August 10th, 2007, 2:07 pm

Bridget woke up to see a nurse standing next to her bed, checking her stats on the machine next to her. She listened to the silent beeps on the machine counting her each and every heartbeat. She wanted to make it go faster and slower, but to go slower she was pretty sure she'd have to die.

She laid still for a few minutes, the nurse still not noticing her. The nurse seemed to be taking a long time to record Bridget's stats.

Bridget really wanted to make her heart race and make the machine beep faster (it's her little 8 year old brain triggering her fun side =P). She wasn't quite sure how, so she just started breathing heavy, but that only made her dizzy and tired. So she started thinking of things that scared her, but that didn't work either.

Bridget was a strange child compared to most kids. Things like ghosts and "monsters under your bed" didn't scare her. In fact, she liked monsters and ghosts and demons and darkness and closets and such. She thought of the monsters under her bed as friends. She's even drawn what she thinks some of her 'friends' look like, but hasn't dared to show her parents. She's embarrassed to show them. But they really are detailed drawings, right down to defining the muscles (the picture above is one of her drawings-I find it cute).

Bridget was out of ideas on how to make her heart beat faster, so she just huffed and gave up. The nurse looked over and saw Bridget was awake, and a big, bright smile grew on her face. "Hey sugar!" She said with delight. "How you feelin?" Bridget smiled and sat up.

"Good. All I really needed was some sleep." Bridget said with a smile and took a deep breath.

"So," the nurse started as she prepared a new IV for Bridget's arm. "A little birdie told me that you're birthday is coming up!" Bridget's mouth dropped wide open.

After everything that's been going on for the past four days, all Bridget knew was eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. It was as if she lived in the hospital. "I totally forgot." Bridget said, her mouth still wide open. The nurse burst out with laughter.

"Well close your mouth before a fly goes in it!" She said and continued laughing. It seemed as if her laughs came from the bellows of her gut, because they were so loud and full of joy and meaning. It made Bridget smile. "When is it?"

"September 6th." Bridget said.

"Oh, well in that case I got you this present far too early!" The nurse said and laughed again. "Ah what the heck, I'll give it to you now anyway!" She went over to a cabinet and grabbed out a small blue box, and handed it to Bridget.

Bridget took it in her hands and treated it like a child. She didn't know if I would be her last present, or if she had many more to come. She opened the lid, and inside lay a beautiful dragonfly necklace, with gems for wings. She gazed is awe at the marvel before her eyes. "It's...amazing," She said. "You didn't have to get me anything though! I barely know you!" Bridget, like anyone else, was being polite and saying the nurse didn't have to, but in reality she was so thankful and wouldn't give the necklace up for anything.

"Well, you'll get to know me soon enough! We'll start right now. You can call me nurse Caroline!" She said with joy. Bridget smiled and thanked her for the gift again. It really was beautiful, and she put it on with pure joy. For the first time sine she arrived was filled with pure happiness.
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August 13, 2007, 11:53 am

Bridget sat in the white fluffy chair in the corner of her room drawing in her book using a tutorial she found on YouTube. She was trying to draw a detailed Phoenix. A few minutes later a nurse walked in. It wasn't nurse Caroline, who usually came in. This was a skinny, blonde nurse with high cheekbones and not much skin under them. Her cheeks seemed to sink into her mouth. She didn't look very nice to Bridget.

After a few minutes Bridget finished the outline and needed colored pencils. She looked over to the nurse, who was still checking her stats. Bridget didn't know the nurse's name, so she twiddled her thumbs for a minute before speaking up. "Um, hi. I made a drawing and need colored pencils to finish it. Could I have some please?" She said nicely. The nurse turned to her, clipboard in hand, and walked over to were Bridget sat. She places the clipboard on a table next to the chair and took Bridget's book, examining her drawing. She looked over it for a minute before scoffing.

"Children your age should not possess such skill or be drawing such vile creatures in such gruesome detail." She said rudely, dropping the book back on Bridget's lap. Bridget's heart began to race. "While I admit you had talent, I will not allow you do draw such things." The nurse looked over to the tablet with the tutorial video on the screen next to Bridget and took it. "I will also not allow you to use the Internet or electronic devices, because God knows what you'll find on there and it is not suitable for a child under 15 to own a device," Bridget sat in shock as she watched the nurse start taking her possessions. Her tablet, her pencils her drawings, everything. Then the nurse noticed the necklace around her neck, grabbed it, and pulled, breaking the chain. It really hurt the back of her neck. "And they most certainly should not possess such fine jewelry."

Bridget felt something boil inside her, and she felt pressure on her head and shoulders. She was going to burst out screaming in anger as nurse Caroline bumped into the other nurse in the doorway. "Mertyle! What in the world do you think you're doing??" She said in surprise. The other nurse stopped in her tracks, dropped everything, and ran out the door. Nurse Caroline had her mouth wide open and a big frown on her face as she looked back in astonishment and started to pick up Bridget's stuff. Bridget stood up and grabbed the monitor she was hooked up to by the pole and went over to help. "Oh no, honey, I've got this, you just go sit back down." Nurse Caroline insisted, so Bridget did as she was told.

Nurse Caroline gathered Bridget's things and brought them over to the chair she sat at. Bridget grabbed her things and put them all on the side table. Just as nurse Caroline let go, the necklace fell to the floor. She picked it up and looked at Bridget, who had tears in her eyes. Nurse Caroline noticed the chain was broken. "Now don't you worry hun," she said in a reassuring voice. "I'll make sure this gets fixed, and that nurse Mertyle doesn't come in here again."

Bridget smiled and thanked her, and she walked out the door. She came back a moment later holding some small white towels. "I thought you'd enjoy having a little coolness in here, since your room is really hot. I put these towels in the freezer, then thawed them. They should be nice and cold for you, and you can put them on your head if you get too hot." Bridget had a big smile on now.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Bridget said as nurse Caroline smiled back and walked out carrying the clipboard nurse Mertyle had.

Bridget grabbed her tablet, notebook and pencil and went back to drawing, when she noticed a pack of colored pencils sitting on the table. A sticky note was on it.

I noticed you draw a lot, so I figured you'd want to add some color! Enjoy!
Love, nurse Caroline.

Bridget smiled and eagerly took off the sticky note and opened the package. She took out the yellow, red and orange, when suddenly she felt a sharp, itching pain on the left side of her head.

She grabbed at her soft hair tenderly, but it didn't resist to her light tugging. She pulled her hand out, to find a fist full of her wavy and shiny ombré hair. She sat with her mouth wide open, and dropped the colored pencils. Her world seemed to slow down, and the colored pencils made a big boom as they slowly hit the floor.

"Oh my god..." She said. "...my hair is falling out..."