Thanks for the reviews. I love you awesome nerds. Now, let's see what Trish has to say to Beca.
"Beca," Trish said. "I need to talk to you."
Beca sat on Trish's bed and faced her.
"What's up?," Beca asked.
Trish took Beca's hands.
The door to Trish's room was open so Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie walked in. They stopped and stood in shock when they heard the words that were coming out of Trish's mouth.
"Beca," Trish said bringing Beca's hands up to her mouth and kissing them softly. "I love you so, so much. Being your wife has been wonderful."
Chloe puts her hand to her mouth and starts to turn away. Stacie has her hands on her shoulders and holds her in place.
"Wait," Stacie whispers.
"I know that we started this marriage," Trish said. "With it ending with me succumbing to the cancer. But now, things have changed. I just want you to know that you are the sweetest, kindest person I have ever known. And, I want a divorce."
Beca's eyes widen.
"What?," Beca said.
"We won't do it right away," Trish said. "We'll wait until after my surgery and then we'll announce our separation. I'll take full responsibility by saying, that I, um, hurried into the marriage because I was afraid of dealing with the cancer on my own. That way, your career won't suffer, the business won't suffer, and Chloe over there can stop suffering."
Trish was smiling when she looked over at Chloe. Chloe gave Trish a small smile. Tears were streaming down her face. Stacie squeezed Chloe's shoulders.
"See," Stacie said. "Totally worth waiting for."
"Are you sure you're okay with this?," Beca said.
"Absolutely," Trish said. "I'm going to be better and I don't want to miss out on meeting my one true love because I'm married to you."
Beca smiled and chuckled.
"Okay, then," Beca said. "We're getting a divorce."
Beca leaned over and gave Trish a kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you," Beca said.
Time went by fast and it was already Tuesday. Beca was at the hospital early so she could see Trish before she was taken for her surgery. The surgery was going to take 4-6 hours according to Dr. Klein. Stacie came to the hospital to wait with Beca. Chloe and Aubrey were keeping their phones on them while working so they could be reached if needed.
Beca naps while waiting. Stacie had brought some magazines and a book to help kill time. Chloe kept checking her phone. She had a few meetings that morning but made sure that her afternoon was cleared so she could go to the hospital. Aubrey spent the morning in her office going through some paperwork. It was close to 2:00 when she decided to call Chloe.
"Have you heard anything?," Aubrey asked when Chloe answered.
"No," Chloe said. "The surgery should be just about over."
"I can't stand not being there," Aubrey said. "I'm going to leave and go up to the hospital."
"Can you swing by and get me?," Chloe said.
"I'll be there in 20," Aubrey said and hung up her phone.
Chloe told her Assistant she was leaving and gathered her purse and jacket. She went downstairs and waited by the curb for Aubrey. Aubrey picked her up and they headed to the hospital.
"Any news yet?," Aubrey asked when she saw Beca and Stacie.
"Nothing yet," Stacie answered.
"How are you holding up?," Chloe asked Beca as she sat next to her.
"I'm good," Beca said. "I'm both scared and excited at the same time."
Chloe took Beca's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Beca gave her a small smile.
The four friends sat quietly and waited for news. Stacie and Aubrey went to the cafeteria to get everyone coffee. It was close to 4:00 when Dr. Klein came out to find Beca.
"How'd it go?," Beca asked.
"A lot better than I expected," Dr. Klein told the girls. "We think we got it all. Unbelievable, I know, but when we got in there, we starting removing the tumors one by one. There were no surprises when we got the areas of the brain we couldn't see on the scans. She's going to be fine."
"Thank you so much, doctor," Beca said. "Can we see Trish?"
"She'll be in recovery for the night," Dr. Klein said. "You can see her tomorrow morning when we put her back in her room. Go home. Get some rest. All of you."
"Thanks again, doctor," Beca said.
Dr. Klein patted Beca on her shoulder and left the girls. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Wow," Stacie said. "Trish is going to be so relieved."
The girls decide to follow Dr. Klein's advice and go home.
"Hey," Beca said. "I'm kind of starving. Why don't you all come to mine and I'll call Mrs. Newman and have her fix us something."
"I'm in," Chloe said. "I've been too nervous to eat anything today. Now that I know that the surgery went well, I'm starving."
"We can do dinner," Aubrey says after getting a nod from Stacie. "We'll leave Stacie's car here and pick it up tomorrow. Chloe, why don't you ride with Beca."
"Um, okay," Chloe said looking at Beca. "If that's okay with Beca."
"It's more than okay with me," Beca said.
The girls head out of the hospital to be met with the paparazzi.
"Beca, how's Trish?"
"Beca, look over here."
"Beca, are you cheating on Trish?"
Beca stops and looks to see who asked that question. The other girls stop as well. Aubrey puts a hand on Beca's shoulder. Beca looks at the smirk on the guy's face.
