Absolution (The Protectors 1)

The encounter with Cole’s father had been an ugly one. Mostly because I hadn’t been content for Cole’s father to just agree to come to Chicago with me to see his son. I’d shown the man no mercy when I ripped into him for putting his grief and his need to drink above his own son. If he’d been drunk, I knew I never would have gotten through to him, but he’d been aware enough to hear my words and when I warned him that he stood a good chance of losing his son today, I’d gotten a glimpse of the man I knew Cole had idolized.

“I need to talk to the staff here and see if they can help him detox so he can be near Cole as much as possible while he recovers.”

Jonas tugged me to a stop. “He agreed to get sober?”

“He agreed to try,” I clarified. “I think it’s the most we can hope for.”

I got us moving again and when we got to Cole’s room, I was disappointed to see there’d been no change. My parents both stood as soon as we entered. Calling them had been one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, but I’d known that if I expected Jonas to find a way to get past the punishment he was inflicting upon himself for what had happened to Cole, I needed to do the same. And truthfully, I’d needed them. As much as I needed to be strong for Jonas if the worst happened, I needed them to be strong for me.

As soon as my dad had answered the phone and I told him who it was, he began crying and I heard him call my mother’s name. There’d been lots of shuffling of the phone as my dad put me on speaker, and then my mom had said my name and the familiar sound had washed over me, and I’d had to sit down in one of the waiting room chairs because my knees had gone weak. To my parents’ credit, they hadn’t asked a lot of questions when I said I needed them. They had just asked where and then they’d told me to hold on, that they were on their way. I hadn’t told them I was involved with two men but I’d figured they had probably come to that conclusion themselves by now considering I told them the man I loved had been shot and then a minute later they’d seen me kiss Jonas.

“There’s been no change,” my father said as he embraced me and gave me his seat. My mother enfolded Jonas in her arms and asked him if he was all right. Jonas hugged her back and I couldn’t help but think how right he looked there…he’d needed a mother for so long and he finally had one. My parents left us with the promise that they would be in the waiting room since there was a limit to how many people could be in Cole’s room at once.

Cole’s father had pulled his chair up as close to Cole’s head as he could get and was stroking his son’s hair. He kept repeating, “I’m here now,” every once in a while. I could see his hands shaking and I knew I would need to talk to the staff sooner rather than later, but I needed a moment to drink my fill of Cole. While he hadn’t necessarily improved since I’d left, he hadn’t gotten worse and the doctors had assured us that that was a good sign. I knew Cole was a fighter and I knew he had a lot to fight for. I just hoped it was enough.

I had my answer an hour later when Jonas shook me awake and I saw Cole’s eyes were open and looking straight at us.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I said to Cole as I helped him out of the car.

“How many more times are you going to ask me that?” Cole groused even as he leaned heavily against me until he got his balance. I helped him up onto the curb and Jonas immediately took his hand. I managed to close the car door without releasing my hold on Cole and I didn’t remove my arm as we began the short walk up the path.

“You can let go now, I’m good,” Cole said.

“I know you are,” I responded but I didn’t remove my arm. Cole shook his head and smiled.

In the four weeks since Cole had been released from the hospital, he’d gotten used to Jonas and me hovering over him. He’d complained about it at first but when he’d realized it was mine and Jonas’s way of making sure he was still really with us, he’d relented and let us mother him.