Chapter 16: Renewing the Loss
The next morning it was a bit better, the tensions were still there but it was better than the previous night. After a long night of thinking, Phoebe decided it was best for Cole to stay in the penthouse for a while so he could make up the time he'd missed to Junior.
"Nothing can make up the all the time I'd missed." Cole thought, "Nothing now." However, he hoped to experience his boy's first date, first kiss, and all of the big events. Thinking restlessly while laying on the cold hardwood floor, he rolled over to his side and closed his eyes slowly, and dreamed of the wonderful past he had shared with Phoebe.
Pulling himself out of bed, Junior wobbled into the bathroom rubbing his eyes lazily.
In the kitchen Cole and Phoebe were sipping their coffee away.
"Why couldn't you just come back?" Phoebe softly asked, looking down at her almost empty mug of coffee.
"I told you why Phoebe." Cole replied, "I didn't want to cause you anymore pain and agony because me."
"Then why now?" Phoebe quizzed.
"Because of the demon that was coming after him." Cole said.
"We could have figured it out on our own."
"Do you think I would want to risk the chance of saving him in advance?"
"But, the demon got him anyway."
"Phoebe, I just wanted to protect him. I didn't mean for you or Junior to see me like that." Cole replied, with a pinch of sadness.
"So, you never did want to come back." Phoebe concluded, a bit hurt.
"Not like this."
Nodded weakly, she turned her head as Junior pushed the kitchen door opened and walked in, still in his pj's.
"Good-morning sleepyhead." Phoebe picked Junior up and sat him on the stool. "Ready for breakfast?"
Nodded his head, he looked up at Cole who was sitting on the opposite end of the stool.
"Will you be staying here tonight?" Junior asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I think so." Cole answered. "I hope so." He turned looked up at Phoebe who was stuffing the bacons in the microwave. "Is there anything I can do for you around the house while you're at work?" Cole offered.
"Already a house wife on your first day back on earth?" Phoebe joked, turning around with a mischievous smile.
"Well, I have to find something to keep me busy." Cole replied, smiling.
The joke between them had brought smiles on all of their faces before the microwave beeped and ruined the moment.
"Here you go baby." Phoebe settled the plate down, then kissed Junior's forehead. "Alright, Mommy got to go. Behave ok?"
"Why can't you stay you here with us?" Junior asked in a whiny tone.
"Because I have a deadline sweetheart." Phoebe said, grabbing her bag that was lying on the edge of the counter.
"Will you be home for lunch?" He continued.
"Uh, no honey." Phoebe answered, "Now give me a kiss."
Phoebe displayed her head right in front of Junior's and he kissed her cheek, then she kissed him back.
"Don't I get one too?" Cole asked, cocking his eyebrows and displayed his hands in front of him.
"If only you were 5." Phoebe said, and rubbed Cole's head then head for the living room. "There's money on the table if you want to go somewhere." She yelled lastly before shutting the door.
"So what do you want to do today?" Cole turned to Junior.
"Are you and Mommy going to get married?" Junior asked in the spur of the moment.
"What made you asked that?" Cole asked intriguingly.
"Because," Junior said.
"Because..." Cole gave him a nudge.
"Because I saw you and Mommy." Junior claimed, poking his food.
"What did you see?" Cole asked again.
"You and Mommy together."
"What were we doing?"
"Kissing a baby."
"A baby?"
"Um hum." He nodded and stuck a piece of bacon in his mouth.
"Were you there?"
"I didn't see."
"A baby." Cole thought to himself, and then looked back at Junior. "When did you see this?"
"Last night. It was in my dream." He replied before jumping down and head for his bedroom. "You and Mommy were happy. Not mad at each other."
"We're not mad at each other." Cole yelled following him into the living room before the door crept opened and entered Phoebe.
"Who's mad at each other?" Phoebe asked, "Sorry, forgot my laptop."
"Oh," Cole turned.
"So who's mad at each other?" She asked again while grabbing her laptop off of the table.
"Oh, Junior was just being silly." Cole lied.
"Oh," She said, looking at him suspiciously. "Ok, bye then."
"Bye." Cole said, looking at the door as it shut and stared at it.
Pressing his lips together, a frown crunched his forehead. The thought of another baby imprinted in his mind, wondering if it will ever be possible. His intention of coming back was never to get back with Phoebe, but somewhere in his mind he still hold high hope of returning to his family.
"Daddy," Junior called, interrupting Cole's thought. "Can we go to the amusement park?"
"It's not open, buddy." Cole replied. "We can go on the weekend if you want."
"Um..." Junior pursed his lips. "Nah."
"Why not?"
"Because we're supposed to go out and celebrate Mommy's birthday on Saturday."
"Oh that's right. Mommy's birthday." Cole recalled, smiling. It was just six years ago since he last celebrated her birthday. It was amazing, he had shimmered her into a deserted island off the coast of the Mediterranean, it was just her and him under the moonlit night watching a blanket of bright stars draping over the night sky, tinkling above them. The look in her eyes was just enough to make his day. She had this spectacular spark in her eyes that just enticed him. He'd never forgotten that night, they had made love under the stars and it'd felt like they were the only ones left on the planet.
Smiled to himself, he looked down at Junior and amazed himself by what he and she had created.
"Can you help me make Mommy a present?" Junior asked, staring up at Cole.
"Sure, buddy." Cole said picking him up. "What are you making?"
"A card with pictures." He said, "Are you going to buy anything for her?"
"Can I get in it with you?"
"Sure!" Junior answered excitedly. "It'll be fun." Then grabbed his father's hand and pull him into his bedroom.
