3 weeks had flown by quickly and Kim was due home tomorrow evening. Franky would be lying if she said she was excited to see her, but she had to speak to her and sort everything out; she honestly hated the fact she was going behind her back and lying and felt like a shitty human for doing so. But she couldn't let go of Bridget, not now. She didn't know when she would next see Bridget, but they spent the last weekend together, watching crappy box sets, eating ever crappier take-away and making love. Nothing more was said about those three little words that Franky had uttered that night, but she wasn't going to push Bridget.
As Franky's alarm screeched out of her iPhone at 06.45, her wake up call to get to work, she silenced the alarm and smiled at the message alert on her phone.
'Morning babe, have a good day at work. Working from home today, feeling a little under the weather. X'
Franky tapped out a reply, hoping the other woman wasn't feeling too rough.
'Morning Gidget, what's up? Ya need me to pop over on lunch and bring you anything? X'
She put her phone back on the bedside drawers, stretched, and threw off the covers, padding to the kitchen. Coffee, shower, breakfast. The routine was the same each morning, even on the weekend. She needed coffee to function properly, especially on a work day. She was glad it was a Friday - Franky had plans to soak in a boiling hot bubble bath after work with a good book and a bottle of beer (or 3) and rehearse mentally what she would say to Kim. To say she was dreading it was an understatement.
1 hot coffee and an even hotter shower later, she dressed for work and grabbed her phone and bag, eager for Bridget's reply. The psychologist had texted back saying she was running a fever and had a bad stomach ache, probably a bug or virus she had caught from the prison, and that she was perfectly fine and didn't need anything. Typical Gidge, Franky thought.
Her morning was filled with management meetings - Franky despised these; her passion lay with working with the people that needed help, not caught up in corporate crap, but it was part of the job and she grinned and bared it, just about. She decided to call Bridget on her break, hoping she was feeling a little better. The blonde picked up the phone after the second ring.
"Hey baby," she said, her voice a little hoarse.
"Hey Gidge. How ya feeling now?"
Bridget cleared her throat a little; she hated fuss but if she was honest she wanted Franky there with her. Sick days were always better with someone to keep you company.
"I'll survive," she began. "I've been sick a couple of times and i've still got this awful pain, but it's probably a 24 hour thing."
"Ah Gidget, I hate the thought of you there alone!"
Bridget laughed. "I'm fine Franky, honestly. Just going to rest up and watch some trash TV."
"Well, can I pop over after work, just to see how you are?"
"If its a virus i'm contagious baby, probably not the best idea."
"I'm as hard as nails Gidge, i'll be fine. Do you need anything?"
"No Franky, i'm ok thanks. I'll see you after work then?" Bridget smiled a little into her phone. She hung up and tried to find a comfortable position on the sofa, but the pain in her stomach was worsening. She winced, and then sighed in discontent. At least she had Franky's visit to look forward to later. Until then, she just had to deal with the pain.
Bridget must have managed to fall asleep as she was awoken by her phone ringing. She answered it, having retrieved it off the arm of the sofa.
"Gidge!" Franky exclaimed down the phone. "I've been knocking on the door for ages now, are you alright?"
"I'm coming," Bridget groaned. She sat up and groaned. The pain was getting worse, and it was a real effort to even walk. She ran her fingers through her hair, a feeble attempt to try and neaten it, and then hobbled to let Franky in.
"Jesus, you look rough Gidget," Franky began, kissing her forehead. "Not rough rough, but really sick."
Bridget murmured, eager to lie back down. The pain in her abdomen was worsening and all of a sudden she felt extremely nauseous again. She dashed over to the kitchen sink, the closest thing, and heaved into it, bringing up nothing but the small bit of water she drank an hour or so ago. She groaned, and clutched her side where it hurt. She was all sweaty and clammy, but cold at the same time.
"Come on love, let's get you back on the sofa." Franky held her arm softly and guided her back, helping her lower herself in an attempt to make it less painful. She placed a throw over her and grabbed a bucket from under the sink, a makeshift sick bucket should Bridget need it.
"How bad is the pain?"
"Getting worse," Bridget muttered. "It's agony, this can't be a bug. I feel awful."
Franky placed the palm of her hand on Bridget's forehead, seeing if she was still running a fever.
"You're burning right up, I think you need to see a doctor."
