Disclaimers: Characters belong to me. Two women in love... or was in love... with one another. No, it's all very PG here... no hint of R anywhere. It's something I've had in my mind for ages and I just got to get it out before I can go back to concentrating on my other story.
One more thing... thanks to Garth Brooks and his song that inspired me... I mean no copyright infringement.
"What does her ID say she is?"
"Bridget... Bridget... Call?"
"The writer?"
"Looks like it..."
"Damn... get me in touch with her next of kin asap..."
The doctor took one more look at her critically injured patient whose tall frame was dwarfed by the sheer number of tubes and wires, each doing their part in keeping her alive.
A respirator, with its thick white tube protruding from her mouth, breathing for the beautiful woman. A central line carrying the vital drugs to keep her blood pressure from dropping any further. A nasogastric tube, a chest tube, IVs and more, all working together. Dr. Gillian Thomas doubted that even the patient's next of kin could easily recognise her at first glance.
The insistent ringing of her mobile phone woke Lauren from a deep sleep. One that she desperately needed, so it was with much reluctance that she fumbled for her glasses on her bed side table and turned on her lamp at the same time. She proceeded to climb out of her all too empty king-sized bed and poured the contents of her briefcase out to locate the still ringing culprit.
"Yeah?" she answered, her voice not quite cleared from sleep yet.
"Hello..." the voice on the other line sounded rather distant and crackled. "... is this Ms Lauren Lee?"
"Yes... this is she. What do you want? Do you know what time it is?" Lauren's blurry eyes made out 3.30AM on her ever-present watch.
"I apologise, Ms Lee... it's just we have you on record as being a Ms Bridget Call's next of kin?"
Lauren was instantly awake. "Bridget? Did something happ... wha... who's this?"
"My name is Gillian Thomas, I'm Ms Call's doctor. She met with an accident sometime last night here in Los Angeles..."
"What happened?" Dr Thomas had to shout over to be heard above the ringing alarms that had gone off around her patient.
"BP's crashed."
"Damn! Up her dopamine and get me..."
"I thought you said you love me?"
I'm sorry... my family... they need me... the business... I... they're making me choose... I don't want to do this... but... I have no other choice... I need..."
"Stop! Don't... no more... no more lies..."
"Bridget. Please give me some time... I just need to..."
"Don't call me, Lauren. I'll call you..."
Lauren woke with a start. The memory of their final, fateful confrontation still lingered in her mind despite the passage of time and the distance forced between them.
"If only..." Lauren thought miserably as fresh tears came down unchecked on her smooth cheeks. Again.
"Would you look at that?"
"Huh? At what?"
"A shooting star, dear. Look, up in the sky..."
"Don't need to see anything beyond what's in front of me..."
"Aw... you're such a sweetie... no wonder you're the writer..."
A faint twitch of her fingers.
"Ms Call? Bridget? Can you hear me?"
Another twitch, this time her eye lids.
"Bridget... you were in an accident. My name's Gillian Thomas and I'm your doctor. I've gotten in touch with Lauren... don't worry... she's on her way..."
Laurie? She's coming? But why? Didn't she...
"...just hang on, Bridget..."
"Hang on, Bridget... just hang on... please..."
"What's this?"
"Happy anniversary, honey."
"It's beautiful, love."
"I know you're more used to wearing diamonds... and I promise you, once I get my advance on my novel... I'll buy you the biggest diamond ring..."
"Shh... love. You're all I'll ever need."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
But it wasn't enough, was it? Why? Why didn't you choose me? Why did you choose...
The pain was unbearable and Bridget welcomed the darkness that ensued. It afforded her a relief she could not otherwise get.
"Ms Lee..."Lauren, please, Dr. Thomas."
"Well, Lauren... no one knows for sure. Bridget's car was found wrapped around a tree along the highway. She's been unconscious since... so how long it was before she was found, no one knows for certain. And her blood alcohol level was normal, so she wasn't drunk..."
"Of course not! Bridget doesn't drink..." Especially not after... Lauren's thoughts drifted as she gazed down at the pale, still figure on the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Wha da ya think ah'm doin? Hic..."
"This... this is all your hard work from the past year! How can you just rip it apart?"
"Ah can... and ah am doin just that..."
"Bridget..."
"No! Ya can't stop me..."
"Bridget... why don't I get someone from my family's publishing company to take a look at your manuscript?"
"No! Don't ya dare, ya bitch!"
Slap!
The heart monitor registered a slight jump.
"Yeah... it's me, Laurie. I... I'm here, love... I've missed you so, so much... but I didn't dare... I didn't know what kind of a reception you'd give me..."
"Welcome home, sweetheart."
"Bridget... this... wow! You shouldn't have... it's beautiful... I... it must have cost you a bomb to decorate all this..."
"Nothing but the best for you, my love."
"But I was only gone for three days..."
"And that... is an eternity to me, darling."
"... remember the time we went skiing at Mount Bueller? Yeah... I know... you're like Xena... you have many skills..."
Lauren paused in her one-sided conversation to gaze lovingly at the woman lying so still on the hospital bed, surrounded by machinery. She held the only hand of her love free from tubes and wires tenderly.
"Most of all... remember the dance we shared on the beach in Auckland? You said you love me and you'll never leave me..." her voice cracked slightly, "And that you'll give me time. That we had all the time in the world and beyond... please, Bridget... forgive me for being so weak. I can't lose you. I never wanted to... leave you."
There was still no reaction from the bed. No even the faintest of twitches. Slowly and gently, Lauren lowered her head towards Bridget's once strong arm as she sang softly...
Looking back
on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known I'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I the queen
But if I'd only known how the queen would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance
"I'm so sorry, love. Please... please give me another chance to choose. This time... I'll choose to be with you..."
A single tear trickled down from the closed eye lids of Bridget Call.
The End