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Chapter Text

Kate's day had been a blur. It was like looking out the window of a speeding car and not being able to make anything out but the blur of green and blue as the trees and sky blurred together. How had she gone from marrying the love of her life the day before to this?

The day had started off so well. She had woken up with Rana in her arms the morning after making her her wife. She almost couldn't believe it had happened but she knew she had never felt happier. They had planned to just stay in for the day, to have the day to themselves, but they had no milk. Rana threw on some comfy clothes and her trainers and promised to not be away for more than five minutes.

So when Rana wasn't back after fifteen Kate began to panic. She was only gone to Devs. She threw on her own shoes to go look for her wife, worried about her, even though it had only been fifteen minutes. Surely there'd be a reasonable explanation. 

Rana had been passing the factory on her way to get milk and decided the least she could do was go and thank everyone for the help with making Kate her dream dress. It was the least she owed them. 

Kate ran down the stairs and stepped outside and almost ran towards Dev's feeling that something just wasn't right. She saw a crowd building outside of Underworld and she just knew. She knew something awful had happened. She stood just looking on for a moment before turning to Sarah asking her desperately had she seen Rana. Then she heard the worst thing. "I saw her go in a few minutes ago." She doesn't know who said it but before she knew it she was running up the steps and shoving open the door. Two or three other people followed her knowing they needed to help because the paramedics were minutes away. Kate spotted Rana almost immediately. She was trapped under a big piece of the roof. She couldn't understand what had happened but she couldn't think about that right now. Rana needed her. 

She ran to her and dropped to her knees beside her. "Rana, Rana, baby, wake up." She put her hand on Rana's cheeks to try and wake her and gently lifted her bleeding head into her lap. Her eyes opened and she smiled a weak smile. 

"Kate... I'm scared, Kate" 

"Hey, beautiful. Don't be scared, you're going to be just fine, alright? We're all gonna get you out of here." She looked up and noticed anyone who was able to start lifting the rubble off Rana to try and get her out before the rest of the roof collapsed. Anyone who was too injured to help was being brought out quickly to try and get them to help straight away. It seemed Rana was the worst off out of everyone. 

Rana looked down and saw all the things that were crushing her and restricting her breathing. She could feel that she had a head injury, a pretty bad one at that, and she didn't feel like she was going to be ok. She knew as a nurse that she was in a very, very bad way. She gently shook her head as much as she could manage. "You're safe, Rana. Okay? I've got you. You're going to be just fine."

"No.. Kate," She took the deepest breath she could before she could continue talking. "I need you," another pause to catch her breath, "to make me a promise, k?"

"No, you're going to be fine. We'll get you to the hospital and they'll help you."

Rana continued on, knowing that she didn't have much time. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself, yeah? I need to know you'll be okay and that you'll continue on with your life."

Kate leaned down and kissed Rana's forehead and Rana could feel her tears dropping onto her. "You can't die, Rana." She wiped away some of her tears from Rana's face. "We only got married yesterday. Our lives are just beginning. You can't leave me."

It was getting harder to keep her eyes open. "I want to thank you too," She could feel her own tears streaming down her face as everyone kept trying to get everything off her. "You made me the happiest girl in the world for this past year and a bit. I got to live as my true self because of you and for that I am so grateful, Kate." She smiled at her beautiful wife and reached as far as she could to grasp her hand. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

"No... I can't lose you, Rana. You can't die. I love you so much, I need you. Stay awake, please Rana." 

Rana felt her eyes closing. "I love you." And then black.

Kate broke. She started shouting for Rana to wake up while everyone was pulling the last bit of the roof off her. They heard the roof creaking even more and Sean all but shouted at a broken, destroyed Kate to lift Rana up and get out quickly. Kate slipped her arms under Rana's previously crushed legs and tried to be as gentle as possible while nearly running out of the building. She felt so frail and little in Kate's arms. The paramedics are outside ready to help anyone who needs it. They immediately rush to Kate and she reluctantly has to let go of her girl. She turns around and falls straight into Imran's arms. He's broken and crying too and is the only thing holding Kate up. She's screaming into his chest and sobbing when there's a shout. 

"She's got a pulse."

