Page 41 of Holding On to a Hero
The beep of the monitors told me I was back in the hospital. Shit. I knew how this was going to go. It was the same dream every time. I just had to wait it out.
I forced my eyes open. The harsh overhead lighting revealed the uncomfortable-looking guest chair where Ally usually sat. The nurses kept me on my side so I wouldn’t irritate the majority of my wounds. Oddly, the side I was laying on didn’t hurt, but my right shoulder was more painful than I remembered.
Even though I was expecting it, I still jerked when the door to the room opened. Stephanie Robinton came in and started shouting. But her words were different this time.
“You didn’t save Sarah, and you didn’t save Cole! You should have saved Cole!”
I recoiled in horror. Suddenly, Jason was standing next to Mrs. Robinton.
“Will, why didn’t you save Cole? You should have saved my Cole!”
“No!” I jerked awake but then gasped in pain. My right shoulder was strapped down and I was in agony.
“Will!” Ally’s voice. I managed to focus my gaze on her. She looked pretty rough. Worse than when I’d been in the hospital in Denver, in fact. She was lucky I was breathing too hard to mention it.
“Hold on! I’m going to call the nurse!” She fumbled with something on the bed. “Okay, they should be here soon. We can get you some pain meds.” Her hand smoothed back my hair.
“Ally,” I croaked. My throat was dry.
“Shh. Don’t try to talk. When the nurse gets here, they’ll let us know if you can have some water.”
I managed to rasp out, “Cole.”
“Oh. Sweetie, Cole’s alive. You saved him.”
“Thank god.” I let my eyes fall shut as I started to relax.
“But he’s in a coma.” My eyes flew open again. Ally was looking at me with pity. Like Cole wasn’t expected to make it.
“No.”
Then the nurse came and the pain vanished.
* * *
The monitors were still beeping. This time I could smell the hospital. Fuck. I opened my eyes. Jason was there.
“Why, Will? Why didn’t you save Cole?”
When I woke up for real, Ally was gone and in the visitor’s chair was a stranger. Late twenties maybe. Dark auburn hair. Stylish glasses with black frames. He was using both thumbs to type on his phone.
“Uh, hi?” My voice was stronger this time at least.
The stranger looked up, and then the resemblance to Jason was immediately apparent. Shorter and slimmer maybe, but the same eyes and mouth.
He smiled, looking relieved. “Will, hi, I’m Brian Shelton. It’s good to meet you in person.” He put the phone down and scooted the chair toward the bed.
“Let me give you some ice chips. Your sister said you should have them if you woke up.” He reached for a glass of ice on the table beside the bed.
“Wait. Cole. He’s in a coma? Where was he shot? What’s his prognosis?”
Brian stilled, glass of ice in one hand, spoon in the other. He looked at me with a serious expression.
“I will tell you everything, because Jason asked me to. I objected but he insisted. You have to promise you won’t tell anyone else.”What the hell? Is this because of the press?
“Okay, yeah, yeah. I won’t tell anyone. What’s wrong with him?” Just tell me, dammit!
“Here, eat these ice chips while I tell you.” He spooned some ice chips into my mouth while I glared at him to hurry the fuck up and tell me.
