by J. Sterling
Cooper’s eyes widened with Austen’s response. “Thanks. That means a lot,” he said, relieved.
“Is it hard for you?” Austen asked.
“It was.” Cooper nodded. “All I knew was that every time she went to sleep, she was with someone I could never compete with. That realization was the hardest, I think.”
“But you know how much she loves you.”
“I also know it’s not the same,” Cooper said evenly.
Austen nodded. “But it doesn’t have to be the same for it to mean the world to her. She loves you in ways she doesn’t love me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I can feel it. And I see the way she looks at you.”
Cooper felt the blood rush out of his body. “I don’t—”
“Cooper!” Austen yelled, but it was too late.
****
Katherine woke abruptly and popped up in her bed. “Taylor. We need to go to Cooper right now. Right now!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling. Take me there now, Taylor!” Katherine threw back the covers and pushed at Taylor, not sure if she were trying to help her out of bed, or keep her in it.
“Okay, okay. Come on.” Taylor helped Katherine get out of bed and they rushed toward Cooper’s room. Danny stopped the girls at the door.
“You can’t go in there, Kat,” Danny insisted, as he grabbed her arms and held her tightly.
She struggled and tried to push her way through the hockey player. “Let me in there, Danny! Cooper! Cooper, don’t you leave me!” she cried from the hallway.
A nurse walked by and admonished, “You have to keep it down, miss. Please.” She turned to Taylor. “And you really need to get her back to her room. She shouldn’t be out of bed.”
“Cooper!” Katherine’s knees buckled under her weight. She heard the solid beep coming from the machine and knew what that sound meant. “Don’t leave me! You promised you wouldn’t leave me. Wake up! Cooper!”
****
Austen crouched behind her and held her in his arms. Katherine couldn’t feel him there, but he didn’t care. “Dammit, Cooper, where are you? I know you’re here! Cooper!” Austen yelled for him. He started running through the hallways looking for him. He shouted Cooper’s name around every corner. He had to be somewhere close and Austen was determined to find him. “Come on, Cooper, where are you?”
“Austen.” The voice was so weak he barely heard it. Austen looked down and saw Cooper sitting on the floor.
“What’s going on?”
Austen sighed. “You’re dying.”
Cooper nodding, closing his eyes before Austen grabbed him and shook him. “Snap out of it, hockey boy!”
Cooper glared at him. “What’s your problem?”
“Right now you’re my problem.”
Cooper struggled to stand, but couldn’t. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to fight! I know it’s easier to give in. I know everything in you is telling you to do just that. But you have to fight it, Cooper.”
“I don’t have the strength.”
“Do you want to die?” Austen grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him outside the hospital room where Katherine screamed and cried for him. “If I had a second chance, I’d give anything to be with that girl. And you still can. Don’t quit on her! She would never quit on you!” Austen’s anger burned through him, mingling with sorrow. There was no way he could allow Cooper to give up. He had to motivate him to fight, some way, somehow, for Katherine’s sake.
Cooper seemed to perk up at Austen’s words. “How do I do it?”
“That’s the spirit!” Austen got down in Cooper’s face. “You fight. When you feel that peaceful weakness…and your body begs you to give in to it, you don’t let it win. You have to stay strong. Use everything in your power to fight through it.”
“What if I can’t?” Cooper said softly, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths.
“You can! And you will. It won’t be easy, but you have to fight, Cooper.”
“Will you help me?”
“Of course.” Austen reached out a hand and helped Cooper to his feet.
“Do you feel that?” Austen asked, sensing the pull on Cooper’s soul.
“Yeah. It’s strong.”
“That’s the feeling you fight. Walk away from it. Don’t give in,” Austen demanded.
Cooper’s eyes looked in the distance, unfocused. “It feels like it would be so much easier to not fight. It’s peaceful.”
“Of course it would be easier. It would be quitting! Look at Katherine, Cooper. Look at her. It will break her if you don’t pull through.” Austen knew she would be the only thing that could get him through this. He had to make sure Cooper concentrated on her and remembered why he wanted to live.
****
Cooper watched as the doctors frantically pounded on his chest, and he touched his own to see if he felt pain but there was none. Austen reminded him not give in and shouted Katherine’s name.
Suddenly, Cooper started to feel stronger and the machines’ beeping was slower and less strident. The medical staff congratulated each other in relief as Katherine rushed into the room and leaned over to plant kisses on his face. “Now it’s your turn to wake up, Cooper. You told me to wake up first, and I did. So now it’s your turn.” She turned and looked up at the ceiling before saying, “You said you’d help, Austen. You promised.”
