Dreams

Part 4

Pov: Cody
   I pulled into the driveway of Cory and Amy's house. I grabbed the plastic bag from the passenger seat, but stopped before I opened the door.
   "God, please help Cory. I know Coby is taking this equally hard. And comfort Tyler and Garrett and Tim and Chad and Amy..." I named everyone I could think of who knew about this. "And God help me understand this all. Help me be a good friend to Cory. In Jesus name, Amen," I prayed aloud.
   "Go in. You can do this, Cody. Come on," I tried convincing myself. I finally built up the courage to go inside.
   I pushed open the car door, and walked to the front porch. I decided on just walking in instead of knocking.
   Cory and Coby were wrapped in a hug. Cory was shaking so badly, it seemed the whole couch was shaking. Amy stood by the kitchen door with her head in her hands. I had a feeling I had just interrupted a powerful moment.
  Nothing changed around me though. Nobody even acknowledge that I was in the house.
  "Good morning, guys," I greeted uncomfortably.
   Amy walked back into the kitchen, but the twins didn't break up their embrace.
   "You guys doing okay? I brought the oils." I shook the bag in front of me. Cory's gaze landed on me. He didn't move his head from Coby's shoulder, though.
   I kind of just stood there awkwardly while Cory watched me.
   "Uh..." God, help me!  My mind screamed. What was I supposed to do?
   Coby spoke up. "Just give the oils to Amy," he offered quietly. I couldn't see his face since he was facing the back of the couch. "Stay with her a little, please."
   "I will." I watched Cory as I said it. His eyes closed. He looked so content to just soak in the love of his older brother. I could only imagine what he was feeling.
   I smiled softly before quietly leaving to find Amy. I found her in the kitchen. She was bracing herself against the counter.
   "Amy? Here," I offered. She turned to look at me. Her red hair was tangled, and her eyes were dark and puffy.
   "Thanks, Cody," she croaked. "He'll be going to the therapist on Monday," she added. She took the bag and put it on the counter.
   "That's good. Just Cory?" I asked.
   She shook her head. "No, Coby's going too."
   I nodded. "Okay.  And you?" I inquired.
   "What about me?" She questioned, fiddling with the edge of her jacket.
   "Are you going?" I asked.
   "Maybe," Amy replied. Real life translation: not a chance.
   I wasn't sure what else to say, and we stood in an awkward silence. You could literally hear a pin drop. I'm not joking: no one or nothing moved.
  It was unbearable so I finally broke the quiet atmosphere. "I guess I'll be going then." I started to walk away, but Amy spoke up.
   "Can you pick up the kids and take them back to your place?" She asked.
   "Um... I actually have to pick my brother up from the airport," I answered. 
   "Oh. Do you think you can drop them off at Garrett's house or Tyler's?" She asked me.
   "Yeah, sure. Let me call one of them," I answered.

Pov: Garret
   "Hello?" I answered, holding my phone to my ear.
   Cody was on the other line. He asked if I could keep the Cory's kids.
   I quickly opened up my calendar app on my phone.
   "I think I can keep them. I can pick them up," I told him.
   Cody expressed his gratitude before telling me where to pick them up.
   "Ok. I got it." With that I hung up.
   Tyler walked into the kitchen. "The twins?" He asked, leaning against the door frame.
   I shook my head. "Cody. He wanted to know if I could keep Cory's kids," I replied.
   Tyler nodded, "Ok."
    I glanced at my phone. It was almost 11:30. My stomach growled, reminding me about missing breakfast.
   "Can we order something?" I asked.
   "If you pay," Tyler answered. I saw him glance at the wall clock.
   "I can. Domino?" I questioned.
   "Yeah, that's good. I'll ask the editors what they want." Tyler strode out.
   I picked the pizza up on my way to get the kids. I stopped in at Cory's, though, before heading to collect the kids. Cody's car wasn't in the driveway so I figured he had left.
   I let myself in. No one was in the living room. "Hello?" I called.
   "Garrett?" Amy answered from the kitchen. She walked into the living room, her hands were coated in flour. Stress lines decorated her face while her hair was a mess.
   "Hey," I greeted. "The twins here?" She wiped her hand on her forehead, leaving a streak of flour along her red  hairline.
   "No. Cody was going to drop them off at the hiking trails. I think Cody was going to pick his brother up then after dropping Cory and Coby off," she replied.
   "Ok." She went back into the kitchen. I had the feeling that she wanted to be left alone so I left.
   I picked up Charlie, Crew, and Collins next.
   I didn't have a car seat for Charlie, so I strapped him in Iris's  booster seat. He flopped in the seat. 
    My conscience got the best of me so I jogged to Cory's house and got his car seat. I felt bad about not asking, but I didn't want to put Amy in an even worse mood. Plus, it was punishment enough to jog fifty yards with a huge car seat in my arms.
   Once I got everyone buckled, I headed back to DP HQ 2 with the pizza. I had fallen into a bad mood, and the toddler twin's constant chatter and Charlie's crying didn't help one bit.
   I was about to break when my phone rang. The screen displayed Aubrey's name.
   "Shhh," I warned the kids as I slid the accept icon. I put it on speakerphone.
   "Hey, Garrett," Aubrey's voice spilt into the car.
   Crew gasped. "Aunt Aubrey!" He shouted. Charlie stopped crying.  
   Collins poked Charlie "Shhh. It Aunt Aubrey," she whispered.
   I gave the kids a look, hoping they got the message to shut up. I also hoped they didn't hate me after this.
   "Hey, Aubrey. What's up?" I tried to sound casual, but my voice strained.
   "It's nothing big, but have you heard from Coby's or Cory recently?" I could tell she was also trying to sound casual, but apparently it wasn't working either.
   "Not recently.  Why? Is everything alright?" I asked. I focused on the road ahead.
   "It's nothing. Just... some other hikers heard screaming. The park rangers went to check it out. They found Cory's jacket. It doesn't mean anything, though, right?" She seemed to be more reassuring herself more then asking a question.
   The kids had grown silent. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to put the call on speakerphone.
   I thought about the situation. Perhaps Cory had just taken his jacket off and forgot it. But why would Cory even take a jacket: it was almost one hundred degrees outside. And maybe some kid had screamed because of a snake or something. The chances weren't on our side, but they also weren't against us. Did Aubrey know about Cory's nightmares? Maybe it was connected. I don't know!
   "I'll try to call them," I replied, then put her on hold. I called Cory: it went to voicemail. I called Coby: still no answer. The twins were fine, right?
   Then Charlie started crying again.
   "I want Daddy!" Crew screamed.