Chapter Text
Vanessa never really considered herself a rule breaker , but she didn’t always follow them to a T. She knew there was a line and when to cross it. So when she considered playing the law for a stranger, she surprised herself.
Vanessa arrived at the hospital at half past noon. Her little sister Leah had just had a baby and she couldn’t wait to snuggle and love on her. She stopped in the gift shop, picked up some pink balloons, and headed towards the elevator. Standing and waiting for an elevator was a pretty blonde in a hospital robe.
“Going up?” Vanessa asked.
The blonde just shook her head, she seemed nervous.
“You good blondie? Ya seem outta sorts.”
“I-I’m good, I’m about to propose to my girlfriend. I’m headed down to the cafe.”
Vanessa thinks for a minute. That’s kind of strange. She’s going to propose to her girlfriend….in the hospital….wearing a hospital robe? Vanessa isn’t one to judge so she just murmurs a soft congratulations and then when the elevator arrives, she says good luck.
“Thanks,” the blonde smiles shyly.
What a shame, Vanessa thinks, she’s very pretty.
Brooke Lynn always was a rule follower. She never considered breaking the rules for anything. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Brooke was a complicated child, but not in the way most think. She was chronically ill and was in the hospital frequently. Her condition was complicated, and it involved a lot of procedures and at the time she didn’t understand. Now that she’s older she knows what it means, and it means a life of going job to job, maxing out credit cards, it means not having friends, and just not having a normal life. Oh, she wanted a normal life so bad. She never stayed at one job long enough to have friends because she was always missing work. She was always the “new girl”.
Now, Brooke was about to be kicked off her insurance policy, right when she was in need of a new heart.
“Oh, Leah, she’s so beautiful.” Vanessa smiled at her little sister, and her heart ached.
Her sister was 23, and she had the life that Vanessa probably would never have at 26. Doting spouse, and now perfect baby girl. Most of her friends were married as well. She can’t help but let her mind wander to the pretty girl standing outside of the elevator. She stood there in a hospital gown and she was going to get engaged today. That was love.
“Hi little Lola,” Vanessa whispered, “I’m Aunt Nessa, I’m gonna teach you curse words and buy your first case of beer.”
Vanessa sends a mischievous grin to her sister, who just shakes her head, too tired to do anything else. Vanessa bounces around the room, switching between soft whispers and coos to the newborn in her arms. She glances back to the bed where Leah was laying, head tilted to the side, eyes closed and her breathing even.
Good, Vanessa thought, she needs rest.
But as if it was on cue, Little Lola’s face scrunched up in the cutest way and she let out the loudest cry. Vanessa tried to bounce her and shush her with no success, and Leah woke with a start. She sat straight up in bed and instinctively started to pull her tank top strap down so she could feed her little girl.
“I’m sorry, sis, I tried to let you rest.”
“It’s fine, Ness.” Leah gave a tired smile as she took the baby from her sister and positioned her in her arms so she could latch, “hey you don’t have to stick around, Eathan will be here soon.”
“You sure? You can rest more?”
Leah shook her head, “nah I’m good, little power nap was all I needed.”
Vanessa nodded, kissed her baby sister on the top of the head, and grabbed her bag to leave.
Vanessa stepped off of the elevator in the main lobby and glanced to her left. The blonde from earlier sat in one of the armchairs looking distraught.
“Hey Blondie, how’d it go?”
The blonde looked up at Vanessa, eyes red, and wiped away a tear, “she said no.”
Vanessa’s heart hurt for the poor girl with sad eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Vanessa sat down in the chair next to the girl.
“It’s okay. I loved her but it wasn’t exactly innocent intentions.”
Vanessa raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“It’s a long story.”
“Well I got time, wanna go get somethin’ to eat?”
The girl gave a shy smile and nodded, “yeah let’s go.”
Brooke’s not sure what it was about the brunette that made her want to tell her what was going on, but she did it anyway. She sat at the table, fruit bowl in front of her, while the brunette looked at her with big brown doe eyes.
“So what’s the tea, Mary?” the girl said.
Brooke laughed, “My name is Brooke Lynn.”
“Brooke Lynn. Brooke Lynn.” Vanessa said it a few times and Brooke liked the way that it sounded.
“I’m Vanessa.” Vanessa smiled, “well Miss Brooke Lynn, what happened with ya woman?”
Brooke looked down at the table, “she knew I was only proposing to her because I need insurance coverage.”
“Oh,” Vanessa wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“I have a bad heart, and I’ve been really ill over the years. Turns out when you’re in and out of the hospital, it’s difficult for employers to keep you, you know, employed.” Brooke Lynn’s voice was sour, “no job, no family, no friends. That’s my life.”
Vanessa felt bad for her.
“Anyways, I have a couple procedures coming up soon and to be quite honest, I’m not sure how I’m going to make it work.”
Vanessa’s brain ran a hundred miles per minute until it abruptly stopped and one idea popped up.
I have really good insurance.
She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She didn’t want to seem weird.
“What type of surgery do you need to have?”
“I have to have a mass removed from my kidney.” Brooke said quietly.
“Will you die if you don’t?”
“Eventually, yeah. I’m being discharged this afternoon unless I come up with a solution.”
They finished their lunch in silence, Vanessa really not knowing what to say. When they went to depart, Vanessa grabbed a napkin and wrote her number down.
“You know, in case you need a friend.”
Brooke smiled and accepted it. Immediately she sent Vanessa a text so the other girl had her number, and they went separate ways.
Vanessa laid in bed that night thinking of Brooke. She thought of how much time the other girl had, and it made her sad. The Healthcare system sucks, and poor Brooke Lynn was going to get the short end of the stick. Vanessa sat up straight in bed as a thought from earlier popped back to her head. She works for a law firm and she makes good money and she has amazing insurance. What if she married Brooke? Then she can put her on her policy and the other girl could get the procedures she needed.
Vanessa grabbed her phone and dialed Brooke's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey Brooke Lynn, it's Vanessa. From the hospital. Remember me?"
Brooke laughed, "yes I remember. Not too many pretty girls give me their numbers when I'm wearing a hospital robe and slipper socks."
Vanessa laughed too, and she felt her cheeks heat up.
"I had an idea," Vanessa started, "what if I marry you?"
There was silence on the other end as Brooke digested what Vanessa said.
"Vanessa, I- I can't ask you to do that."
"You ain't askin me, mami, I'm offerin. I make good money, and I have good insurance. It wouldn't even need to be anythin more than a piece of paper."
Brooke wanted to say yes, she wanted her surgery, and she wanted to be healthy.
So she said yes.