Absolute Firefighter ~ Chapter -- 11
Three days had passed. Bridgette was still avoiding her father and anything to do with the hospital. She still didn't answer the phone when he called, and skipped over his voicemails. Ruth didn't pressure her to call or go visit him, but she made sure to remind her that she couldn't hide forever. Around 3am that morning Bridgette's cell phone rang, waking her from a dead sleep.
Reaching overtop of Smokey, and to the nightstand she groggily picked it up, "Hello?" she mumbled.
"Bridge, it's me." Ruth said quietly.
Bridgette woke right up, "What's wrong?"
"They don't know," Ruth answered, "He's got a really high fever. They said it might be an infection, but they're not sure. They ran some tests, we won't know the results for a few hours....."
"I'm leaving now." Bridgette said, cutting her mom off, "Bye." She clicked off the phone and jumped out of bed. Armed in only her fire engine pajama bottoms, flips flops and a long sleeve FDNY shirt Bridgette arrived at Mercy 10 minutes later. Walking into the waiting room she found her mother, and Walsh talking with Dr. Hanson.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing different. They're giving him medicine to break his fever." Ruth replied.
"Is it an infection?" Bridgette asked.
"We don't know yet." Dr. Hanson replied.
"What if it is?" Bridgette asked.
"Then we'll treat it with anti biotics." Dr. Hanson answered.
Bridgette was now slightly panicked, "You said at the beginning that infections can be life threatening though."
"That's true. But we won't know anything until the results are back." Dr. Hanson said.
"Bridgette calm down ok? We won't know anything until the test results are back, there's no use getting all worked up about it." Ruth said.
"Calm down?! I'll calm down when I'm not getting phone calls at 3am, because something's wrong with my dad who should be SAFE AT HOME WITH US! Don't tell me to calm down!"
"Bridgette," Walsh said sternly, after seeing Ruth getting upset, "Stop getting worked up, we don't know anything yet, so stop."
Dr. Hanson spoke up, "We won't know anything, until the test results are back."
Bridgette bit down on her lip for a minute to try and calm down before asking, "Can I go see him?"
Dr. Hanson nodded, and Bridgette took off out of the waiting room and down to her father's room.
Sitting down next to his bed, Bridgette watched him peacefully sleep for a few minutes before she spoke, "You had to go and get sick didn't you? I was gonna call you as soon as I woke up this morning, and then you went and got sick on me." Holding his garmented hand she felt tears start to build up in the back of her eyes, "I'm sorry for getting so mad. I know I don't have a clue what you're going through and I'm sorry for what happened to Taylor. I didn't mean to say that to you, I love you dad and I'm proud of you for being a firefighter. I just want you to be ok, and be back home with us." After wiping her tears, she rested her head on her other hand and sat quietly until she dozed off. She was awakened a few hours later by Wendie who was bustling about.
"The results came back, no infection it's just a fever." She smiled, while she changed the IV bag.
Bridgette rubbed her eyes, "A fever? For no reason?"
"Yeah sugar, they can happen. Especially with that kind of injury," Wendie replied, "It's gone now."
"That's good," Bridgette said.
"Yeah it is." Wendie answered, before looking down at the small table next to the bed. She picked up the plastic mask that was on top of it, "He took it off, he was so uncomfortable earlier. He's going to feel much better once he wakes up."
Bridgette nodded, as Wendie put the mask back down and exited the room. Letting out a long yawn, and stretching she looked up at the clock, "6:30." she mumbled to herself as she stood up to stretched some more. Plopping back down on the chair, she let out a groan before she sat back up and saw the set of eyes that were locked on her. Her eyes widened, "Hey," she said softly as she stood up, and slid onto the bed so she was sitting next to him, "How do you feel?"
He put his hand in her lap, while he searched for the right words to say to her. She gave his hand a gently squeeze while giving him a soft smile.
"I'm so sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't mean it. I was so angry at everything, I never meant to hurt you......"
