Author's notes: Thanks to everyone for your reviews, follows and favs. Very, very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter and apparently I'm still obsessed with his gown.
Doctor Polly looks at her patient and his fiancé as they digest the news. Teresa speaks first.
"A transplant? Are you talking about a heart transplant?"
Jane smiles reassuringly.
"I'm sure it won't come to that."
He looks to Doctor Polly.
"That's just the worst case scenario, isn't it Doctor?"
"Yes but considering that the medicines you've been taking haven't worked, the odds are higher than they were when I last saw you."
Teresa looks to Jane.
"The doctor talked to you before about the possibility?"
Jane shrugs.
"I seem to remember she said something about it, but she'd already said so much, and I was getting bored, so I wasn't listening by then."
Teresa looks at him dumbfounded.
"Jane.."
"Oh oh doctor, that means I'm in trouble. Teresa, I wasn't holding out on you, I promise, I truly didn't really listen. It's only now that I remember."
"And I'm suppose to believe that?"
Patrick looks at her with a mixture of love and pleading in his eyes.
"Yes because I love you and I'll never lie to you about something this serious. Now this isn't really the most important thing here at the moment"
"No I guess not, I'm sorry."
Teresa reaches out and touches his arm. Jane pats it in return.
"I know you're worried."
They both look towards Doctor Polly who's waited patiently.
"We're going to admit you and run the tests. I will try to get them all done today, but you may need to stay overnight. I've called in Doctor Bennion, who's our best heart specialist, and he will consult with me. He's in surgery at the moment, which is why he's not here to introduce himself. Any questions?"
Patrick shakes his head.
"Not that I can think of at the moment, let's see what the results are. I had better plans for today."
The doctor smiles.
"I'm sure you did. Let's get you started, and maybe you can pick up those plans tomorrow, the stores will be open then too."
After the doctor leaves, Jane swings his legs around and sits at the side of the examining table. He blows out his cheeks. Teresa comes and sits next to him, and takes his hand. He shakes his head.
"I wasn't expecting that."
"Hey there's a lot of degrees of damage before it gets to the big one. And you've been doing so well, which would suggest that things are not that bad."
Patrick turns his head and looks at her, gratitude in his eyes.
"That's true, thank you. It'll probably just be more pills and I'll rattle down the aisle."
Lisbon splutters out a laugh.
"At least I'll always know where you are."
Patrick rolls his eyes in horror.
"Now you have me hoping for the transplant."
Teresa's face becomes serious.
"Don't you ever say that, not even as a joke."
Patrick brushes away her hair around her face.
"I'm sorry. Don't be upset, I'm sure the entire hospital is willing for it to be more medicine, I'm sure they don't want me as a patient again."
Teresa jumps down and turns to face him, she wraps her arm around him and they hug. The feel of his arms around her feels so comforting, she buries herself more into him and he hugs her with greater intensity. Neither one wants to let go. The door opening tears them apart. Patrick doesn't miss noticing Teresa quickly wiping at her eyes. He gives her hand a squeeze.
The interruption is the nurse with clipboard in hand and a box.
"I need some of your blood, Mr Jane."
"Lovely."
After she's filled up the vials and labelled them, she makes notes on the clipboard before speaking to Patrick.
"I'm going to send these to the lab and then I'll be back with a wheelchair to take you up to the ward."
Patrick scowls.
"I don't need a wheelchair, I can walk."
The nurse looks patiently at him.
"First of all Mr. Jane.."
"Please call me Patrick."
"Okay. First of all Patrick, it's not our policy to let patients admitted with heart problems to walk, it's a long way to the ward from here, and second, do you really want to be walking around in that?"
"I can get dressed."
"Now what would be the point. Just sit tight and I'll be back in a jiffy."
The nurse turns and leaves before Patrick can say another word. Lisbon's smirking as Patrick looks over to her full of indignation.
"You think that was funny?"
"No, I'm just picturing you walking around the hospital trying to keep your gown closed."
Patrick has a look of mock offense.
"Well I'm glad I'm amusing you."
The door opens once more and a wheelchair enters and then the nurse. After they're up in the ward Patrick suggests to Teresa that she pops home and picks up some things for him. Teresa does that, when she comes back the bed's empty as Patrick's having a test. She sits by the side of his bed and awaits his return. In a little while she goes to the machine and gets herself a coffee, on the way back she stops by the nurses station.
"Patrick seems to be gone a long time, do you expect him back soon?"
The nurse looks on the computer screen and then up at Teresa.
"I'm not sure what's delaying him, I'll find out and let you know."
Teresa nods and goes back to wait. She's flicking through a magazine when the nurse appears. The look on her face makes Teresa jump up forgetting the magazine and letting it fall to the floor.
"What's happened?"
"There was a problem with Patrick's tests and he's been taken to intensive care."
"What!"
Teresa starts grabbing his things.
"Where is it?"
"I'll take you there."
Theresa's mind's not computing as she follows the nurse to intensive care, it's numb with shock. She tries getting more information but the nurse doesn't have any. Her world was perfect twenty-four hours ago, but it was an illusion. She stares straight ahead as the elevator climbs.
After, what seems forever, the elevator stops and the doors open. She follows the nurse as she enters ICU. They stop at the nurse's station and Teresa looks around, searching the rooms, there's one where there's a lot of activity, she can't see the patient but Patrick isn't in any of the others. As she walks towards it the doors to the ICU open and Doctor Polly enters.
"Teresa."
Teresa stops and turns towards her.
"What's happened?"
"It's all right, he hasn't had a heart attack, but he had pain and his rhythms went high wire so I've moved him in here because he needs constant monitoring."
"It's not good is it?"
"No, I'm sorry it isn't. but Doctor Bannion thinks it's a valve that's at fault and that's a lot easier to replace. When Patrick's settled I'll speak to you both. I need to go see him now."
Teresa watches her enter Patrick's room.