Bridging the Gap

chapter 8

Another 3 days passed, which Cole spent in his room.

And only in his room.

On the fourth day, Jay knocked on his door.

"Hey Buddy. It's me, Jay. Can I come in?", he asked.

No answer.

So Jay just came in, a bowl of cereals in his hands.

"Cole?"

Cole was under his blankets, like the other 3 days, plates and bowls piling up on his desk.

The ninja of lightning eyed them secretly- most of them are still having food on them, but Jay was glad to see that Cole had at least eaten a little bit.

He heard a sniff from under the blanket.

"How are you feeling?", Jay asked carefully, while opening the blinds and the window.

"Better", Cole said with a hoarse voice.

After they had met Lou in the city, Cole had gotten sick.

His throat was hurting, he couldn't keep in any solid food and he was just exhausted.

He called it the flu, but everyone knew that it was Cole's mental health alone that was causing these symptoms.

But if you would ask Cole - the flu, for suure.

Jay sighed.

"You need to get up buddy. It's sunny outside. What about a walk?"

"Pf, no thank you", Cole mumbled.

Jay pulled the blankets away, revealing a pale, shivering black ninja.

"Heyy", he complained, attempting to get his blankets back, but for once Jay was stronger.

"Nah uh"

"What nah uh?!", Cole was trying to sound mad, but in fact he just sounded tired.

"You need to get up! Come on, buddy. Don't rot away like this", he grabbed his arms and pulled him up.

"Go on"

"W-What?"

"Uhm... Oh, first... yeah, first you should take a shower", Jay decided and pulled Cole to his feet.

He looked horrible really. Stood shaky on his naked feet, his skin pale and bags und his eyes.

"Come on", Jay led him out of the room and down the floor into the bathroom.

"Good, now", he waved to the shower.

Cole sighed, but didn't complain.

He closed the door after him.

Once Cole was busy getting clean, Jay went back into his room and made sure it'll also get a make over.

He collected the dishes and brought them into the kitchen sink.

Then he made the bed.

As he shook out the blanket, something fell to the floor with a clatter.

As Jay turned around he saw, that it was a picture of Lily in a wooden frame.

Cole must have had it with him under the blankets.

A traced his finger over the glass.

Lily was facing the camera, her black hair falling in waves over her shoulders, a laugh on her face, that made her eyes sparkle.

In the background was a river and woods.

In her hands, she held a baby: Cole.

A knock on the door made Jay flinch.

It was the other ninja.

"So, you really convinced him to go out of bed?", Kai asked with respect in his voice.

Jay huffed and put the picture back on the desk.

Only now he noticed, that Baby Cole was looking at his mother, a wide grin on his lips, and even though it was just a picture, Jay swore he could see the love in his eyes.

"More or less. I dragged him out of bed and into the shower"

Lloyd sighed and sat down at Cole's desk chair.

"I could kill Lou", he mumbled.

"If only we could call him and talk to him - oh wait, we tried", Kai added sarcastically.

It was true. They had tried to call him. But it seemed like no one was home.

And Cole forbid them, to just drive through his front door.

A sound in the hallway made them look up.

It was Cole, his hair still wet, but atleast he was wearing clean jeans and a sweatshirt now.

He headed straight towards his bed, not even noticing his friends.

Jay stopped him.

"Woah, woah, woah. Where do you think you are going?"

Cole only now seemed to realize that all his friends were standing in his rooms.

He looked at them all individually, until he looked back at Jay and shrugged.

"Bed..", he mumbled.

"No."

"What 'no'?"

"Because-", Jay gestured wildy at Cole, who just raised an eyebrow and jumped into his ned anyway.

Jay pulled him by his foot and dragged him out in the same second.

"What do you want? All of you.. seriously what is it?", Cole asked tired.

"We are worried about you, buddy", the green ninja started carefully, still sitting in the chair, but now moving closer.

"Yeah. Is this all because of Lou, or..."

Cole flinched at Kai's words and so they had their answer.

Jay sat down next to him, gently rubbing his back.

"Listen, if Lou decides to be an Ass, ignoring our calls, ignoring his son's feelings and replacing his wife, ut's his problem. But it shouldn't be stopping you from living YOUR life"

Cole sniffed, then gave Jay and sarcastic smile. "Says the one with awesome parents!"

"Adoptive p-"

"Still! Or you-", he pointed to Lloyd, then Kai, then Nya, then Zane. "Don't even get me started! Your parents may left you at some point, but only because they were forced, and now....", Cole trailed off, seeing the hurt expression in his friends eyes.

Whether they were hurt, because it hurt them to see Cole like this, or because they were still hurting from what their parents did or had to do - turning evil, getting kidnapped, being forced to work for the evil, getting locked away - Cole didn't know.

What he did know, was that...

"..... now I am being unfair. Ugh, I am so sorry guys. It's just, it's-..... I don't know... I know that I never even gave Sabrina a fighting chance, maybe behind her Barbie doll attitude she is being a rather nice woman.

I just....I just... I.... It's not the fact he is replacing Mom with her, It's...

He...

He is... replacing me!

....

I....

... I just miss my dad", he said and the ninjas mouths fell open.

"You... what?"

"That's it?"

Cole nodded.

"We used to be best buddy... but now..."

"Did you... uhm... ever tell him that?", Zane asked.

Cole huffed.."No, I mean, what would he think?"

"That his only son misses him and wants to spend time with him. And only him?", Nya.

"If only it was that easy..."

"Sometimes it is", Jay said.

And then Cole's phone rang.