Page 46 of The Road Ahead
Cooper took a breath, and I saw him steel himself. “I’m not sure, Mom. Her heart stopped. The EMTs got it started again, but her condition is serious.”
“Oh God,” she uttered, and covered her mouth as her face crumpled. “Is my baby girl going to die?”
My own eyes welled up, and I hastily wiped away the tears. I couldn’t even imagine what they were feeling right now. It was upsetting enough for me to have my cousin in this situation, butfor it to be your child? I couldn’t fathom the storm of emotions they must be feeling right now.
“Teresa’s already beaten the odds,” Cooper told them. “One of the guys had an AED in his car so she was defibbed early. That can make all the difference. I’m not going to lie and say she’ll be fine, because I don’t want to get your hopes up.” Cooper paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was wobbling. “We need to be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.”
Emmett wrapped an arm around his wife and bravely met Cooper’s gaze. “We can be ready to go in ten minutes.”
Cooper nodded. “It’s about a two-hour drive to Duluth, so you and Mom can sleep on the way if you’d like.”
“You’re driving us?” Emmett asked.
“Of course I am.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “I’ll take them in Dad’s car, but I don’t know how long we’ll be there. Can you head to the cabin, pack up our stuff, and follow in my truck? I think it’ll be a good idea to have two vehicles there.”
“Of course,” I agreed quickly, wanting to do anything to help.
Cooper twisted on his knee and leaned over to hug me, pressing his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”
I froze, eyes wide, unable to believe he’d so casually show affection like that in front of his parents. My aunt and uncle. Would they be able to tell from that interaction we were together? Cooper himself had said he wasn’t sure how they’d react. Was now the best time to even hint at a relationship between us?
Emmett stood and held out a hand for Cee-Lee. I scrambled to my feet and stood by awkwardly as Cooper got up from the ground. “We’ll get packed, then,” Emmett said, not even acknowledging what had passed between us.
“I’ll go make some coffee for the road,” Cooper announced, and then left the room.
Cee-Lee smiled at me and followed after Cooper, and then Emmett pulled me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here with us, Rio,” he murmured against my hair. And then he turned and left me alone in the room.
I was still a little shocked. Cooper and I had always been affectionate towards one another, but not to this degree. What exactly had just happened? Had we just inadvertently told Cooper’s parents we were together? Or were they too preoccupied with the bad news about Teresa to have really understood what had happened?
Ultimately, that wasn’t important right now. Being there for my family in their time of need was. I shook those tumultuous thoughts from my head and joined Cooper in the kitchen to help prepare for the drive ahead.
Everything else could wait.
Chapter 20
Cooper
The drive to the hospital was tense. Neither of my parents slept, too on edge for rest, but we didn’t speak either. The car was silent except for the odd sniffle from my mom, all of us lost in our own thoughts and worries. Each time I stopped at a red light, I took the opportunity to reach over and give her hand a squeeze, offering what comfort I could.
We’d been on the road for over an hour and a half when Rio texted my dad, telling him they’d gotten our stuff from the cabin and they were on their way. A little of my stress left me with that news. Simply knowing Rio would soon be by my side, being my rock, gave me strength. My parents would need me to be their anchor, and I was beyond grateful that Rio had promised they’d be there for me. I hadn’t had that kind of support before, but I knew I’d need it.
It was just before first light when we reached the hospital and I parked the car. None of us moved for a long moment, all just bracing ourselves for what lay ahead. Eventually, I unclippedmy seatbelt and opened my door, which was the catalyst for my parents to do the same. I led them inside and we found a staff member to give us directions to the trauma unit. After checking in with reception, we were told we’d be given an update as soon as possible, and we made our way into the waiting room.
Time seemed to drag. Every single time a door opened, we all jumped and looked over, hoping it would be a doctor with news. It never was. I knew the team would be working hard on Teresa, doing scans and tests to determine the extent of her injuries, and trying to mitigate the damage. Keeping us informed wasn’t their priority right now. I knew this, but it didn’t make it any easier. Mom especially was struggling. Her anxiety seemed to ratchet up with every passing minute, and soon neither Dad nor I could calm her down. All we could do was hold her as she sobbed.
The outer doors swung open and Rio appeared, a backpack slung over their shoulders. They headed over to us and I immediately stood and pulled them into my arms. They tensed for a moment, then relaxed into the hug. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but now wasn’t the time to ask. I let them go, and they dropped the backpack onto one of the chairs, then hugged both of my parents before turning back to me. “I brought you a change of clothes,” they said, nodding at the backpack.
I realized then that they’d changed as well, and looked down at my shirt, wincing a little at the dried blood stains. “Uh, cool. Thanks,” I said, grabbing the bag. No wonder we’d gotten a few odd stares when we’d come in.
I headed over to the nearest bathroom and stripped out of my clothes and balled them up into the backpack. I didn’t care if my jeans didn’t survive, but I wanted to try and get the stains out of my penguin shirt if possible. Rio had bought it for me and I already cherished it. I really hoped it was salvageable.
When I got back to the waiting room, Rio was gone. “They went to get coffee,” Dad explained when he noticed my confusion.
I nodded and sank into the chair next to Mom. “How’re you holding up?” I asked her.
She shrugged and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I just want to know what’s going on with my baby,” she muttered.
“I know,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Hopefully it won’t be long.”
