Chapter 12

"Cass?"

Cass looked up sharply. Her numb ass from sitting on the floor was completely forgotten when she saw Hunter. She scrambled up, wiping the dust off as she hurried to Hunter.

"Is she okay?"

"The surgery was a success. We got the tumor and didn't see evidence that it had metastasized, so…"

"Hunter!" Cass interrupted. "First things first, then you can go into all the medical mumbo jumbo. Is Rebecca okay?"

"Yes. She's headed to recovery." Hunter glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with Willamena, who immediately came to Cass's side. "Now, it usually takes four to five hours for the patient to wake up after a surgery of this kind. However, we're going to keep Rebecca in a medically induced sleep for a little while longer."

Cass frowned. "What? Why? You just said she was okay."

"And she is. However, a piece of the tumor was in a challenging spot. While Dr. Lima was able to remove the entire tumor without damaging vital brain tissue, it did cause some irritation and swelling. The MIC is simply a precaution."

Cass was having trouble understanding all of what Hunter was saying. Mainly because the moment she heard "medically induced sleep," all she could think about was her wife being in a coma. This wasn't supposed to happen. Cass had been thinking positive thoughts all day. She wouldn't allow any negativity in. When she thought about what would happen after the surgery, it was Hunter coming to get her, telling her Rebecca was ready to see her. Of course, she knew about the potential complications. They'd gone over everything before the surgery. But Cass was so sure everything would be fine that this blindsided her.

"How long?" Willamena asked, allowing her doctor's side to take over for Cass's sake. The calmer Willamena was about this situation, the easier Cass would take the news.

"A day, maybe two. We'll monitor Rebecca closely, and if the swelling goes down before that, we'll wake her up."

"Aunt Wills?"

Willamena's heart broke for Cass. She looked so scared and lost. Willamena threaded her arm through Cass's and smiled up at her. "This isn't uncommon, Cass. The brain is delicate, and right now, Rebecca's is a little pissed off at being messed with. A little rest will do it good."

Cass stared at Aunt Wills, trying to gauge if she was telling her the truth. When she was satisfied that Aunt Wills wasn't too worried, Cass fixed her eyes on Hunter. "When can I see her?"

Hunter pursed her lips. She knew this wouldn't go over well, but she would put it out there anyway. "You should go home…"

"Did you?" Cass interrupted hotly. "When Ellie was in a coma, did you go home?"

Hunter visibly winced. That was still a sore spot for her. "Fair enough. How about this? I will let you back in recovery for ten minutes." Hunter lifted a hand to stop Cass's argument. "That's all I can do. Other patients are back there, and I don't want to disturb them. After that, you go and get some fresh air, maybe some food, and by the time you get back, Rebecca will be in her private room ready for you."

Cass contemplated that for a full minute. "Deal. Let's go."

Hunter nodded and turned to the others, surprised that nearly everyone was there. That certainly wasn't what Rebecca wanted. Then again, she couldn't fault Cass for needing friends to lean on. A support system was critical in times like these.

"Unfortunately, it's family only. I know we're all Rebecca's family, but she truly does need her rest. And if I learned anything from when Ellie was… here, it's that I'm not sure a coma is completely restful if there's a lot of activity around. Since Rebecca didn't want anyone to know about this, having you all fill her room is probably not a good idea. We don't need Mistress mad at us before she's even awake."

Cass's lips twitched at that. "I just need Becca to know I didn't say a word. I didn't tell them. Technically, Aunt Wills did. Can we go see my girl now?"

Cass squeezed Willamena's hand, ready to drag her along. But Willamena gently pulled away. "You go. Have your time with her. I'll wait until she's settled in her room. I don't want to overwhelm the situation."

"Are you sure?" Cass asked, not wanting to push Aunt Wills out of seeing her niece.

"Absolutely. Go see our girl and let her know we love her." She watched as Cass hurried off with Hunter, only slightly regretting her decision.

"Was it true?" Eve asked. "What you said to Cass about this not being uncommon?"

Willamena looked over at Eve. "Yes. I don't like it, but it happens."

