Chapter 15
Coop was sitting on a barstool at Company sipping on his beer, thinking about his conversation with Frank earlier that morning. He had finally realized how he truly felt about Lizzie Spaulding. He loved her. That was the last thing he ever expected to happen, especially with Lizzie being the girl. He had hated her so bad at times, and then felt sorry for her at times. Then the little charade he had been putting on turned real. He really developed feelings for her and then fell in love with her. The moment he had fallen in love with her was pretty clear. It was the night when she had finally broke down in his arms and told him that she couldn't deal with her cancer alone. He had seen her vulnerability and had seen that she was not as tough and cold hearted as she looked and put on.
Coop sighed and took another drink out of his can, before getting up and running straight into his father.
" Whoa, Coop." Buzz said, taking a step back and looking at his son. " Are you okay?"
" Yeah, dad. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Coop said, trying to change his attitude.
" I am going to assume this is about Lizzie?" Buzz said, already able to read his son's mind.
" How is it that you always know when I am upset?" Coop said, finally agreeing that something was wrong.
" What is it, son? Did you two have another fight since this morning?" Buzz asked.
" No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if you could give me some much needed advice." Coop said.
" Name it, and I'll see what I can do." Buzz said.
" Well, this morning after Lizzie left and Frank chewed me out about Lizzie, I kind of made a big discovery about something." Coop said, about to reveal his feelings for Lizzie to his father.
" What would that be, Coop?" Buzz said, eager to hear his answer.
" I realized my true feelings for Lizzie, dad. I am in love with her. I, Henry COOPER Bradshaw love Lizzie SPAULDING. Can you believe this?" Coop said, emphasizing the last names.
" Actually yes, I can. I have known it for a very long time." Buzz replied.
" I really don't know how I let this happen. I swore I would never let it happen, but it did anyway. Now the real question is: What do I do about it? Do I tell her, or do I keep it to myself?" Coop asked his father.
" You are a man of honesty, Coop. I have never known you to live a lie or to lie to anyone about anything, so I know you are going to tell her regaurdless of what I say." Buzz said.
" Dad, this is different. It is much different than anything I have ever had to tell anyone before. I have never told any girl that I love them or let alone that I am in love with them. If she doesn't feel the same way, than I don't want to be left hanging, you know?" Coop said, not sure of what he was going to do.
" Look, Coop, You should definitely be honest with her. If you don't tell her how you feel, you will end up regretting it. I know I did." Buzz said, remembering something from his past.
" What do you mean?" Coop asked.
" Well your mother left town thinking I wasn't in love with her and that I still loved Nadine, but she was wrong. I loved her with all of my heart, but she didn't know that because I never told her. Then she came back a few months and she was pregnant with you. Then she died in the car accident before she knew how much I loved her." Buzz said, getting very sad.
" Wow, dad. I didn't know any of that." Coop said, shocked at the story.
" Well, now, I hope you understand what I mean when I say you need to be honest with Lizzie about your feelings." Buzz said, trying to get through to his son.
" Yeah, I do. Thanks dad. I gotta go talk to Lizzie now." Coop said, walking out of the restaurant and heading to the Spaulding mansion.
Alan Michael and Gus were still flying on the Spaulding jet on the quest to find Phillip and talk him into joining forces with them to take down Alan.
" Alan Michael, are you sure that Phillip is in Arizona?" Gus questioned his newfound brother.
Alan Michael looked up from the map he was reading. " Yes. I am positive. He is staying at the house that he, Beth, and Lizzie stayed at when they lived out there." Alan Michael answered.
Gus was weary that Phillip would agree. " Are you sure that Phillip will agree to the plan?" Gus asked.
" He wants revenge on Alan for everything. For shooting him in the first place, for making everyone believe he was dead, for hurting his children, for framing Harley, and for everything else he has ever done to him." Alan Michael responded.
" Well, then let's hope Phillip is in for the fight of his life." Gus said, sitting back preparing for the moment he would reunite with his believed dead brother.
Lizzie was walking into her bedroom after her long discussion with her grandfather. He had told her the same things he always said. The Coopers are evil, Coop will hurt you. The Coopers are our enemy. The same old bull he always said. He didn't know what he was talking about. She loved Coop, and he didn't know that and neither did Coop for that matter, but that was okay. She would never tell him she loved him unless he said it first which was a long shot.
Lizzie threw her purse down and walked over to her bed. She wasn't watching where she was going and she ran right into the post of her bed. She fell on her bed crying in pain.
" Ow!" Lizzie screamed, not really crying but in awful pain.
About that time had already climbed up the ladder to her window and was about to knock when he realized Lizzie wasn't acting like herself, so he just opened the window from the outside. Startled, Lizzie turned around.
