Page 62 of Breaking Bristol

“Yeah, I’ll get him into the bereavement room.”

I had blood splattered on me, so I quickly changed my scrub top and washed my hands, then went with Debbie to the bereavement room. I took a moment to compose myself. A deep breath. Two. Three. This never got easier, it was never easy telling someone the person they loved was no longer with us. “Ready?” she whispered.

I ran my tongue across my teeth, straightened my spine, then pushed the door open. The man jumped to his feet, his eyes already red and puffy and his hair disheveled, more than likely from tugging at it while he thought his wife was being saved.

I introduced myself then said ten words that would ruin his life, “I’m sorry, Mr. Collins, but your wife didn’t make it.”

His face crumpled, and he started to go down with it. I helped him into his chair and crouched down, gripping his arm and looking into his shocked, heartbroken eyes. “We tried everything we could, but unfortunately, her injuries were too significant.”

“She was… she was just on her way home from work.” His voice was scratchy. “I was waiting for her like I did every day for twenty-two years.” His lower lip trembled. “She’s never coming home, is she?”

“No, sir. She’s not.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder, and his body rocked as sobs consumed him. I bowed my head and gave him support as well as privacy while he fully absorbed that his wife was gone. Long minutes passed, and when he cleared his throat and let go of my shoulder, I gave him the tissue Debbie handed me.

“Can I see her?” he asked, wiping his face.

“Of course. Debbie will go over a couple of things with you and then escort you to the room.”

His chin wobbled and more tears poured out of his eyes.

I stood. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“We were going to retire next year… We’ve been saving to buy an RV so we could travel the country. She had a list of all the places she wanted to see, all the historic landmarks…the… the butterfly houses… she loved butterflies.” He squeezed his eyes closed, and his shoulders shook. “We should have done it earlier. She waited her whole life for the butterflies and now she’ll never see them.” He cried in earnest, and I slowly backed away, giving him the solitude to grieve alone.

Debbie followed me into the hallway. “You should go, Dr. Franklin is here.”

“I need to finish my shift.”

She looked at her watch. “Your shift ended almost four hours ago.”

“Shit, it’s almost eleven?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “Which is why you need to go home.”

“Right, yeah… okay.”

I went to the computer and finished my documentation, then took a hot shower, trying to wash off the slimy filth that was coating me from the inside out. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but even with raw skin that feeling didn’t go away.

Mr. Collins’s words clung to my soul and reminded me that my brother’s future got cut off unfairly, far too early, too.

I finally got dressed and went to my truck, steering the wheel toward Bristol’s place without thinking. I drove there in a daze, and when I pulled up, my stomach dropped because her car wasn’t here.

To be sure, I knocked on the door and waited, but it was silent. I had no clue where she was, but I needed to see her. I got back in my truck and grabbed my phone, but the battery was dead, so I headed to The Tap, circling the lot, but her car wasn’t there, either. Where in the hell could she be? I drove through the town three times with no luck and wanted to keep looking for her but finally decided to go home to charge my phone and call her. If she didn’t answer, then I’d have to call Beau.

I dragged my feet and had to lean on the elevator wall because I felt so unsteady. It took three tries before I got my key in the lock, and after I kicked the door closed behind me, I fell back into it and closed my eyes.

“Matthew?” My soul sparked back to life, and I looked through the dim light to find Bristol sitting on the couch. She had a blanket thrown over her, wiping her face like she’d just woken up. “What time is it?”

My keys fell to the floor, and I darted across the room like she’d disappear if I blinked. I grabbed her under her arms and hauled her to me, my knees hitting the couch as it slid from the impact. She wrapped herself around me, all four of her limbs holding tight, but I could finally fucking breathe. I leaned my weight into her, and when her back was flush with the cushions, I maneuvered us so we faced each other on our sides. She placed a soft hand on my cheek, and her eyes bounced all over my face. “Are you okay?”

“I am now,” I rasped.

“What happened?”

I shook my head. “I’m in love with you.”

She gasped quietly and stroked her thumb across my cheek.