-

The ambulance ride to the hospital was a blur. After she heard Rana had a pulse she rushed over and went with her in the ambulance, not wanting her to be alone. She desperately wanted to ask the paramedic about Rana. Was she okay? What's happening? But she didn't want to distract him from helping Rana so she held back on her questions. She watched Rana's broken body be hooked up to machines and just begged the universe to let her girl be ok. Let her live.

When they get to the hospital Rana is immediately rushed away from her. She hears loads of stuff she didn't understand but knew that they weren't good things. She heard the paramedic list off her name, her age, what happened, how long she's been unconscious and all her visible injuries. She walked with them for as long as possible before being stopped by a nurse. She guides Kate to the waiting room with a promise of coming back with updates when there was more information. Imran, her dad, Michelle and Carla all rushed into the waiting room moments after the nurse had left. Imran was begging for answers, wanting to know what kind of situation Rana was in. She tells him everything she knows, which isn't much.

She drops down onto one of the hard, uncomfortable waiting room chairs and just prayed to a God she wasn't sure she believed in that Rana would be okay. 

She felt Imran sit down beside her while her dad, Carla and Michelle took the chairs in front of her. She puts her head in her hands and she lets her tears fall. "She said goodbye to me. We just got married and she said goodbye. I thought she'd died in my arms, Imran." Kate sobbed, feeling her brother in laws arm wrap around her shoulders. "She has to be okay."

"Rana's a strong girl. We both know that yeah? She'll fight this with all she has." He said, trying to reassure Kate and himself that they weren't going to lose her. 

There was silence in the waiting room. Kate couldn't tell how long they had all been waiting, could have been minutes or hours, she couldn't tell. She could feel Rana's blood on her tracksuit bottoms and all the dust that had gathered on her clothes too, she felt like she was suffocating. Carla's phone ringing broke the silence and she had to leave. The police needed to talk to her. Michelle left with her and as Kate watched them go she saw the nurse from before walking towards them. She stood up immediately and Imran followed. 

Before she could start begging for answers, the nurse spoke up. "Rana was rushed into surgery shortly after arriving. She has sustained a serious head wound, some internal bleeding and a substantial amount of damage to her legs. Currently, they are working on trying to stop the bleeding in her brain and the internal bleeding in her abdomen. The orthopaedic surgeon will be into her when he's out of another surgery to examine her legs fully and see what he can do to help her. They hope to be finished soon and as soon as he can, I will send her surgeon to come and give you a full update." The nurse turned and left and Kate almost broke down completely but she had to hold it together, for Rana's sake, she had to be strong.

She sat back down and told her dad he should go help Jenny back at the Rovers, which would be full of people in shock and needing a drink. He reluctantly left after Kate had promised to inform him of any more updates they were given. Imran and Kate sat in silence. Their minds thinking the same thought. What if Rana didn't make it?

After what felt like hours a man came up to both of them. "Are you the family of Rana Connor-Habeeb?" Kate almost started crying at just hearing their joint name for the first time outside of their wedding day. Kate and Imran both stood up. "I'm her wife, this is her brother. Is she okay? Is she alive?"

"She's alive, yes. We managed to stop the bleeding in her brain and the internal bleeding in her abdomen. The orthopaedic surgeon did some immediate work that needed to be done on her legs but will leave the rest for now as she is not strong enough to be in surgery for such a long amount of time. We have placed her in a medically induced coma to give her brain a rest to try and reduce swelling on her brain. If the swelling goes down it will relieve the pressure on her brain and will hopefully reduce her chances of severe brain damage. She's in a critical condition and these next 24 hours are crucial." 

Kate and Imran tried to absorb all that information. "Can we see her?"

"She's currently being moved to the ICU but once she's settled I'll tell the nurse to come and get you. Any questions?"

"When can she be out of the coma? When will she wake up?" Imran asked.

"When we see the swelling of her brain reduce to an amount where it's safe to wake her we will. Every patient is different so there is no real time frame but she will be closely monitored over these next few days." The doctor left after both Kate and Imran thanked him. They both sat down once again waiting for the nurse to come and tell them when they could see Rana.