" Coop? What are you doing here?" Lizzie asked surprised to see him.
" I came to tell you something. Lizzie, what happened to you?" he asked, shutting the window.
" I ran into my bedpost. Come here and look at the size of this bruise." Lizzie said, holding her arm.
" That must have been a hard hit, Lizzie." Coop said, looking at the large bruise on her arm.
" It was, but the bruise is definitely a symptom of Leukemia. Bruising easily is a big symptom of Leukemia" Lizzie explained.
"Look, Lizzie, I came over to see you so that I could tell you something very important." Coop said.
"Okay, what is it?" Lizzie asked, sitting back down on the bed.
Coop came over and sat down beside of her, and then he took her hands, preparing to tell her the biggest thing he had ever told anyone.
" Coop, are you okay? You are kind of scaring me." Lizzie asked, noticing that Coop was getting very nervous.
" Yeah, I'm fine. Lizzie, I have come to know you very well these past months and have grown to care about you a lot." Coop continued. " But there is one thing that you don't know quite yet." Coop said, letting out a huge sigh.
" What?" Lizzie asked, wondering what he was going to say.
" Lizzie, I don't really know how to tell you this, so I guess I will just say it." Coop replied. " Lizzie, I…" Coop was interrupted when Alex came rushing into the room.
Lizzie jumped up and walked over to her Aunt Alex.
" What's wrong" Lizzie asked.
" I should be asking you. Lizzie, what is he doing here and how did you get in here, Coop?" Alex asked.
" I climbed up the ladder to her window." Coop answered.
" Lizzie, if your grandfather knew he was up here…." Alex began.
" Aunt Alex, I don't care what he thinks." Lizzie said, making her point very clear.
" Look, Lizzie, I am not going to say anything because I want you to be happy. But you two had better be very careful." Alex said.
" We will. Thank you Aunt Alex." Lizzie said, hugging her aunt.
" Lizzie, what happened to your arm?" Alex asked, concerned for her nieces health.
" Um, Lizzie was helping out at Company a few nights ago and she ran into a table end. It's just now bruising." Coop lied, to protect Lizzie from having to make up one herself.
" Oh. Well, Lizzie maybe waitressing isn't your thing." Alex said. " Remember what I said, you two. Be careful."
Alex left the room and Lizzie shut the door behind her and locked it.
"Thank you so much." Lizzie said to Coop and walked over to him.
" No problem" Coop said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.
Alan Michael and Gus had walked into the old house that Phillip was living in. The butler had let them in and then led them over to the living room to wait for Phillip.
" Alan Michael? Gus?" Phillip's voice was heard walking into the room.
Gus looked up to see his brother and sure enough there he was and perfectly fine and very much alive.
" What are you two doing here?" Phillip asked.
" We came to proposition you." Alan Michael said.
Phillip sat down on the couch and prepared to listen to what his brothers had to say.
A few minutes later Phillip had been filled in on his brothers plan. He had been told everything that Alan had done and was still doing.
" Is that it?" Phillip asked, wanting to know if there was anything else.
" Well, Phillip, there is one thing you don't know. It doesn't really have anything to do with the plan, but it does have to do with your daughter, Lizzie." Gus said.
" What?" Phillip asked, hoping his daughter was doing okay with out him.
" Well, don't freak out now here, but she is kind of dating someone now. Someone you may not approve of." Gus said.
" Who?" Phillip asked, praying it wasn't someone he wouldn't like.
" Coop. You know, Harley's brother. Buzz's son with Jenna." Gus said, ready to hear the fireworks.
" Oh." Phillip said. " Is she happy?" Phillip asked.
" Yeah, Phillip. She is pretty much a disaster, no offense, but he loves her anyway." Gus said, surprised Phillip was so calm. " But Alan is not happy at all. He has threatened both of them so I think you need to come back and help us stop him from destroying everyone that you love." Gus said.
" Alan is threatening my daughter?" Phillip said, standing up and getting very angry.
" I'm afraid so" Gus said.
" Then let's do it. I am going to return to Springfield and us three are going to tear Alan to pieces. He won't know what hit him." Phillip said, shaking Gus and then Alan Michael's hands.
Spoilers for Chapter 16:
Phillip comes back to Springfield and his return is kept very secret.
Phillip spots Coop and Lizzie together and decides he is okay with them dating
Coop plans to tell Lizzie that he loves her again when they decide to go on a romantic getaway
Lizzie decides honesty is the best policy and wants to tell Coop she loves him, unaware he is planning to do the same thing
Alan Michael, Gus, and Phillip put together the first plan of action
Harley finds out Phillip is alive
Whitney