In Dreams (23 page)

“Austen.” The voice was so weak he barely heard it. Austen looked down and saw Cooper sitting on the floor. “What’s going on?”

“You’re dying.” Austen spoke the words void of any emotion.

Cooper understood what happened and accepted it. He closed 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 tried 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 eyes burned with rage and sorrow.

Seeing her and hearing Austen’s words lit a fire in his soul. “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 concentrated on breathing.

“You can! And you will. It won’t be easy, but you have to fight, Cooper.”

“Will you help me?” Cooper didn’t think he could do it alone.

“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 was firm.

“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 be alive.

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.”

Taylor walked Kat back to her room and insisted she rest. Katherine climbed back into her own bed and fell asleep quickly with the help of a sedative. She found herself in Cooper’s room with both of her loves.

“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.

She looked around and saw she was alone in an empty room. Neither Cooper nor Austen were there, but she could still hear them talking. She yelled for them, but it was clear they couldn’t hear her. She ran around trying to find them, but no matter where she ran, the voices never got any closer.

So she stopped running and listened. “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 goodbye. We’re not going to see each other any more.”

“You can’t do that.” Cooper was shocked.

Austen laughed. “What do you mean?”

“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 what 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?”

“I could never promise that.” Austen didn’t see the point in lying.

“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 laughed, “but if there’s a way for you to still talk to her when she needs you or something, I think it would good for both of you…for all of us.”

Austen had been right about Cooper Donovan. If he couldn’t be with Katherine, then Cooper was definitely the right guy for her. “Thank you, Cooper. That really means a lot.”

“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 sensed the change.

“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.”

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 happiness.

Austen stood up to leave. “Austen?” He stopped. “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. Danny and Taylor headed back to the lake house to get some real sleep and pack up their things. Cooper started to stir and he accidentally kicked her.

“Sorry,” he said, as he opened his eyes.

“Cooper!” She leaned down to kiss his cheek.

“Hey there, California,” he smiled at her.

“I’m so happy you’re okay.” She couldn’t believe she had almost lost him.

“Me too. What a crazy day.”

“No kidding.” She wasn’t sure 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, and winked at her.

Her mouth fell open in surprise, and she asked, “How’d you know?”

He smiled at her as they walked hand in hand toward Dom’s restaurant as Danny and Taylor followed close behind.

The End

Other Books Coming Soon

Chance Encounters - Coming Spring, 2012

Before the Dreams (
The Dream Series, Book #2
) - Coming Fall, 2012

Turn the page for a sneak peak at Before the Dreams (a past life story), book #2 in “
The Dream Series
.”

LOVE

“I can’t believe you’re carving our initials into this tree, Mister Dailey,” Katherine teased playfully, and touched the top of his head. Her eyes followed the traces of muscles flexing against his black shirt as he jabbed the blade into the tree.

Austen immediately dropped the knife to his side and looked at her. Her long brown hair blew lightly in the breeze and the sun illuminated her very being. “Did you want me to stop?” he asked.

She smiled with love and softly replied, “No. I think it’s sweet.”

“I think you’re sweet, Miss Johns.” His mouth crooked into a smile and her heart fluttered. Katherine had loved Austen for as long as she could remember. There were times she felt as though breathing took more effort than being with him did. Their mothers had been close friends and so Katherine, Austen, Taylor, and Blake had always been together.

Katherine looked around from her seat in the tree and caught glimpses of her home in the distance. It was almost completely hidden from view behind the magnolia trees, their magnificent branches draped with long gray wisps of Spanish moss.

The main house was two spacious stories of wood painted a brilliant white with dark blue plantation shutters that framed each window. The front of the house had five snowy marble columns that spanned from the veranda all the way to the roof perched above the second floor.

The first level was a wide veranda with steps that led to the wide, double-door entry. The second floor had a balcony that matched and spanned the length of the house. That’s where Katherine spent most of her time. She often enjoyed the warmth of southern evenings and wrote letters to Austen by lamplight while she gazed at the stars.

“All done.” Austen smiled and lifted Katherine with ease out of the tree. He gently set her on the ground to admire his handiwork.

She smiled when she saw ‘AD + KJ’ surrounded by a heart. She traced the carving with her finger, feeling every bump and rivet in the tree’s bark.

“May I kiss you?” he asked her politely.

“I don’t know, Mister Dailey. Do you deserve it?” She toyed with him, but he didn’t mind.

“I most certainly think so. I just spent a good, what...” He glanced at his pocket watch before continuing, “twenty minutes carving our initials into this here tree so the whole world could see how much I love you.”

“Well then,” she smiled. “You may.”

He laughed as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. His lips touched hers softly at first before the kiss grew in intensity. The connection between them was so raw and instinctual, they almost couldn’t control it. It had always existed between them, so they never questioned it. To Austen and Katherine, the way they felt about each other was just the way it was supposed to be. They didn’t know any differently.

Footsteps bounded in their direction and Austen gently pulled his lips away. He held Katherine’s face in his hands as Cooper ran up, breathless. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Aus. Something’s going on in town with Danny. We need to go.”

Cooper glanced at Katherine; the slightest hint of jealousy flickered in his worried green eyes. “Afternoon, Katherine,” he said politely, as he tipped his hat.

“Afternoon, Cooper.” She smiled sweetly at her boyfriend’s best friend.

Austen looked at Katherine and with one last kiss promised, “I’ll be right back.”

He turned back to Cooper.

“Let’s go.”

Before the Dreams- Coming Fall 2012