Bridget’s father stood watching his daughter. It
had been nearly a month since Matthew’s death
and he’d seen a steady decline in his daughter’s
wish to be happy.
“ Bridget.”
“ Yes?” She asked, her voice void of any feeling.
“ You have to do more than just hide in your
garden.”
“ No I don’t.” Bridget said grabbing the tools and
heading back inside.
“ The garden isn’t the only thing that is living.”
“ Yes, yes it is.”
“ Bridget, Matthew is always going to be with you.”
“ Matthew is gone, he left me to be alone.” Bridget
said looking at her father. New tears filled her
eyes.
“ No Bridget he didn’t. He didn’t leave you to be
alone.”
“ I am alone daddy. He’s gone, he promised to
grow old with me.” She sobbed. Her father pulled
her into his arms and held her close, it had been
the first time she’d cried since the funeral.
“ I don’t want to be alone.”
“ You’re never alone Bridget. Remember that
Matthew is always with you.” He said looking into
her eyes. Bridget wasn’t sure if he was being
truthful or not but shook her head none the less.
She knew that she couldn’t stop living just
because Matthew wouldn’t want her to.
“ I’ll be fine daddy.” Bridget said.
“ I’ll be around tomorrow ok?”
“ Yes.” Bridget said heading back out into her
garden. She wasn’t sure why but something was
feeling different about her lately. It had been a
month since Matthew had died and she had been
feeling oddly, she thought it was depression that
had set in but now she wasn’t so sure.
Over the next few days she finally made her way
to the local doctor and found out a surprise that
even she hadn’t been expecting. She looked at
the doctor as if he’d said something stupid as he
reread her the test results.
“ Are you sure?’ She asked again.
“ Yes Bridget I am very sure.” He said looking at
her.
“ But it isn’t possible.”
“ Bridget it is possible. The two of you made love
the night before he went into the hospital. Maybe
this was the one thing he wanted you to have
once he was gone.” The doctor said as reason for
her current condition.
“ I don’t know but what am I going to do? I can’t
raise a child alone.”
“ You’ve got a family that will be more than
willing to help you with your child. But remember
this child is the one thing that you’ve got to
remember Matthew by. The one thing that will
bring joy to your broken heart.” He said. Bridget
had to admit that Matthew and her had talked
about children years before he’d gotten to sick to
think of children but she never expected that the
very first night they were together that they’d make
a child. Maybe this was his way of telling her how
much he truly loved her.
“ Yeah. Thank you.” She said shaking the doctors
hand. She waited and changed her cloths and
then headed towards her parents home. On the
car radio was playing Angels Among us. A smile
slowly spread across her face, she guess that was
so true these days. Maybe Matthew was still with
her in some ways. She touched her stomach and
pulled into her parent’s driveway. Her father sat on
the front steps speaking to one of the neighbors.
“ Hello Bridget.”
“ Hello Mr. McDowell.” Bridget said giving the
older man a hug. Bridget’s father noticed the
change in his daughters appearance and her
whole attitude.
“ What’s up?” He asked suspicious of her being
there.
“ I have news, I just came from the doctor.” She
said with a smile.
“ Come inside we have to tell your mother. She’ll
want to hear this.” He said taking her hand. “ I’ll
come over later Randy.”
“ All right. Good Luck Bridget.” He said leaving
them as they entered the house. Bridget smiled as
her mother rounded the corner. It was as if her
mother already knew as she hugged her child
close.
“ Is there something the two of you want to tell
me?” Her father asked.
“ I guess Matthew didn’t want me to be alone after
all.”
“ How so?”
“ I’m pregnant.” Bridget said with a smile. Her
mother hugged her again and looked towards her
husband.
“ A child?”
“ Yes father a child. I am going to be having
Matthew’s baby.” She said again, her father
hugged her, he knew that this meant that she’d
have someone around to love.
“ Then we will send Melissa to stay with you.”
“ Father I can handle things alone for now.”
“ I’d rather you did this for me.”
“
All right but just for a while.” Bridget said. It was
as if the gray clouds had cleared and her world
was looking up. Maybe she could move on, but
even with a baby on the way she wasn’t sure if she
was fully over Matthew’s death.