Forever (Epilouge)

147

Colby's POV

"Shit!" I hissed as Cora seized in my arms. "I'm almost there!!" Cora's dad yelled frantically as he sped up.

I kept my eyes on the clock as I held Cora on her side. "Come on baby, come back to me." I mumbled as I brushed her hair from her face.

She seized for about two and a half minutes before she finally went limp in my arms. "You're okay...you're okay." I mumbled as she jerked every few seconds.

Cora's dad whipped into the parking lot and parked in front of the door to the emergency room. "Go! I'll meet you in there." He said as I slammed the door open.

I got out then pulled Cora's limp body into my arms. It was making me nervous that she was still unconscious after the seizure since she should have been awake by now.

I rushed in and ran to the desk with her in my arms. "We're here for Dr. Robinson..please help her." I begged as Cora jerked in my arms.

"Right this way." The nurse said as led me down the hallway. "Come on baby, wake up for me." I mumbled as Cora wimpered in my arms.

When we got to the room I laid her on the bed as her arms flopped to the side. "What's going on?" Dr. Robinson said as she came scurrying in. "She had a seizure about five minutes ago, she hasn't come back yet. Y-you have to h-help her." I begged as she started to assess her.

"We have to go run some tests. Wait here, Colby. I'm gonna help her." She said then looked at the nurse. "Order a CT pronto. We don't have much time." She said then wheeled Cora out of the room.

I felt my face twist as hysterics boiled in my chest. Everything was happening so fast that I didn't even know how to handle it.

She was fine yesterday.

I pulled my phone out and texted Cora's dad the room number so he could come back. I didn't want to be alone during this. He frantically came in a few minutes later and gave me a hug.

"She's gonna be okay. I know she will." Cora's dad said as I cried into his shoulder. "It's okay, Colby...it's okay." He whispered as he rubbed my back.

I hated that Cora couldn't just have peace. I hated that she was struggling. I hated that we didn't know what was going on.

I hated everything about this.

We waited for a little while before a nurse came in. "She's going into surgery." She said as my heart broke.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked as she frowned. "She had an aneurysm that burst. It's a pretty minor surgery, so she should be okay with little to no damage but it's been bleeding so there could be complications. We aren't sure yet." She said as I closed my eyes.

"She's gonna be okay. The surgeon that's working on her is amazing. She could do this surgery in her sleep." The nurse said as I nodded. "Thank you." I said then sat down in the chair that was next to where her bed would go.

"I guess I should update everyone." I mumbled then pulled my phone out as the nurse prepped some stuff and left. "Do you want me to do it?" Cora's dad asked as I shook my head. "I can do it." I said then dialed Corey's number.

"Hey man, what's going on?" He answered as I took a deep breath. "She had an aneurysm. She's in surgery right now." I mumbled as he gasped slightly. "I'm so sorry, man. She's gonna get through it." He said as I nodded. "Yeah, she will. She always does. She's gonna be pissed when she wakes up though." I said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, did you want us to come home early and bring the girls to the hospital?" Corey asked as I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I don't want to scare them." I said and combed my fingers through my hair.

"Is that daddy?" I heard Mia ask in the background. "Yeah, wanna talk to him?" Corey asked as my heart swelled slightly. "Yeah!" She said as Corey chuckled. "That okay with you, man?" He asked as I rubbed my chest. "Yeah put her on." I said and leaned back into my chair.

"Hi daddy!!" Mia yelled into the phone as a smile formed on my lips. "Hi princess, are you having fun?" I asked as she giggled. "Yeah! Is mommy feeling better? I miss you guys!" She said as I frowned.

"Mommy is gonna be better soon. She's sleeping right now." I said and picked at the hem of my shirt. "We miss you too." I said quietly as she giggled. "Are you gonna come back to swim with us?" She asked as I sighed. "No, sweetie. We are gonna be at home with Athena." I said as I stood up.

"Who's gonna tuck me in?" Mia asked as I paced the room. "Coco, Dede, Titi, or Jay will tuck you in. Mommy and I left them with kisses from both of us." I explained as she giggled. "Okay!! I have to go now daddy, we are going to go swimming in the pool." She said with a giggle as I smiled.

"Okay, princess. Can you do me a favor?" I asked quietly. "What is it?" She asked innocently as I chuckled. "Can you give sissy big hugs and kisses for mommy and I?" I asked as she giggled. "Yeah, SISSY!" She yelled then dropped the phone.

"Colby?" Corey asked as I chuckled. "Yeah I'm here." I said as I paced the room again. "Mia is attacking Olivia right now." He said with a laugh as I shook my head. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Mia could make any dark situation bright again.

She really was special.

"That's adorable. Thanks again for watching them for us." I said and ruffled my hair. "It's no biggie brother. I gotta go right now, but please keep us updated." He said as I nodded. "Will do, man." I said then hung up.

"How are you holding up?" Cora's dad asked as I sat down. "I'm alright. I know she's gonna make it through this. It's Cora we're talking about." I said as he grinned. "Yeah shes a fighter, that's for sure." He said as I chuckled.

"I just wish she could catch a break. She's been through so much." I mumbled as he frowned. "I know...one day she'll catch a break. I know she will." He said as the door opened.

"Colby..." Dr. Robinson said as my heart dropped. "How's she doing?" I asked as she smiled slightly at me. "She's doing great. They're almost done with the procedure. That's why I'm here and not in there." She said as I nodded.

"I want to explain the recovery process a little more." She said as she prepped the room for them to bring Cora in.

"She's gonna have to be here for four or five days. She won't be fully recovered for another 4 to 6 weeks. During those 4 to 6 weeks she may experience some short term memory loss, numbness in her limbs, she may not be able to speak sometimes. These are all short term problems though, they might not even happen though." She explained and Cora's dad and I listened intently.

"Do you know why this happened?" I asked as she sighed. "I think it's been building up for years from how big it was. The seizure yesterday probably caused it to rupture though." She explained as I nodded.

"She's gonna be okay. This is nothing compared to the last surgery she had." She encouraged as I nodded slowly.

"Any other questions?" Dr. Robinson asked as I shook my head. "Will she be able to eat when she wakes up? I know she's gonna want to eat something." Cora's dad said as I chuckled. "I'd give her a couple hours. We can't have her throwing up and possibly rupturing the clamp." She said as he nodded.

"We'll wheel her in soon. Until then, just hang tight." She said then walked out.

We waited in silence for a little while as I twisted my wedding ring. I hated that she wasn't in front of me right now. I hated that I couldn't hold her in my arms and tell her it would be alright. I hated that she was going to wake up scared.

I hated that she was going through this again.