Chapter 37 Big...Big Mountain Man
I was rooted to the ground. My mind went blank, and all I could see was my dead mother on the other end of a white hallway. Fuck! Funny how I died on her birth-versary and at the location of the remembrance of her death.
"Fucking hell, Celene, run!!!" I heard the voice, but it sounded so far away. Everything was happening in a split second, but I swear it felt like minutes had passed.
Just as I got ready for the impact to finish me off, I was immediately surrounded by the strong perfume of wood and rain. Of course I would smell the handsome bastard just before I died. Life really was cruel.
I felt the force of the iron beam push me down, but there was no pain. Maybe I was already dead. Maybe the beam hit me right in the head and I died immediately. Maybe heaven did smell like oak trees, after-rain, and streams. Maybe I’d meet my mother. Did I really die on her birth-versary?
“Cee, are you ok?”
The voice sounded familiar, the gruff undertone like he spoke in whispers but this time with a hint of panic.
“Celene!! Snap out of it!!”
Well, God was being pesky today, ordering me around when I had just died.
“Goddammit, Celene!”
With that last violent push, I opened my eyes to look at Cole.
His usual jade-green eyes had darkened into the color of bark, just a hint of green left, his pupils dilated—anger? Fear? I didn’t know.
"Can you hear me, Celene!?" He roared in my ear, and all I could do in my daze was nod my head.
He pulled himself off me but grimaced as he pulled me up. It clicked in my mind immediately that he had taken the hit and weight of the beam in my stead, covering my body with his.
But the slight grimace he had expertly tried to hide meant he must have hurt his shoulder. His face didn’t show any pain; even the grimace was so subtle and quick that if I wasn’t looking at him, I would have missed it.
I could not relate to that kind of self-control and pain tolerance. I would have been bleating like a goat by this time, calling down heaven and earth to come to my rescue and crying to my late mother.
Cole righted himself, still fawning over me, his eyes roaming my body for any sort of harm while expertly hiding his own.
“You’re hurt,” I said, walking toward him.
Where did he learn to bury his pain like that? Wasn’t he a rich pampered kid, with nothing but a hefty trust fund?
“I’m fine. Do you feel ok? Do you need to get to the hospital? I’ll get a car ready…” He turned to do just that before I grabbed his injured arm and pulled to stop him. I still had to hear the hiss he let out, his back to me.
“Oh my God!! Cole, you’re hurt. Let me see.”
He wiggled his arm away from me before turning to look at me better.
"I should be saying that to you instead... You froze!!"
He was angry...at me? Or for me?
“I’m fine, really. You're the one who's hurt, not me.” I said, hoping to calm him down.
"I'm good" He answered right back. His eyes were still dark, the corners crinkling ever so slightly. I knew he was lying, but I let it go.
“Well, thank God, you gave me quite a scare back there, Chika. Let’s get on with this, shall we?” Maria said as she hugged me. The reverend mother, too, along with all the staff that had caused the mishap, rallied around me, apologizing profusely, retelling the tale as they went on with their jobs.
After assembling the beds, the workers brought out personalized laptop computers for the children with game consoles and toys. I just stood on the side with Maria and the reverend mother as box upon box of PS5 games were brought out of the trailers.
Then came the toys! Transformer cars and robots, mini race cars and balls for the boys, dolls with luscious hair, fancy teacup sets, and dollhouses with pretty makeup for the girls. So many toys that made me low-key jealous.
“I didn’t even get to play with all this as a child!! This is crazy!” I half-yelled incredulously.
I turned to see that Cole had his eyes on me, watching through the car windshield as I expressed myself. He made short notes after each of my comments and continued to type orders to the staff on his iPad.
The workers clearly had a leader to follow, and since he was apparently averse to speaking directly with people, it was easier than communicating with them himself.
I got help from a few of the staff to bring in my own presents for the kids.
My gifts were more practical, I thought. I had brought in the snacks that were quickly commandeered by the reverend mother, socks and shoes that went into storage, board games and learning books that were arranged in the rest area, and crayons, poster colors, drawing books, and canvases that soon lit up the art room.
While inside, I got a quick drink of water and a much-needed rest. Soon, the kids were brought out.
I was startled at the screams of “Aunty Celene” as they all leaped on me, having not seen me for a while. I spoke to the kids, who were so excited yet well-behaved; I could tell the reverend mother had taught them well.
After arranging everything into different sections, we walked outside to run around with the kids but were met with a wide spread of food, drinks, and treats arranged buffet-style.
Sodas of different types, ice cream in fancy coolers, cotton candy makers with staff at their posts, all wearing chef caps, aprons, and bright smiles.
But Cole continued to hide himself from me in the car, and I could think about was how many times he had saved my life.
"Weirdo" I whispered to myself.
"Buenaventura weirdo" I said again, even though I knew he could not hear me.
"Big...big...mountain man!!" I growled in frustration...
A thought struck me immediately like deja vu. Mountain man...I could swear I had said that to a scary man with broad shoulders and green eyes before...