Chapter 31: Chapter 31

The medication Dr. Holloway gave her helped a lot with the pain, but by the time Bree got home to Nashville, her fingers were beginning to throb again. The bus took them back to the recording studio. Trent had to help her down the steps as the pain was starting to make her light headed.

Zelda and several others were there to greet them “How are you dear?” her manager asked, not touching her, but coming close. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” she said, “but I think I need to get to the hospital.”

“Yes, of course. We just wanted to make sure you know we love you and are here to support you.”

“I appreciate that so much,” Bree said with tears in her eyes as Trent steered her through the small crowd toward his truck so he could take her to the hospital. She knew that he would get her to Dr. Rook as soon as he could so that the pain could be alleviated, and she could have the surgery Dr. Holloway had recommended.

Trent picked her up and put her in his truck, which she didn’t think was completely necessary, but it was a testimony to how much he loved her. He buckled her seat belt and then came around to get behind the wheel.

As happy as she was to be back in Nashville, Bree closed her eyes instead of looking at the city as it flew by out the window, something she normally loved to do.

She must’ve dozed off because, before she knew it, Trent was pulling into the parking lot of the hospital they’d been told to go to. He helped her out of the truck, and they went inside, asking for Dr. Rook at the front desk.

“You must be Bree?” the nurse asked with a sweet smile. “We’ve been expecting you. Right this way.”

She escorted Bree to a private room. ‘If you'll put on this gown, I’ll let Dr. Rook know you’ve arrived, and she’ll be right in.”

“Thank you,” Bree said, waiting for the nurse to leave and close the door behind her before she started to change. She was glad Trent was there to help her. With her burnt hand, it was harder than she would’ve ever expected to get out of the T-shirt and shorts the band had bought her while she was in the hospital in St. Louis. They’d wanted her to have something that didn't smell like smoke and wasn’t pajamas.

With Trent’s help, she got into the gown and onto the bed about the time there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” Bree called.

Dr. Rook was a petite woman with dark black hair. When she spoke, Bree could tell her accent was Korean, “Miss Matthews. It’s nice to meet you. How are you feeling?”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Bree said. “I’ve been better.”

“I bet, I bet. Is it hurting right now?”

“Yes,” Bree said definitively as the doctor laid her hand on a raised table next to the bed and unwrapped it.

The face Dr. Rook made when she looked at her fingers wasn’t reassuring. “Oh, yes. You definitely need surgery, dear. This doesn’t look good at all.” She turned Bree’s fingers over a few times, being gentle, as she examined the burns. “We will need to get this taken care of before an infection sets in.”

“Okay,” Bree said, accepting her fate. “How long will it take?”

“Not too long. You’ll be out the whole time, of course. I think less than two hours. It’s a delicate surgery in this case because it is your fingers. But I can do it. We’ll take some skin from your thigh, remove the burned skin, and then replace it with the new skin.”

“And will I have to spend the night in the hospital?”

“Normally, I would send you home, but considering the traumatic events you’ve been through recently, I will keep you overnight. When was the last time you ate or drank anything?”

Dr. Holloway had warned her not to eat anything before she got to the hospital. “I haven’t eaten since late last night. I had a few sips of water on the way here.”

“That’ll be fine. All right. I’ll go check on the availability of an operating room, and we should be able to get started soon, okay?”

“Great. Thank you so much, Doctor.”

Dr. Rook smiled at her, nodded at Trent, and then left. Bree rested her head back and took a deep breath. She’d never had surgery before, and she was scared.

“It’ll be fine,” Trent assured her. “Remember when I had my tonsils out? Like that.”

She laughed. She did remember when he’d had his tonsils removed. They’d been in junior high at the time, and he had gotten to eat ice cream for two weeks. She thought his surgery was a lot faster than this, though, more like twenty minutes. Still, she felt reassured. “I know it’ll be okay, I’m just nervous.”

“I’ll call your parents and let them know what’s going on.” She’d already talked to them once. They had wanted to make the drive from Kentucky immediately, but she’d insisted they stay home. Trent brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

Smoke from her hair made her cough, and she wished she would’ve been able to take a shower before she came to the hospital, but that had been out of the question. “Thanks. I love you.”

“I love you, too, and I’ll be waiting when you’re out of surgery.”

He’d barely finished the sentence before the nurses were back to prepare her for surgery. Bree took a deep breath and told Trent goodbye. This was something he couldn't hold her hand through, but it still made her feel more calm to know that he’d be there when she opened her eyes--when it was all over.

***

Trent sat in the waiting room with his hands folded and his elbows on his knees. A nurse had come out a few minutes ago to tell him that the skin graft was going well, that they’d removed the skin from Bree’s thigh and they were getting ready to start working on her hand. He was glad to hear everything was going as planned, but the entire situation made him nervous. He wished it was him in there instead of her.

Even though he’d been the one to run through the flames, the burns on his legs were not that serious. The doctor had given him some cream to apply a few times a day and to keep it covered for about a week. He thought he’d make a full recovery, though there might be some superficial scars.

Bree, on the other hand, was in surgery. How had this happened?

He actually knew the answer to that question. He knew Cat had started the fire. She had to be the one behind it. No one else was that angry at Bree. He knew that Zach had talked to the police and told them that he thought that Cat was behind it, and they were looking into it. They’d found out she’d been able to post bond pretty quickly and was actually out at the time the fire was set--and it was definitely set. The fire department was calling it arson. He hoped Cat would be charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and get locked up for so long she’d never see the light of day again. Clearly, she had something very wrong with her.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was Bree’s mom again, wanting an update. He couldn’t help but smile because it had only been about ten minutes since he’d sent the last text. He appreciated how much Bree’s parents loved her. Answering, he assured her, “Everything is still going well.”

“Oh, Trent I still think we should head that way,” Judy said.

“I know, but she really wants you to wait,” he reminded the worried mother. As soon as she’s out of surgery, I’ll let you know.”

Reluctantly, Judy agreed and disconnected the call. He had a feeling she’d be calling back in ten minutes or less.

Glad to have the small waiting area to himself, Trent put the phone back in his pocket and ran his hands through his hair. He still smelled smoke every time he did that. He couldn’t wait to get home and take a shower, to sleep in his own bed, with Bree. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have any trouble sleeping since she’d been awoken so abruptly the last time. He imagined the doctors would give her plenty of pain medication.

Bree was so important to him. He couldn’t fathom his life without her. In fact, this situation made him think perhaps it was time he took things to the next level. Granted, he’d just been engaged to Monica a few months ago and had been within minutes of marrying her. But this was different. He knew without a doubt Bree was the one for him. Perhaps now was the time to start thinking about picking out a ring--and actually proposing, something he’d never done before since Monica had basically just decided they were going to get married.

As he was contemplating rather or not it was too soon to move forward, a nurse came out. “The surgery is over, Mr. Walker. They’ll take Bree to recovery, and you’ll be allowed to see her soon. She’s doing well. I’ll come back and get you as soon as she’s awake.”

“Thank you,” Trent said, feeling relief wash over him. Even though he’d known Bree was in good hands, it was wonderful to hear that she was okay. He sent a text to her parents to let them know the news and then sat back, taking a few deep breaths. He couldn’t wait to see Bree.