've taken her to her room. She is still unconscious but we can see her in a while"
"How did it go?" Artie raises his bushy brows.
"The hysterectomy was successful but the cancer has spread further than they thought. I don't think we have much time left now"
Artie wipes away the tear that hasn't even slipped out yet as his mouth curves into an O.
Pete slams his fist into the wall beside him. "Dammit!" He curses.
"You'll stay with her, right?" Helena looks at Pete. Upon noticing the confusion on his face she continues "I think I'm going to go back to the Warehouse and do some more research."
Sorry if this chapter hasn't been my best, but a couple of keys on my keyboard are still broken and the on-screen one annoys me which in turn ruins my writing mood. But I've got great plans ahead so stay tuned.