Stone Cold (23 page)

Eden
had no choice but to concede which was exactly what she’d tried to avoid. The real reason she didn’t want to take him back again was because she too was worried about how Hannah would react towards him. He still looked like his gorgeous self but he didn’t sound quite the same so she was really trying to dissuade him in any way she could think of without hurting his feelings.

“Fine Conall
, but I can’t promise that Kristen and the girls won’t be with me again when I pick you up,” she lied.

He cringed at the thought of having to stomach one more second with any of them, least of all Kristen.

“Oh hell no! Not her Eden! Did any of them tell you she and Courtney and Alison showed up at my 17
th
birthday party uninvited no less?”

“Ha
! Yeah I knew about that. How’d it go?”

“I’m sure you know how it went. It was a nightmare. Kristen made a total fool of herself and I’m sick of her coming onto me.”

“She’s harmless – I think she might actually have a boyfriend now too.”

“Somehow I doubt that’ll make any difference to a girl like her. Why do you stay friends with her?”

“I haven’t really. You’re the one who keeps any friendship alive that’s left by dragging me back to the city every year. Why can’t you just drive yourself?”

“
Are you forgetting about what I went through recently? I haven’t driven again yet and even if I could mom and dad still wouldn’t let me take the car more than 20 miles away from home – not until I leave for college and especially not after my accident.”

Eden
was fresh out of ideas. There was nothing more she could think of to say that would change his mind.

“Okay, I’ll take you but this is the last time, got it?”

“Yes, got it loud and clear.”

Five days later Eden and Conall were on their way to the big apple once again.
She was eager to spend some time with her little brother. She missed talking to him in the way only the two of them could with each other.

Not one to hold back,
Eden confessed what was on her mind.

“I’m not sure I want to keep dating David. I think I might be over the whole mysteriou
s, sexy artist thing.”

“What happened? You’re living with him now aren’t you?” Conall could never quite figure his sister out.

“Funny thing. I planned on moving in as you know but when the time came I froze. That’s never been a good sign for me so I decided to think about it some more and stay where I’m at for now.”

Conall was glad she’d stopped to think about her situation for once in her life before taking action. She was known for making rash decisions and realizing after the fact that she’d made a move she wasn’t happy with.

Smiling at her he said, “Wow, I’m impressed.”

“
And exactly what do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you gave some thought to your move before you acted on it. That’s got to be a first for you. I’m so proud of you right now.”

Eden looked at him with disbelief.

“Am I that pathetic that even my little brother can see how flawed I am?”

“You’re not flawed. I never said that. You’re, spontaneous.”

“Oh is that what I am? Well thanks for your vote of confidence.”

“Oh come on Eden. Don’t be mad at me! I was trying to pay you a compliment.”

“I’m not mad. Let’
s just change the subject.”

Her brow wrinkled as she thought of a new topic of discussion.

“Oh I know. Maybe I shouldn’t bring this up but what if Jack Barnes shows up again today?”

Every time
Conall heard that name, the hairs on the back of his neck would stand up. After everything that he’d been through over the past year, he’d forgotten all about the possibility that Jack might come back as well.

“I guess I should call Shawn and Bobby
to meet me there again. I hope they can make it on such short notice.”

They were about twenty minutes away from the ferry landing.

“You can rest easy. I already called them yesterday and they’re going to be there waiting for you. They went early to look for Jack to avoid any last minute confrontations with him and to protect Hannah if she gets there earlier than you.”

Eden
glanced over at Conall who looked worried.

“Are you okay? What are you thinking?”

“What if Shawn and Bobby…? They don’t know about my accident and… What if they think I’m…?”

“Don’t worry. I told them about your accident and that you suffered a TBI but
that you’re the same person and you look the same even though you may sound a little different.”

She put a comforting hand on his arm.

“You’ll be fine.”

Conall was nervous. In his mind, it was worse seeing people who knew him before the accident than it was seeing people he’d met after the accident.

He didn’t have time to think about it though because ten minutes later, Eden had dropped him off and he was standing near the benches while he looked for Bobby and Shawn.

His heart was beating faster by the second.

“We’ve looked around the whole area but didn’t see one trace of Jack or his body guards.”

Conall slowly turned around and was met with a guy hug from Shawn and then Bobby.

“Hey man, how’ve you been? Eden told us you were in a serious accident and almost died,” said Bobby.

“Well from the looks of things you’re still a ch
ick magnet so no worries,” teased Shawn.

“I wouldn’t know about that
.”

Conall was
finally able to relax and spoke well as he caught up with his friends. They didn’t seem to notice or care about his brain injury. It felt like old times.

In fact, they were having such a good time talking no one realized an hour had passed.

With no sign of Hannah, Conall made the decision to call it a day.

“I don’t have any idea why she didn’t make it here this year but as crazy as it sounds, I’m still not ready to give up on this, on her.”

Conall was determined yet again to stay positive.

