We are One

Chapter 4

Grace-
As the doctor talks, I watch as Cole becomes distant. His eyes seem far away, lost in thought.
The psychiatrist seems to notice this and stops speaking.
"Cole?" He leans forward slightly, while Cole snaps his head around to face him.

"It's too early. He's not ready. You can't tell him about what happened." Cole's voice is deeper, colder. The switch is so immediate, so instant, that it shocks me into reality.
This isn't Cole.

"And whom am I speaking to now?" Dr. Hyde asks cautiously. All the pieces come together in this moment. He has split personality disorder. There are multiple people in his head. The man that saved me from a possible rape wasn't Cole at all.
"Dalton." It was supposed to be a question, however it came out as a statement. His eyes flick to me. Confusion crosses his face for a brief second before an easy smirk replaces it.
"Clever girl." He sits up slowly and reaches out his hand to touch my face. "You shouldn't be here." His smirk drops into a serious line. He lets his arm drop before he touches me.
"Dalton. How many are you?" Dr. Hyde asks.
"I will not say more until she leaves."

I feel slightly saddened by his words. He doesn't trust me.
"Cole wanted me to stay."
"Cole's not here is he?" He challenges.
I have no response. The doctor looks at me.
They're not giving me a choice.
"Fine. We will talk after." I say as I stand up and leave the room with an attitude.

Cole (Dalton)-
I don't like being stern. Especially with her. For some reason I feel like she wouldn't judge him for what he's done, but I'm not taking chances. He wasn't the one who did it anyway. Once the door shuts, I look back at the doctor.

"I'm not here to harm anyone if that's what you're worried about. I'm here to protect him." Hyde sighs and leans back in his chair.
"I know his record. Or should I say, your record. The way you handle things isn't exactly suitable."
He rests his hands on his lap and watches me.
I feel my jaw clench in anger. This man knows nothing about what happened.

"I did what was necessary at the time."
"I am aware. You can not keep hiding his past from him, Dalton. He needs to heal. To learn to get past the trauma."

My anger hits its boiling point and I jump out of the bed and rip the IV out of my arm. Blood begins pouring out of the small hole in my vein, but I don't care. Heal? How can he ever think healing is possible after what we've gone through? The stress I've had to deal with keeping him locked away?

I close my eyes and ball my fists as I feel him fronting. I can not let him take over. His anger trumps my own, causing me to become angrier.

The monitors begin beeping as I rip off the wires that connect me to the heart monitor.
"Do you not hear yourself? What I did saved his life! And you treat me like some kind of disease?! A problem to be fixed?!" I get in his face causing the blood to get on him. "Or perhaps I am a demon that needs to be exorcized to you." His face drains of color. He is afraid. "Well guess what, buddy. No amount of medications or antipsychotics is going to suppress me. I'm a part of Cole, and I will be protecting him until the day I fucking die!" I push myself away and begin walking out.
"Dalton!" His voice is still filled with fear. I turn back around, my arm still bleeding for some reason.
"Fuck you!"
With that, I storm out.

Grace-
The door flies open to reveal Cole (Dalton?) furiously walking out in just the hospital gown. Blood flows furiously from a gash in the crook of his arm. It pools on the floor below him.
"Dalton!" He turns when he hears my voice. His face is pale, as if he is going to pass out any second.
"What happened?"
Footsteps sound from the end of the hallway, catching his attention.
"Grace, whatever you do, don't tell him about us. He needs to come to terms with it on his own."

His words confuse me even more. I need more information.
"Us?" I watch as he squeezes his eyes shut in pain.
"There's four of us. Cole, Jaxon, Kane, and me. I'll tell you more later, but I'm loosing control." He winces as he holds his head. "Don't let Cole do anything stupid."