"What's your name and who are you affiliated with?," Beca asked the guy.
The guy smiled thinking he had just scored an exclusive with Beca Mitchell.
"The name's Brian Stephens," the guy said smirking at the other press standing around watching the exchange. "LA Daily News."
"Thank you, Brian," Beca said and steps back to address all the press. "I just want to thank our fans and let everyone know that Trish's surgery went well. We are very optimistic that she will make a full recovery. And, Brian?"
"Yeah?," Brian said with a wide smile.
"To answer your question," Beca said. "No, I'm not cheating on Trish. And for asking that dumbass question, you and your paper have just lost all press privileges to my studio opening and any other press event we may be involved in."
Beca watched Brian's face pale with the realization that he had messed up.
"Next time, pick your questions carefully," Beca said. "Have a nice day!"
The girls could hear some of the press people chuckling as Beca walked away. Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie were all smiling as they followed Beca.
"Can she do that?," Chloe asked Aubrey.
"I think she just did," Aubrey said.
The girls arrive at Beca's house. Mrs. Newman was just putting the finishing touches on a grilled chicken caesar salad when they walked in.
"I hope this is okay," Mrs. Newman said to the girls. "I knew you'd be hungry so I wanted to put together something quick."
"This is perfect, Mrs. Newman," Beca said.
The girls sit down to eat.
"Do you want me to meet you at the hospital in the morning?," Stacie asked Beca breaking the silence that had enveloped the dinner table. "Brey can drop me off on her way to the office."
"Yes, please," Beca said. "From what they told us before the surgery, they'll probably keep Trish under for 2-3 days before they bring her out. They'll want the swelling to go down so they can do another scan to make sure they really got everything."
"I'll take Friday off so I can be there when they wake her up," Chloe said.
"Me, too," Aubrey said.
"Thanks guys," Beca said. "I really appreciate that. If the doctor tells me anything different I'll let you know. I really would like for all of us to be there when she wakes up."
"Sounds good," Aubrey says.
They finish dinner and Beca asks if they can stick around for a while to talk about the launch party for the studio.
"Things happened so fast with Trish and the surgery," Beca said. "There wasn't time to cancel everything."
"Trish wouldn't want you to cancel," Chloe said. "Plus, we'll all be there, so don't worry."
"We have the jackets to wear," Stacie said. "Anything special we should wear with it?"
"Well," Beca said. "Chloe and I have agreed to wear the same outfit we wore for the photo. Black skinny jeans, white v-neck tee, and black and white sk8-hi vans. You guys can wear whatever you want."
"How about we wear the same," Stacie said. "Only we'll wear a pink v-neck tee."
"That will look sharp," Chloe said.
"Sounds good," Beca said. "I rented a limo for the night. So, come here to get ready since we'll need to be there about an hour before it starts. You can all plan to spend the night here, too."
"What else is planned for the night?," Aubrey asked.
"We will have one or two of our artists perform," Beca said. "There will of course be booze. But, there will also be lots of food going around so hopefully we won't have too many drunks to deal with."
"Beca's going to play some of her mixes in between the acts," Chloe said. "She has a few surprises for us."
"Do tell," Stacie said.
"Nope," Beca said. "You'll have to wait until Saturday night, just like everyone else."
"She won't tell me either," Chloe said.
"We'll be there to help with anything you need," Aubrey said. "I'm really excited about this. My first real LA music party. Ooooo, what celebrities are coming?"
"Not telling," Beca said.
Aubrey looked questioningly at Chloe.
"I can't tell you either," Chloe said. "Beca will kill me."
"You guys are no fun," Aubrey said with a pout.
Chloe and Beca both laughed at Aubrey's pouty face.
"I think it's time for us to go home," Stacie says with a laugh. "Chloe, can we give you a ride?"
"Actually," Beca said. "I'll make sure she gets home. We still have a few things to discuss about the studio."
"Okay," Stacie said. "We'll see you tomorrow."
Aubrey and Stacie give Beca and Chloe hugs before they leave.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Stacie whispers to Chloe when she hugs her.
Chloe turns pink and slaps Stacie on the arm.
"Good night," Beca tells them. "Text me when you get home."
"We will," Aubrey says as they get into her car.
Beca closes the door and walks with Chloe back into the living room. They sit down and talk about the studio and the day to day operations.
"Who are you going to have looking after things while you're with Trish?," Chloe asked.
"I'm thinking of having CR do it," Beca said. "I trust her and she knows what she's doing."
"I can't believe CR lives out here now," Chloe said. "I thought for sure she and her wife would never leave Maine."
"I made her an offer she couldn't refuse," Beca said.
"Did Miss 'I hate movies', just quote 'The Godfather' to me?," Chloe asked with a grin.
