BRIDGETTE

He could just say he didn’t want to see me again. It would have been understandable enough.

I was mentally shooting daggers at him and if we were not inside a descending metal box, I would have already tackled him to the ground and drag him down the street.

“You’re not a nurse, right? You should leave your job,” he uttered once again.

My leg was ready to give him a kick right on the groin when I realized what his words meant. His gaze was no longer blank or cold. In fact, he was looking down at me with amusement that his lips sort of twitched as my eyes widened in surprise. “Scott, you believe--”

“Believe you? Yes, I guess, I do,” he finished for me without moving.

The elevator dinged. We both turned when the door started to slide open.

“We’re full,” Scott said to the nurse who was just about ready to walk in. He took a step and pushed the button and the doors closed. When we were alone once again, he turned to me. “But I’m telling you, it has been difficult.”

My mouth had fallen open and my eyes were suddenly filled with tears. He believed me! “But--”

“What do you mean ‘but’?” he asked with a frown. “You wanted me to believe you, right?”

Without second thoughts, I vigorously nodded my head, the tears falling down my face.

“So--“ he started to say but the ding came once again and the doors started to open. This time, I was the one pushing the button.

“We’re doing a maintenance check. Use the other one,” I told the female doctor.

“But--” she started to say but the doors closed on her.

“You were saying?” I asked Scott.

“So,” he said with an amused look as he took a step toward me. “How do you get back?”

I blinked. For a second I didn’t know what he meant. When my brain finally registered his message, I shrugged. “I don’t know. We don’t have any idea.” I looked at him with eagerness. “We met this weird girl in a weird bookstore and she told us how to get back to our own bodies but it required a vague sacrifice we cannot even figure out what it really means. We’re still as trapped as we were since the accident.” Fear had come surging right back. Yes, Scott had finally decided I was telling the truth. But that didn’t mean he was still willing to be with me. It didn’t mean that he believed I believe what I was saying, but that it might not actually be the case. For all I knew, he was thinking I was actually crazy and that he understood why I believed something unimaginable.

But the gaze he was fixing me was saying the opposite. I knew he still cared for me and that he might want to be with me. So why was I still afraid?

“Then I guess we’ll figure it out together,” he finally said after a while.

More tears rolled down my face. “Are you sure you’re ready for it?” I asked. “I mean I might be stuck in this body for a while and this is not me.”

“You are who you are inside,” he shrugged as he said it. “And you’re still the Cara--”

“Bridgette, please. I am Bridgette.”

“Sorry,” he cringed. “Bridgette.” He took the remaining steps toward me. “That will take a lot of getting used to,” he said as his head bent down to my face.

Just as when my dream to make out in an elevator was about to happen, the elevator gave its final ding. A small groan escaped my lips when I realized we reached the ground floor.

“Let’s go,” Scott said beside me. He took my hand and pulled me out of the elevator.

CARA

I was anxiously waiting for Bridgette to get back. I shouldn’t have let her go to the hospital alone. She might have come across Scott and to think that would happen was just unimaginable for me. I knew she was still hurting and heartbroken over what that stupid guy did.

Pacing around my apartment, I tapped on my phone to ask if she was alright. Five minutes later and there was still no reply from her. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I grabbed my bag and my keys and stormed to the door. If she needed backup, I should be there.

When I opened the door, I yelped in surprise because Quinn was all of a sudden in front of me, his fist in midair.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“You came,” I said with awe. “You came.”

He frowned. “You told me to settle things first. Well, they’re all settled and--”

I didn’t let him finish because I flew in his arms and kissed him. At first he was just plain surprise but he got over it and answered my kiss with as much tenderness and intensity as mine. His arms restlessly roamed around me and I was just about to pull him back inside the apartment when thoughts of Bridgette crossed my mind.

“What?” Quinn asked when I pulled away with a groan.

“Bridgette.”

“What about her?”

“I don’t know. She’s in the hospital and I think something is up. I have to get to her.”

“We.”

I frowned. “What?”

“We’ll get to her,” he uttered, grabbing my hand. “I’ll come with you.”

I stood on my toes and gave him another kiss. “Let’s go.”

“Why is she in the hospital? I thought you are always on the phone with her if she’s on a shift?” he asked as we walked to where he parked his car.

“She’s there to hand in my resignation.”

“You’re leaving your job?”

I threw him a glance. “We’re technically breaking the law, you know.”

He chuckled. “I have been tempted to point that out a long time ago.”

“Let’s just get to the hospital before she runs into Scott.”

“Why can’t she run into him?”

With a sigh, I said, “I guess I’ll have to fill you in with some details.”

BRIDGETTE

I couldn’t believe I was in his car. I just couldn’t believe it.

If I was dreaming, I didn’t want to wake up. It was so surreal I didn’t want to blink at all.

Everything in his car felt so familiar, yet it felt like a distant dream.

“Don’t you have work?” I asked as Scott guided his car out of the hospital and into the road.

“It was over five hours ago,” he stated.

I looked at him in shock. “What have you been doing in the last--” I stopped myself. “Don’t bother. You live in the hospital.”

His soft chuckle also sounded like a dream. Oh my God. Was this really true? “You know I spend most of my time in the hospital when I want to escape,” he finally uttered, throwing me a meaningful glance.

