Page 9 of Ghost of Christmas Future
Cope had never had better friends in his entire life. “Of course Everly can try. She’s got more talent in her baby toe than I have in my entire body.” Everly was one of the strongest psychics Cope had encountered in his life. “What worries me about Everly and the other kids is what seeing Jude like this will do to them.”
“I hear that,” Ronan said. “We all talked about it; me, Ten, Fitz, and Jace, and we decided that our kids could handle it. It’s up to you if you think Wolf and Lizbet can.”
“I’ve been such a mess today. To be honest I haven’t really given it much of a thought.” Cope hadn’t givenanythingmuch of a thought. The only thing on his mind was Jude waking up and coming home to their family. “I can’t thank you enough foreverything you’ve done for us today. Getting the kids settled and picking up clothes and stuff for tonight.”
“It’s what we do.” Ronan stood when there was a light knock at the door. He opened it for Fitzgibbon.
“The kids are here. Do you want to come out and talk to them first?” Fitz asked.
Cope nodded. He stood, both knees cracking. How the hell long had he been sitting in that damn chair? Following Ronan into the hall, he saw the kids, taking off their winter coats. Everly, Wolf, and Aurora wore determined looks on their faces, as if all three expected there to be pushback from Cope about going in to see Jude. Lizbet ran to Cope. He scooped his daughter into his arms.
“Where Daddy?” Lizbet asked, her bright blue eyes sparkling.
Cope swore he felt his heart break. He took a seat in one of the chairs outside Jude’s room and took off her winter jacket. Lizbet’s fine, blonde hair lifted straight up from the static. “Daddy has a boo-boo and he’s here at the hospital.” Cope couldn’t believe he was explaining this to his two-year-old.
“Me make better!” Lizbet hopped off Cope’s lap. “Daddy! Where you?”
“I want to see Daddy too,” Wolf said, coming to stand behind his little sister.
“Okay,” Cope reached out for the handle. “There’s just one thing you need to know. The doctors put Daddy to sleep so he can heal faster. He won’t wake up when you go in there.”
“Seepy Booty!” Lizbet said. “Me kiss. Wakey, wakey!”
Cope smiled at his daughter thinking Jude was Sleeping Beauty and that a kiss from a fair maiden would break the spell. He opened the door and led Wolf inside. Everly and Aurora were right behind him.
“Daddy?” Wolf ran to the side of the bed and reached for his hand. “Why is he so cold?”
Cope held Lizbet’s hand tighter. He didn’t want her crawling up on the bed and getting tangled in Jude’s lines. “When Daddy bumped his head, he hurt his brain. They’re keeping him cold so that the swelling will go down.”
“Daddy!” Lizbet burst into tears when Cope lifted her up to see her father.
Cope sat gingerly on the side of Jude’s bed and reached for his hand. “We’re all here, Jude. Me and Wolfie, and LizzyB.”
“Daddy home!” Lizbet buried her face in Cope’s neck.
“Come here, honey.” Ronan reached for Lizbet and Cope handed her over. He watched as they left the room.
“Where’s Everly?” Wolf asked, spinning around the room. “She can help Daddy! I know she can.”
“I’m here, Woofie,” Everly said, walking into Jude’s hospital room. She hovered near the side of the bed looking at all the machines and then finally at Jude. “I don’t know if I can help, but I’d like to try, Uncle Cope.”
Getting off the bed, Cope motioned Everly forward. He lifted her up to sit on the side of the bed where there were no lines or wires to get tangled in. “I haven’t been able to reach out to him.”
“Neither has my Dad,” Everly said, sadly. She reached out for Jude’s hand. A shiver ripped through her body. “Uncle Jude, it’s Everly. We’re all here for you. Me and Woofie and Aurora.”
At the mention of her name, Aurora walked into the room. She stopped next to Everly and reached for her hand. “I’m here too, Uncle Jude. I love you so much. You have to get better soon. You promised to teach me how to ski this winter.” Aurora giggled.
“I didn’t know Jude knew how to ski,” Cope said. They’d been married for seven years and not once had snow skiing ever come up.
“He doesn’t, Uncle Cope, but he said he would try it first to make sure I didn’t get hurt.” Aurora’s green eyes were wet with tears. “You’re the funnest uncle in the whole world. You gotta get better. I’ll be here every day until you do.”
“Can I have a minute alone, Uncle Cope?” Everly asked.
“Sure thing.” Cope pressed a kiss to the side of Everly’s head. He escorted Aurora and Wolf back out to the waiting room, but stayed near the door, just in case. Ronan and Fitz were right behind him.
Cope watched as Everly leaned forward and gently set her hand on the side of Jude’s face. Her eyes slid shut. The machines whirled and beeped around her, but Everly didn’t move a muscle. She looked to be hardly breathing. After several moments, she pulled her hand back. With a sigh, her eyes opened.
Gingerly climbing off the bed, Everly met Cope and her father at the door. “I couldn’t reach him, Uncle Cope. There was something in the way. I need a little time to figure out how to get around it. I’m sorry.”
