Author�s Notes: The song Bridge Over Troubled Water is by Simon and Garfunkel. All other notes are in the first chapter.
I rush back to Catherine�s room. Five minutes after I had left, a nurse came out to tell me she had woken up and was asking for me. She promised that as soon as the doctor checked her over I could go back in to see her.
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side. When times get rough
And friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
As I enter the room, Cath turns her head to me. She still looks so small, but at least she�s awake now. As soon as she sees me, her eyes fill with tears. I gently take her hand when I reach the bed and she looks up at me as the tears start to stream down her face. �I�m so, so sorry�, she whispers.
With my free hand, I begin to wipe away the tears. �It�s okay�, I reply, shaking my head. �Everything�s going to be fine now.�
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
She looks about to say something, but I stop her, gently squeezing her hand, �It�s going to be fine, I promise.�
She nods, accepting my promise.
When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I'll take your part.
�Where�s Lindsey?�
�Cindy came and took her home. I called when the doctor said you were awake. She�s bringing Linds over right now.�
Catherine gratefully nods, �Thank you�, she whispers.
I shift, uncomfortable with her gratitude. �I also called Warrick and he said he�d tell the rest of the team.�
She hesitates, but then asks the question that�s obviously on her mind, �What about Eddie?�
Somehow, I manage to keep the disgust out of my voice, �We weren�t ever able to reach him. As far as I know, he never even found out about what happened.�
Cath nods again, struggling not to cry, �Okay.�
I grip her hand tighter, �Listen, it�s over, okay? You don�t ever have to go back to Eddie if you don�t want to. It�s okay to ask for help Catherine. You�re friends will be there for you.� I pause and lean in to whisper my last sentence, �And I will ALWAYS be there for you, okay?�
�Okay�, she whispers back.
When darkness comes
And pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
We sit in a comfortable silence for awhile. She�s obviously still tired, and she drifts in and out. Finally, she looks up at me, �Thank you�.
I glance down at her, �for what?�
�For finding me. I just figured Eddie would be the one to find me, that it�d be my revenge, you know? But if you hadn�t, it probably would have been Lindsey�, her voice breaking, she continues, �I can�t believe I almost did that to her.�
�Well, you didn�t, and everything�s going to be okay, so don�t worry about it, okay?�
She nods her head, then pauses, before asking me another question, �What were you doing at the house anyways?�
I close my eyes as I struggle with my composure before opening them and answering her question, �I came over to see if you wanted to go grab breakfast. When I got there the door was open and I panicked.�
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Silence reigns again as she mulls over what I�ve just told her. Obviously, Eddie had been so enraged the night before that he hadn�t even bothered to shut the door when he left. He hadn�t cared enough about the inhabitants of the house to do so.
Outside the room, I hear Lindsey�s voice in the hallway. I squeeze Catherine�s hand to regain her attention, �I think you�ve got another visitor.�
Sail on silver girl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
Lindsey flies into the room, �Mommy!� She stops suddenly when she sees Catherine lying in the bed. I help her sit up and she immediately opens her arms to Linds. �Come here sweetie.�
Lindsey hesitantly approaches the bed before throwing her arms around her mother, �I was so scared Mommy.�
Catherine looks up at me with tears in her eyes before bending her head to kiss Lindsey�s hair, �I know baby, and I�m so sorry.�
Lindsey pulls away, �You�re okay now, right?�
Cath smiles through her tears and nods, �Yeah, everything�s okay now.�
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
Assured that her mother�s okay, Lindsey spends the next hour talking to us, telling us various tales, most of which we�ve heard before, but we don�t mind. To hear them again is our assurance that things will be fine.
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Finally, Catherine drifts off to sleep. I take Lindsey back out to Cindy so that Catherine can get some rest. I hug Linds good-bye and promise that I�ll be here tomorrow when she comes to visit her mom. Once Lindsey and Cindy leave, I return to Cath�s room and sit in the chair by her bed, watching her sleep.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Finis
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