Chapter 27
Bette didn't normally lie, but when the front desk asked if she was related to Kerrie, she didn't try to stop "I'm her sister" from tumbling out.
Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.
She was told to sit in the waiting room, a large square space with hunter-green cushioned chairs and lamps from the 80s, the kind covered in spackling to give them texture. Old magazines were stacked neatly on plastic end tables. She was the only one in there. The silence had returned. Deafening. Her thoughts were so loud in her head that she wouldn't have been surprised if someone walked in and heard them. Somewhere in the hospital was her lover. A person she was growing to care deeply for. Bette had no idea what could be wrong with Kerrie. Could it have been a heart attack? She didn't think it was a stroke or seizure, but she wasn't sure. So many things had run through her mind. She sniffled through her tears. She had held them back for Kenny's sake earlier, but now alone, they flowed freely. She plucked a few tissues from the table beside her and wiped her nose.
She looked up at the sound of a door opening. A nurse in royal blue scrubs walked through, holding a clipboard. "Hi, are you here with Ms. Matthews?"
Bette shot to her feet, tossing her purse over her shoulder. "I am. Is she okay? Can I see her?"
The nurse nodded, her short, midnight-black hair shifting a little as she did. She was wearing bright yellow glasses that she glanced through at the clipboard. "Yes, she's okay. She is seriously dehydrated and exhausted. "
Bette's eyebrows met in the middle. "She passed out from lack of water and being tired?"
The nurse smiled sympathetically. "Technically speaking, yes, but severe dehydration and exhaustion can be dangerous. We're getting her in a room right now. She'll need to stay tonight, at least, for treatment."
"But she'll be okay, right?"
"Yes, as long as she stops trying to leave and accepts the IVs. That's partially why I came to get you. Maybe you can convince her to stay. She's adamant she needs to go home."
Bette sighed, nodding. "Her twin brother is home. He's special needs and can't be left alone. She needs to know he's okay."
"Kenny?"
"Yes! That's him."
"She was saying his name when she was coming to. Why don't you follow me? We'll see if that won't put her at ease. If she left now, I'd be afraid she'd just end up back here."
Bette followed the woman, whose badge read 'Jayla,' into the emergency center. Given the late hour, there weren't many noises. She noticed a few closed curtains and nurses doing nursing things. She was led to another door that went further into the main part of the hospital. Numbers on doors and winding halls filtered by before she passed a large nursing station.
Jayla stopped, addressing one of the women behind the desk. "Which room is Kerrie Matthews?"
"206. Mandy is trying to keep her here. She's not cooperating."
Nodding, Jayla turned to her left, and Bette followed along like a puppy.
She heard Kerrie before she saw her. Rounding the corner into a room, her girlfriend was shakily trying to navigate the side of the bed but was failing. She was mouthing off the whole time to a little redhead who looked fed up with the giant woman's attitude. "Ms. Matthews, please sit back."
"I need to go," Kerrie demanded, panting heavily and swaying.
Bette stepped forward. "Kerrie, Kenny is fine; you need to listen to the nurses."
Kerrie, confused, looked around until she found the source of the voice. She sagged back on the bed's edge. "Bette?"
She walked over, depositing her purse in a chair, and cupped Kerrie's face. "Kenny is okay. He was such a brave guy. He came and got me and helped me. Mabel is with him now. He even showed me how to call her. "
Like taking the fight out of an angry bear, Kerrie's large frame sagged further, and Bette could see her gentle giant beginning to appear. "He's okay?"
"He's fine. When I left, Mabel had him tucked into his recliner. I think she may have drugged him. He was drifting off to Squidward and his saxophone."
Kerrie lifted a shaky hand to Bette's wrist, holding it gently. She nodded to nothing. "He's okay. He's safe."
"Yep," she confirmed again, running her other hand through Kerrie's sweat-soaked hair. "Will you do me a favor, babe?"
The nodding continued, exhaustion quickly taking over now that the momma bear within her had been appeased.
"Will you lie down? Let these ladies do their job. They just want to make you better so you can go home."
It took Kerrie close to a full minute before she gave a final nod. "Fine."
Bette stepped back to let the two women carefully coax Kerrie back into a lying position. They checked her IV and instructed both of them on how to call the nurses' station if they needed anything. As Jayla was walking out, she leaned into Bette with a smirk on her face. "Sister, huh?"
Bette blushed, trying to hold back a smile but failing. "It worked, didn't it?"
Snorting, Jayla shook her head, following the other nurse out. The door shut behind them.
"Come here," Kerrie lightly demanded. She held her hand out. There was a hospital bracelet around her thick wrist.
Bette complied, biting her lip to hold back tears that suddenly sprung forward. Her strong, invincible girlfriend looked so weak. Her eyes were sunken. Her skin was ashen. There was no jovial spark. It never occurred to Bette that Kerrie wasn't superhuman. She was a support person for so many people. The mentor to some. The one that rescued her from the humiliation of going to the graduation alone. The one that offered her a place of her own to give back her independence. The one that snuggled her and made her feel safe. And now the woman didn't look like she could manage taking two steps.
She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, and Kerrie wrapped her hand around the inside of her thigh. Kerrie whispered, fear in her eyes. "Is he really okay?"
"Yeah, he's really okay. I would never lie about Kenny to you. You scared the hell out of me." Bette leaned against Kerrie's hip, placing her hand over her gown-covered stomach. "Nice outfit. "
Chuckling weakly, Kerrie looked down at herself and then back at Bette. "Pretty damn sexy, huh?"
"Definitely sexy. I'm shocked I didn't have to pull the nurses off you."
"Nah, I told 'em I have a hot honey at home," Kerrie teased in a tired voice. "I don't remember what happened. I remember helping Kenny get ready for bed, but that's all."
"Well, he came down the basement stairs—"
"Alone? He knows not to go down there alone."
"He was terrified, Kerrie, and wanted to get his sister help. He did really well. He was yelling for help. I was asleep and got to him before he made it down the stairs. He even helped me remember which of you has high blood pressure and let the police in. He did everything right. I found you in the bathroom. You only had your boxers on, so I think you were changing for bed."
Furrowing her brow, her eyes went back and forth as she tried to remember. "I don't remember any of that. I remember finishing Kenny, and then it goes blank."
"Well, the important thing is you're getting care. I'm going to stay here with you tonight. I'll text Tyler in the morning that you'll be out. I'll go in to help with notes and things for a few hours, though."
Kerrie opened her mouth to protest, but Bette placed a hand on her chest as she shook her head. "Please don't argue. You need to get better. You need this medication. Please. You're no use to anyone if you're sick."