Cooper squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, but when he opened them he could still see Austen. “It didn’t work?” he asked, confused.
Austen smiled. “It worked. You’re still alive. You’re just not awake yet. We’ll get you there.”
Cooper felt his strength grow. “Thank you, Austen. For everything.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
“I’d like to think so.”
Cooper looked around at the sound of footsteps and watched as Taylor walked Katherine into her hospital room. She climbed into her bed and quickly fell asleep.
****
Cooper saw Katherine materialize next to them as they watched her body sleeping in her hospital bed.
“Austen! Cooper! What’s going on, why aren’t you awake yet?”
Austen hugged her and told her that things were taking a little longer than he had hoped. “Cooper’s body isn’t taking him back that easily.”
“Well…make it!” she insisted stubbornly.
“I’m trying, babe. I really am,” Cooper told her.
“You almost died. What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have made it without Austen.” Katherine turned to look at Austen before mouthing the words “thank you” to him.
She squeezed Cooper and reminded him, “You promised you’d wake up.”
“I know.”
“Then do it, already!” she demanded.
Cooper looked around, and suddenly he and Austen were in a hallway in the hospital. He glanced around for Katherine, but she wasn’t there anymore.
“I keep feeling stronger,” Cooper explained to Austen.
“That’s good. You should be able to go back soon.”
“What will you do?”
“What I’ve always done. Watch over the people I care about and wait for them to join me here.” His gaze met Cooper’s. “But not for a long time,” he reassured him.
Cooper nodded his head. “Will you still dream with her?”
“Didn’t she tell you?” Austen asked. “Oh, right. You don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Katherine told me good-bye. We’re not going to see each other anymore.”
“You can’t do that,” Cooper said before he thought, shocked at his own reaction.
Austen laughed. “What do you mean?”
He searched his heart before saying, “I just don’t think you guys should do that. I’m sure it’s not what she truly wants. And I’m fairly certain it’s not wha
t you want.”
“We both know it’s for the best. She wasn’t free to truly live her life or be with you as long as I was a distraction.”
Cooper understood. “Look, I just think there ought to be some sort of middle ground or something. Can you honestly tell me you have the strength to stay out of her life forever?”
Austen looked away. “I could never promise that,” he admitted.
“Well, I just want you to know that I’m okay with you seeing her. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather she not fall head over heels for you again and ditch me,” he said with a laugh. “But if there’s a way for you to still talk to her when she needs you, I think it would good for both of you…for all of us.”
Austen’s face transformed with his relieved smile. “Thank you, Cooper. That really means a lot. I knew you were the right guy for her.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’re a hell of a guy. I understand why this was so hard for her.” He reached out and they shook hands like friends.
“Do you feel that?” Austen shifted, as though he sensed something in the air.
“Is it time to go?”
They walked side by side toward Cooper’s room where his body lay. The moment Cooper got near it, he felt the pull. “I think I can go back now.”
Austen nodded. “It’s time. Next time you open your eyes, you should be back.”
“I promise I’ll take good care of her.”
“I know.”
Cooper opened his eyes and saw Danny sleeping awkwardly in the chair next to him. “Wake up, man,” he croaked, his throat parched.
Danny moved at the sound and stood up when he saw Cooper’s eyes were open. “Oh man. Good to see you. Don’t ever do that to me again.” Danny hugged his best friend.
“Yeah. Sorry about that.” Cooper half smiled.
****
Katherine heard familiar footsteps heading toward her. She sat in the corridor with tears rolling down her face. Austen sat down next to her and kissed her cheek. “Did you hear?”
“Every word.” She smiled at him.
“So then. I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“I guess so,” she responded with a large grin.
Austen stood up to leave. “Austen?” she said, and he paused. “Thank you so much…for saving Cooper’s life…for making mine worth living…for everything.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you for loving me.”
As he walked away, she opened her eyes.
Chapter Nineteen
Katherine sat at the foot of Cooper’s bed and waited for him to wake up. She found herself staring at his face, silently willing him to open his eyes. Danny and Taylor had headed back to the lake house to pack up everyone’s things and take a nap. As Cooper started to stir, she fidgeted and he accidentally kicked her.
“Sorry,” he said as he opened his eyes.
“Cooper!” She leaned down to kiss his cheek, thankful that he had come back to her.
“Hey there, California.” He smiled and her heart warmed.
“I’m so happy you’re okay.” She reached out to caress his cheek, still stunned by the thought that she had almost lost him.
“Me too. What a crazy day.” His hand moved to touch her.
“No kidding.” She paused, unsure if he remembered anything or not.
