Okay, let's visit Bridgette. Thanks for your reviews, What'dIMiss, Bloodylilcorpse, and yeezynight14.
Bridgette wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd been sent to this psychiatric hospital, left undiagnosed and lonelier than ever. Alejandro still visited her at least twice every week, as if he still cared about her happiness. He kept saying that he just wanted her to be safe. He hadn't so much as hinted that he knew about Bridgette wanting to run away with Geoff, but she knew that this action meant that he had at least guessed she was planning to leave.
Bridgette knew that being stuck here was part of the ultimatum she was being offered. It was like being a child again and being sent to the corner to think about what she had been planning. Alejandro, again, hadn't actually said anything, but she knew that if she accepted his offer of marriage whole-heartedly and didn't even attempt resistance, she would be allowed to get out of the hospital and create a life for herself. But although it would offer her more freedom, it would still be on a short leash, and worse, it would be tainted with reverse-Oedipus fear (marrying your daughter rather than your mother, even though they weren't blood-related).
As the young woman lay on her bed, a knock sounded on the door. "Bridgette?" A nurse opened the door. "Lunchtime. Come on."
Bridgette gave a sigh. "Can I please skip it? I don't have an appetite and I would rather be alone."
The nurse looked concerned. "You missed breakfast this morning. Come on, you need to eat something."
Bridgette reluctantly stood up. She really didn't have any appetite, although she knew it was out of misery rather than overfeeding and that she needed to eat more healthily. But her main reason was that she needed solitude to work out her problems. The other patients in the hospital that were allowed in the public cafeteria weren't dangerous and a few of them seemed nice enough, but Bridgette didn't want to talk to them.
Today, she was waved over to a table by resident gossip Sierra, a tall woman in her twenties who knew everything about all the other patients and the staff. She'd been committed after pleading insanity when a young man got a restraining order against her that she'd repeatedly broken. But she was nonviolent when said man wasn't involved, just friendly and enthusiastic.
"I heard a rumour about you!" she giggled today, nudging Bridgette. "I heard one of the nurses saying you're getting a lot of male attention from the outside world."
Bridgette sighed. "I know already."
"No, I mean from people more your age!" Sierra said in her most bubbly voice. "She said that someone had gotten worried because he couldn't contact you, and so she let him know where you were."
Bridgette couldn't help the sudden spark of hope jumping into her, but she ignored it. In a situation like this, hope was dangerous, because dashed hopes might actually give them cause to diagnose her – with major depression.
But two days later, during visiting hours, Bridgette was greeted with a different visitor to her usual one.
She gasped at the face she'd imagined seeing for a while. "Geoff!" She ran to the other blonde and he pulled her into a hug.
"Are you all right?" he whispered into her ear.
"As all right as I can be in here." she said, a note of bitterness in her voice. But she smiled. "I'm glad you came here, though. I'm sorry the plan hasn't worked out. How did you find me?"
Geoff had the sense to tell her the answer quietly. "One of the nurses here seemed to know who I was, and I'd already heard people talking about it. They can try to help me find a reason to discharge you from here. Our plan isn't wrecked. We just have a few more...complications. Are you still up for it?"
Bridgette locked eyes with Geoff, green connected to blue. "If you are, I am." she said softly. "It's what I want." And then they kissed. A few of the other patients who were with their visitors looked up. One of them, a woman with a crazy grin who was about the same age as Bridgette, even whistled, making Bridgette blush and Geoff smile. Her visitor grinned too, and waved at them, chuckling.
Only after everyone had stopped staring at them, Bridgette registered what Geoff had said. "One of the nurses?" she repeated. "What do they look like? I'd like to know who it was, so I can ask him or her about it."
Geoff paused, thinking. "She was small." he finally said. "Long pale hair, pale eyes, pale...everything, I guess. Very soft voice."
Bridgette paused, too, her eyes narrowed in thought. Finally, her brow cleared. "Oh! I think I've seen her, but she isn't usually in my area, so I haven't spoken to her. I think she usually works with the less stable patients. I can't believe she'd know..." She couldn't help a small smile creeping onto her face. "Well, anyway, I definitely owe her. But..." she frowned sadly. "I have to warn you not to visit me again until it's time for me to leave. Alejandro still visits me every few days, but I don't think there's a pattern – he just shows up when he has time. Trust me, you'd probably end up hanged if he knew you knew where I was. I'm allowed letters – just write to keep me in the picture."
Geoff nodded. "All right. I promise I'll write soon." He leaned in. "But before I go..."
Bridgette knew what he was asking, and was all too happy to oblige. They couldn't make out in plain sight, but they could at least kiss, and now, knowing that they might not see each other for a while, they put all their passion into it.
After they said goodbye, Bridgette's spirits were lifted, even if just by a little bit. There was still hope. She might still be out of there soon.
Took me a while to think of an outro for this chapter, and it's still pretty short as it is. But at least it's up. Never fear, disciples of the dark side, things aren't going to get better just yet...