The Search for Will

Chapter 7

     Baron Arald asked one of the nurses to take Cole to the nursery in the Ward. Cole left almost immediately, eager to see Will. He felt just as excited as he was when he rode on horseback into Lucasville. He didn't pay attention to the stone corridors he was taken through, or the turns he rounded, walking behind the head nurse named Mistress Aggie. She had offered to hold his hand, but he declined. I suppose she's just used to hanging around little kids, Cole thought.

     The double doors opened and Mistress Aggie ushered him inside. She took him to a crib in the far corner, where another young nurse held a crying baby. Cole ran the five meters to him. "Will!" 

     The baby made no response to the name, but kept crying. "Can I hold him?" The nurse nodded, and handed the baby over. She had been informed of Will's brother earlier and saw no reason to keep the crying baby from his brother. Both nurses left to care for the other two children in the room.

     Cole held him tight. His mother had taught him how to hold a baby, and Cole knew they felt more safe in a firm position. He looked into Will's dark eyes. His hair was dark too, but seemed to be lighter than Cole remembered it. "Will! You're getting so big! Last time I saw you you were just a newborn baby. Oh, I'm so glad you're safe." Will snuffled his cries to hiccups at the sound of the familiar voice. He looked up into Cole's eyes and smiled happily. Cole was getting tired with the baby's weight, so he sat down and set Will in his lap. 

     "How you doin' boy? Are you okay? Are you confused? I know things have been hard lately. But now everything is all right. I'm here now! You don't have to worry."

     Cole talked in a falsetto, which wasn't really too much higher than his normal voice. He used exaggerated inflection so Will could understand the gist of what he was saying even if he didn't know the meaning of the words. He hugged Will. A tear dripped down his cheek. The first happy tear in a long time.

     Will grabbed at his ear. Hiccup! Cole laughed, relieved. "Is there a frog in your throat?" Cole's parents had told him that when he was younger and he hiccuped, he would always complain to them that there was a frog in his throat. Now it was a traditional family saying. Will hiccuped again.

     Cole looked at Wills eyes again. He seemed to be happy. Will waved his arms up and down with clenched fists. "Aaah!" His voice went up and down with his arms. Cole mimicked the sound, but didn't let go of Will's shoulders and back, holding him up. Cole couldn't stop smiling. Will accidentally punched Cole's chin gently when he came back up on a stroke. Cole quavered in holding Will, caught by surprise. Will grabbed onto Cole's arm, digging his fingers into the soft skin. 

     "You silly boy. What do you think you're- ow!" Will had clenched Cole's arm with surprising force for a baby so young. Cole steadied Will's back with his left hand, and pried Will's little fingers from his shoulder with his right hand. Will held Cole's pointer finger instead of his shoulder. His other hand still clenched Cole's right shoulder, but gently now. "There. That's better," Cole said. Will continued to pound his arm holding Cole's finger up and down, Cole's hand moving with it. Will concentrated on Cole's finger intently. Cole looked at Will's face.

     Will had curls just like Cole, but they weren't as light or full. His eyes were a dark brown instead of green. So innocent. Will furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Cole's finger. Will still had a lot of baby fat in his cheeks. He hadn't grown any teeth yet. Cole smiled and sighed. A huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

     Will giggled and looked up at Cole. They smiled at each other for a few seconds. Will held up Cole's finger for his inspection. "Fa ba ma." Will stated the words with little diction, hard consonants difficult to pronounce correctly.