Chapter Text
"Give her enough space to work her shit out... take enough space to work on mine"
Dani swirled the wine in her glass as she stared unflinchingly at the bright lights of LA outside her window. Space. She knew it was what she needed to give Gigi right now, and even if it hurt Dani, she would not deny her wife's needs.
She took a slow slip of wine as her mind went back over the events of the last several weeks. Of that dreadful day when she got the phone call informing her that her wife had been in a car accident. The way she raced down the streets to get to the hospital in her own car, careful to not get into an accident herself and not get to Gigi. The way her mind had no other thoughts but to get to her wife. Then nearly crumpling on seeing her bloodied and unconscious on the hospital bed. The doctors assured her that Gigi would make it, but her body needed to shut down for a little while to heal. She remembers sobbing in the waiting room with Homa and all seven of Gigi's brothers, then Nat arriving with the kids not long after.
The days after were a blur. She remembers nights sleeping at the hospital by her wife's side. Clinging desperately onto hope. Analysing every word the doctors and nurses would say. Obsessively researching what she didn't fully understand. Putting on a brave face in front of the kids. Driving the kids to school, then picking them up along with Homa to take them to hospital during visiting hours. Taking leave from work and installing an interim CEO. Putting her foot down in front of the board when they dared to question her making her wife's recovery a priority. Dashing to the apartment only to have a quick shower before going back to the hospital, not wanting to be away from Gigi for too long.
Then finally, the brief flash of joy on seeing Gigi finally wake from her coma, only to have that joy taken away again within minutes.
-- flashback to 2 weeks ago --
The first thing Dani notices as she wakes is movement underneath her hand, followed closely by the crick in her neck as she realizes she has fallen asleep yet again, slumped awkwardly on the chair by the side of Gigi's hospital bed. She opens her eyes blearily and slightly tightens the grip on her hand to still the movement, then rubs her other hand across her eyes to nudge herself awake. On opening her eyes fully, she's greeted by the sight that she'd been waiting weeks for. Gigi, awake and alive.
"Gigi!"
Dani shot up from her chair to engulf her wife in a hug. She felt her wife freeze under her touch and pulled back immediately.
"Sorry! You must still be in pain with all these tubes hooked up to you, I just got a bit excited! I'll be more careful next time."
She scanned her wife up and down, trying to look for any obvious injuries, then gently held her hand and moved her hair away from her face.
"Are you okay? Do you need me to get the doctor for you?"
Gigi just stared at her blankly without recognition. Dani started to get nervous. On seeing Dani getting nervous, Gigi started to fidget nervously as well. Before she could clear her throat to speak, a team of doctors and nurses suddenly burst through the door.
Dani stepped back a little to let them do their work. They checked Gigi's vital signs and started asking her basic questions.
"Do you know where you are?"
"Do you remember your name?"
"Do you know how you got here?"
Gigi struggles with speaking after several weeks of silence and is unable to answer right away. When she's finally able to form words, she whispers, "Can you contact Natalie Bailey for me, please?"
"Sure ma'am, may we know who that is?"
"She's my wife."
Dani feels as if the floor under her has given way. She looks on in shock as tears roll down Gigi's face as she pleads with the nurse to call Nat. One of the doctors notice her and immediately tugs Dani outside into the hallway.
"I'm sorry, Dani. We don't know what's going on yet. We'll have to run some tests to figure it out but..."
Dani looks at the doctor grimly, her hands curling into fists. She tries to calm herself down, but is close to losing her shit. Words start to float in and out of her ears as the doctor blabs on about possible causes. "Memory loss". "Temporary". "Brain injury". "Retrograde". She leans against the wall behind her and closes her eyes, hoping to wake up and find it was all a nightmare. The doctor convinces her to sit down and take deep breaths. After what seems like an eternity, she sees Nat and Homa rushing down the hallway.
They rush towards her and the doctor starts their explanation again about what happened. Nat and Homa look worriedly at Dani. She stands up and they surround her in a hug.
"Dani... it's going to be okay. She's just a little confused right now, but maybe it's just from the shock," Nat says assuredly.
Homa adds, "Azizam, she'll come round. She's got a tough little skull. Nothing can crack that hard head permanently."
That brings a small smile to Dani's face before she finally breaks into sobs into Homa's shoulder. Homa holds her tightly and whispers reassuring words into her ear.
Nat pats her gently on the back and says, "I'm going to go in and see her now. I'll let you know how it goes."
Dani nods numbly and watches Nat go. Through the window on the door, she sees Nat approach the bed slowly, and Gigi bursting into a flood of tears on seeing her. Dani can't hear what is being said, but she sees Gigi holding her arms out to Nat, Nat taking Gigi into her arms and Gigi burying her face into Nat's shoulder, mouthing what looks like "I'm sorry. I'm sorry".
Dani feels like she can't breathe. She turns to Homa and the doctor. "I think I need to leave. I can't be here right now," she gasps. They nod in understanding and look at her with pity in their eyes.
Homa grasps her hands. "Dani, please. Don't do anything rash. We'll figure out what's wrong with her together, okay? Don't run away. Your wife needs you."
Dani cries and grasps back at Homa's hands as if they were a lifeline. Homa wipes the tears from her eyes. "Let's get you home tonight. Some rest and food will do you good."
The doctor agrees with Homa and says, "Yes, that's good idea. Please be assured that I will keep you up to date with the latest news about Gigi's condition as soon as I can. But do go home and get your strength back."
-- end flashback --
From there, Dani's memories are a blur again. It's been a whole 2 weeks of being at home alone. A flurry of texts and calls from Nat, Homa and the hospital. Dani has tried to be civil about it all, but is in a world of pain. Nat has visited her in person to let her know that the last several years are still missing for Gigi, but that Nat has tried to gently update her as much as her brain can take. Homa also has been regularly visiting to bring her food. She lets Dani know that the hospital has released Gigi, and Homa has taken Gigi to her house to continue recovering. Homa has put Gigi in her childhood room, in the hopes it would help with recovering some more memories. Dani is aching to see her, but it's still not the right time. Gigi has not asked for her.
In the present day, Dani continues to stare out the windows of her apartment. It stings to know that every corner of the apartment reminds her of Gigi every day, but her wife no longer even remembers her name. This was the place that brought them together. Where Gigi showed her new possibilities. A new life together. Dani darkly wonders if she'll be forced to move again, to go somewhere else if Gigi's memories never come back.
She leans her forehead against the cool glass, trying to calm the terrible thoughts racing through her mind when she hears it. A soft, but insistent knocking on the door. Dani pulls away from the window. It is late and she has already warned the doorman to not let anyone in without calling her first after the incident where a drunken Finley soiled her hallway. Ever since then, the doorman has been keen to uphold the building's reputation and rigidly stuck to Dani and Gigi's instructions about who was allowed up. Dani wondered who else would have been let in by the doorman at this time of the night. Homa and Nat would have been considerate enough to call first, and so would have any of Gigi's brothers. Dani's own dad was still locked up in prison, and the other new friends that she had made with Gigi over the years were also not the type to drop in without asking.
It is instinct and hope that guides Dani to walk towards the door and crack it open to see who is behind it. She's both surprised and not surprised to see Gigi. Gigi's hair is a wild, curly mess, and she's in sweatpants and a cardigan. Homa must have no idea that her daughter has just walked dramatically out of her house in the middle of the night instead of going to sleep. Gigi has her arms folded around herself, looking lost and sad. Dani aches to sweep her up in her arms and hold her.
Gigi's eyes lock onto Dani's. Then finally, Gigi speaks directly to her for the first time in several weeks.
"Can we talk?"
Dani opens the door and lets her in.