His eyes met mine, an unspokendo you mind?in his green irises.
I gave him a go-ahead nod.
He put his hands in his pockets, slowing down to chat with her. “He used some drugs because he thought it would help his pain. But he took way too much and it made him really sick.”
“Oh.” My daughter, who rarely embodied compassion or empathy, softened, her shoulders falling slack. “What was hurting?”
“His heart.”
“You mean, he was sad?”
Jesse nodded. “I haven’t asked him myself, but I think that’s what happened.”
“Is he going to die?”
Jesse sucked a breath. “Honestly, Izzy, he might. I hope he doesn’t though.”
Her voice fell quiet. “Is there anything we can do to help him?” Izzy’s eyes didn’t leave Jesse’s face.
“Well, we can take care of the horses and guests at Meadowbrook so Tag and Bea can spend more time here with him. That way, he won’t have to be alone.”
That made her smile. “I think we can do that.”
He smiled back at her. “I think so, too.”
In a moment’s time, Izzy refocused on her sister and Cade and they all peered out of the glass walls overlooking the parking lot. “Thank you. Bea was so stressed in the car that I discouraged a lot of their questions.”
“I’m sure you were getting a bunch.” His pace stayed slow, meandering across the tile.
I nodded. “Have you seen him?”
“Yeah. For a minute. They’ve got him intubated, on a ventilator. There are three nurses back there pushing buttons and doing who knows what just trying to keep him alive. He aspirated some of his vomit, so he’s already got a severe infection. Tag is being”—he blew a hard breath, shaking his head—“absolutely traumatized back there. Cooper has coded twice.”
“Coded?” I stiffened. “What does that mean?”
“His heart stopped beating.”
For a moment, I couldn’t walk. My feet halted their motion. “And they brought him back?”
“Yeah.”
I placed a hand against my stomach. The mere idea of one of my siblings being back there, hooked up to all those machines, made me feel lightheaded. Poor Tag and Bea had to helplessly stand by and wonder which heartbeat would be Cooper’s last.
The girls tried to get Cade to hop across the intermittent grey tiles. “Did he do it on purpose?”
Jesse looked down at his boots, the answer paining him. “Definitely.”
My chest tightened. “What will they do with him when he wakes up?”
“I have no idea. But I hope they do something because he needs help.”
“A couple days ago, I asked Bea what Cooper’s story was. But she said it wasn’t hers to tell, which is understandable, I guess. Our conversation gave me the vibe that he was…neglected, maybe.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “That’s giving his mom way too much credit.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not my story to tell either. But, I will say, Tag’s accomplishments are an absolute miracle. And Cooper just barely scraping by makes a lot of sense when you know what he comes from.”