"I know. You're going through alot, and I have no idea how you feel. It's ok dad." Bridgette replied still giving him a soft smile.
"It's not........" he started.
"Dad, stop. It's ok, it's fine." Bridgette said cutting him off, "It's ok, just relax."
"You sure?" he asking, wondering if she was just hiding it because he was sick.
"Absolutely." she replied, leaning in and giving him a long kiss on his cheek, then whispering in his ear, "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you for being a firefighter and I wouldn't want you to be anything else besides that." When she pulled away, her father had a grateful look on his face. Grateful that his baby was back by his side. A tear rolled down his cheek and he smiled, "I love you Princess."
"Love you too." She grinned wiping his tear, "Don't you dare start crying."
He let out a soft chuckle, and closed his eyes for a minute trying to relax, "God I feel like hell."
"I know," she replied, "The test results came back, it was just a fever. No infections or anything."
He let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God."
"Yeah that's what I said." Bridgette answered.
He let out a long yawn, "What time is it?"
She looked up at the clock, "Almost 7."
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Since a little after 3." she replied.
He raised his eyebrow, "You wanna go back home?"
She shook her head, "No."
"Well get up here so I can go back to sleep." he smirked, as he carefully moved over so that there was room for both of them on the bed.
Bridgette let out a laugh, "I stopped sleeping in your room when I was like 5."
"Unless it's thunderstorming." he replied.
"And I will continue to sleep in your room when it's thunderstorming until I move out." Bridgette smiled. She then carefully laid down on her right side so that she was facing him. She rested her head on her right arm, which was curled under the pillow. Looking over she saw his left hand resting on his stomach. She then reached over with hers and placed it ontop of his giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Am I ok?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't making him uncomfortable.
"Best medicine I've gotten so far." he replied as his eyes slowly shut. Before he was sound asleep, he pulled her hand up to his chest and rested it there. She let out a small smile, looking at her hand sitting on his chest with his hand holding it there. Releasing one final yawn she drifted off to sleep.
Three days had passed. Bridgette was still avoiding her father and anything to do with the hospital. She still didn't answer the phone when he called, and skipped over his voicemails. Ruth didn't pressure her to call or go visit him, but she made sure to remind her that she couldn't hide forever. Around 3am that morning Bridgette's cell phone rang, waking her from a dead sleep.
Reaching overtop of Smokey, and to the nightstand she groggily picked it up, "Hello?" she mumbled.
"Bridge, it's me." Ruth said quietly.
Bridgette woke right up, "What's wrong?"
"They don't know," Ruth answered, "He's got a really high fever. They said it might be an infection, but they're not sure. They ran some tests, we won't know the results for a few hours....."
"I'm leaving now." Bridgette said, cutting her mom off, "Bye." She clicked off the phone and jumped out of bed. Armed in only her fire engine pajama bottoms, flips flops and a long sleeve FDNY shirt Bridgette arrived at Mercy 10 minutes later. Walking into the waiting room she found her mother, and Walsh talking with Dr. Hanson.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing different. They're giving him medicine to break his fever." Ruth replied.
"Is it an infection?" Bridgette asked.
"We don't know yet." Dr. Hanson replied.
"What if it is?" Bridgette asked.
"Then we'll treat it with anti biotics." Dr. Hanson answered.
Bridgette was now slightly panicked, "You said at the beginning that infections can be life threatening though."
"That's true. But we won't know anything until the results are back." Dr. Hanson said.
"Bridgette calm down ok? We won't know anything until the test results are back, there's no use getting all worked up about it." Ruth said.
"Calm down?! I'll calm down when I'm not getting phone calls at 3am, because something's wrong with my dad who should be SAFE AT HOME WITH US! Don't tell me to calm down!"
"Bridgette," Walsh said sternly, after seeing Ruth getting upset, "Stop getting worked up, we don't know anything yet, so stop."
Dr. Hanson spoke up, "We won't know anything, until the test results are back."
