Breaking Through The Surface ✔

Chapter twenty-nine

I pull away just enough to look at Cohen's face, "You don't have to."

"I know. I want you to know about him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he nods seriously. "If there's going to be no secrets between us than you need to know about Cole."

"You can have secrets, Cohen. Like you said, I'm not entitled to know everything about you."

His grip around my waist tightens slightly, "But I want you to know everything."

My breath hitches, "Really?"

"Come on," he releases my waist and instead grips my hand. "You don't have to be home right away, do you?"

I shake my head, "I told Cooper where I was going so I should be fine for a while."

Pulling me out of his room, we run into Cally in the kitchen, "Where are you two going?"

"We're going to see Cole."

Cally's eyebrows rise in surprise before her gaze drops to our clasped hands. Shooting me a knowing smirk that looks eerily similar to the boy's next to me, she says, "I told you so, Sweetie."

Cohen looks between us, confused, "What?"

My cheeks flush and I tug at Cohen's hand, "It's nothing."

"You kids go on now before it gets late. I don't want you out all hours, Cohen."

Giving his mother one last suspicious look, he pulls me through the living room and out the front door.

The drive to the hospital is silent and filled with an anxious tension. Me, because I'm not sure what I'm about to walk into and Cohen, because... well I'm not sure why Cohen's anxious. Maybe it's because he's about to reveal one of his secrets to me that he's tried so hard to keep hidden. His grip on the steering wheel tightens every minute or so making his knuckles turn white.

It takes fifteen minutes to get to the hospital and we both jump out of the car quickly when he parks. The tension elevates some making me breathe a sigh of relief. Cohen leads me into the hospital, the smell of disinfectant and the clinical waiting room the same as the last time I was here and I follow him in silence all the way to Cole's room. The door is open wide with only a thin curtain blocking the view from inside. Cohen easily slips past the fabric and I follow him a bit more hesitantly.

The same boy as last time lies in the bed, IV's and monitors hook up to his skin, and it looks like he's asleep. His cheeks have a sallow look to them and his skin is pale. He almost reminds me of snow white minus the whole being a girl thing. He's so still and pale it seems as if he isn't even alive.

Glancing over at Cohen, I see him staring at the boy in the bed with pain filled eyes.

"Cohen?" I whisper afraid to break the silence.

"This is Cole," he begins quietly without looking at me. "He's my little brother."

I stay silent, unsure of what to say. Do I ask what happened to him or would that be insensitive?

I don't have to wait long as Cohen continues, "He's in a coma from a car accident a few months ago. He had a severe skull fracture and a collapsed lung. His broken arm and leg healed already, too."

"Why hasn't he woken up?"

He shrugs, "The doctors say it just takes time. His brain hasn't fully healed and he keeps having seizures."

"What happened?"

A rush of air leaves him and he looks down, "I was driving home from picking Cole up at a friend's house. Someone ran a red light and hit the passenger side where Cole was sitting. He got the brunt of the hit and I just got a concussion and some bruises. The scar on my chest that you asked about was from a piece of metal that cut me when the paramedics pulled me out of the car."

My hand covers my mouth as tears fill my eyes. Cohen has been through so much and he's still so strong. I now understand that the pained look in his eyes is from guilt. He has nothing to be guilty about. The driver who ran the red light is at fault. I tell him as much but he only shakes his head.

"If I had been paying more attention..."

"Things like that happen so quickly, Cohen. It isn't your fault."

He looks over at me, his eyes glistening, "What if he never wakes up?"

"You can't think like that."

"I can't help it."

Looking at the Cole, I notice the similarities, "He looks like you."

Cohen breathes a chuckle, "Everyone says that."

"It's true," I nudge his shoulder to lighten the mood. "How come no one talks about him at school?"

"Cole's fifteen and no one really associates us as brothers. I mean, people know but they don't really care. The accident happened just before school started so there wasn't much talk."

Reaching over I take his hand in mind, "Thank you for telling me."

"Thanks for listening," he squeezes my hand. "I should probably get you home before your family sends out a search party. I know how much they worry about you."

I sigh, "Yeah, probably."

Once we're back in the car, the tension that was previously nearly suffocating has disappeared. Cohen turns the radio on and pulls out of the hospital parking lot. I swallow hard as I feel the heat from his hand so close to mine on the middle seat. Our pinkies are millimetres away from each other.

Cohen clears his throat and I glance over to see him do the same to me.

"What?" I ask, wondering if there's something wrong.

He clears his throat once again and seems conflicted as he runs his fingers through his hair. Appearing to have made up his mind, he takes a deep breath, "Do you want to go out with me?"