I swallowed. “Was it effective?”

He appeared to think of my question for a while before he shook his head. “When Jenny died, it was effective for quite some time.” He turned a corner. “In your case, it was different.”

“Scott, I’m sorry I lied to--”

“No, I understand,” he cut in. “It’s unimaginable. If I think of it in a doctor’s perspective--in any normal human’s perspective--I would suggest you consult a psychiatrist.” His lips twitched before he turned his head to give me a short glance. “But I also know that you’re as sane as me and that there must be an explanation for all this.”

I groaned and sank against the car seat. “I hate to disappoint you, but we haven’t found an explanation. If there was any, we would have found a way to swap back.”

“Swap…” he uttered. “I’ve heard you guys say that word for a few times. Quinn was the first to say it. He knows?”

I nodded my head. “I don’t know how he found out. I guess he was just too familiar with Cara and me. He had known us for years ten years ago and he just,” I snapped my fingers, “knew. We were the ones who tried to deny it but he was persistent. It was a different case with you.”

“So you guys have known each other for years.”

“Yes.”

“And you separated.”

I nodded.

“You said that you and,” he hesitated for a moment before he continued, “Cara--I’m telling you this is really weird,” he added with an awkward laugh.

“Get used to it because I will not allow you to call me with that name ever again.”

“Okay, Bridgette,” he stated my name with great awkwardness.

I smiled at him. “You’ll get used to it.”

He scoffed. “I sure hope I will because I will be around for the long haul.”

My sharp intake of breath was audible inside the car. The tears started pooling again.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out. “I thought you’ll be happy to know that I do believe you?”

“That’s why I’m crying! I know you believe me but I am still afraid! What if we don’t get back? What then? I want you to know me as Bridgette without this body. I want you to know me with me inside my own body and I tell you, Scott, you would love my body. I have bigger boobs and better legs!” I knew I was talking nonsense, but I couldn’t help myself.

Scott chuckled and guided his car to the side of the road. When it stopped, he turned his body toward me and took both of my hands. “I know you are beautiful,” he stated. “I’ve seen your body, remember? But I am not that shallow as to want you inside it. Just hearing you talk and knowing your mind is enough for me. That’s what matters. I learned to like who you are not because you have this body. And I love you enough to be willing to be around this crazy phenomenon you’re stuck in. I hope that’s enough for you as well,” he said, gently looking in my eyes.

I nodded as tears flowed down my cheeks. “It’s more than enough of what I was willing to accept. And I love you, too.”

He leaned over and kissed my lips. “Good to know.” When he finally leaned away, he said, “Back to the topic.”

I frowned. I was not sure what we were really talking about before my drama.

“You said that you and Cara separated and when you met, you fought. Can you tell me why?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have the day off,” he shrugged.

I sighed and closed my eyes. “I’ll tell you. First, let’s get something to eat.”

“Agree,” he nodded and pulled right back on the road.

CARA

“Relax, Cara, I’m trying to call her now,” Quinn said, reaching out to grab my hand and pull me to where he was sitting on the hood of his car. We were in the hospital parking lot. My car, the one Bridgette had been driving for the past few months, was still there. But where the hell was she?

“If something happened to her, this is my fault,” I uttered beside Quinn.

“Bridgette? Where the hell--what?” Quinn suddenly burst out beside me and I jumped back to my feet. I made an attempt to grab his phone but he turned away as he said, “Yes, I’m with Cara. What made you think I would not--what? Of course I settled things. Hey, I’m telling you everything’s okay now and--” He didn’t finish his sentence because I finally managed to snatch the phone from his hand.

“Bridge! Where the hell are you?”

“Cara? I was talking to Quinn. Put him right back.”

“You can talk to him later. Where the hell are you?”

“I’m with Scott. Why?”

Why? She sounded like it was the most natural thing in the world. Five days ago, she was a total zombie because of Scott and now, she was with him? “What? What are you doing with him?”

“It’s a long story,” she whispered.

When I finally heard the joy in her voice, my heart began to relax. “What happened?” I asked excitedly.

“I can’t really tell you. I’m with Scott, remember?”

“Okay. Just answer yes or no. You guys are cool now?”

“Yes,” and she said it with a little squeal.

“Oh God!” I said, jumping in the middle of the parking lot. “So you talked?”

“Yes and no.”

“You mean you are not done talking?”

“Yes.”

“He believes you?”

“Yes.”

“He’s staying?”

“Yes,” and another squeal followed.

“That’s enough for me. But you better tell him we still need to talk. It’s about time he talks to me.”

“I’m not sure about that, Cara.”

“Why the hell not?”

“What would you tell him?”

“I just want to talk to him.”

“Fine. Okay, I need to go now. We’re eating out.”

“You need it. You haven’t eaten anything good this week.”

“’Bye, Cara.”

“See you later.”

“Well?” Quinn asked with amusement when I finally handed his phone back to him. “It sounded like she was not angry at you. She was ready to burn me to the stakes a while ago.”

“It’s your fault. You took your precious time showing up.”

“Hey,” he said slowly, grabbing both my hands. He was still leaning against the hood of his car and he pulled me to him, his legs trapping my body. “It’s going to be worth it.”

“It better,” I told him before leaning over for a kiss.

***Next chapter, you will finally find out what happened 10 years ago! :)