"Don't have to see it," Beca said. "To know the good lines."
They spent another few minutes talking about the studio when Chloe found herself trying to hold back a yawn.
"It's getting late," Chloe said. "I'll call an Uber to take me home."
"No," Beca said quickly. "I was actually hoping I could take you home so you could pack a bag with whatever you need for the next few days. And, um, then, you could maybe, if you want to, but it's cool if you don't."
Chloe just looked at Beca.
"I have no idea what you just said," Chloe told her.
Beca sighs and tries again.
"I was hoping you could spend the next few nights here," Beca said. "I'm not used to being here alone and it would be nice to have some company. We don't have to sleep in the same bed or anything. I just, I just want you to be here."
"I can do that," Chloe said. "Let's go. I'll need to have some time to pack so we it won't be too late when we get back here."
Beca smiles and heads for the door. She grabs her keys and opens the door for Chloe. They are back at Beca's in a about 90 minutes. Beca shows Chloe to the extra guest room and Chloe unpacks her things and puts them away. She puts on her pajamas and goes looking for Beca. She finds her sitting outside on the patio and goes out to join her. She sits in a chair next to Beca.
"It's so peaceful here," Beca said. "Hard to believe that we are like 10 minutes from downtown LA."
Chloe and Beca sit quietly for a few minutes.
"I just came out to say good night," Chloe said getting up.
"I can drop you off at your office in the morning before I go to the hospital," Beca said.
"That would be nice," Chloe told her. "I'll see you in the morning."
Chloe leaves Beca on the patio and heads for her room. She brushes her teeth and crawls into bed.
Wednesday and Thursday go by quickly. Beca drops Chloe at her office and meets Stacie at the hospital and the two sit with Trish for an hour or so. Beca then goes to the studio to take care of a few things with CR. She then returns to the hospital in the evening to sit with Chloe and Aubrey while they visit Trish. On Thursday morning, Dr. Klein tells Beca and Stacie they will attempt to wake Trish up the next morning around 11:00. Beca tells Aubrey and Chloe that evening and they all plan to be at the hospital by 10:30 the next morning.
That night Chloe wakes up to music coming from downstairs. She gets up and finds Beca pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room while music fills the air around her.
"Oh," Beca said turning off the music. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you could hear that."
"It's okay," Chloe says with a yawn. "You should get to bed. It's late."
"I'm too stressed to sleep," Beca says.
"Come on," Chloe says taking Beca's hand. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."
Beca allows Chloe to lead her to her room. Beca climbs in and puts the covers over her. Chloe lies on top of the covers next to her. Neither of them say a word. Chloe sighs.
"Okay, weirdo," Beca says. "Get under the covers so we can cuddle."
Chloe squeals and does as she is told. She immediately assumes the big spoon position and Beca lets her. Beca falls asleep with a small smile on her face.
The next morning Beca wakes up alone. She's a little saddened by this. Waking up with Chloe was always one of her favorite things about their relationship. Her head jerks up when her bedroom door opens.
"Oh good," Chloe said as she came into the room. "I was coming to wake you up. It's already 9:00 and Mrs. Newman has breakfast ready."
"Thanks," Beca said. "I'll be right down."
"Okay," Chloe says and leaves.
Beca and Chloe meet Aubrey and Stacie at the hospital. The are waiting for the doctor in the waiting room near Trish's room. It is almost 11:00 when Dr. Klein walks in with two other doctors.
"Good morning, ladies," Dr. Klein says. "This is Dr. Baker and Dr. Yates. They are on rounds with me today and will be assisting in waking Mrs. Mitchell."
"What exactly will happen, doctor," Aubrey asks.
"First, we need to remove the tube from her throat," Dr. Klein tells them. "Most patients get a little panicky when they start waking up and try to pull it out. Second, we will start reducing the medicines that are keeping her asleep and she should wake up."
"What do you mean 'should'," Beca asks in a panic.
"It will be fine," Dr. Klein assures Beca. "Each patient is different. If all goes according to plan, Mrs. Mitchell will be awake about 10 minutes after we start reducing her dosage. After that, we run through a few tests. If she responds well, then we'll take her for a scan and see how everything looks."
"What if she doesn't respond well?," Beca asked.
"Then we'll put her back under and wait another 24 hours to try again," Dr. Klein said. "But, I don't see that happening. Any other questions?"
The girls all shake their heads.
"Good," Dr. Klein said. "Come with me."
The girls follow the three doctors to Trish's room. Dr. Klein puts on gloves and slowly removes the tube from Trish's mouth. He then nods to Dr. Yates who starts reducing the pentobarbitol dosage. It takes about 15 minutes before Trish starts waking up.
"Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein calls out. "Mrs. Mitchell? This is Dr. Klein. Can you open your eyes for us."