She quickly sent a text to her dad letting him know the latest, mainly just to take her mind off words like critical and brain damage. She was so, so scared Rana wouldn't be okay. She never wanted to ever have to face life without her. She's so young too. She's only twenty-eight, they just got married yesterday for God's sake. They both have their whole lives ahead of them. They have so many adventures to go on, so many things and places to see, that can't be taken away from them. After everything Rana has faced in her life she deserves to have happiness, she deserves to get to live as herself. That can't just be ripped away from her.

She has to be ok. She just has to be. 

Chapter Text

It was about another 20 minutes before the nurse came out and told them that Rana was settled enough to have visitors. They walked down a hallway to where Rana's room was and before they entered Kate had to take a breath and steady herself. She had to stay strong. For Rana.

When she walked in and saw Rana she almost broke. She could feel tears building in her eyes as she saw her gorgeous wife covered in tubes and bandages. Her head was wrapped up with a bandage, tubes and wires were everywhere she looked and her legs, which took a lot of the weight of the roof on them, were bandaged quite a lot. But to Kate, she was still the most perfect girl in the world

Kate and Imran both cautiously stand by her bedside, both scared to make a wrong move. Kate after a second took the seat beside her and took Rana's smaller hand into hers, she hoped that by doing this Rana knew she wasn't alone and that Kate was there with her.

The nurse checks over Rana one last time before leaving with a kind smile. Imran was still standing beside Rana while Kate admires her wife and looks at all the wires keeping her alive. Her hand felt so delicate in Kate's.

"I'm going to go out and call Yasmeen and Alya and tell them what's happened." He left before Kate could reply, but Kate knew it was the right thing to do. She knew they both loved Rana deeply and would want to know what's happening. 

When she's left alone with Rana is when her tears start to fall. She gently kisses Rana's hand and just lets her tears fall. "I don't know if you can hear me Rana, but I need you to be as strong as you can right now, okay? You're the strongest person I know and I know you can get through this." She rests her head on the side of Rana's bed, still holding her hand and hoped with everything she had that her wife would be ok.

She must have dozed off for a few minutes because she woke up when Imran came back in. "Hey," he said taking a seat the other side of Rana, "I told Alya and Yasmeen. They wanted to come but I told them there was no point right now." He looks at his sister for a few seconds, and momentarily her mind was taken off her own pain and she felt heartbroken for Imran. He and Rana were so, so close. "I think I'm going to head home for an hour or so. Get changed and that. Do you need anything from the flat?"

"A change of clothes would be good if that's okay?" She said, still very aware of Rana's blood on her clothes. 

"Of course. You'll call me if anything happens?" He asks, taking the key from her. 

Kate nods and she let go of Rana's hand for a minute and stood up to hug him. "She's gonna fight this, I know she will." She knew Rana would do all she could to come back to them and get through this and all they could hope for now was that her strength was enough to get her through this.

A while after Imran had left, a nurse came in to check up on Rana again. She kindly informed Kate that visiting hours were over. Kate was shocked to find out that it was nearly 10 pm. It had been hours and hours since this had begun. Kate wanted to put up a fight but she didn't have the fight in her. She gently kissed Rana's forehead, being careful to avoid the bandages and cuts on her face. "You stay alive tonight, you hear me? You stay strong, baby, and I'll be back in to see you tomorrow. I love you so much, my beautiful wife."

The nurse walked with her back out to the waiting room. She handed Kate a bag of Rana's belongings explaining that it was everything Rana had on her when she was brought in. "How long have you been married?"

"We got married yesterday," Kate said, with a small, sad smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The nurse paused for a second. "You love her though, very much. I can tell. Congratulations, if that doesn't sound insensitive."

Kate smiled at the older nurse as they got back to the waiting room. "Thank you."

Kate sat down on one of the chairs. She may have had to leave Rana's room for the night but no way was she leaving the hospital and no one could convince her otherwise. She opened the bag of Rana's things she was given and looked through it. There wasn't much in it since Rana had only popped out to get milk. Her clothes, her keys and then Kate pulled out another bag with her wedding and engagement ring in it. She took out both of them and held them close to her heart. She brought them both to her lips before slipping them back into both of the bags, making sure they were safe before they could get back to where they belong, on Rana's hand. 

Imran came back a few minutes later with a change of clothes for Kate and some coffees for them. "Why are you out here? Did something happen?" He said after handing her the clothes and coffee. 

