Time Heals

Saying Goodbye

Cole loved sleeping, but the night of the revolution he barely slept at all. It was well after one a.m. when his dad finally told him to go to bed, but he found he was too worked up to sleep. In just one night, everything he thought he knew about his life had changed. His mind was drowning in thoughts about his mother and everything else his dad had told him.

Cole Padden Anderson or Cole Anderson Padden, he debated, as he tossed and turned in his bed.

He knew nothing had actually changed, he was still the same person he was the day before, but there was something freeing about knowing the truth. Sure, he didn't have the 'normal' family he thought he did, but he had a mom who loved him and a dad who saved him from having to grow up with some skeevy asshole or in an orphanage somewhere. He never realized just how lucky he was. Even if he didn't have all that on his mind, he wouldn't have slept because he also couldn't stop thinking about Connor, and this new world that had to treat him like a person.

Wow, guess I'm finally getting a little brother, or is he a big brother, he thinks, staring up at the ceiling as the soft glow of the morning sun began to peek through his drawn blinds. Well, guess he just looks like a big brother. Oh, snap, I bet he can buy us the new Rampage game. We've got that passport that says he's like thirty-five. All we have to do is...hmmm, guess that's not a very good big brother thing to do, is it? He flops over onto his stomach and buries his face into his pillow. UGH, how do you even be a good big brother?

Usually, Cole would lie in bed until something forced him to get up. On that chilly November morning, that something was the sound of his dad and Connor talking in the living room. He tossed off his blankets and dashed off to join them. Cole was already drooling at the thought of what Connor might cook them for breakfast. Maybe he'd make those things, what were they called, where you make a super-thin pancake then fill it with fruit and whipped cream.

When he walked into the living room, he stopped short. His dad was still in his pajamas, but Connor had on the surgical scrubs he was wearing when he first arrived. The android was smiling, but his dad had a troubled look on his face.

"You sure there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" His dad asked meekly.

"What's going on," Cole blurted. The two of them jumped at his sudden question, not having seen him walk into the room.

"Hey, Bud. You're up early," Hank said, wrapping his arm around his shoulder, bringing him into a good morning hug. Cole gave his brother a quick up and down. His hair had been neatly combed back, and he was wearing his shoes.

"Where are you going," Cole asked. Looking at the android's getup he felt like he already knew the answer, and he didn't like it.

"I'm going to the hospital," Connor answered impassively.

Cole felt his heart drop into his stomach where it fizzled and made him nauseous.

"What? But-but why? You don't have to. Warren said you're people now."

"I know I don't have to. This is my choice."

"So what? You're just gonna leave us?" Cole shouted, "just like that! After everything that happened!" Of course it would turn out like this in the end. Now that the plastic jerk had the freedom to go anywhere he wanted, why would he stick around here with them ?

Connor did that goofy head tilting thing Cole had seen him do a few times before. He was starting to think that Connor didn't always get simple human emotion sometimes. Then again, it made sense why he'd be confused. Cole was set on tossing him out on his robo ass just last night, and now he wanted him to stay.