A Girl Like Me

14. In Your Arms

[Recap: I peeked in the square window on the door and could just about make out a shoe on the floor. I thought that was unusual because Grandpa was very tidy and neat, and usually all of his shoes were stacked up on shelves in his bedroom.

I went around to the side window to get a better view of the hall. My blood went cold. It wasn't a stray shoe lying on the ground. It was two shoes, and they were on Grandpa's feet. And Grandpa was sprawled out on the carpet, eyes closed, skin ghostly pale.

"Cole!" I managed to choke out in a shaking voice. "Help!"]

The second that the shout for help left my lips, Cole came sprinting around the side of the house to me. "What is it Bianca, what's wrong?" He studied my face, wondering what was happening.

I couldn't speak, my mouth was dry and I could feel a sick dizziness creeping up on me. I pointed a trembling finger in the window at Grandpa. I opened my mouth to speak, and it came out as a scratched croak. "It's Grandpa...h-he's on the g-ground..." I managed to say, feeling numb. It was as if I was in some sort of twisted dream, it didn't feel real.

Cole pressed his face to the window immediately and I heard a tiny gasp as he realised that I was right. He looked at me in horror. "I'll call 911." Cole fumbled with his phone and started dialling the number. "Hello, yes? A man seems to be unconscious in his house...what? No. We can't get in. The address?" Cole glanced at me quickly for an answer.

"Number 3, Cliffside Road, Seapoint," I told him slowly and clearly. I was feeling a little better, now that we would have an ambulance on the way. But I couldn't stop worrying that I'd never get to talk to him again.

Cole repeated the address to the person on the phone and then hung up, running a hand through his dark hair. "Ambulance should be here soon. He said that we shouldn't try to break in or anything, just stay put. Do you know any of his neighbours?"

I shook my head. "Grandpa said they're all very rude and they don't bother with him at all."

Cole shrugged and walked over to me. He hugged me from behind and rested his head on my shoulder. "It'll be okay," he told me softly. "Everything will be okay."

I couldn't stop the tears sliding down my cheeks, but having Cole with me made it easier to handle. "I'm so glad you're here," I said, wiping away the teardrops. "I wouldn't be able to deal with it myself."

Cole turned me around in his arms so we were facing each other. He pressed his lips against my forehead softly, his strong arms making me feel secure. "What if he's dead?" I said, voicing the thought that had been worrying me.

I waited for Cole to say something reassuring, but he stayed silent. He pulled away from me and sighed deeply. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head. Finally he looked me in the eye and smiled sadly. "I hate to say it Bianca, but everyone has to pass away one day. If he's dead, well that's obviously a real disappointment, but it's God's way of telling him his time has come," he began, watching me carefully. "And if he's alive, well that's great and hopefully he'll have plenty more years to come in his life. But at the end of the day, whatever happens will happen."

I had to bite down hard on my lip to stop it from quivering, or else I would burst into tears. It resulted in my lip to start bleeding and for me to start crying because of it. "I'm sorry," said Cole. "That was insensitive of me."

I wanted to say that it was fine, and that it didn't hurt me at all, but I couldn't. There was an aching in my heart and I had to take deep breaths of fresh air to make the pain go away. "I'm sorry," he repeated. He tried to hug me again but I pushed him away slightly. I avoided making eye contact with him and paced up the road to see if the ambulance had arrived yet. It hadn't.