Adoration: [Cole X Reader 3]

Chapter Four- Mountains that are Stacked with Fear

"Um... g6?" I grumbled, clearing my throat a little.

Jay, who sat cross legged on the foot of my hospital bed, shook his head. "Nada." He raised his eyes to meet mine with a wink and smirked. "Cole, c4."

My husband growled and cast my brother a glare. "Sunk." He grumbled from his place on the couch beside us. Kai snickered and stuck his tongue out at Cole, who elbowed him in return. Lloyd and Nya were sprawled out on the floor, asleep while Zane sat smushed between Cole and Kai, somehow managing to look peaceful.

All of our heads, save for the two asleep, jerked upwards as a nurse let herself into my room. Cole stood and Jay cast me a smile before taking a harsh breath in. I willed my breathing to return to normal as it shallowed, making my lungs ache.

"Good morning." The nurse, who had long blonde hair and a pinched smile, cast a glance around the room lingering on the two on the floor. "May I speak with the immediate family only please?"

I glanced at Cole, who slowly sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand in his, tracing circles with his thumb on the back. Kai kicked Lloyd and Nya awake and they all gave me smiled as they filed out of the room.

"Well. Since we're still not entirely sure what is going on, we're going to do an MRI to get a better look at what's going on in your lungs." She met my eyes before turning to the boys.

"We have it scheduled in an hour. Do you have any questions?"

Nearly two hours later, I was released from the small tube which scanned my body for imperfections. Cole took the liberty to wheel me back to my room and gently helped me back into the bed. I sat upright, legs crossed and he slid onto the edge, looking at a loss for words.

After a while, he looked to me and smiled. "It'll all be okay. We'll face this together, whatever it is." I nodded in response, not willing to risk a coughing fit to respond.

Silence lapsed between us, anxiety clawing it's way into my heart. I sighed and pulled my phone from the table beside the bed. "Can you call Mom and Dad?" I grumbled, sliding my phone into his hands.

"You want me to tell them?" Cole looked bewildered and confused. "We don't even know what's wrong yet, and I'm sure Jay-"

"They are your parents now, too." I smiled and elbowed him, raising my eyebrows in a challenge. "You think they talk too much."

"Well they are Jay's parents. You're not nearly as bad." He joked and looked down at the phone in his hands. I shoved him with the palm of my hand as he went outside my room to make the call.

As Cole walked in half an hour later, a doctor followed him in, causing my hands to shake a little. Cole sat back down and took my hand as the doctor, an older gentleman who looked kind and gentle, met our gazes.

"Well we have our answers." He pulled a chair up to sit before us, leaning his elbows onto his knees. "Your right lung has developed a cancerous tumor which we are estimating to be Stage 3a."

My face paled and Cole's grip on my hand tightened as he continued.

"It's located near an airway which is why you were coughing up so much blood. We're lucky we caught it before it moved to the rest of your body. Most lung cancers are caused from smokers, but it has become increasingly more common for younger non smokers to get this form of cancer, such as it is in your case. Likely this was caused from some inhaled radiation or other form of pollution. You have a few treatment options we're willing to take and present to you. Surgery is a viable option which could help remove most of the cancer in the lung. Chemotherapy would be our suggested follow-up treatment, and could also be used pre-op to help with the surgery. It's your choice whether to do chemo before the surgery if surgery at all, or radiation therapy. I know this is a lot to take in, but we are here to help in any way we can."

The world slowed around me and I looked to Cole, who held his head in a hand. He mumbled something to the doctor, who then left the room. I watched as he turned to me and I launched myself into his embrace, holding him tight to me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them a few moments later as his body shook and I pulled back to see tears streaming down his face. Mine matched his by this point, but I rested my hand on his face and wiped the tears away with my thumb. Cole leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine and took a shuddering breath in.

"Breathe, baby." I whispered to him, repeating the same thing he had said to me the day before. "I'm right here."

He fell into silence before letting out a long breath and nodding. "What do you want to do?" He asked, his voice barely audible.

I took my time responding, allowing my breath to come back to me as it had fallen shallow. I shrugged and dared to smile. "Well, we're ninja. We don't give up that easy, and I'm not going down without a fight. I'll do whatever necessary to have the best chance to beat this."

"You are so strong and brave and I love you so much."

"I love you, too. We just got married, baby. I can't die yet."

"Yeah, that's not allowed."