Starting Over

Chapter 11- A Day at Vanderbilt Medical Center

A nurse directed me to the waiting room, but I couldn’t sit down. I had no clue what was going on. I just wanted to see Bridget and know she would be okay. I paced up and down the floor watching every door for a sign of Jen, Kasey, or Megan. Every time a door would open my heart would stop hoping it was someone here to find me. I felt like I was there for hours, just waiting. It wasn’t actually that long, but it felt that way. Megan finally came through the double doors closest to the waiting room.

“Luke, come on! Bridget wants you,” Megan exclaimed the second she saw me.

We went back through the doors in which she came out. It seemed as if we walked through the hospital forever. I was so worried I didn’t think to ask Megan what had happened. We rounded a turn in the hallway and stopped in front of a set of double doors. Megan pushed a button next to the doors and waited. Above the doors read ‘Vanderbilt Medical Center- Burn Center.’ Shit! How did she get burnt?

“Can I help you?” a woman’s voice came over the intercom.

“Megan Bowman & Luke Bryan for Bridget Bowman,” Megan replied.

We walked down the hall and Megan pointed at a closed door right across from the nurses station. I went directly towards the room and reached for the door when a nurse grabbed my arm.

“You can’t go in there right now. Miss. Bowman is not decent,” the nurse said to me.

 I turned, but before I could speak Megan had, “Let him go! She wants him in there and he’s the father of her children!”

I broke away and entered Bridget’s room. I could hear Megan and the nurse having words. Bridget looked horrible. Jen and Kasey stepped to the side as I ran to Bridget’s side. I leaned down gently grabbed her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead. The doctor was on the other side of her cutting her clothes off. There were tears streaming down her face. She was in a lot of pain. I wish there was something I could do.

“What happened?” I asked Jen and Kasey as Megan finally walked back through the door.

“Bo came into the kitchen and wanted something to eat. She was already making lunch and he ran past her and tripped. He hit the stove and a pan of boiling water started to fall. Bridget dropped to her knees and shoved Bo out to the way before it fell on top of her, “Kasey explained to me, “She saved Bo.”

I turned to Bridget with tears in my eyes. The doctor was getting some dressing to put on her burns on her arm so she was looking in my direction. She reached up with her unburnt arm and touched the side of my face. I dropped to my knees and laid my head down next to hers.

“I’m sorry,” was the only words that would escape my mouth.

Megan came over behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder. I laid there in silence until the doctor starting pulling her jeans off her leg. They were stuck to the skin where the blisters had broken because of Bridget’s jeans busting against them. I had stood up and Bridget grabbed my hand and squeezed with all her might. Honestly, it really hurt my hand, but I’m sure it was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling.

“Will Bridget be able to go home today?” I questioned the doctor.

“It will be several hours still, but as long as she is careful and wears loose fitting clothing for the next few weeks, I don’t see why it would be a problem,” he answered me.

I let out a sigh of relief knowing that I would be able to bring her home tonight and turned to Bridget’s sisters, “Will you call the house and have someone bring Bridget some loose fitting clothes? I have some side button track pants in the third drawer that would be great.” I know she would be more comfortable in our bed so I had to get her clothes to take her home in. As the doctor finally finished bandaging up her leg the relief Bridget felt washed over her face. Her grip eased on my hand as she opened her mouth to talk.