Kate shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee. "No, visiting hours are over."

After she finished her coffee, she took the clothes and went to change in the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall and quickly got changed. When she came out, she washed her hands and saw herself in the mirror. She looked a mess. She broke at that moment. Her fear of losing Rana taking over right there in the hospital bathroom. She had to pull herself together, she had to be strong for Rana. 

She shook herself out of it and came out to see Imran on the phone. She sat down and waited until he was finished. "That was mum. She heard about what's happened. She wanted to come but I managed to convince her to wait."

"I suppose that's a good thing. Don't think I could handle all her rude comments right now." 

"Yeah," He sighed and sat back down next to her. He draped his arm over her shoulder, "it's going to be okay."

-

They were both awoken the next morning by Michelle, Alya and Yasmeen coming into the waiting room. They must've fallen asleep at some point through the night. Kate stood right up and paid no mind to the three visitors. She cursed herself for falling asleep, what if something happened? She went straight to a nurse and asked about Rana. "Has anything changed with Rana overnight? Is she ok? When can I see her?"

She nurse kindly replied to Kate's frantic questions. "Rana made it through the night without any complications. Nothing changed. The doctor will be going to check on her in a little while. Visiting hours are in 20 minutes, right now her bandages are being changed but I'll be sure to come and get you once she's ready for visitors." Kate thanked her before turning back to the worried group of people. 

"She's ok. She made it through the night without anything happening so I suppose that's good if anything can be good in this situation." Michelle could see her little cousin about to break and pulled her in for a hug. 

"You've got to hold it together, Kate, okay? Rana wouldn't want you to fall to pieces. You need to be strong for her." Kate nodded against her shoulder, trying desperately to hold back her tears. 

They all took a seat and waited. Yasmeen had brought Imran and Kate some sandwiches because she assumed they wouldn't have eaten since the day before and she was right. They both hadn't even thought of eating. Imran wolfed down her sandwich but Kate didn't even attempt to eat hers because she felt sick with worry.

"You should try and eat something, dear," Yasmeen said, kindly, "keep your strength up." 

"No thanks. I feel too sick to eat." Nobody attempted to argue with her knowing that she was probably very close to the edge of snapping. "Where's Carla?"

"She's still busy with the police." Alya replied, taking the sandwich Kate rejected. 

"Why are the police so interested in an accident?" Kate asked confused.

"They suspect that this was intentional and it seems the first person people pointed fingers at was Carla." Michelle said, sounding worried about her best mate. 

"You mean, someone did this on purpose? That my Rana nearly died because of someone making the roof collapse." They all looked at her in sympathy. "Does Carla know who did it?"

"No, Kate. Of course not." Michelle answered. 

"How do you know, eh? How do you know she wasn't the one who did this?" Kate didn't care what she was saying. Michelle wanted to jump to her best friends defence but knew Kate was suffering. Before anyone could say anything else, the nurse came back out telling them Rana was ready for visitors. 

"Do you mind if I go in alone for a few minutes?" Imran shook his head letting Kate know that it was ok. After Kate left they were all just left looking at each other, worried about Rana but also about the youngest Connor.

After Kate had taken a seat beside Rana the doctor came in. He greeted Kate and checked over Rana. "Will she be ok after she wakes up? Like... Brain damage is a possibility, right?" Kate didn't want to ask these questions but she needed the answers.

"There is a possibility, yes. Her memory could be affected, her motor skills, her speech. But she's already making progress which is a good sign. We had feared a possibility of her being paralyzed too, from her being moved from the scene, but the tests we did showed that probably isn't likely. We won't really know until she wakes up but we are optimistic. The swelling in her brain has reduced quite a bit too, so we'll monitor her and see when the best time to wake her up would be." He left with a kind smile.

Kate turned to face her unconscious wife and smiled at her. "Did ya hear that, babe? You're making so much progress. I'm so proud of you. But you gotta wake up soon, yeah? I miss your beautiful eyes and your pretty smile." She held Rana's hand tight. "When you wake up, I am going to give you the best life possible and I swear I'll keep you safe for the rest of our lives."

Chapter Text

Her dad came in a few hours after everyone had left. Imran had left to go home for a while and tried to convince Kate to go with him but she refused to leave Rana all alone. She wasn't going to leave her side at all and she certainly wasn't going to leave her alone. 

