Accidental Encounter

5. It wasn't an accident

*Gasp* "What the hell are you doing here?" Jessica snapped.

"Hi, I'm Diane and this is Laura. We're with Physical Therapy.  We're going to be working with Mr. Hernandez" Diane replied completely oblivious to the tension.    I felt a knot in my throat and my face heat up as Jessica and I stared each other down.  Keep it professional, don't speak to her. Just do my job.  She isn't in the room as far as I'm concerned. Is what I was telling myself.   Diane must have caught on to the tension because she turned to me and asked, "Laura can you please go get some linen to dress the chair and ask the nurse for a shot of morphine. "  "Sure.  Be right back." I replied as I turned and headed out of the room.

When I returned to the room Jessica was no longer in there.  Bruno was trying his hardest to stay awake.  "Bruno, look at me.   It's Laura.  Can you open your eyes?" I said as I was face to face with him while Diane helped him maintain his sitting balance on the edge of the bed.   He opened his eyes and smiled.  He whispered, "no one knows I'm here.  It wasn't an accident. It was her fault." He motioned for the emesis pan.  "He's having a hard time with the pain medication." His nurse replied as she walked in and he vomited.  Diane and I transfered him from the edge of the bed into the chair.  "Please don't leave me here with her. I know she'll be back.   You have to tell my family where I am." he whispered as I adjusted his posture in the chair.  "Please Laura don't let her come back in here."  He continued.   "Bruno I will do whatever I can to keep you safe.  I'm so sorry this happened to you.  It's all my fault." I whispered back as a tear rolled down my cheek.   "I'll be back on my lunch. I have to keep it professional otherwise I won't be able to treat you.  If anyone asks, you don't know me outside of our therapy sessions." I said.   It took everything in me not to kiss his forehead.   I stepped out and explained to his nurse his concern for his safety from Jessica.   "Just to be safe we will transfer him to a different room and change the name on the status board.   We'll make sure he's safe." She said.   I knew I had limited time to figure out what really happened to Bruno. 

"Girl what the hell is going on?   That girl looked like she had the devil in her eyes." Diane said. 

"That's the girl that I told you about.  She's the crazy bitch who showed up at the apartment.    I know she has something to do with this accident he was in.  I just know it" I replied.

Diane grabbed his medical chart and started flipping through it, "she definitely had something to do with it. The only person to contact is Jessica.  Girl we gotta go by his house and find his family. "

"I don't know his address,  I don't know how to get ahold of anyone in his family." I said in a panic.

The rest if the day was a blur. I stopped by to see Bruno on my lunch break but he was sleeping.  The nurses moved him to another room and changed his name on the status board so Jessica couldn't find him.   Since she wasn't his medical POA and he was able to make decisions for himself she would no longer have access to him or his whereabouts.   

That evening Jen drove Diane and I all over Studio City looking to his house.  "Shit! I knew I should have paid attention to the route we took when I went to his house.   Ugh!" I growled.

"What about his studio.   It's by our apartment. " Diane reminded me.

"Oh yeah.  Oh my god how did I not think of that." I replied.

We drove to the Creed Co. and caught Phil and Eric walking out. 

"Hey guys...so glad we found you." I said trying to catch my breath from running across the parking lot.  "Have you seen my bro?" Eric asked.   "Yes, he's in the hospital. I don't know the details but he's there. Jessica was with him this morning.   Bruno is confidential so he won't show up in the system if anyone calls or goes looking for him." I explained.   "THE HOSPITAL?! What the hell happened to him?  Oh Shit Jessica....I..I...I knew she would do something crazy if he left her.  Come on I gotta see my brother." Eric said with a terrified look on his face.