𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ━ shawn hunter¹

16│RESURRECTION

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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʀᴇsᴜʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ꒱　


❝ THEY ARE FAMILY ❞

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The next day, Juliet went back to the hospital to be there for Cory as much as she knew she wasn't who he wanted. She sat quietly in her chair with a book open on her lap, though she wasn't reading the words. Cory and Topanga sat next to each other and the boy's leg bounced nervously despite his confident words: "you know, I think everything's going to be okay."

"I hope so."

"What do you mean, you hope so? You think something bad is gonna happen?"

"Something bad has already happened," his fiancée replied.

"I know. I just. . . I want you to make everything better."

"How do I do that?"

"Just be here with me," Cory said softly. He placed a hand over his heart.

"I'm sitting right next to you," Topanga pointed out.

"I know, but I don't feel like you are. I want us to be Cory and Topanga again because then everything is okay. Here." He offered her his palm.

"How does holding your hand make everything okay?"

"I just want us to be the way we used to be. Valentine's Day used to be such a big deal to you."

"What does Valentine's Day have to do with this?"

"And I was the one who didn't want to hold hands," Cory continued, "but. . . but you were the one who said that holding hands is like touching souls."

Topanga stared at him in astonishment. "How do you remember that? I said that years ago when I was a child."

"I remember everything you said because it was important to me. Why don't you say stuff like that anymore?"

"Cory, look around you. Do you recognize where you are?"

"Take my hand."

"We're in the hospital. This is real. The reality is that your little brother is back there fighting for his life."

"No," he disagreed with her. "Reality is this hand."

Finally, she took it but did not offer the words he was looking for: "I don't like it when you use us to hide from the rest of life, Cory."

". . .I don't like it that you're not Topanga anymore."

"What?"

🌎🌎🌎

"'Hey, Julie.'"

"Hi Shawnie."

Immediately, he frowned at her somber tone. "'What's wrong?'"

Juliet's eyes widened slightly, surprised that she'd been so obvious. "Um. . ." she began. She didn't want to start off their call on a such a sad note but she couldn't keep something like this from him. "It's Cory's little brother."

"'Little brother?'" he repeated. "'That means—'"

"Yeah. Mrs. Matthews had her baby. On Valentine's Day, actually. But. . ." she trailed off again and her voice dropped. "He's not doing well, Shawnie. They can't take him home yet."