Thanks again for the reads/reviews. Here is chapter 44, enjoy!
Chapter 44
John looked at his former best friend with a stunned look. He tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. Cody and Eve went over to the door, curious as to who was there; their reaction was a bit different.
"GET OUT!" Cody yelled at Randy, shocking both John and Eve.
"Please, hear me out. Guys…."
"NO! You haven't been a part of Eve's life or your baby's! You don't get a second chance!" Cody screamed at the top of his lungs, forcefully pushing Randy and almost making the man trip. It took both John and Eve to hold the boy back but they didn't offer Randy to come inside.
Randy straightened himself out, looking at all three of his former friends and waited.
"What do you want Randy? We have somewhere to be." John replied.
"I….I wanted to come see you and make sure you're okay, that Eve's okay. Eve….are you….fine with the baby…and stuff?" The man asked reluctantly, glancing at Cody's angry face.
The woman stared at him, unsure of how to answer that question. After a few seconds, she kept it short and to the point.
"Yes, I'm fine. Tired but fine."
"That's…that's great. I'm happy for you." Randy shifted in his feet, hanging his head.
"And…John? How are you?"
John didn't get a chance to answer that question as Cody interrupted with another outburst.
"What the hell do you want Randy?! We're busy." The boy moved forward so he was in front of his two friends with his arms crossed.
"Listen, I know I've been a real dick and believe me I wish I could go back and change everything that I done but I've been thinking and well….I need you guys in my life. I realized that what I did was a huge mistake with all of you and I'm really, really sorry. Really, I am. Please…" The man was practically begging for forgiveness as he desperately watched for their reaction.
Although they had every right to be angry, Eve and John kinda felt sorry for him. Cody on the other hand wasn't giving in.
"Oh please! You're not sorry! You're never sorry! How can you do that to us? You treated us like crap and now you waltz in here like your some kind of martyr asking for forgiveness thinking everything will be okay?!"
"Cody…"
"SHUT UP! You lied to us…to me. I came to you for help and…and you threw me away like garbage. I had to run away from my friends. I had to tell….John all the embarrassing things that happened to me. And Eve…." Cody turned his head to the woman for one second before turning his attention back at Randy.
"….She took care of me. A complete stranger took care of me better than my own best friend! But you're not my friend. You never were. You don't deserve our friendship or anything else! You deserve to rot in HELL!"
Randy held back a breath, a look of heartache on his face from hearing Cody's harsh words.
"I'm….I'm sorry….ummmm….I wrote you guys each a letter. Phil to, I have it here." Randy reached into his jacket, pulling out four separate white sealed envelopes. He handed one to Eve, Cody and John.
"Where's Phil?"
John's jaw tightened.
"He's in the hospital. He was in an accident."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that…" Randy handed the envelope for Phil to John.
"Will you give this to him?"
John nodded, reaching out for the envelope.
Cody's anger wasn't subsiding and ripped his envelope several times, throwing the remains at Randy.
"I don't want a fucking letter from you! I don't want you in my life anymore! Go away! JUST GO!" The boy then stormed away, up the stairs and into his room. Eve showed a sympathetic look to Randy before going after Cody. John stood his ground looking at his former best friend.
"I'm really am sorry John. For everything…."
"Well, I don't know if I have the energy for this right now in my life. I do miss your company but…we need more time."
Randy nodded, hanging his head in shame. He turned around and walked back to his car. He opened the door to the driver's side and took one last look at John.
"I hope Phil gets better." Randy said before climbing into the car and driving back home. John watched the car getting smaller and smaller. He looked down at the envelopes in his hands before seeing the pieces that Cody ripped. He picked them up and went back upstairs.
He walked into Cody's room, seeing the boy on the bed with his head turned to the other side. Eve was sitting next to him, caressing his shoulder. She saw John walk in and made room for him to sit down next to her and Cody.
"Codes, why did you get so angry down there?" John asked.
The boy sniffled a bit but didn't face his friends to answer.
"Because…he was a meanie and rude and…and….AN ASSHOLE!"
Eve and John widened their eyes with that comment. The two looked at one another before Eve responded.
"Cody, I know you're upset, we all are but you gotta give the guy credit for coming up here and showing his face. He admitted what he did was wrong. Don't you think that's a good thing?"
"No."
The woman sighed, continuing to caress the boy's shoulder. The trio kept silent for a bit until John spoke up.
"Cody, I know it can be hard to forgive and forget….especially when you love them…."
The young boy blinked several times, turning his head slowly to face his friends.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Cody it's okay. Eve and I…we figured it out…we know about you two."
"You…you know?"
Eve went to squeeze his hand gently.
"Cody, it's okay."
The young man looked at his friends wide-eyed.
"But….you're not mad? You're not gonna kick me out or beat me?"
"Of course not. Why would we do that to you? We're friends." John said with reassurance.
"I lied to both you. Eve, I was with him when I knew he was with you. You should be angry! You guys should hate me!"
The woman took hold of the boy's shoulders.
"No. I'm not angry and we don't hate you. We just wished that you told us about it. You needed the support Cody and we're here for you. We'll always be here for you." Eve then gave the young man a soothing hug. Cody rested his head on her shoulder as he started to cry.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Cody exclaimed. John went over and hugged them both. They all stayed that way for a few more minutes until Cody's crying started to diminish.
