Ok so I lied... but seriously, this is going to be my last posting 'cause I really need to get some work done (...and stop procrastinating). Thanks for the reviews, and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter!
Cole looked hesitantly at the woman who sat next to him. Her shoulders were slumped, trembling with the tears that wracked through her body and she looked thinner than he remembered. Though she remained the stunningly beautiful woman that he had fallen in love with, the tiny lines that had slightly creased her forehead and the defeated look that enraptured her eyes bore the features of a woman that he did not know. Questions raced through his mind as he wondered who or what had made the strong and fiery spirit that he remembered dwindle away into this weak and helpless creature that rested beside him. What had made her run? It couldn't have been him. No. She had said that she had wanted to tell him about Paisley. Cole felt his heart skip a beat with the realization of what Phoebe had just told him moments before. He had a daughter. That beautiful child, who had a spirit comparable to her mother's, was his little girl. He was a daddy. While carefully wrapping an arm around the broken hearted woman next to him, he suddenly felt a protective instinct surge throughout his body. While drawing her petite figure closer into him and feeling her fragile fist cling to his shirt, Cole managed to choke, "Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to her. I'm going to fix this."
He absentmindedly stroked Phoebe's hair as he continued to think about how he had to protect his little girl and help the broken woman that lay trembling within his arms. In fact, he flinched in surprise upon hearing Phoebe voice quietly, "How, Cole? What's wrong with her? How come she thinks that man from the park is her father?"
"Maybe," Cole sputtered while clearing his throat. "Maybe she was just mistaken."
"I don't think so," Phoebe responded while sitting up and breaking their embrace. "She's never spoken about her father – she's never even had a single question about you. And I never told her anything, about you, or any other man that might have resembled a father figure. Until yesterday, she had never mentioned anything about even having a dad. What does it all mean?
It took a moment for Cole to respond. He looked down, attempting to hide the pain that he felt upon hearing that Phoebe, the woman that he loved and has been unable to stop thinking about since he met her, hadn't even told her – their daughter about him. Forgetting Phoebe's empathic abilities, he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when he felt a delicate hand gently cup his chin and direct his gaze into her own.
"Cole, look at me," Phoebe started as he raised his eyes and looked pleadingly into her own. "I've tried telling Paisley about you, but every time I even open my mouth, nothing ever comes out. Talking – even thinking about you still brings up too many painful memories that, no matter how hard I try, I can't ever forget. I thought that I was protecting her. I know how hard it is to grow up without being able to see or even talk to your dad, knowing that he's out there somewhere. I pretty much grew up without a father, and I wanted to spare Paisley from the pain that I know she would have felt... if only just for a little while."
Cole dropped his head again, not quite understanding what she meant. If he had known about Paisley, he would have been apart of her life for sure! Nobody could have stopped him from being there for her. Without looking at Phoebe, Cole asked halfheartedly, "Does this mean that you don't want me back in your life?"
"No!" Phoebe reacted before quickly correcting herself. "Well, I'm not sure. It all depends... but we can figure that all out later... together. Whatever happens though, doesn't mean that you can't be apart of her life. I mean, you are her father, and who am I to deny you of that opportunity?"
"Then what did you mean before?" Cole asked while shaking his head in confusion. "You said that you didn't want to hurt her by telling her that she has a father that she can't see."
"That's the way that it would have been if I hadn't come back," Phoebe clarified, now understanding Cole's anxiety.
"Why does that make any difference, Phoebe? And why were you gone, anyways?" Cole asked out of curiosity.
Phoebe sighed and looked at the ceiling in a silent plea, before looking back at Cole and saying, "Cole, it's such a long story – one that I actually just told to my sisters... and it wasn't easy. I know that I owe you an explanation, but... I really can't go through that again, not yet. Just trust me when I say that it was complicated and I needed to leave and disconnect myself from everyone that I knew... including yourself. I apologize deeply for that, because I know that you would have been a great dad. In fact, you will be a great father."
Cole was speechless. Was he just supposed to accept the horribly vague reason that she had just provided? One part of him was screaming 'NO!' – That he deserved more. But overpowering that feeling was his heart. Deep down inside, something was telling him to just simply trust her - that she'll eventually tell him all that he wants to know.
Not waiting for a response, Phoebe suddenly stood back up and took Cole's hand into her own, slowly guiding him to his own feet, while explaining, "There is something that I do need to tell you, but not here. The hallway isn't exactly the most private place, if you know what I mean."
Upon hearing the loud voices travel from the kitchen, Cole nodded in agreement and allowed Phoebe to guide him up the stairs and into her old room. Remarkably, nothing had moved or even changed from the state that she had left it in. Phoebe silently led him to the bed, where she carefully sat down and took his large hand into his own as he joined her. She turned to face him and started, "I know that this is really unfair... to do this to you already, but I have to. I can't tell my sisters – they'll be devastated, and... Well, things already are tough enough between us at the moment. But you deserve to know. Before I continue, however, I need you to tell me something. I need to know that no matter what, you'll be there for our daughter."
"Of course," Cole replied after finally finding his voice.
"That's what I hoped you'd say," Phoebe breathed in relief. "This is going to be hard to hear, but please be understanding and move past it quickly. We need to figure out what's wrong with Paisley. I... I just really need to share this with somebody, and my sisters absolutely cannot find out about this. Do you promise?"
"Yes, yes of course you can trust me," Cole said impatiently. "Just tell me what's wrong."
"I'm sick," Phoebe said without hesitation.
"What?" Cole responded worriedly.
"Just after Paisley was born, I was diagnosed with cancer," Phoebe continued, unable to look at the dumbfounded expression that had crossed his face. I have a small tumor in my neck that the doctors say is inoperable. But you don't need to worry - -"
"Don't need to worry?" Cole burst out angrily. "The woman that I love just tells me that she has cancer and you tell me not to worry! ...Are... are you... dying?"
"You said that you love me. Is that true?" Phoebe asked quietly.
"I've never stopped," Cole replied simply, but before he could say anything more, Phoebe captured his lips with her own, locking them together in a quick, but tender kiss.
"Neither have I," she replied quietly as a silent tear glided solemnly down her cheek.
Cole cupper her cheek gently with his hand and carefully wiped away her solitary tear with his thumb, embracing the moment. Not wanting to break it, but feeling that he had to, Cole finally said, "You never answered my question, Phoebe. Are you dying?"
"No," Phoebe replied with a slight smile. "Although the tumor is apparently inoperable, I was one of a few patients who were chosen to try this new miracle drug. All I have to do is take a tiny little pill each day, and I'm fine – well not quite fine, I guess. I won't exactly be cancer free, but it won't interfere with my life. It'll just be apart of me, unmoving, not even growing – just a little bump on the side of my neck."
This time it was Cole who leaned in and started the kiss. It wasn't long before both of them were so enchanted by one another, that they didn't even notice a swirl of familiar white lights appear directly in front of them. They only broke apart when an angry voice snapped them out of their trance, "Phoebe! What the hell do you think you're doing?"