“At least Jack didn’t show up to spoil the day. Maybe he’s finally given up and moved onto something or more like someone else.”

“There’s still a lot of daylight left. Let’s get out of here and get some food or something.”

Shawn agreed,
“That sounds like a good idea. I want to hear all about your accident.”

“And your car! Dude, your hot car!
Eden told us you totaled it – that sucks so much!” Bobby shook his head in disbelief.

A vision of his car flashed up in Conall’s mind.

“It was an awesome car. I can’t believe what happened. You won’t believe what happened.”

They walked to the nearest restaurant and h
e proceeded to tell them everything he could remember about the accident and other things.

Shawn was thankful Conall was doing well. “I’m really glad
I got to see you again. I wish I’d known about the accident sooner so I could’ve come to see you in the hospital. I’m happy that you’re okay.”

“I was about to say the same thing. So happy you’re still with us,” added Bobby.

“Me too.”

Conall missed the good times he’d had with these two guys and enjoyed their company for a few hours before calling
Eden to pick him up.

This time she
arrived solo.

“You don’t even have to tell me. I can see by the look on your face that you didn’t see her again.
I’m sorry.”

Conall didn’t say a word. He climbed in the car and sat in silence for the entire ride home.

Two months later, Conall, Carter, and Max graduated from high school. They spent one last summer hanging out together as much as possible before they moved onto the next phase of their lives – college.

Chapter
19

It was hard to imagine how two people could live together in a room the size of a closet for any length of time but that’s the life of a college freshman.

Given his size, Conall’s dorm room would’ve been a tight space for him to live in by himself let alone with a roommate.

It was the morning of September 11, 2001 and Conall had been at college for about two weeks. He and his roommate Steve got along well but their room was too small for two large athletic men with muscles, to move around in comfortably. Therefore, they’d scheduled an early morning meeting with the dean of student housing to see about changing their living arrangements.

Little did Conall
know that on that day, his and so many other people’s futures would be forever changed in the blink of an eye.

Their
meeting had been a success. His roommate and he were reassigned to a room designed for three men instead of two. As luck would have it, the new room was vacant and they could move in right away.

On their way back to their dorm to st
art moving, Conall and Steve learned that a plane had struck one of the twin towers in Manhattan. Everyone had begun to gather wherever there was a television to watch as the events of 9/11 unfolded.

Over the next few hours, h
e watched along with everyone else in total disbelief.

“How is this happening?
I grew up in Manhattan and know those towers very well. I saw them every day and hung around that area all the time.”

Conall
felt sick. A wave of nausea came over him as he wondered about all of the people he knew and didn’t know who worked in and around those buildings.

From watching the news, Conall knew there had to be a high number of injuries and worse. He started calling friends and family. First Bobby and Shawn who were both safe but shaken beyond w
ords, and then his parents.

Evelyn had gone to the
ir church to pray while his father decided to drive to the city to check on friends and former coworkers and to offer his assistance in any way he could be of help.

Eden
called Conall before he’d had a chance to call her.

“
Oh my gosh Conall, I can’t believe this has happened! How can anyone do this to innocent people? Why did this happen? I’m so worried about all of our friends.”

She asked
the same questions everyone else was asking.

“I know
Eden. I can’t believe it either. Dad went to the city to check on friends. He wants to stay and help too. I’m thinking about going there myself.”

“
Well if you go I want to go with you. I haven’t been able to reach Kristen, Courtney, or Alison yet but I’m sure they’re okay.”

Conall tried to stay positive.

“I’ve heard the phone lines have been really busy and that’s why people have been having trouble getting in touch with each other. Keep trying and I’m sure you’ll reach them at some point.”

“
Yeah I’m sure you’re right. Have you talked to Shawn and Bobby? Are they okay?”

“Yeah they’
re fine. They said that it’s total chaos though. People are really scared. No one has any idea what to do. Everyone’s pretty much in shock.”

Conall could hear the tears in
Eden’s voice as they talked. He was choked up too but he didn’t want anyone to know. Showing emotion was not something he was comfortable with so he’d have to end this call soon.

“
Eden, I have to go now. I’m glad you’re alright. I’ll call you later.”

Without waiting to hear her response, he hung up the phone. This was no time to break down and cry but Conall could feel it in the pit of his st
omach, trying to work its way up.

He had to find a place where he could be alone to let it out.
He made his way through the dorm lobby and exited at the back of the building. There was a wooded area behind the dorm and he ran there as fast as his legs would take him.

No sooner did he move about a hundred yards through the trees than did he
decide to keep running. At the time, it was the only way he could think of to release the anger and rage he felt over seeing the attack on his country and the place he’d called home for most of his life.

Conall guessed he’d run about five miles when he finally stopped to catch his breath. He
was leaning over with knees bent, looking downward, his arms resting on his thighs. He was breathing heavily and the sweat was pouring from his face mixed with the tears that had started to fall. He couldn’t stop them. All he wanted to do was go there and help in any way he could. When he was done, Conall made a solemn vow.