Georgia's Last Words

Chapter Eight

The house is silent and each room seems quieter than the last. Something drops in the kitchen, but no words are spoken. No voices can be heard, only the sound of choked up tears give clue to someone inhabiting the house.  

Cooper stays close to my side, but remains far enough away that he doesn’t even accidentally brush up against me. It’s early and we stayed up late driving and talking about things left undecided. Tension and worry, make for a uncomfortable mix. Neither of us say a word to each other, not here, not now. 

My feet drag me towards the kitchen. The closer I get the more whispers I hear. They’re low and almost inaudible, but nonetheless they’re there. As everyone comes into view, I can see my Mom cooking at the stove with her back to everyone. Most likely she’s hiding her tears. And Dad is leaning against the counter rubbing her back, trying his best to comfort her.

One of my aunts has her head down on the kitchen table. Her kids are sitting at her feet, they’re both young and slightly unaware of what’s going on. Uncle Tom sits in the corner, his wife has her arms wrapped around his neck. 

Everyone in the room looks over at me and Cooper once we reach the entry way. Some offer a sympathetic smile and others just nod to acknowledge my being there. Mom glances over to me and immediately drops what she’s doing and walks over to me. Her arms wrap around me in a tight hug and I can feel myself breaking down. 

As I pull away, I gesture towards Cooper. “You know Cooper, from this summer, remember?”

“Yes, I remember dear. Thanks for coming.” 

Cooper gives a sympathetic smiles and replies, “No problem. I’m truly sorry.”

Mom just nods and turns back to her cooking. Dad gives me one of his silent looks and I take a deep breath. The silence starts to be too much, so I take Cooper’s hand and head upstairs. We go into my room, immediately I fall into my bed. 

“Sky, don’t you want to go see your grandmother?”

I shake my head. “Not right now, in a little bit.”

He lays his hand on my back, like my father did for my mom. Slowly, he rubs my back and I can feel myself calm down. I let myself cry for only a few minutes, then sit back up. I look at Cooper and thank him with a sincere smile. 

“Coop, we need to finish talking.”

He shakes his head. “No, not here and not right now.”

“Coop-”

“No, Sky. I’m not going to have this discussion with you. We’re here for Grams and your family, nothing more. We can talk on our way back to Boston. It can wait.”

I nod, but find myself wanting a simple kiss. Cooper sees the look in my eyes and stands up, walking to the other side of my room. He watches me from over there. For a moment, I find myself laughing. It lasts for only a moment before I am completely filled with sadness again. 

“Let me take you to see Grams.” 

I take the hand he offers to me. We walk downstairs and find that most the family has left. Those who have stayed are the ones married to Grams’s children, my aunts and uncles. They tell me that they left for the hospital since visiting hours were about to begin. Cooper pulls me toward the door, forcing me to be pulled out of a momentary daze.

“I’m here for you Sky. We’ll go to the hospital and I’ll drop you off.”

I look over to Cooper. “Wait, where are you going?”

He tilts his head to the side as he says, “I can’t go up there with you, that you have to do alone. I’ll be in the car though. Whenever you’re ready to go, we’ll go.”