Until Cobi (Until Him 3)

Dr. Hofstadter, the man I saw die last night, was involved in a dozen or more sexual harassment complaints that had been swept under the rug for years. Instead of Hofstadter being reprimanded like he should have been, his family—who were on the board of directors—fired almost every nurse who made a complaint against him, to hide what was going on. This went on for years until he made advances toward Harmony, who set out to bring to light what was happening. That’s why he kidnapped her. From what the news said, he thought if she disappeared, so would the truth about what he was doing. No such luck.

Even from my bed, I can see what looks like ten news vans parked along the street with the satellites on top pointing at the sky. News anchors and cameramen are set up on the grass and sidewalks, stopping almost every person who walks out of the hospital. I have no idea how I’m going to get out of here without being questioned by the media, and I really do not want to be asked about a situation I know nothing about. For me, what happened to Harmony and me last night is a completely different story than the one that happened to her here at this hospital, but I don’t think the media cares about the semantics.

“Both women were shot at as they ran for their lives,” the anchorwoman says, and I quickly press mute as a shiver slides down my spine and fear fills the pit of my stomach. I do not need the reminder of what happened, of what could have happened.

“Knock, knock. Can we come in?” I look across the room at a man and woman I don’t know standing just outside my open door. The woman is pretty, with long dark hair, wearing a simple white tank, a long beige cardigan thrown over it, dark jeans, and boots that go up to her knees. I notice she’s holding a large bouquet of flowers and six or more Get Well Soon balloons tied to the vase with different colored ribbons. The man with her is scary hot, with a faux-hawk and tattoos covering almost every inch of his exposed skin. He’s also huge, his tight white shirt and jeans showing off that, even for an older gentleman, he takes care of his body.

“I think you have the wrong room,” I say, when the woman smiles and starts to come closer to my bed where I’m sitting.

“Are you Hadley?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Harmony’s mom Sophie. This guy is Nico, her dad.”

“Oh.” I look between the two of them once more. “Nice to meet you both.”

“You too.” Sophie sets down the flowers she’s holding on my bedside table. When her eyes come back to me, she starts to speak. “I just…. We just want to say thank you for what you did last night.”

Before I can reply, she grabs my upper arms and pulls me in for a hug.

“You’re welcome.” My words are muffled against her top, and I think I hear Nico chuckle.

“How are you feeling?” She leans back to look me over, and my throat starts to feel funny.

“I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? Cobi mentioned you were in a little pain.”

“Cobi?” Why is she mentioning Cobi? When I woke up and saw him asleep in the chair next to my bed, I thought I was imagining things. I didn’t know Cobi in school, but like every other girl, I knew of him. I was a freshman when he was a senior, and he was always the topic of conversation, since he was not only gorgeous, but also nice to everyone, got really good grades, and played football. He was the quarterback of the team three years in a row, and everyone thought he’d play ball in college then go pro one day, because he was that good. Instead of doing what everyone thought he’d do, he joined the military right after high school, and even after he was long gone, people still whispered about him. Some said he was a hotshot sharpshooter. Others said he was in the Special Forces. I don’t know if either of those things were true; what I do know is when I’m in the same room as him, my stomach feels like it’s going to come up the back of my throat and my mind stops working properly, making me act like a complete idiot.

“Harmony and Cobi are cousins,” Sophie says, not knowing my thoughts. “Cobi stopped by to check on Harmony on his way out. He told us you were still here, that you were in some pain, and to make sure you were looked after.”

“Oh.” I look between them. “The nurse gave me some Tylenol not long ago. I’m already feeling better.”

“Good,” Sophie replies softly.

“How is Harmony? I’ve asked about her a few times, but no one has given me any information.”