Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) (20 page)

“You really like this, don’t you?” Zach asked when Paige finished scooping a mountain of Maple Bacon Rum Crunch onto a waffle cone for the last in a long line of customers, then leaned back on the counter to take a breather.
 

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun,” Paige grinned, dropping her head on his shoulder as he leaned in beside her.
 
“Ice cream makes everybody happy.
 
It’s simple — you just hand ‘em a cone and all of a sudden everyone has a big smile!
 
I can definitely see myself working here this summer, especially with you nearby.”

“My uncle always says he wants me to be the manager, take over some of his responsibilities when I’m old enough.
 
He says he’d like to spend more time at home with his family, but he doesn’t trust the store to anyone else.”

“That’s an amazing compliment, Zach.
 
Do you think you’d want to do it?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know.
 
I mean, I always planned to go to school and become a scientist so I could figure out what was wrong with me, but maybe I won’t have to.
 
Maybe the answers will come to me.”

Paige smiled and laced her fingers between his.
 
“Maybe you can take some business classes here in town and work at Sundae’s on the side.
 
Then someday you can be the Mr. Pasquetti everybody comes to Sundae’s to see.”

“Sounds kind of nice, doesn’t it?” Zach responded, squeezing her fingers.
 
“But what about you?
 
What do you want to do?”

“Well, somebody has to keep our kids from running all over, making a mess,” Paige teased with a twinkle in her eye and Zach’s grin grew into a gigantic smile as he embraced her.

Cody erupted with jealousy at their make-believe fantasies.
 
Here they were, planning their future without a passing thought towards him.
 
Even Paige, who normally included him in the conversation, hadn’t said a word to him all day.
 
She was too wrapped up in Zach and their lovesick dreams.
 
He fumed as he imagined spending the rest of his life as an impotent bystander to their love story.
 
He couldn’t stand it anymore.
 
There had to be a way out, a way to free himself from the confines of Zach’s body.
 
If Rider could do it, so could he.
 
He just had to find a way.

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As Sunday afternoon turned to evening and a few more employees clocked in, Zach decided to take a break and go visit his uncle in the hospital.
 
He drove Paige home first, reluctantly kissing her goodnight, but happy that they would see each other at school the next day.
 
His suspension was over and he was free to return to his classes on Monday morning.
 
Unfortunately, he didn’t share any of them with Paige, but at least he could eat lunch with her and maybe drive her to and from school.

When he arrived at the hospital, his aunt and uncle were alone in the room, cuddled up together on the hospital bed.
 
He didn’t see any sign of their children, so they must have gone home with his parents or grandparents.
 
He chuckled at the thought of his aunt and uncle taking advantage of a few kid-free hours, even if it was in a hospital room.
 
He rapped softly on the door before entering, but his aunt and uncle didn’t budge.
 
They just turned their heads towards him and smiled, waving him in.

“I can come back later if this is a bad time,” Zach offered, approaching the bed to give them each a kiss on the cheek.

“Nonsense, Zachary.
 
It’s always a pleasure to see your handsome face,” Carla cooed, grasping his cheeks in her hands and planting a kiss right on his lips.
 
Zach hoped her lipstick hadn’t turned his lips the same bright pink as hers.
 
“Where’s that pretty girlfriend of yours, hmmm?”

“I just took her home.
 
She was helping me at the store today, Uncle Marco.
 
I hope that’s okay.”

“She’s good for business, that cute little one,” Marco replied, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
 
“Much better than this old bag.”

Carla slapped her husband playfully.
 
“How dare you call me an old bag, you old goat!”

“I was talking about myself, but if the description fits….,” Marco teased, shrugging his shoulders and grinning.

Zach chuckled at their playfulness and wondered briefly if he and Paige would be like them someday — old, mouthy, stubborn, and still madly in love with each other.

“So what’s the news, Uncle Marco?
 
Are they letting you out of here anytime soon?” Zach asked,
 
pulling up a chair and taking his uncle’s hand.

“Oh, you know, they have to analyze everything from the strength of your pee stream to the number of warts on your noggin before they deem you fit to walk out of here.
 
I’m gonna let them measure the length of my middle finger the next time they come in here with a needle, wanting to prod me again,” Marco gruffed, pulling the covers up to his chin.

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to know your sense of humor hasn’t been compromised,” Zach replied and Carla chuffed in agreement.

“Where are the kids?” Zach wondered.

“Oh, the nurses got sick of ‘em pressing the call button, so we sent them home with your mom and dad.
 
Let them see the misery we go through every day,” Marco answered.

“They were antsy, so your mom and dad volunteered to take them home and watch them,” Carla explained, swatting her husband.
 
“Your folks are staying the night at our house so the kids can sleep in their own beds.”

“Guess that means you’ve got your house to yourself tonight, sonny,” Marco winked.
 
“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken that girlfriend home so soon.”

“Marco Pasquetti, how dare you!” Carla squawked.

Zach laughed it off, but thought it was a pretty good idea.
 
Maybe he’d give Paige a call when he left and see if she wanted to come over.
 
Zach chatted with his family a little while longer, but his mind was distracted with the thought of time alone with Paige, so after a few more minutes of small talk he hugged them goodnight and headed out, dialing Paige’s number as he left.

“Miss me already?” Paige answered on the first ring.
 
