Purgatory

Chapter 40

Three days passed before we were escorted from the secured sector of Brighton Medical.  The world outside the heavily locked doorways seemed far more bright and inviting.  Freedom was so close at hand I could barely contain my excitement, and as I looked to my friends I could see their brilliant smiles across their faces.  We’d gone through so much, and it was about time we got something of worth from it all.

Our families stood in a waiting room two floors below anxiously.  We passed by a row of windows before entering the room, and time seemed to pass ever so slowly as my heart raced.  My eyes locked with my mothers, and before I could get too far into the waiting room her arms were wrapped around me in a tight and loving embrace.  She sobbed into the sleeve of my shirt, her mascara staining it slightly with a black smudge.  My father’s eyes glistened with tears as well, but he held them back as best he could before bringing me into a hug.  I tried my best to prevent my own tears from falling, but the immense joy I felt was overwhelming.

While in my father’s arms I looked at my friends and their interactions with their own loved ones.  Alice was reunited with her fiancé, and bother her parents and future in-laws were present to welcome her.  Curse’s parents doted upon their son lovingly, and like an embarrassed child, Curse laughed and blushed while shying from their coos.  Milea’s younger siblings gathered around her in excitement while her mother cried joyfully at her daughter’s return.  Daphine Carver held Jason in her lap as he talked to Johnathan casually, and he waved at me once he noticed I was looking over at him.

Once I let go of my father, I looked over at Cole who stood alone at the doorway.  He watched us all interact with our families for a moment longer before turning as the little girl was being carried out by her father.  Cole’s expression was ponderous and solemn, but not filled with complete sadness.  He looked as if he knew he wasn’t going to meet with anyone in this waiting room.  I had to remind myself that he’d been within Purgatory for five years, and a lot could happen within that allotted time.  It was quite disheartening to see him so alone and willing to be that way.  With a small nod to himself he exited the room, and I turned to my parents quickly.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I said to them, though I did not wait for them to respond.  Even though I had upgraded to crutches, my pace was still quite slow to the usual stride.  I had to call for Cole down the hall to ensure I could catch up with him, and he turned at the sound of my voice.

“Is everything alright?” he asked me.

“I want you to meet my parents,” I said to him, and he smiled at me with a curious stare.

“Alright,” he said softly.  We walked back to the waiting room where I introduced him to my family cordially.  My mother looked at me with wide eyes and a keen expression before shaking Cole’s hand, and my immediate reaction was to roll my eyes.  But I laughed at it all, knowing she meant well and always had.  I could see that now more than ever before with the way she interacted with Cole.  Her questions were never meant to scare anyone away, but to get to know them better to make sure that person was good.

I was thankful to find that my mother never asked about the six months of my absence.  I didn’t want to lie to her even though I knew I could sell a lie well.  Since she saw that Cole did not have family present for his return, she and my father invited him into our town house in the city.  Our guest bedroom was his until he managed to get a job and pay for his own place.

During our domesticated life I was thankful to have Cole so close during my acclimation.  While I saw the others quite frequently, it was still nice to have his presence within my home.  Nights were strange now, especially with the absence of plugging into a system to sleep.  Cole and I shared countless hours together during the day and often went job hunting together.  I wasn’t certain if I was ready to go back to school again to earn a degree.