Saddle up

Chapter Thirteen

Cole remained in the hospital for five days. I spent every night by his side in a terribly uncomfortable hospital recliner. We spent the days binge watching shows on Netflix from my laptop and the nights reminiscing some of our old adventures.

"Do you remember when I got the quad stuck the evening you shot that nice buck?"

Cole chuckled in response. "It was so cold, and I could hardly feel my fingers after I gutted the deer! I don't know how we managed to get out of the woods that night!"

"You know I'm scared of the dark, and you sent me off into the woods alone to where we left the quad! All I could imagine running through the dark woods was a mountain lion coming for me!"

Cole laughed out load again. "There are NO mountain lions in Pennsylvania!"

We laughed together for some time. I grabbed a tissue to dab my watery eyes when I noticed Cole just watching me silently across the room. A familiar expression on his face...one of admiration.

"What?", I asked.

"I miss you, Jess.", Cole responded, not taking his eyes off of me.

I sighed silently to myself and met his gaze once more. "I miss you, too."

I laid awake for some time after Cole drifted off that night. I listened to the hustle and bustle of the hospital activities and replayed the day in my head. I had to admit to myself that spending all this time with Cole was bringing my still very strong feelings for him to the surface. I never stopped loving Cole, I just spent the past several months trying to convince myself that I had to because he had broken the trust in our relationship. But with these past few days in the hospital together I started to remember how easy it was with Cole. We just clicked, and being here with him was like reuniting with a long lost friend.

With that I peeked over at Cole and was startled to find him staring right back at me from his hospital bed.

"What's wrong?", he whispered.

"Nothings wrong, just having some trouble sleeping is all."

Cole gingerly moved himself to the far end of his bed and patted the empty space beside him signaling for me to come join him. I always slept better with him beside me, he knew it. Just like he knew everything else about me. I hesitated for some time before finally giving in and sliding into bed. I had my back towards Cole but he was still close enough for me to feel his breath on the back of my neck. My body shuttered at the familiar sensation. I could feel Cole's arm moving over my waist before hesitating.

"Is this ok?", he asked.

"Um, yeah, I guess so."

With that Cole wrapped his arm completely around my waist and pulled me into him. Before I could process everything that was happening, I drifted away...

         I woke to bright sun beams peaking through the slits in the blinds and a soft knock at the door. I sprang up from the bed and immediately straightened my clothes and fixed my hair before the nurse on shift quietly entered the room for her morning rounds. She greeted us warmly and proceeded to check vitals on Cole and asked several questions about his pain management. She informed us that the doctor had spoken to her in report today and said that if Cole were feeling up to it, he could be discharged today. With that she left us alone again. Cole grinned up at me.

"What?"

"You sure hopped outta bed real fast," cole said, chuckling.

"Well, I didn't want the nurses thinking that you were in bed with your sister!"