repeat// 5SOS

deal or no deal

Sierra

It didn't take long for Luke to fall into heavy sleep again.

He laid there in complete peace, tiny snores escaping into the pillow. I hadn't seen him sleep well in months, so to see him in such a good sleep was comforting.

I got my book back out and sat next to him as I waited for news on Gabi, but it didn't seem like we got much. Cal swung by to check up on us, but that was it really.

Pretty much, we knew we probably needed a lot of preparation and support for Gabi, so Luke got the drabs at the end of people visiting. He wouldn't care though, since it was for Gabi, and I was going to sleep in here every night while Ashton slept in the room with Gabi. He had taken some extra time off his project and was coming to stay with us to both help, and comfort Luke by being an extra layer of security.

After about another hour, Luke was still asleep, and the door opened quietly, Calum poking his head round again.

"Gabi is probably going to wake up soon if you want to go. He will probably push the button when he wakes up,"

I placed a kiss on Luke's cheek, the warmth surprising me slightly, then I moved the duvet of him a bit and left him there.

We went next door and Gabi was laid there hooked up to every monitor possible, all the same drains and tubes at last time. She had showered before surgery, so I had dried her hair and braided it like I had done to Luke.

I sat beside her and felt her cheek, then looked at her monitors- I was off duty, but would never fully stop looking out for Gabi in this way. Especially after I did the last surgery.

"How did it go?" Calum asked, "She is more stable than last time,"

"A few ups and downs as expected, but she did very well. Nothing much different to when Sierra did it,"

"Orla is literally the best surgeon," I told Calum, "She's gonna take care of her,"

"I know, I chose her,"

He blushed and I raised my eyebrows, but Gabi began to stir which caught all our attention. Immediately, she broke into soft sobs, and I took her hand, hushing her. As they grew louder, I tried to get her attention, but Calum's voice won in the end and she looked up at him.

"Hey sweetheart, you're safe here. Take a few deep breaths,"

"Dad?"

"Dad is having a big old sleep, we need to get you comfy before we see him! Sierra is here,"

"She is my mum," she shouted loudly, "I want to call her mum,"

"My bad. Sorry,"

"I want my dad,"

"Hey Gabi, it's Orla. Do you remember me?"

She tucked her blonde ponytail behind her shoulder and sat beside Gabi, gently placing her hand on her arm. Next to Cal, she was pretty short, but I had known her for years and if she wasnt in hospital, she was at the gym; she was definitely 10x stronger than Cal. I could tell it intimidated him slightly, but definitely not in a bad way.

"I did your surgery. You did amazing, but to make sure all our effort isn't lost I need to set some ground rules,"

"I want my dad,"

"How about we make a deal? You listen to me, and let Sierra help you out, then we can let you see dad when he wakes up,"

"Deal,"

"Awesome. So my biggest rule is that you leave all the wires and tubes alone. Do you remember that from last time?"

"Yeah,"

"Good. And you know, if you think you need some support with that, like some pain medication, or someone to hold your hand, we can do that. We want to work with you, not against you,"

She started to cry again and I kissed her head, letting her lean into my hold as I rested slightly on her bed.

"Rule number two is that you don't move off this bed without someone helping. Rule number three is that you stay comfortable, which is up to us!"

"You took my old kidney didn't you?"

"I took the one you were rejecting, yes. It was making you sick. What's upsetting you sweetheart?"

"I miss my dad and my teddy and my uncle Ashton and my uncle Michael,"

"Ashton is staying with you, and Mike will visit. I will pop home and find your teddy after my shift, and when your dad wakes up we can see him," Calum told her, "And you have mum for now,"

"Everything hurts,"

"How about you have a nap, or watch some tv?"

"I want my dad," she said through gritted teeth, "Only he knows me,"

"Well since you did listen to me, I will go and talk to your dad's surgeon. I need you to try and relax though,"

Gabi looked at me sadly, then to Orla and stuck her bottom lip out, nodding.

"You are so brave, Gabi, I know this is all very scary. Shall I leave you with Calum and Sierra to get sorted out?"

"Okay,"

"I'll go and see what I can do,"

She left the room, and Gabi sniffled, but generally kept it pretty together. She adjusted herself to be comfortable, then shut her eyes and let me hold her hand until she fell back to sleep (which happened pretty fast).

I continued to hold her hand, and Calum went to clock off and go to pick up her teddy with my key, so I sat in silence,  keeping my eye on her.

Her cheeks already had a lot more colour, and she had a good temperature. Her blood pressure was a little high, and she was pretty swollen, even in her face, but she would be okay.

Hearing her call me mum was an overwhelming feeling. My entire life had been about becoming a surgeon, and being a surgeon, and I loved every second. But not I had a family I realised there was a whole new part of my life that filled me with joy.

Luke was the best thing to happen to me. He was funny, and protective, but also sweet and generous. He was so kind, and beautiful inside and out. I didn't ever expect him to actually like me back, nevermind invite me into his life the way he had.

And perhaps the last few months hadn't been the best. Things between us were great, but things for us hadn't been good, and I had seen both him and Gabi go through probably some of the worst shit in their life. However he still managed to love us, and care for us like he always had.

Caring for Gabi like he did was also a great model for me, and I had tried to follow his lead. Perhaps we didn't have the typical relationship, and I was aware of how much attachment Gabi really put on me after never having a mum, but I wanted to help her work through it and find a healthy balance.

Realistically, I was clueless too, but now she had accepted me, I really wanted to help. She had the same sweet soul as her dad, she just got defensive because she got scared, and I didn't blame her. I was still quite nervous to call her my daughter.

She slept for a while, then the door to the room opened and she woke up, watching as Luke got brought in by a wheelchair. Once she had registered it all, she started to sob again.

"Dad,"

"Hey sweetheart. I feel a bit nauseous so I'm not gonna come and lay with you,"

"I missed you,"

"I missed you too. How did everything go?"

"They said it had ups and downs like usual, but they said she did very well, and that she needs to be careful,"

"I knew you'd do amazing,"

"I wanna talk to dad alone,"

"I'm gonna see if Crystal can grab some food with me," I said, kissing both their heads, "And I will be back in a bit to make sure you're okay, because that is my job,"