Her dad silently sat down beside her and kissed her forehead. She didn't look at him, her eyes fully focused on the broken girl in front of her. 

"I could've lost her, dad."

"But you didn't. You didn't lose her, she's still right here, fighting this." Kate nodded but didn't reply. "How is she? What have the doctors been saying?" Johnny asked, worried about the girl who had quickly become another part of the family.

"He said she's making good progress and that they'll monitor her and see about when she can be woken up. But there's a chance she could have brain damage or be paralyzed and that's terrifying me, dad. She needs to be ok." Tears were now falling down her face and her dad pulled her close.

"She'll be ok. And no matter what happens after she's got you, hasn't she? She'll be just fine and so will you." Johnny assured her. "You should go home for a while. Have a shower and a rest and then come back later."

Kate shook her head. "I don't want to leave her alone. What if something happens? I have to be here for her."

"I can stay if you want, so you won't be worrying about her being alone and you'll be the first to know if anything happens. You need a break, love."

Kate fought with herself for a minute. She didn't want to leave Rana but she could do with a shower and some fresh air. "You'll stay?" He nodded. "Okay." She sighed. 

She turned back to Rana and leaned to kiss her forehead. "I'll be back in no time. I promise."

Her dad gave her the keys to his car. "You'll call me if anything, anything at all happens?" 

"Don't worry, I will."

-

She had a quick shower and charged her phone. She dropped Rana's clothes she was wearing when it happened into the bin, they were completely destroyed. She hung Rana's keys up by the door but kept her rings on her.

Just as she was about to leave again to head back to the hospital, the buzzer rang. She answered it and let Michelle up not expecting to see Carla with her. 

"What do you want?" Michelle was fully aware that Kate blamed Carla, she said it right out when Michelle went to see Rana. 

"I just want to talk," Carla said, cautiously.

"I have nothing to say to you. I need to get back to my wife." 

"How is she?"

"What do you care, eh? This is your fault, Carla. It's down to you that she could wake up with brain damage or wake up and never be able to walk again. So don't ask me if she's ok because she's not and that's down to you." Kate saw Michelle about to speak but cut her off before she could. "You both need to leave. I need to get back to the hospital."

They didn't fight her, Carla looked like she was about to but she gave up, knowing that Kate wouldn't listen to her, so they both just left. Kate braced herself against the counter for a second before grabbing what she needed and going. 

-

 She arrived back to Rana's room to see her dad still by her side. "Is she ok? Nothing happened?"

"Oh no, she's been fine." She handed him his keys and went to kiss Rana's forehead. Her dad stayed another few minutes before needing to get back to the Rovers. 

The doctor came in to check up on Rana again. "We're going to take Rana for some scans to check on the swelling of her brain."

Kate nodded. "Do you think she'll be able to be woken up soon? She's making good progress, right?"

"She is. These scans will help us determine where she's at right now which will help us see when she can be woken up. We're optimistic that the swelling has gone down but after these, we'll know for sure." Kate watched as they took Rana away. She waited in the waiting room and texted Imran an update. 

She looked up when she heard a familiar voice and saw Saira talking to a nurse. She turned and saw Kate. "Where's my daughter?"

"She's gone for some scans," Kate sat down with Saira taking a seat in front of her. "Look, I don't want any drama, Rana wouldn't want any either."

"Is she ok?' Saira asked and Kate swears she could hear worry in her voice. 

"She's better than she was. They seem happy with the progress she's making and these scans she's getting now will help them see when they can wake her up."

Saira nodded. "I know you don't believe me, but I do love my daughter. Her and Imran are all I've got."

Kate shook her head. "Then why do you treat her so horribly? Make her feel so sad and hurt? She doesn't deserve to be messed about all the time and after she wakes up she can't be under stress, so please, if you're only here to disown her again, please don't."

"I want Rana in my life, I do. And I want to be in hers. I want to work on accepting her and... your relationship. I'm willing to listen and learn. Nearly losing her now has made me realise that I don't want us to be on bad terms anymore."

Before Kate had time to reply she saw the doctor walking back towards her. She stood up to speak to him. "The swelling to Rana's brain has reduced a substantial amount. We're looking at waking her tomorrow, at the latest the day after."