Trish's eyes open and she blinks a couple of times.
"Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein calls to get her attention. "Can you look at me? That's good. Now follow my finger. Good."
Dr. Klein puts his index fingers in each of Trish's hands.
"Can you squeeze my fingers?," Dr. Klein asks. "Excellent."
Dr. Klein turns to Dr. Baker and tells her to get Trish ready to take her for her CT scan.
"So," Beca said. "What's the verdict?"
"She responded very well," Dr. Klein tells her. "We're going to take her down for a scan now. We'll know more once that's done."
"That's great," Beca said. "Thanks, doctor."
Chloe and Stacie go back to the waiting room. Beca and Aubrey stay with Trish until they take her for her scan. They're both smiling when they walk into the waiting room.
"So far, so good," Beca says.
"I'm feeling very optimistic," Aubrey said.
The girls sit quietly, waiting for the doctor to come see them. About an hour after taking her, they see Trish being brought back to her room. Beca and Chloe go sit with Trish while they wait for the doctor.
Trish's eyes are open and she looks at the two girls. Beca and Chloe look back at Trish.
"Can you talk?," Beca asked her.
"Yes," Trish croaked out. "Hurts."
"I know," Beca sid. "We're waiting for the doctor to tell us the results of the scan. Maybe then he can give you something for the pain."
"Water?," Trish asked.
"Um, I don't know," Beca said. "I'll check with a nurse."
Just then a nurse came in and Beca asked about water.
"The best I can do is ice chips for now," the nurse said.
The nurse left and came back a few minutes later with some ice chips. She used a small spoon and gave some to Trish. Dr. Klein came in followed closely by Aubrey and Stacie.
"How are you feeling Mrs. Mitchell?," Dr. Klein asked Trish.
"Good," Trish said a bit clearer than before.
"I have the results from your scan," Dr. Klein told her. "The good news is it looks like we got all of the tumor out. There is no indication on your scans that there is anything left."
"Bad news?," Trish asked.
Dr. Klein smiled.
"No bad news," Dr. Klein said. "Our treatment plan is to have you come in for another scan in three months to make sure everything is good. We also need to see how well you can walk and talk. From what little you've said, your speech sounds good. Once we assess your walking and motor skills, you could actually be out of here in just a few days."
"Seriously?," Beca asked.
"Seriously," Dr. Klein responded with a smile. "We've come a long way in treating brain cancers and tumors."
Trish let out a throaty laugh and smiled at the doctor. Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie were excited at the positive outcome.
"Mrs. Mitchell, don't get me wrong," Dr. Klein said. "It will take some time to fully recover. But, you should be back to almost 100% within a few months. It was brain surgery after all. More good news, the biopsy showed some cancerous cells in only one of the tumors. But, we got that tumor out in its entirety. So, no cancerous cells are left in the brain. You, my dear, are one for the record books."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Klein," Beca said
"I know you're probably thirsty and hungry," Dr. Klein said. "We need to start you off with liquids only for a day. We want to make sure you can handle it before we move on to soft foods. I'll have the nurse bring you some water and broth for now. Do you have any pain?"
"Throat hurt at first," Trish said. "But, it's better now."
"Good," Dr. Klein said. "I'll put a pain reliever on your chart. If anything starts hurting, just ask for it. Any other questions?"
"Can I try to walk?," Trish asked him. Smiling at how normal she was starting to sound already.
"Maybe in a little bit," Dr. Klein said. "I'll have someone from PT come see you and they'll get you up and moving. I'll be back to see you at evening rounds. Have me paged if you need anything before that."
"Thanks, doctor," Trish says.
Dr. Klein leaves and the four friends swarm around Trish's bed offering their congratulations. Trish's smile hasn't left her face.
The nurse comes in with some water and broth for Trish. She helps her sit up in her bed and starts to help her eat her broth.
"I can do it," Trish said.
The nurse handed the spoon to Trish. Trish was able to feed herself with very little difficulty. The nurse smiled and made a notation on Trish's chart.
Trish asks Beca about the party to launch the new studio. Beca tells everything is good to go.
"Did Adele RSVP?," Trish asked.
Stacie and Aubrey gasp.
"Adele?," they both ask.
"Trish!," Beca said. "We're keeping the guest list a surprise from these two. Don't say anyone else's name. And, yes, Adele RSVPed."
"O-M-AcaGee," Aubrey said. "We get to meet Adele."
Aubrey and Stacie are holding hands, jumping up and down, squealing.
"And, this is why we didn't want to tell them," Chloe said.
"Sorry," Trish said with a sheepish grin.
The physical therapist came by about an hour later.
"Good evening, Mrs. Mitchell," the PT said. "My name is Greg and I'm going to get you up and walking. What do you say?"
"Let's do this," Trish said with a smile.