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Both Cole and Ben exhale and begin peppering the doctor with questions. Once they are satisfied with his answers, they thank him and he leaves. The two men look at one another with relief plain on their faces and embrace once more.
I prepare for the long haul, knowing that neither of them is going to leave this hospital for at least the next twenty-four hours. Cole gathers me in his arms and I can feel the cautious optimism in his touch. I hold him close and tell him that Luke is going to be ok.
“From your lips to God’s ear babe,” he says, kissing me lightly on the lips.
We settle in and I curl up in one of the big leather chairs with my head on Cole’s shoulder. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep for a few minutes here and there. In between my short naps, I listen to the two brothers talk for just about the first time in almost fifteen years.
“So how long have you two been together?” I hear Ben ask.
Cole chuckles. “Going on a whole five days now,” he says.
“Really? Wow, you two really look like the real deal man. The way you are with each other, I would have thought you’d been together for years,” Ben remarks.
“Well if I have any say in it, we will be,” Cole says softly.
I feel my pulse quicken but I keep my eyes shut. I don’t want him to know I’m awake and stop talking.
“Actually, Aunt Nora sent her here,” Cole says. “She’s a friend of hers.”
A long silence follows. “How is Aunt Nora?” Ben finally asks.
“She’s good. And she’d love to hear from you,” Cole says, his tone softly chiding.
“I know. I just don’t think she’d be very proud of how I’ve turned out,” Ben says, sadness plain in his voice.
“Yeah, about that,” Cole clears his throat. “What’s this bullshit about you suing us for a third of the ranch? You haven’t given a shit about the place in damn near twenty years.”
Ben sighs deeply. “Look Cole, it’s not that I don’t give a shit. It’s just that it was hard for me to be around there after mom and dad died.”
“You don’t think it was hard for Luke and me too?” Cole asks. “Shit Ben, Luke was only fourteen when you left and he was so damn lost. But we stayed and we worked our asses off, and we turned the place into something mom and dad would be really proud of.”
“I know,” Ben says softly. “It’s just that, well, I made a really bad investment and-”
“For fuck’s sake Ben, is that was this is about? You need money? Why didn’t you just come to us and ask for help?” Cole asks.
“I’ve been gone for fifteen years Cole, I didn’t exactly think you’d be chomping at the bit to help me out.”
“No, you thought trying to take what Luke and I have worked for those fifteen years was a better idea? Jesus.”
I finally open my eyes and sit upright, clearing my throat. I don’t want them to know how much I’ve heard so I play it up with a fake yawn and stretch.
“What’s going on?” I ask innocently.
“What’s going on is that my brother is an idiot,” Cole says.
Ben is again looking down at his boots with his hands stuffed in his pockets. It is clear how much his big brother’s opinion of him still matters after all of this time and distance.
“We all make mistakes Cole,” I say softly, touching his arm.
“Yeah well this was a pretty colossal fucking mistake,” he says and Ben nods his agreement.
Just then, a nurse comes in to inform us that Luke is awake and asking to see Cole. Cole looks to me and I nod. He rushes out of the room after the nurse, leaving Ben and I alone.
“So, Cole says that you are a friend of our Aunt Nora’s?” he asks.
I nod my head. “Yes. She thought I needed some time away from my job back in Chicago and suggested I come out here for a bit. I have to say I think she was spot on.”
“What do you do in Chicago?” he asked.
