We are One

Chapter 14

Grace-
The nurse leads me to a private waiting room where Mrs. Greene already sits. She stands the moment she sees me.
"Grace! Where is Cole?"
"They took him to get a CT scan." I say as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Her shock confuses me.
"What happened to Cole?" She asks me quickly.
"Wait, they didn't tell you?"
"Phil was in a car accident. I texted Cole to meet me here. Grace, what happened?"
I stare at her unsure of what to say. That's why she had called Cole so many times. His dad was in a crash.

"It's a long story, but he got jumped when he left my house. He was going home to see what was going on." I have never seen so much fear and sadness in a person's eyes before. I rush over and sit next to her. She pulls me into a crushing hug.
"They're going to be alright." She whispers as she pulls away. I sure hope so.
~*~

Hours pass by and still no word about Cole. I have resulted to pacing back and forth. My phone goes off and I look at it. Liliana is calling me.
I take a deep breath before I answer.

"Hello?"
"Grace! Bryce just called me saying that I needed to get ahold of you. What's going on? I couldn't understand most of what he was saying, because he was totally freaking out." I look out at the nurse's area.
"Cole... Cole was jumped. Brendan tried to kill him." The tears that I've been holding back for the past hour finally begin to flow again.
"Holy fuck... Is he okay? I thought you and Cole were on bad terms."
"No, when he passed out that night he had tried to help you, but he was hammered and fell. He hit his head and knocked himself out. We made up. Honestly I don't know if he is. They sent him back for a CT scan and I haven't heard anything since."
"I'm coming up there. You're at St. Mary's, right?" I can hear her grabbing stuff through the phone.
"Yeah."
"I'll be there in ten." The line disconnects and I slowly take it away from my ear. I can't wait any longer. I need to find out about Cole. I turn to Mrs. Greene.

"I'm going to try and get some information. Do you need anything?" I ask her. She shakes her head.
"I'm fine, dear. Just let me know what they say." I nod as I leave the room. A nurse looks up as I approach the counter.
"What's going on? The doctor sent Cole back for a CT scan. It's been four hours." The nurse gives me a smile.
"What's the patient's last name?"
"Anderson." I say regaining my composure.
She types it in and looks over something. She looks back at me, her smile now looks faked.
"I'll have someone come give you an update."
Desperation rises within me.
"What is it? Just tell me! Is he okay?!"
"Ma'am, I'm afraid I have to let the doctor tell you his diagnosis."

I slam my hand on the counter as I walk away. I run my hand through my hair, frustrated as hell. Why can't they tell me anything? Is it really that bad? It can't be. It just can't. I make my way over to the vending machine and buy two waters. One for Mrs. Greene, and one for me. As I walk back towards the private waiting room, I spot Liliana come through the door. She sees me and runs over to me. She pulls me into a hug.

"Girl, what the fuck is going on? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not! I saw it happen! Brendan had a gun aimed at me. He was hitting Cole in the head and kicking him. He aimed the gun at Cole and if Cole hadn't moved, he would've been shot! Brendan fucking shot Kent!" It all comes rushing out of me. I begin crying so hard I can't breathe.

"Oh, honey... calm down it's okay. It's okay. I'm right here." I lead her back to the room as I attempt to control my breathing. I wipe my tears before I go in the room. I need to be strong for Mrs. Greene. She has it harder. She might loose her husband and her son tonight.

Finally, I walk in the room and hand her the bottle of water.
"Thank you sweetheart. Who's this?" She asks me referring to Liliana.
"She's my best friend." We both sit down in the stupid uncomfortable chairs.
"Let's just say, Cole has been very kind to me. I'm sorry he's in the hospital." Liliana takes Mrs. Greene's hand to comfort her. A doctor comes into the room and we all stand up.
"I have some information on Cole Anderson as well as Phil Greene. I must say, I have not been in a situation where two family members were in the hospital for two separate events at the same time. I am deeply sorry for the circumstances."
"What is the news?" Mrs. Greene asks him.
"Cole is in emergency surgery. He has some bleeding in his brain as well as some swelling."
The news hits me like the force of an E5 tornado. I find myself sitting down to steady myself.
"We caught it early, so he should recover. However Phil was not so lucky." I look to Mrs. Greene's face. She looks pale, as if she might pass out.