Bridget heaved again, and Franky just about managed to reach for the bucket for Bridget to empty what little was left in her stomach.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "You don't have to be here."
"Yes I do," Franky said. "I'm taking you to the emergency room, I'm worried about ya!"
She stood up, ignoring Bridget's protests and went to get slippers to put on the blonde's feet, before taking the throw and draping it over her shoulders. She even went as far as rinsing out the bucket and washing it up so they could take it in the car. Finally, she helped Bridget to her feet and into Franky's Mini Cooper. Every step she took resulted in agonising pain and she fought the urge to cry; she hated Franky seeing her like this, and the last thing she wanted was to burden her with tears as well.
"Y'all be alright Gidge, yeah?" Franky touched Bridget's face as she drove off, the short ride to the hospital feeling like forever. "Probably just need to give you some fluids and painkillers then you'll be good to go."
Franky helped her out of the car and into the waiting room, while she gave Bridget's details to the receptionist at the hospital. Bridget had her eyes shut and her face screwed up from the pain, and Franky felt utterly helpless, compelled to help even though there was nothing she could do. Luckily, because of the pain, it wasn't long before Bridget was seen by a triage nurse.
"Hi Bridget, my name is Nina," the nurse said as she introduced herself. "What's troubling you today?"
"I've been having stomach pains since last night, and they are just agonising now. I've been running a fever and had vomiting too, I can't seem to keep anything down."
"Can you show me where the pain is now?" The nurse took Bridget's temperature swiftly and helped her lie back onto the bed to examine her. Bridget pointed to the side of her abdomen, and cried out in pain when the nurse touched her to feel the area. Franky instinctively grabbed her hand and held onto it tightly.
"Any chance you could be pregnant?"
Bridget shook her head, in too much pain to even make a joke about it.
"I'm just going to consult with the on-call consultant and i'll be right back Bridget, ok?"
She came back moments later with the doctor.
Hi Bridget, my name's Andrew, i'm one of the on-call doctors today. Nina tells me you've been suffering with some quite severe abdominal pain. I just want to have a feel of your stomach, is that ok?"
Bridget nodded, and inhaled instinctively as the doctor pressed the stomach gently. She whimpered as he released the pressure.
"I need to run some bloods to confirm, but from how you've described your symptoms, I think your appendix has burst. It's important that we operate quickly to stop the infection spreading. In worse case scenario in can lead to something called peritonitis, which is an infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity, but that is the worst case." He took off his gloves used to examine and put them in the bin. "Nina here will run a few blood tests to confirm the infection, and then we'll get you prepped for theater ok?" He disappeared, presumably to rush off to see the next patient.
The nurse inserted a cannula into Bridget's arm, took some blood and then hooked her up with a saline drip and some pain relief. Franky kept hold of her hand throughout, feeling rather helpless. She wished she could take Bridget's place and spare her some of the pain; instead, she did her best to comfort her.
"I've never had an operation," Bridget croaked from the bed. She felt a little scared, more of the unknown. She had the utmost faith in the doctors and nurses, but was still worried of what was so come.
"It will be just fine," Franky said, trying her bed to reassure her. She perched on the end of the hospital bed and began to gently stroke away the stray hairs which framed Bridget's face. "You'll be fast asleep in no time, and then you wake up with loads of pain killers, and i'll be here as soon as you open your eyes, I promise."
The doctor came back, who confirmed an infection and that her appendix had in fact burst, and said they will be taking her to theater very shortly. It was a rush to get her prepped and down to the operating area; it all happened so fast. Franky was allowed to walk down with Bridget as they wheeled her down, signed the paperwork in agreement to be her next of kin and kissed her goodbye before they wheeled her in. Bridget held onto Franky's hand tightly the whole time.
"This is as far as you can go Miss," another nurse said to Franky. "She's in good hands, we will come and get you when it is all done."
"Ya hear that Gidge? You'll be ok, and i'll be right here waiting." Franky leant down and kissed Bridget's forehead and then her lips, both hands holding her face.
"I love you Franky," Bridget croaked. "Wanted to let you know that in case anything happens, I've loved you since I heard that beautiful laugh of yours."
"And I love you Gidget, I really really do."
One final kiss was shared between the two, and Franky watched helplessly as they wheeled the love of her life into the operating theatre.