The next morning it was a bit better, the tensions were still there but it was better than the previous night. After a long night of thinking, Phoebe decided it was best for Cole to stay in the penthouse for a while so he could make up the time he'd missed to Junior.
"Nothing can make up the all the time I'd missed." Cole thought, "Nothing now." However, he hoped to experience his boy's first date, first kiss, and all of the big events. Thinking restlessly while laying on the cold hardwood floor, he rolled over to his side and closed his eyes slowly, and dreamed of the wonderful past he had shared with Phoebe.
Pulling himself out of bed, Junior wobbled into the bathroom rubbing his eyes lazily.
In the kitchen Cole and Phoebe were sipping their coffee away.
"Why couldn't you just come back?" Phoebe softly asked, looking down at her almost empty mug of coffee.
"I told you why Phoebe." Cole replied, "I didn't want to cause you anymore pain and agony because me."
"Then why now?" Phoebe quizzed.
"Because of the demon that was coming after him." Cole said.
"We could have figured it out on our own."
"Do you think I would want to risk the chance of saving him in advance?"
"But, the demon got him anyway."
"Phoebe, I just wanted to protect him. I didn't mean for you or Junior to see me like that." Cole replied, with a pinch of sadness.
"So, you never did want to come back." Phoebe concluded, a bit hurt.
"Not like this."
Nodded weakly, she turned her head as Junior pushed the kitchen door opened and walked in, still in his pj's.
"Good-morning sleepyhead." Phoebe picked Junior up and sat him on the stool. "Ready for breakfast?"
Nodded his head, he looked up at Cole who was sitting on the opposite end of the stool.
"Will you be staying here tonight?" Junior asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I think so." Cole answered. "I hope so." He turned looked up at Phoebe who was stuffing the bacons in the microwave. "Is there anything I can do for you around the house while you're at work?" Cole offered.
"Already a house wife on your first day back on earth?" Phoebe joked, turning around with a mischievous smile.
"Well, I have to find something to keep me busy." Cole replied, smiling.
The joke between them had brought smiles on all of their faces before the microwave beeped and ruined the moment.
"Here you go baby." Phoebe settled the plate down, then kissed Junior's forehead. "Alright, Mommy got to go. Behave ok?"
"Why can't you stay you here with us?" Junior asked in a whiny tone.
"Because I have a deadline sweetheart." Phoebe said, grabbing her bag that was lying on the edge of the counter.
"Will you be home for lunch?" He continued.
"Uh, no honey." Phoebe answered, "Now give me a kiss."
Phoebe displayed her head right in front of Junior's and he kissed her cheek, then she kissed him back.
"Don't I get one too?" Cole asked, cocking his eyebrows and displayed his hands in front of him.
"If only you were 5." Phoebe said, and rubbed Cole's head then head for the living room. "There's money on the table if you want to go somewhere." She yelled lastly before shutting the door.
"So what do you want to do today?" Cole turned to Junior.
"Are you and Mommy going to get married?" Junior asked in the spur of the moment.
"What made you asked that?" Cole asked intriguingly.
"Because," Junior said.
"Because..." Cole gave him a nudge.
"Because I saw you and Mommy." Junior claimed, poking his food.
"What did you see?" Cole asked again.
"You and Mommy together."
"What were we doing?"
"Kissing a baby."
"A baby?"
"Um hum." He nodded and stuck a piece of bacon in his mouth.
"Were you there?"
"I didn't see."
"A baby." Cole thought to himself, and then looked back at Junior. "When did you see this?"
"Last night. It was in my dream." He replied before jumping down and head for his bedroom. "You and Mommy were happy. Not mad at each other."
"We're not mad at each other." Cole yelled following him into the living room before the door crept opened and entered Phoebe.
"Who's mad at each other?" Phoebe asked, "Sorry, forgot my laptop."
"Oh," Cole turned.
"So who's mad at each other?" She asked again while grabbing her laptop off of the table.
"Oh, Junior was just being silly." Cole lied.
"Oh," She said, looking at him suspiciously. "Ok, bye then."
"Bye." Cole said, looking at the door as it shut and stared at it.
Pressing his lips together, a frown crunched his forehead. The thought of another baby imprinted in his mind, wondering if it will ever be possible. His intention of coming back was never to get back with Phoebe, but somewhere in his mind he still hold high hope of returning to his family.
"Daddy," Junior called, interrupting Cole's thought. "Can we go to the amusement park?"
"It's not open, buddy." Cole replied. "We can go on the weekend if you want."
"Um..." Junior pursed his lips. "Nah."
"Why not?"
"Because we're supposed to go out and celebrate Mommy's birthday on Saturday."
"Oh that's right. Mommy's birthday." Cole recalled, smiling. It was just six years ago since he last celebrated her birthday. It was amazing, he had shimmered her into a deserted island off the coast of the Mediterranean, it was just her and him under the moonlit night watching a blanket of bright stars draping over the night sky, tinkling above them. The look in her eyes was just enough to make his day. She had this spectacular spark in her eyes that just enticed him. He'd never forgotten that night, they had made love under the stars and it'd felt like they were the only ones left on the planet.
Smiled to himself, he looked down at Junior and amazed himself by what he and she had created.
"Can you help me make Mommy a present?" Junior asked, staring up at Cole.
"Sure, buddy." Cole said picking him up. "What are you making?"
"A card with pictures." He said, "Are you going to buy anything for her?"
"Can I get in it with you?"
"Sure!" Junior answered excitedly. "It'll be fun." Then grabbed his father's hand and pull him into his bedroom.