"Really?" He smiled and left them both. Kate sighed, feeling relieved, and turned towards Saira. "Do you really mean it? That you want to accept Rana and our relationship?" 

"I do. She nearly died and that made me realise that anything can happen at any time. I want to be in her life." Kate nodded.

"I really want to believe you and I hope, for Rana's sake, that you're telling the truth because she deserves to have people who love her in her life and I refuse to see her messed about again but for now I'm going to believe you." Kate took a deep breath. "Do you want to see her?" Saira nodded. Kate walked into Rana's familiar room and saw her, still as beautiful as ever. 

The same nurse from the other night was there getting Rana settled again. "I hear they're planning to wake her tomorrow. It'll be nice to meet her officially." Kate smiled at her as she left the room. Even when unconscious Rana was someone everyone liked. 

She took her seat beside her and momentarily forgot about Saira's presence. She kissed Rana's cheek and smiled. "I can't wait to see you properly again tomorrow."

The two women sat in silence for another while before Saira left. Kate didn't like the woman one bit but she was willing to be civil for Rana so she told her that she could come back sometime tomorrow, maybe with Imran. Kate had texted him telling him the news of them waking Rana and he promised to be back first thing tomorrow.

Kate was still terrified. She knew Rana would be woken up but would she be ok? Would she have brain damage? Or be paralyzed? She was so worried but she'd stick by Rana no matter what.

Chapter Text

Kate didn't sleep a wink that night in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs. Her head was filled with all kinds of thoughts about Saira, wondering if she was genuine when she said she was willing to accept Rana and if she was doing the right thing by trusting her. She knew that if Saira was willing to try then Rana would want Kate to be accepting of it and she'd want her to be polite with her. 

Her thoughts also wandered to Carla. She was so angry at her. In Kate's mind, this was Carla's fault. She neglected the safety of everyone and Rana could've died because of it. She could have brain damage, be paralyzed, anything and it would be all Carla's fault. 

She thought of Rana. Her Rana. Her beautiful wife. And she thought of almost losing her. How she thought she had lost her as she screamed and cried over her unconscious body. She remembered the feeling of carrying out her broken and frail body, thinking she was gone, dead. But then the paramedic shouting that Rana had a pulse, that she was alive. She had to pull herself together then because Rana needed her. Her heart filled with so much hope that Rana would be ok.

In those moments before, her mind went to the future they almost didn't get and she knew she wouldn't survive without Rana. Losing Aidan was the worst pain she'd ever faced but at least through all of it, Rana was there to hold her hand. She was the one person who got her through everything and she couldn't possibly imagine the pain of losing Rana, especially not a day after their wedding. She was so glad she didn't have to face that pain. Rana still had her life because she was so strong and she fought for it. Her girl was okay. They'd get their future.

Before she knew it, it was morning and Imran had arrived with some coffee. This time from costa and not whatever the hospital calls coffee.

"Did you not sleep at all?" Kate shook her head, taking the coffee from him. "So, what's this I hear about mum being around yesterday? She didn't cause trouble, did she?" 

Kate explained everything Saira had said about wanting both him and Rana back in her life. Imran seemed sceptical about his mother's intentions but before they could talk more the doctor came out. Kate and Imran both stood awaiting what he had to say. 

"Rana has made some more progress overnight so we're going to start the process of waking her up. We're currently moving her out of the ICU and then we'll start waking her straight away. She won't wake up instantly, it will most likely take an hour or more for her to be fully conscious. You're aware of the risks of brain damage and memory loss that she could have, correct?" When he got a nod in response he continued, "We're hopeful that she won't have severe damage or memory loss but some confusion and forgetfulness of the incident is to be expected. The nurse will be out to show you another waiting area where you can wait to see her."

Kate nodded and Imran thanked him. She sighed and sat back down. "You ok?" He asked.

"I thought she'd died, Imran. I held her after she had said goodbye and it feels so unreal that she'll be awake soon." She said, wiping her tears.

"You know Rana. She's stubborn. She wasn't going to give up without a fight." Kate smiled, knowing it was true. Her girl was so strong and she was so proud. 

