The promise between us

Chapter 4: The news.

The morning was quite and the only sound was the bird outside chirping with the wonderful sound of bacon sizzling downstairs in the kitchen. It's scent floating up to Taylor's room where I've been sleeping for the past two weeks because I can't stop the nightmares I've been having.

I turn and look at the clock, 10:39 a.m.

After stretching talking myself into getting out of bed I throw on some pajama pants and I tank top before going into the kitchen. A plate staked high with fluffy pancakes sits steaming on the table, the bacon still on the pan and I can hear Mrs. Coy in the pantry humming a nonexistent song.

The ceiling creaks above me and I can hear Cody getting up and moving around up stairs.

Today was starting to be a good day, the kind of day you see in movies. But that's just it, this isn't a movie, this was the calm before the storm and right when we all sat down to eat, the lighting struck.

Ding. Doing.

"I'll get it, you stay here and eat you two." Mrs. Coy said while scooting back in her chair the same time I did.

Cody digs into his pancakes and I take a bite of my mine too, But I'm tuned into the conversation at the door. The voices are deep and it sounds like two or three men.

"I'll be right back." I say getting up and telling Cody to stay in the kitchen.

As I turn the corner I see two very tall men with Officers from the army. Their Deep voice rumbling in the air.

I walk closer and they both look at me with sad eyes. My breathing stops and my legs become wobbly as I stand next to Mrs. Coy who is already leaning against the wall with tears falling down her face and gut retching sobs coming out of her throat.

"Are you Miss. Krisa?" one turns to me and I look at him in a daze for a minute then nod.

"We are sorry to inform you about the death of Taylor Coy. He was a brave soul who died saving three other soldiers." he takes a step forward and hands me the folded flag sense Mrs. Coy is on the ground curled up into a ball.

"What's going on over here?" Cody says walking up behind me, then crutching down by his mother. He holds her in his arms but looks at the two men in the door way.

"Cody Coy, your brother spoke highly of you in the time I spent with him." The other man said who was quite until now, he looked at Cody and gave him a sympathetic smile before looking back to me, "He talked about you a lot too Krisa, There was never a day that went by without him saying how you would tease him about a stupid thing he did or said." His eye's water a little, but no tears fall.

I only stared at him and then my eye's traveled to the car where a man sat in the drivers seat looking at the scene before him. His sunglasses hiding his face, but something seemed familiar about him.

"This can't be happening." Cody stood up and whispered. "I don't believe you!!" He spat and then shoved them both as he stormed out the front door, making sure to kick the car's front tire then walking passed it to the hill in front of the house.

I looked down at Mrs. Coy who was still crying and her sobs make my heart shatter over and over again. Because it shattered the moment I saw these men standing here.

"How?" I say almost in a whisper, not trusting talking louder or I might break down too.

"What was that Miss?" the Man asks with a sad smile.

"How did it happen?" I say in the same low emotionless voice.

They look at each other for a moment and then one steps closer and puts a hand on my shoulder, "Taylor was out with a small group doing a mission when there was a bomb. He saw it first and pushed the other out of the way." he says softly as if he knew I might fall to the floor any minute.

Which I felt like doing, I felt like I was dead. That if I say his name I'll shatter to actual piece on the floor, that if I let myself think about this words I'll never open my eye's again.

"So he wasn't in pain?" I ask looking deep into his eye's and then over to the man next to him who is also looking at me. I glance to the driver who is also looking.

"He wasn't. he felt no pain." he squeezes my shoulder gently as if trying to reassure me.

"I need to go get Cody so he doesn't hurt himself, If you'll excuse me." My voice is so cold it raises goose bumps on my skin. I bend down and place the flag in Mrs. Coy's arms and she holds on to with white knuckles, as she begins to rocking back and forth.

I walk passed the two men and I can feel them watch me, but turn their attention back to Mrs. Coy.

One step after another I take towards the direction Cody went and I pass by the car, Out of the corner of my eye I see the driver watch me, I don't let any tears fall yet.

I need to be strong.

For Cody.

For Mrs. Coy.

I get to a tree on top of the hill in front of The Coy's house, Cody is on his knee's with his hands in his hair. He's bent over sobbing and pulling at his hair, asking why and how could he in his sobs.

"Cody." I whisper standing next to him, gently I place a hand on his sobbing shoulder.

He doesn't reply, but he slowly gets up and I know that he realizes his mom needs him right now.

"I won't tell you to stop crying, I wont tell you it gets better, I wont tell you that it doesn't hurt. But your mom needs you right now." I whisper in his ear as I pull him into a hug.

He doesn't return it, his arms just hang limp at his sides and to be honest I wish he hugged me back. I need it. I'm putting up a front, but its cracking around the edges already.

I let go of him and I turn walking back down the hill with Cody two steps behind me.

As we walk passed the car again I move my hair and pull it up away from my face, Mrs. Coy is going to need a shoulder to cry on and I'll be that. I need to prepare myself to be stronger.

I can't break now, even though I'm already broken beyond repair.

I need to hide it, for Ta.......

For his family, I need to be the strong one to pull them through it.

One man pulls Cody into a tight hug and Cody fights him for a minute, but then stops and lefts go, He cries harder and hits the guys back in frustration, in agony, in the lost of his brother.

The other man stands in front of me with open arms, but I just look at him and shake my head.

"No thank you, I'm sorry. I need to get to get to Ta.... Mrs. Coy." I say giving him a fake smile and he knows that its completely fake because my voice cracks when I about said his name.

I walk over to Mrs. Coy and hold her in my arms as she buries her face into my neck and lets out small sobs. Her hands tightly holding onto the flag as I rock both of us back and forth.

"Shhh." I coo to her over and over again. I glace up to see all three of the men, the two from the door and the driver looking at me. The two with watery eyes and the driver, I'm not sure sense I cant see his eyes, but his jaw is clenched and it looks like his hands are tight on the steering wheel.

Cody slumps to the ground and puts his head on his knees as he pulls them into his chest, he rocks back and forth just like his mother and me.

For a few more minutes the officers stand there looking at us, but then they turn to leave.

"We are sorry for you lose, we will be in touch." The man who touched my shoulder and tried to give me a hug says opening the cars back door.

I nod slightly and I watch them drive away.

Be strong.

Be strong.

I keep saying that in my head hoping that I can be enough to hold these two together.

Even if I fall apart, they need to try together.

A small tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away with the back of my hand.

I can't cry now.

Not until Cody and Mrs. Coy are ok and stable.