Chapter 12
Cole squinted, driving home into the orange maroon sunset. He felt guilty, that his mind was on Phoebe. He wanted to see her again, and hear her voice. He wanted to feel her soft skin on his. He could still see the moon light reflecting off of her wet skin at the pond.
Cole didn't even stop to eat, he just kept driving till he got home.
Cole drove slowly by Phoebe's house. It looked as if no one was home. The lights were out and there was no sign of anyone. Cole continued, and pulled up to his house.
It was hard to make himself go inside, but he did.
He walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water to his soaking tub. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He unzipped his jeans and tossed them in a heap by the shirt.
"Where are they? Maybe they are out of town?" Cole thought, as he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the kitchen.
He grabbed a cold Bud out of the fridge, and pressed it against the back of his neck. He sighed heavily, feeling the cold glass melt into his skin. He turned on the music, in the wall mount. Leonard Cohen was playing A Thousand Kisses Deep.
He walked back into the bathroom, and stepped into the tub. He finally turned off the water and sunk down, sipping his beer.
Cole ran his fingers through his hair, wetting it down. Then he lifted one leg out to hang over the side of the large soaking tub. He also hung his arms over both sides and sunk into the water, in full relaxation.
The deep voice of Leonard, played in the back ground, and Cole closed his eyes, only to see Phoebe running through his mind in slow motion.
Suddenly there was a knock at his front door. Cole jumped, he was in the state between consciousness. The water splashed as he jumped out of the tub scrambling for a towel.
Cole hurried to the door holding a towel around his waist, in hopes Phoebe was on the other side.
Cole opened the door "Hey" Cole said a little shocked to see a Neighbor from down the road.
"Hi, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your wife. The police were in the area asking questions and I guess they told one of the neighbors about it." The man said
"Oh, well I appreciate it" Cole said nodding to the guy, "You want a beer?" Cole said almost glad for company.
"Oh, no thanks, I can see you're busy" The guy snickered at Cole's towel.
"Oh, yeah, sorry you got me out of the tub" Cole said feeling a little awkward. He almost forgot he didn't have any clothes on, "I am glad you came by, I just got back in town, I have been gone" Cole finished.
"Well then you didn't hear about the couple up the road then?" The guy said
Cole felt the blood rush out of his head. "No…what?" He asked
"It was awful…Fred McCloud, the neighbor behind them, heard the woman screaming, so he ran to where she was…"
Cole felt the cold sweat beading up all over his body. His heart was pounding out of his chest.
"He found them in the field on the ground. I guess it was a bad tractor accident. The Guy died with in minutes, and the woman…"
"Was she hurt?" Cole stuttered He couldn't even swallow.
"No, not physically, by I guess she suffered a bad breakdown…"
"Were is she?" Cole interrupted, feeling like he got a bullet in the chest.
"I guess she is in a hospital" The guy said noticing Cole's strange behavior, "Hey man, are you alright?"
"No, no I have to know where she is? Do You know?' Cole asked abruptly.
"No, well, Fred might know?"
"I have to get to her…she's….I just need to find her" Cole rambled.
"I'll try to help you man, I'll ask Fred, and get back to you"
"Thanks, it is important." Cole said as the guy walked away.
Cole didn't know what to think of it all, he paced around his house for a while and tried to clear his head. He only could think of Phoebe, and her needing him.
Cole studied the street signs as he drove. He looked down at the instructions to the hospital that the neighbor gave him. It was hard to see through the rain on his windshield. He finally found the street and turned. He parked in the parking garage and ran to the elevator.
He hurried past the nurses in the hall and ran to the front desk.
"I need to find a Phoebe Hall…" Cole paused, " I guess I don't know her last name"
"Well, you must not be a relative then if you don't know her last name?" The woman nurse said.
"I used to…but I don't know her married name" Cole said frustrated raising his voice, "Please where is she?" Cole demanded.
"I have to check if there is a Phoebe registered here…one moment, " she lady clicked on her computer, "I see there is a Phoebe Stone…in room 101, follow me" She said getting out of her swivel chair.
The woman brought Cole to a room and Cole looked in the window to see Phoebe laying in bed asleep. She was hooked to monitors, and she looked so pitiful and small. Like a little girl. Cole felt a lump building and he cleared his throat.
"What did you say the relationship was between you?" The nurse asked looking at him.
"I love her" Cole said and walked in the door.
Cole walked up to her bed and touched Phoebe's face. He sat in the chair beside her and ran his fingers though her hair and cried.
"Phoebe can you hear me?" Cole asked in a choked voice, "I'm sorry I wasn't here" He said and laid his face in her hand.
Phoebe laid there in a deep sleep from all her medication. Cole kissed her wrist and put her hand to his cheek.
He crawled up and formed his body around Phoebe's and pulled her into his arms. He fell asleep holding her.
"Why did my daddy fight with Grammy and Papa?' Kate asked
"They didn't fight baby, they just miss your mommy like you do, and they are very sad" Cora said brushing Kate's hair.
"They were fighting…I know because mommy and daddy yelled like that when they fight" Kate said.
"Did your mommy and daddy fight a lot pumpkin?" Cora asked
"Yeah, Anna was asleep but I heard them."
"What did they fight about?"
"Well, I'm not suppose to tell you…but they fighted when mommy had a boyfriend"
Cora looked at her and stopped brushing her hair.
"When did your mommy have a boyfriend?" Cora asked very interested.
"When daddy picked us up at the restaurant, and took us to the different house"
Cora slowly sat the brush down and tried to absorb what Kate just told her.