"So now what? Is…everything okay between us?" The boy asked.
"Yeah. But if you have anything to tell us, please let us know. We won't hurt you Cody." Eve replied. The boy nodded his head, a small smile forming on his face.
John placed the remaining pieces of Cody's letter on the nightstand along with a roll of tape.
"I figure that when you're ready, you might want to read what Randy had to say to you."
Cody looked over seeing the letter on the nightstand before looking at John.
"Thank you John."
"So, do you still wanna go to the hospital? I mean it's okay if you don't want to."
"No, let's go. I wanna see my brother."
Eve and John both left the room, saying good-bye to Cody as they prepared themselves to see Phil's progress.
As soon as they left, Cody went over and reached for the letter, feeling the paper between his fingers. Biting his lip, he grabbed the tape and ripped off several pieces as he prepared himself to read what his former friend had to say.
The two arrived at the hospital 30 minutes later. They went over to the intensive care unit and went over to where Phil was stationed. John grabbed a chair and motioned for Eve to sit down while he grabbed one for himself. They looked at Phil with hope, praying that he would wake up and see them, but that didn't happen.
"Do you think he can hear us?" John asked.
"I don't know. I've read many articles that when a person is in a coma, they can hear what is around them but they can't react to any of it."
John kept on looking at the smaller man, placing his hand on top of Phil's.
"Hey Phil. If you can hear us….I just want you to know that we care for you and love you and hope that….you come back to us." The larger man's eyes started to water, holding in his breath as he watched for any sign of life. Eve came around and hugged the man briefly.
"John, I'm sure things will be fine. He will never leave us."
The two friends stayed beside Phil for a while longer until they heard one of the doctors come in.
"Doc any news?" Eve asked.
"No news. He's still the same, nothing has changed, although his state hasn't worsened. We will need to monitor his progress over the next couple of days. But if things don't improve….Evelyn, you will have to make a decision."
The woman nodded reluctantly. The doctor remained in the room, checking on the monitors and Phil's breathing before leaving to check on other patients.
They stayed with Phil for another hour, talking softly to one another. Eve looked at her phone to check the time.
"John, it's almost time for lunch. Do you want to come with me to the cafeteria?"
"Hmmmm…nah. I'm not that hungry. I just want to be close to Phil."
The woman didn't argue. Instead she nodded her head and promised him that she'll buy a sandwich for him when she got back before leaving the room.
John didn't move from his spot. He kept on looking at his former lover and wondered what he was thinking, if he was thinking at all.
Fifteen minutes later, he heard a familiar voice and smiled when he saw the person.
"Detective Calloway."
"John. How is everything?" The large man asked, walking over and taking a seat across from John.
"The same. Nothing has changed. Phil is still in a coma….not sure for how long….." The young man hung his head, not wanting to cry in front of the detective.
"Well, I'm sure everything will be fine. I can tell that Phil is a strong person plus he is lucky enough to have people that care for him deeply. He won't leave you guys."
That made the situation a little better for John but he still wasn't so sure. Wanting to change the subject, John asked about Mark and his family.
"I mean if you don't want to tell me that's okay. I'm just making conversation."
Mark smiled at John as he let out a long breath.
"Well, I was married but we got divorced a while ago. We're still good friends. She lives in Minneapolis with her boyfriend and his two kids."
"Oh, well that's nice you guys still get along. Did you have any kids with her?"
The Detective swallowed before answering.
"Yes, we did. He was in the army."
"Oh. So he's not in the army anymore?"
"No….not anymore."
"Does he live with you then?"
"No…he doesn't. He was stationed overseas the last I spoke with him."
John realized what Mark was trying to say. He nodded softly but didn't say anything to the other man. The two kept silent for a very long time; staring at Phil in the process. After about a few more minutes of awkwardness, John spoke again.
"You must be very proud of your son."
The large man turned his head around away from John. He breathed in several times mentally telling himself to not breakdown in front of someone else. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see John smiling down at him.
"Detective, it's okay if you want to cry. I'm here for you."
The larger man got up quickly, startling John.
"I'm sorry. We should be focusing on Phil. There's a reason why I came down here John. We're going to prosecute Big E and Ryan Reeves in the attempted death of Phil. But their lawyer wants to question him when he gets better."
"What? Why? Phil doesn't know them."
"I know. But I guess they want to show to people that it was AJ who planned the whole thing. Their lawyer wants to give the illusion that these men were set up."
"This is crazy! Phil can't be going to court. I won't allow it! When he wakes up, he's not testifying. I don't care what anyone says."
"Well I just wanted you to know John. Anyway, I should leave. I need to get back home and follow up on a few things. It was nice talking to you and I hope Phil pulls through." The man smiled. He opened the door and left the room leaving John alone again with Phil.
He went over to his friend and held his hand tightly.
"I'm not going to let you go. I'm staying right here. I love you. Can you hear me Phil? Please, give me a sign that you can hear me." John pleaded watching carefully for any hints. When nothing happened, he sunk back into his seat and cried.
Let me know what you guys/gals think so far. Thanks!
