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Epilogue

CARA

Being back inside my body was a bittersweet thing. It meant I was finally free to be with the people I cared about.

But it was also a constant reminder of Bridgette. It might be creepy, but I would often see Bridgette whenever I looked in the mirror. I had spent months looking at my own face with her behind it. I had talked to her while looking at this face. For months, this body was Bridgette's.

Sometimes, I would cry over what happened. Quinn never tried to soothe me. He was just there to hold me and I was grateful for it.

I accepted things faster than anyone anticipated. Maybe they thought it was the nurse in me that helped, but honestly, it was the hope. I was still with so much hope.

Quinn's footsteps beside mine as we walked were a reminder that I would never be alone again. The hand holding mine was a reassurance that everything would be alright.

I opened the door and saw Scott. He lifted his eyes from the book he was reading and smiled at us. "Hey, guys. It's about time. Lorraine just left," he said as he stood up from the chair.

Quinn came forward and shook his hand. "How are things?" he asked.

"Great," Scott answered and I didn't hear the rest. I was already walking to the center of the room.

"Hi, Bridge," I greeted as I took her hand in mine. "You're not looking good despite your good vitals," I honestly said. "You're pale as a paper, your hair is lighter, and are those wrinkles? Oh, oh, not good," I added with a smile. If she was listening, she would surely be screaming in panic. "And your skin is dry. But don't worry. I brought lotions, scented of course. You'll love them."

"Hey, Bridge!" Quinn said, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Careful, man," Scott warned.

"By the way," Quinn continued, not hearing Scott. He took my hand in his as he looked at Bridgette's sleeping form. Last week, they had taken her off the ventilator and it was a success. She could now breathe on her own. "I already asked Cara to marry me. Fast? No, not really," Quinn added with a smile.

"Yes, of course, I said yes," I told Bridgette. "But the wedding's not happening until you wake up, okay? I can't walk down the aisle without a great wedding planner and a maid of honor."

"Of course, she's waking up," Scott said with more confidence. "Everyone believes she can make it."

I looked at Bridgette and squeezed her hand. I knew she would wake up. Her brain was healing well and the doctors believed that they could put her out of the induced coma sooner than expected.

As I stared at her, I couldn't help but wonder if everything that happened was all just a dream. Who would have thought that Bridgette was the one who would do the sacrifice thing? These past few weeks, I never tried to find out why it happened to us--why we switched. I didn't bother to really analyze how the girl in that bookstore knew a sacrifice would actually be the answer.

 And it really did work. But not just in a way Bridgette and I had hoped for.

Like Scott, I was confident everything would be alright. They better be because I know Bridgette was already itching to plan my wedding.

BRIDGETTE

Everything that happened after the accident I only learned from the stories people told me. And it was frustrating that I couldn't speak and ask my questions because I was in a freaking induced coma.

I could hear everyone. I didn't know when it started, but the only thing I remembered was that I just started to be conscious--well, inside my mind, that is. I wanted my body to just move and my eyes to open, but they wouldn't!