The nurse came out and led them to another waiting area. It was another half hour before the doctor came out and told them they could go in and see her. They walked down the hall and Kate felt nervous all of a sudden. Those nerves disappeared when she saw Rana. She was still unconscious but there were fewer tubes around her and Kate could see her face more clearly. "She should be awake soon. Call a nurse if anything happens or when she starts to become conscious and we'll be right in." He left them and Kate sat beside Rana and took her hand. They sat in silence for a while, both anxiously awaiting Rana to wake up. 

Kate's head was leant uncomfortably against Rana's bed, her lack of sleep catching up with her. Her head shot up when she felt Rana's hand moving in hers. "She's waking up." Imran went out to get a nurse or a doctor. Kate stood beside her, gently stroking the hair back from her forehead. Imran came back into the room with the doctor following. 

"It's ok, Rana. You're safe, I promise." Her eyes weakly opened and the doctor checked her pupils and introduced himself to her. He explained to her slowly that she had been in an accident and that she was now in the hospital. Her eyes were opened now and she looked a bit confused. Kate felt panicked that Rana didn't recognize her, that her memory had been badly affected. 

"Kate..." She heard her name said in a weak voice. She looked down at Rana and smiled softly. "It's ok, Rana. You're ok."

The doctor asked Rana some questions like what year is it? Month? Or what day does she last remember it being? She got the first two but couldn't remember the day. He gave her some pain medication before leaving.

Kate sat back down beside her, still grasping her hand. "What...?" She said, weakly, unable to finish her sentence. 

"There was an accident at the factory. You got hurt quite a bit, sis." Imran explained to her.

She took a deep breath before wincing in pain. "Water," She asked for. Kate reached to the table and grabbed a cup. She leaned over and brought the straw to Rana's mouth and helped her take a drink. "Hi," She said, her face now close to Kate's. Kate looked into her eyes and smiled. 

Their moment was interrupted with Imran claiming he was going to call Yasmeen. He left the room and they were alone now. 

Kate pulled her chair even closer to Rana's bed and held tightly to her hand. "So, what's the last thing you do remember?" Kate asked, anxiously wanting to know if Rana remembered their wedding day. 

"It was the morning after," She took a breath, "after our wedding." Kate smiled and sighed relieved, tears rushing to her eyes. 

"God, Rana. You scared me so bad. I was terrified."

"Sorry." Kate smiled pushing her hair off her forehead again. 

"Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault. In fact, you were so incredibly strong and I am so, so proud of you." Rana smiled weakly. Her lips moved a bit and Kate leaned in for a kiss. She leaned into her wife and joined their lips together, softly to avoid hurting the cuts still on Rana's face.  

She pulled away and looked into her eyes. She felt the tears coming fast as she leant her forehead against Rana's. "I thought I'd lost you. You said goodbye to me and I thought you were gone."

"You were there?" Kate nodded, "what happened in the factory?" 

Kate sat down before explaining to Rana. "The roof collapsed and the police believe someone did it intentionally." She kept it short not wanting to cause Rana any stress. "I had to carry you out. I thought you had died on me." Her tears were streaming down her face now. 

"Hey, hey, I'm okay, yeah? I'm here." Kate nodded and wiped her tears. "You saved me."

"You saved yourself, Rana. You fought so hard." Kate smiled at her and Rana smiled a small smile back.

"So, what's wrong with my legs?" Rana asked, looking down at her bandaged up legs. 

"You got some serious injuries to them. The doctor said he'd be back later to talk to you about it." Kate saw Rana's eyes starting to droop and she was struggling to stay awake. "You should sleep, babe. You're tired."

Rana nodded. "You won't leave?" Kate shook her head. "Of course not." 

"Okay then. I love you." Kate smiled and couldn't help the relief she felt. To hear her say those words again after thinking she'd never hear her voice again made her nearly burst into tears again.

"I love you too." She said before remembering something. "Wait, Rana," Rana's eyes opened again and she looked at Kate confused. 

Kate reached into her pocket, "your rings. They had to take them off." Kate said holding them up. Rana cracked a small smile and Kate saw her hand twitch. She was too weak to move so Kate lifted her hand and placed both rings back where they belonged. 

She leaned over and kissed Rana's cheek, "goodnight, my love."