The joy in her voice was like a magic spell that immediately awakened every inch of his being with longing for her.

“Every moment since we’ve been apart,” Zach replied, channeling his inner romantic, his voice husky with desire.
 
“I just found out my parents are staying the night at my aunt and uncle’s house, babysitting my cousins, so I’m home alone tonight.
 
I wondered if you’d be interested in keeping me company.”
 
Paige gasped and paused to consider the implications of his statement.
 
Zach quickly back-pedaled.
 
“I just meant, I’m free to hang out for a little while, if you want to.
 
Or not, that’s okay too,” Zach stumbled over his words.

Paige giggled at his awkward attempts to salvage the conversation.
 
“Chillax, lover-boy.
 
Come and pick me up.
 
I’ll sneak out and be ready for you in 10 minutes.”

Zach gulped, not sure exactly what Paige was implying, but anxious to find out.
 
“I’ll see you soon” was all he could choke out before ending the call.

Making his way out of the hospital, he caught snippets of activity as he passed each door — families chatting, nurses checking blood pressures, even the heartbreaking sobs of grieving lovers saying their final goodbyes.
 
He mostly ignored them, but one conversation in particular caught his attention.
 
For some reason, he found himself pausing to listen outside the door.

“I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Linquist, but your son is gone.
 
We’re keeping his body alive in hopes that you will consider organ donation.
 
Cody doesn’t need them anymore, but someone else could benefit greatly from his organs.
 
His eyes could let another person see again, his heart could continue to beat, bringing life to someone else’s son.
 
Please, take a little time to seriously consider this suggestion.
 
I’m sorry there’s nothing more we can do for Cody, but there’s so much he could still do for others.”

Zach’s heart raced as he and Cody considered the implications.
 
Wasn’t this exactly the kind of situation that had allowed Rider a chance at his own life?
 
The boy’s name was Cody, for heaven’s sake!
 
How much more of a sign could there be?!
 
Zach quickly resumed walking down the hallway when the doctor came out of the room, but as soon as the hall was clear again Cody persuaded him to return to the room.
 
The boy’s parents were sobbing loudly, clearly distraught by the terrible news.
 
How wonderful for them if they could have their son back!
 
It would be like a miracle.
 
It seemed like the perfect solution for everyone.
 
Zach paced outside the door, waiting impatiently for the boy’s parents to leave.
 
He wasn’t sure how much of the decision was his and how much was Cody’s, but he knew he couldn’t leave till he had a chance to enter that room.
 
Whenever a nurse or doctor walked by, Zach would quickly walk away, telling himself this was nonsense, only to return as soon as the hall was empty.
 
It seemed like hours, but was probably only 10 or 15 minutes before the wailing subsided.
 
Eventually, Zach heard the father suggest they go home and talk to their family members about the decision that had to be made.

Zach scurried out of sight and waited till the boy’s parents had vacated the hallway and the coast was clear before sneaking into the room.
 
In the middle of the gurney lay the tiny little body of a child; he couldn’t be more than four years old.
 
His skinny chest, small enough that Zach could span it with his hand, rose and fell methodically with the beat of the ventilator.
 
His face was half-covered with an oxygen mask and tubes snaked from his twig-like arms.
 
Zach gasped when he saw him.
 
He didn’t know why he had assumed the victim would be a teenage boy like himself.

Cody stared intently at the child through Zach’s eyes, contemplating his future.
 
Was this child the key to his freedom?
 
Did he really want to leave Zach, and Paige, to start over as a four year old?
 
Every fiber of his being told him this was his opportunity to break free, to live his own life, to have control of his own destiny, but did he have the guts to actually do it?
 
Zach was no help in the matter.
 
Cody assumed Zach would enjoy nothing more than being rid of him, but now that the opportunity presented itself, Zach was ambiguous.
 
Faced with the possibility of losing him, all of a sudden he realized he cared about Cody more than he had ever known.
 
Loved him even.
 
Cody was an integral part of who he was, like it or not, and he couldn’t imagine what life would be like without him.
 
Would Paige still care for him if he didn’t have Cody?
 
Cody was the reason she sought him out in the first place — or at least the possibility of Cody.
 
Would she still love him if he so drastically altered the essence of his being?
 
Zach and Cody vacillated wildly between desire and fear, their thoughts running rampant at the myriad of ramifications.

Suddenly, a sharp trilling sound broke the spell and Zach snapped back into control of himself.
 
He fumbled with the phone in his shaking hands, trying to answer the call before it went to voice mail.
 
Finally, his fingers jabbed the right button and Paige’s voice filled the silence.

“Zach?
 
Where are you?
 
I thought you were coming to pick me up.
 
Is everything okay?” Paige asked nervously.
 
Her frantic tone immediately focused Zach’s raging nerves and allowed him to think clearly again.

“I’m so sorry, Paige.
 
We’re…I’m….still at the hospital.
 
It’s Cody.
 
Can you come?
 
Room 205.
 
We need you,” Zach replied vaguely, not sure how to explain.

“Zach, what’s going on?
 
Are you hurt?”

“No, no.
 
I’m fine.
 
It’s just…there’s a boy here who’s comatose and, well….”

Paige gasped as realization dawned.
 
“Oh my God, Zach!
 
Is Cody trying to…?”

“Yeah,” Zach sighed, relieved that she understood without him even having to explain it.