Ellie sighed, her expression mirroring the worry in the others. "Right, well, we're not going to be too helpful here. Why don't we wait for Cass and then head to the diner? I'll cook us something comforting."

"You've been here for hours, Ellie. Are you sure you're up for standing at the stove?" Blaise asked. She had arrived about an hour earlier, dropping everything after Ellie's call.

"I'll be fine. You know cooking usually helps me keep my mind from veering off into negative thoughts. Besides, with your help, I should be fine," Ellie winked.

"I will help, too," Lainey chimed in. She slipped her hand in Eve's, giving it a slight squeeze. "Rebecca is one of the strongest women I know. As scary as this is, I have to believe she'll be okay."

"Hear, hear." Willamena touched her heart and looked up, sending a silent plea to her sister. "Thank you all for being here. I can't tell you how much it means to me that Rebecca has such caring friends in her life. She's always been so reserved, perhaps rightfully so. But I've never seen her so happy. That has everything to do with Cass and all of you. When she wakes up, I think she'll be happy that we didn't listen to her and keep this private. She needs you all."

The small but mighty group formed a circle, each taking the hand of the woman next to them. They all knew what it was like to need the strength of others in their corner. They would give that strength to Rebecca — and Cass — now.

"Right through here,"Hunter said, leading Cass towards Rebecca's bed in recovery. "Remember, only ten minutes, yeah? Then you go get some food. I'm sure Ellie has already made plans to have everyone at the diner. You eat, you relax a bit, then you can come back more refreshed for Becca."

"Yeah, I got it, Hunt. We made a deal. I'm not gonna back out of it." Cass stopped when Hunter did, trying not to look at the other patients in the area. She also tried blocking out the eerie beeps of various machines. She didn't like thinking about Rebecca in here. The faster she could get her wife home, the better for both their sanity. Cass thanked Hunter as she passed through the curtain Hunter held open for her. Then stopped and audibly gasped.

Hunter grabbed Cass when she swayed a little beside her. "Hey, she's okay. It's just a ventilator, Cass. It's helping her keep a steady breath while she sleeps. The other stuff is just monitoring her heartbeat and brain activity. Okay?"

Cass looked at Hunter, tears brimming in her eyes. She gave a slight nod before walking over to Rebecca's bed and taking her hand.

"H-" Cass cleared the worry and pain of seeing Rebecca like this from her throat. "Hey, baby. I hear you kicked ass in the OR. I had no doubts. They, um," Cass took another breath. "They said that you needed some rest, and me bringing my sexy self in here would blow your mind, so they're helping you sleep a little longer until you can handle all this androgynous sex appeal."

Hunter let out a low chuckle as she checked Rebecca's charts. She would have preferred giving Cass more privacy, but she was already bending the rules.

"They got it all, baby." Cass stroked Rebecca's pale face. "We'll worry about the other stuff later, but for right now, all we have to do is celebrate that that thing is outta here, yeah?" She sat there quietly for a while, just kissing Rebecca's hand and observing her as the ventilator caused a steady rise and fall of Rebecca's chest.

Hunter cleared her throat softly, signaling Cass that her time was almost up. It hurt her heart to see the two of them like this. Knowing how she felt when Ellie was in her coma, Hunter could all but feel Cass's distress.

"So, um, I made Hunter a deal, baby. I told her I would go and get something to eat while they moved you to your room. In return, I got to see you now for a little bit. But I gotta go for a minute now. I won't be long. I promise."

Cass backed away, her eyes never leaving Rebecca. It physically hurt her to leave her wife in such a vulnerable state. While she was grateful Hunter gave her this time, Cass resented being unable to stay by Rebecca's side as Hunter did with Ellie. Not the same, Cass. Get a grip.

"Ready?" Hunter asked quietly.

"No. So, drag me outta here, Hunt, because I'm having trouble leaving her."

A sad look crossed Hunter's face as she hooked her hand around Cass's arm and gently pulled her out of Rebecca's recovery area. "Go get something to eat, Cass. I'll keep an eye on your girl."

"Thanks, Hunt. I'm, uh, glad you're with her."