Bridgette bit down on her lip for a minute to try and calm down before asking, "Can I go see him?"
Dr. Hanson nodded, and Bridgette took off out of the waiting room and down to her father's room.
Sitting down next to his bed, Bridgette watched him peacefully sleep for a few minutes before she spoke, "You had to go and get sick didn't you? I was gonna call you as soon as I woke up this morning, and then you went and got sick on me." Holding his garmented hand she felt tears start to build up in the back of her eyes, "I'm sorry for getting so mad. I know I don't have a clue what you're going through and I'm sorry for what happened to Taylor. I didn't mean to say that to you, I love you dad and I'm proud of you for being a firefighter. I just want you to be ok, and be back home with us." After wiping her tears, she rested her head on her other hand and sat quietly until she dozed off. She was awakened a few hours later by Wendie who was bustling about.
"The results came back, no infection it's just a fever." She smiled, while she changed the IV bag.
Bridgette rubbed her eyes, "A fever? For no reason?"
"Yeah sugar, they can happen. Especially with that kind of injury," Wendie replied, "It's gone now."
"That's good," Bridgette said.
"Yeah it is." Wendie answered, before looking down at the small table next to the bed. She picked up the plastic mask that was on top of it, "He took it off, he was so uncomfortable earlier. He's going to feel much better once he wakes up."
Bridgette nodded, as Wendie put the mask back down and exited the room. Letting out a long yawn, and stretching she looked up at the clock, "6:30." she mumbled to herself as she stood up to stretched some more. Plopping back down on the chair, she let out a groan before she sat back up and saw the set of eyes that were locked on her. Her eyes widened, "Hey," she said softly as she stood up, and slid onto the bed so she was sitting next to him, "How do you feel?"
He put his hand in her lap, while he searched for the right words to say to her. She gave his hand a gently squeeze while giving him a soft smile.
"I'm so sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't mean it. I was so angry at everything, I never meant to hurt you......"
"I know. You're going through alot, and I have no idea how you feel. It's ok dad." Bridgette replied still giving him a soft smile.
"It's not........" he started.
"Dad, stop. It's ok, it's fine." Bridgette said cutting him off, "It's ok, just relax."
"You sure?" he asking, wondering if she was just hiding it because he was sick.
"Absolutely." she replied, leaning in and giving him a long kiss on his cheek, then whispering in his ear, "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you for being a firefighter and I wouldn't want you to be anything else besides that." When she pulled away, her father had a grateful look on his face. Grateful that his baby was back by his side. A tear rolled down his cheek and he smiled, "I love you Princess."
"Love you too." She grinned wiping his tear, "Don't you dare start crying."
He let out a soft chuckle, and closed his eyes for a minute trying to relax, "God I feel like hell."
"I know," she replied, "The test results came back, it was just a fever. No infections or anything."
He let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God."
"Yeah that's what I said." Bridgette answered.
He let out a long yawn, "What time is it?"
She looked up at the clock, "Almost 7."
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Since a little after 3." she replied.
He raised his eyebrow, "You wanna go back home?"
She shook her head, "No."
"Well get up here so I can go back to sleep." he smirked, as he carefully moved over so that there was room for both of them on the bed.
Bridgette let out a laugh, "I stopped sleeping in your room when I was like 5."
"Unless it's thunderstorming." he replied.
"And I will continue to sleep in your room when it's thunderstorming until I move out." Bridgette smiled. She then carefully laid down on her right side so that she was facing him. She rested her head on her right arm, which was curled under the pillow. Looking over she saw his left hand resting on his stomach. She then reached over with hers and placed it ontop of his giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Am I ok?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't making him uncomfortable.
"Best medicine I've gotten so far." he replied as his eyes slowly shut. Before he was sound asleep, he pulled her hand up to his chest and rested it there. She let out a small smile, looking at her hand sitting on his chest with his hand holding it there. Releasing one final yawn she drifted off to sleep.
