Saturday October 27th
(10 year old Cole’s POV)
“Will you shut the hell up? I’m trying to sleep and your pathetic crying is keeping me from doing that.” Kristoph growls at me callously.
“It hurts just to breathe.” I whisper through my tears.
While I’ve had several fractured wrists this is the first time my chest and back have hurt this badly.
“Then stop breathing or I will give you something to cry about.”
I duck my head in my arms, crying silently as his words are a crushing blow to the sympathy I was hoping to receive a little of. The older I get the more obvious it is that dad treats me differently from my siblings.
“I said shut up.”
Kristoph’s frustration with me grows as I silently ask why I sleep in the same room as him. A sudden crack of leather against my bare skin lights up the cuts and bruises already there as I scream from the pain it produces.
“I told you to shut up. I can’t sleep with your pathetic crying in the room.”
He’s wailing on me repeatedly as he screams expletives no child should hear let alone know. It’s as my screams grow louder that he becomes desperate to quiet me. He grabs my broken arm roughly, forcing me to roll onto my back. He’s done this enough over the last two years that I know what’s going to happen next and I’m tired of trying to deal with it. I kick, fight and scream as he gets on top of me. In angry desperation I ball my hands into fists and start swinging. I scream in pain as my left collides with the side of his face but my fight is short lived when dad suddenly bursts through the door.
I yelp repeatedly as I slowly return to consciousness without any understanding as to what happened, where I am or who I’m with.
“Easy there, Cole.”
A familiar voice greets me gently.
“Can you squeeze my hand?”
I’m asked as a hand slides into mine. I squeeze it gently as I start shifting my body uncomfortably.
“It feels like my head exploded.”
I whine quietly as what little noise I hear in the room causes my head to scream. I let go of the gentleman’s hand, slowly bringing both hands up to my head. I cover my ears, whimpering and whining as I roll to my side. My attempts to curl into a ball are quickly stopped as a sharp pain in my bladder tells me that I have a cath inside me. A sudden beep near the head of my bed and the voice that comes over the intercom are way too close. I yelp again but it has an unanticipated cascading effect shutting my cries down quickly.
“I’m sorry, Cole.”
A soft voice speaks near my ears. I whimper softly as his hands glide over mine providing even more insulation from the noise.
“Emily, please notify Dr. Boyter and Alpha Whiteman that Cole is awake. I also need you to check for any pain medication orders. He has woken up with an intense migraine.”
“Yes sir. I’ll come check on him in a few minutes.”
Even after the intercom shuts down he continues to keep his hands over mine. As I concentrate on my breathing I can feel his thumbs gently rubbing the backs of my hands.
“Who are you?”
I whisper, struggling to calm my nerves. Waking in the hospital has never been a relaxing event.
“You know me best as Alpha Andrew Moore.”
He keeps his tone low and soft, waiting for me to respond.
“Doctor?”
I barely manage to whisper as I wrap my mind around his name and what it means.
“Where am I?”
I’m hesitant to ask but I need to know.
“Ridge General. You’re still at White Ridge.”
“What happened?”
I’m forcing myself to gather as much information as I can as I don’t feel like I’m going to stay awake for very long.
“Jamie found you in the bathroom. You started yelping when he came into my house. When he entered the bathroom you were falling over from a sitting position. He kept you from hitting your head as you went into a seizure. We have not found a cause. Have you ever had a seizure before?”
“No sir.”
I remain silent as I try to remember what it was that I had done leading up to that moment. I simply rest, allowing this doctor that I barely remember to stay with me, holding me until I hear the door squeak open. Fear replaces the calm I had with Dr. Moore as I clearly hear two sets of feet walk into the room and an involuntary whine escapes as I try to curl into a protective ball.
“Try to relax, Cole. I know you don’t want to open your eyes and that’s okay.”
He starts moving his hands away from mine and in an instant I grab for him. Opening my eyes and rolling quickly, I can’t hold back my yelps of pain such sudden movements cause my head. There’s something about Dr. Moore that I know, that I inherently trust and need by my side.
“Shhh.”
His gentle voice is back beside my ear as my yelps calm into whimpers. My hands are held in his as he barely restrains them against my chest.
“Give me a moment with him, Henry.”
He addresses one of the new people in the room.
“Please don’t leave me.” I plead pathetically knowing how close he is to me.
“I’d like to offer a bit of comfort that you have responded very well to in the past. I know I’m not as familiar as Demetri and nowhere close to Jamie but I think lying with you will ease your anxiety while Emily gives you some medication. Will you let me lay with you?”
“Please.” I somehow manage to whisper.
“I’m going to let you go then you will feel me get in the bed with you. Alpha Demetri told me about the things he’s done to comfort you. I would like to do the same. It’s important that you're calm so you can understand what’s going on.”
I nod slowly as the bed dips under his weight. It’s in an instant that I regret inviting this alpha to get so close to me but there’s nowhere for me to physically go.
“It’s okay. I know that you crave this but you also struggle. We’ve done this before. I’m taking it slow.”
He does indeed take it slow, sliding himself gently in front of me.
“It’s okay to touch me.”
He moves his arm under my head as I barely have the energy to lift it. It only takes a few minutes for me to finally settle into him. He brushes his fingers gently along the side of my head as I slowly start regulating my breathing again.
“Cole, my name is Henry Boyter. I’m a doctor here at Ridge General. I understand that Dr. Crisman and Dr. Phelps took care of you last time you were in the ICU. This week it’s myself and Dr. Crisman. You just happened to wake up while I was here. Emily is your nurse. She’s going to give you some Vicodin to take the edge off that migraine you woke up with. Can you tell me what happened?”
I shake my head just to whine from the pain such a small amount of movement creates.
“That’s okay.” Dr. Boyter starts talking again. “You’re going to feel me listen to your heart and lungs. Emily is going to give you the Vicodin at the same time. I imagine you’d like to go back to sleep and that’s what I’m aiming for.”
The nurse takes advantage of my position to give me the medication. Fortunately for her I have little fight now that Alpha Moore is lying with me. They both exit the room quietly as Alpha Moore remains.
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