In Sickness and In Health

A Night Alone

Cole POV

Third January 2023, my first day back at work after a while off, I get up and notice that Lili is already up, I get up out of bed walk down to the  kitchen.

"Morning Handsome, sit down I've made breakfast," she says giving me a morning kiss.

"Morning," I mumble still half asleep taking a seat at the kitchen table.

She serves me up a full fried breakfast with a fried egg, pork sausages, baked beans and some crispy bacon and goes back up to counter and brings down two cups of coffee. We talk and eat, discussing my first day back at work and Lili's first full day of radiation. She seems to be dealing with it all well so far but I'm somewhat worried about it all. Lili always knows how to do a good fry up she cooks everything to perfection just the right level of grease and salt. I pick up a piece of bacon , it breaks over my tongue, perfectly crisp, perfectly salty. The flavour is like a bomb in my mouth, exploding in all the right ways.

After sitting and chatting Lili gets up as she has to be at the hospital for eight, I try and convince her that I can take the day off and go with her to the hospital but she tells me that she will be fine and not to worry as Chloe and her mom are visiting her today, I thank her for breakfast and tell her to take it easy. She laughs it off and tells me to relax and gives me another kiss to ease my nerves as I head out the door.

Snow has fallen all over the city. For the first time in years we didn't have a snowy Christmas until now. I watch each footprint sink into the crystalline snow as I walk along the sidewalk, it was one of those early winter mornings that reminded me of a feel good family Christmas movie despite it being January. The sky was a uniform grey and the snow fell in a fine mist dusting the street like icing sugar. The wind gusted in its undecided way along with the madness of people rushing to taxis everywhere to bring them to Bloomingdales and Macys' to begin the chaos of shopping the post-Christmas sales.

I get the subway to the studio and Nathan has just arrived.

"Heya Cole how was your Christmas? And how was New Years?" He asks.

"It was great Nathan, fairly hectic though spent it with both mine and Lili's family, we also had a few visitors over. Skeet and Rose with their gang came over and myself and Skeet showed his two eldest around NYU which was good to see, they've done up the Archaeology Department so it was interesting to check out the changes they've made since I've left. KJ and Katy were also over for New Years they stayed in Hilton up on Times Square even though Lili and I tried to convince them to stay with us as we have the room but it was great to catch up you know, how about you Nathan?" I say.

He tells me how he went back home to Michigan and spent the time with his mom and Henry and how its hard seeing his mother with a new man. Nathan's Dad died suddenly when he was in his junior year of high school so for a long time it was just him and his mom until she met Nathan's sort of step dad Henry two years ago, they are due to wed in next month back home.

Lili and I got an invite after his mom was very thankful after I gave him a full time job as she was always sceptical of Nathan studying photography as it can be a very competitive business. Unfortunately we had to decline as the wedding overlaps with our reunion with the Riverdale cast and crew but we will send them our best wishes and a present in the mail.

We begin setting up the studio when we hear  the phone ring, I pick it up it's Sarah her flight has been cancelled due the heavy snow and won't be in until tomorrow. I tell her its fine and not to worry as we won't need her until Friday. I put the phone down and Matt walks in,

"Hiya Matt, how are you ? How was your Christmas?" I ask calling him into the room.

"Em, great" he says gingerly.

"You okay Matt?" Nathan calls out.

Matt has always been the shyest out of us all but without a doubt he is the best photographer of us all. He really captures the real mind of models, he makes them feel at ease and relaxed as it can be daunting someone telling you to smile while holding a large contraption attached to a camera.

"Em well, Gabriel proposed." He says with caution.

"Man that's fantastic," I say throwing my arms around him and patting him on the back.

"How'd he do it, something romantic I imagine?" Nathan says teasing him.

"Not really, he just did asked me after Christmas dinner," He says finally opening up.

Nathan puts on the kettle and we all grab a seat and chat for a while as our first shoot isn't till eleven. Matt and Gabriel have been a couple longer than Lili and I have been together, I think it is about nine years this May and they are both perfect for one another. Matt is a small timid guy who is very reserved and responsible and it can be hard to pry some conversation out of him whereas Gabriel is a loud and bubbly guy who has a great heart and very level headed. He's a architect based in Brooklyn and seven years older than Matt but really a big child as he is an avid Star Wars fan and drags Matt to every convention there is of that has anything to do with the possibility of any past, current or future cast member being there.

We all wrap up our conversations and carrying on setting up the room for the shoot today. I'm nervous for today as its sort of a big day as we have been chosen to do the cover and have a feature piece for Adore Magazine which is exciting but nerve wrecking, we are doing the first part of the shoot right here in The Haven but tomorrow we are driving out to Long Island and doing the remainder in the wild outdoors.

Around seven o'clock after a very long day and every one has gone home my phone beeps it's Chloe, Lili's sister

Hi Cole, Chloe here.
Lili's radiation ended earlier and she nodded of about fifteen minutes ago . They're going to keep in her overnight just to keep an eye on her blood pressure as its a little higher than they would like. Try not to worry too much, my mom and I are going to stay with her, will keep you updated.
Chlo

I reply with a quick "thanks" and "perfect". I turn off the lights around the studio and close the door behind me. As I'm on the subway home I think how this will be the first of many nights alone...

Hey guys part 14 of the sequel hope you enjoyed it! DM me with any suggestions!
Lots of Love
L💗