By Chance | Complete |

Chapter Forty Eight

Lyra

One year, ten months ago

It was February, the second month of my second semester. The shortest month. The month that made my time with Bridgette feel so fucking short.

Her treatment stopped working and things went downhill even worse than before. My grandparents made she got the absolute best care during the last few weeks of her life.

February first she went to the hospital. Henry never left her side. Her room never exactly felt like a hospital room, it didn't look like one, despite the hospital machines and Iv's hooked up to her.

The walls were a soft green, the floors a light wood colour. There was a living room area to the side along with a kitchen.

Henry slept on the couch or the chair every night. He rarely left her side.

Bridgette kept a smile on her face, never allowing me to see the pain I knew she was in.
She never wanted to be in the hospital, but she also hated her beloved bedroom turning into a hospital room. And she couldn't be taken care of at home any longer. But that never stopped Henry from taking the nurses jobs any time he could.

He helped her bathe, he helped her get dressed. He did anything he could.

The hospital wasn't far from my school, a fifteen minute walk at the absolute most. I hardly attended my classes during February, I usually left half way through school or ditched all together.

It worried Bridgette. It upset my parents. My father especially. But he let it go.

His sister, who he loved very dearly, was dying. He didn't have time to deal with me along with ruining a school.

One night when they thought I had fallen asleep on the couch, he brought it up to her.

"I'm not going to make it." Bridgette's voice broke. "She's losing me too. Don't be too hard on her now."

"Don't you dare talk like that, Bridgey."

"Stop denying it. I look like a corpse."

My heart broke as I tried my best to note let any tears fall.

This moment shattered my world farther than I possibly thought it could.

"You're beautiful."

"She is going to need you. More than ever. Just be easy on her now, both of them. Lil too."

Lilian came home and spent a few hours with her over the weekend. Lilian had been a mess ever since. She refused to go back to school. Rotting in her bed. He was also too busy taking care of Lil too. My mother is with him.

Naturally, their anger towards me for missing so much school wasn't on their minds much.

"It's going to be okay, Bridgey."

Even during the days where Bridgette slept, leaving felt wrong. While she may not have been awake, being around her was all I wanted.
We watched her favourite movies, I read her favourite books to her, we went for walks when she felt up to it. We decorated Valentine's Day cookies thanks to Henry.

He filled her room with all her favourite flowers, got her all her favourite chocolates, and got her a bunch of her favourite movies too. Along with a diamond ring.

The band had two rows of diamonds, a large heart shaped diamond with smaller ones around it outline the heart. It was stunning.
He told her it wasn't an engagement ring, but they both knew it was. Bridgette proudly wore it until she took her last breath.

The days I went to school, and stayed for more than a couple classes, the bullying got worse. Emily's friends started to push me when they saw me in the hall. It wasn't just her anymore.