But when Cooper said, “That Austen is one really great guy,” she knew he remembered everything.
“So are you, Cooper Donovan.”
****
… Two Months Later …
Cooper skated around the ice as if he had never had to battle for his life. He led his team to the state championships and broke the school record for goals scored in a single game. Katherine cheered like crazy from her seat next to Taylor.
The girls waited for the guys to get out of the locker room and Katherine marveled at how perfect her life had turned out. The locker room door opened and out walked her handsome hockey star. He threw his arms around her and kissed her head. “I’m starving. Please tell me you’ll feed me, woman.”
She laughed. “I don’t know, you were kind of a showoff tonight on the ice. It’s really rude.”
“Rude?” he mocked.
“Yeah. There’s a whole team out there, Donovan, geez. Not like you have to go breaking records all on your own. You could let other guys on the team feel like their presence is at least necessary. See? Rude.”
“I’ll show you rude.” He picked her up and swung her around while other couples looked on.
The entire campus knew what happened that weekend at the lake house, but no one ever mentioned it, at least not directly to them. There were articles about it in various papers, and the college had published in-depth interviews with both Katherine and Cooper. But no one other than Taylor and Danny knew the whole truth, the truth that included what Austen had done.
“I love you, Katherine Johns.”
“And I love you, Cooper Donovan.”
He kissed her as Austen’s image popped into her mind. She didn’t flinch or pull away. She simply thought of Austen with love. He smiled at her and her heart felt warm and full.
“Everything all right?” Cooper asked as he pulled away.
“It’s perfect,” she said, touching the side of his face.
“Tell Austen hi for me,” he said with a wink.
Her mouth fell open in surprise, and she asked, “How’d you know?”
He smiled at her, knowing that no actual response was necessary. Since the day of the accident they had been bonded unlike anyone they’d ever known. Their connection couldn’t be put into words and it sure as hell couldn’t be broken.
They walked hand in hand toward Dom’s restaurant as Danny and Taylor followed close behind, the only other two people in the world who truly understood what they meant to each other.
The End
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I have to thank Blake…who dealt with being ignored, snapped at, shushed constantly and basically shut out of my life while I wrote and fell in love with these characters. It’s always those closest to you who suffer the most. Thank you for your patience & understanding (let’s pretend you had a choice—ha!).
I must thank the amazing musicians and artists whose music inspired scenes in my head…and whose lyrics I couldn’t escape at night while I dreamed. Thank you for helping me in more ways than you know.
I want to thank my friends—Susan, Kaki, Elyssa, and Becks—for reading early drafts of this book and loving it more than I could have hoped. Also to Cat and Kristina, for giving invaluable feedback that helped this book become THAT. MUCH. BETTER! It grew to what it is because of your help. Thank you.
Thank you to my cover models, Kaki and Andrew. You gave me exactly what I needed for this cover—thank you for being perfect! :)
Last, but certainly not least…I have to thank my dear friend, Tray. Without her, this story wouldn’t exist in any form. Thank you for sharing your family and friends (especially your brother) with me. Love you.
Other Books by J. Sterling
In Dreams –
A New Adult Romance
Chance Encounters –
A Coming of Age Romance
10 Years Later –
A Second Chance Romance
Daniel Alexander –
An Alpha Millionaire Romance
Dear Heart, I Hate You –
A Contemporary Romance featuring long distance & workaholics
The Game Series-
Baseball Romance
The Perfect Game – Book One
The Game Changer – Book Two
The Sweetest Game – Book Three
The Other Game (Dean Carter) – Book Four
The Celebrity Series-
Featuring Rockstars, Hollywood and Actors
Seeing Stars – Madison & Walker
Breaking Stars – Paige & Tatum
Losing Stars – Quinn & Ryson (Coming Soon)
The Fisher Broth
ers Series
No Bad Days – Nick Fisher
A New Adult Romance
Guy Hater – Frank Fisher
A Contemporary, Realistic Romance
Adios Pantalones – Ryan Fisher
A Single Mom Romance
About the Author
Jenn Sterling is a Southern California native who loves writing stories from the heart. Every story she tells has pieces of her truth in it, as well as her life experience. She has her bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV/Film and has worked in the entertainment industry the majority of her life.
Jenn loves hearing from her readers and can be found online at:
Blog & Website:
www.j-sterling.com
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www.twitter.com/RealJSterling
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www.facebook.com/TheRealJSterling
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@ RealJSterling
If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a spoiler-free review on the site from which you purchased it. And thank you so much for helping me spread the word about my books, and for allowing me to continue telling the stories I love to tell. I appreciate you so much. : )
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