Blink; brendan gallagher

[ Chapter 10 ] • Aftermath •

this chapter is a mess oops?
But it's a mess because my life is messy.
Also as a like statement, I'm 100% against drunk driving or impaired driving so like don't think I'm not since like it might come across that way?? My family has been affected by it so I like don't tolerate it. Just so like I don't come across as a shit person, and yeah idk what i'm rambling about so enjoy or not whatever 😂 fuck i'm a mess
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1 week after

Brendan was helping Tessa organize insurance papers and other bills she had fallen behind on while in the hospital for five days. They let her go home after the brain bleed was gone. She had a concussion, a fractured collarbone and a sprained right elbow. Her license had also been suspended because of the DUI charge.

Tessa was already planning to fight the DUI charge because they never took an official breathalyzer test, only the road ones. She had explained a few times to Brendan that the road ones legally don't hold up in court. She wanted to get it wiped from her record, it would look bad to have anything on a record since she's a lawyer.

She sat at her dining room table, Brendan beside her and placed her head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" Brendan's voice was laced with concern.

She nodded. "The lights are just really bright," she complained, her head throbbing. She hoped he'd buy that it was just her concussion bothering her. She couldn't handle him asking her about the hospital again. She was far from okay, they both knew it.

"The lights are off, and your blinds are closed. I'm not sure how much darker it could be in here," Brendan explained. He sympathized with her, he had a concussion in high school before and hated it. "Maybe you're just trying to do too much too fast. Why don't you go lie down?"

Tessa nodded and placed a hand on Brendan's shoulder. "Thank you, for everything you're doing to help."

"It's nothing, now go rest," Brendan laughed and sorted the rest of the papers.

He sighed once he was sure she wasn't coming back out. He was exhausted, running on almost no sleep, and didn't have a clue where he and Tessa stood. The first three days in the hospital they had her on morphine, she was in an out of consciousness and constantly high on the drug. It was impossible to talk to her in that state.

She had also complained about not remembering anything after she fought with him at Alex's party until she woke up one morning in the hospital when they had stopped her morphine. Everything was a blur to her. Brendan didn't know how, or if he should, bring up everything she said to him in the hospital room.

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2 weeks after

Tessa's sprain healed faster than the doctors initially believed it would. As long as she was careful, she was okay to remove the cast. They also cleared her to return to work, with relaxed duties and no heavy lifting. Her collar bone hadn't finished healing yet and they couldn't risk her breaking it all together.

"How am I supposed to go back to work?" Tessa paced in Brendan's apartment. "They all know what happened. Human Resources already emailed me and instructed that I set up a meeting with them before my first shift."

Brendan watched her pace and panic. "What if they are firing me and packing up my office right now? What if Amy isn't allowed to tell me they are packing my office up?" She ran a hand through her hair, "I don't speak French well enough to work at an all French firm! This is the best English speaking firm in Quebec what am I going to do."

"You're going to calm down," Brendan suggested. "You can't start panicking before your meeting. For all you know they are just wanting to see how your health is holding up."