Human Nature (Book 4): Human Nature IV by Borthwick, Finlay (13 ebook reader .txt) 📕

a sight for eyes?” She jovially commented, for the woman in the bed was none other than her old friend, Annabelle.

“Is that… Cora?!” Annabelle was in complete astonishment. As such, it took her several seconds to process the familiar face.

“My goodness!” Cora was overjoyed to see Annabelle. She crouched over the bed to embrace her.

“I—I can’t believe it!” Annabelle too was completely flabbergasted. “You’re alive! All this time, you’re alive, Cora!”

Cora nodded frivolously, “It is so good to see you again!” She further noted. Then, she cleared her throat to ask a more serious question, “I know it’s been a long time, but… Vanessa and Miguel?”

Annabelle regretfully shook her head, “Gone.”

“Oh, I see.” Cora nodded understandingly. “Anybody else? I know Tina is okay. Any other ex-Londoners still going strong?”

Annabelle smiled brightly and nodded in affirmation, “My mum is still alive. Elliot is too. They’ll both be around here somewhere.”

“That’s great to hear.” Cora patted Annabelle’s shoulder, feeling happy for her. She waited for several moments, having expected to Annabelle to list off more survivors.

Realising this was what Cora was waiting for, Annabelle broke the hard news, “…Olivia.” She didn’t need to say anything more for Cora to know what had happened there.

“That’s a shame.” Cora corroborated; after all, she had spent a lot of time with Olivia prior to Elliot’s group arriving in London for the first time many years ago now.

Harkening back to their last encounter, Annabelle now had question for Cora. “Did you find Beth in the end?”

Cora wistfully shook her head, “I searched the whole of England; literally. In the end, I gave up. I couldn’t make Keith’s dying wish come true.” She regretfully confessed. “But I did as you asked of me: I waited in England for you all to come back. Sure, I might’ve taken a detour to Ireland at one point, but I stayed local mainly.”

“Was that out of choice or because of a lack of planes?” Annabelle asked in jest, as another call back to their shared apocalyptic past.

Annabelle responded in an equally humorous manner, “Lack of planes, one-hundred percent. Otherwise, I would’ve taken you up on your request to ‘bounce back to France.’” She quoted word-for-word exactly the last thing that Annabelle had said to her before they split ways.

“Well, we’re back now.” Annabelle reminded Cora with a light-hearted chortle, “And I don’t think we’re going anywhere anytime soon. It’s great to see you, Cora.” She stated once again.

“You too, old buddy.” Cora chortled back, completely ecstatic to finally have her best friend back in her life.

Soon after reintroductions with Annabelle were complete, Cora had returned to her mother’s bedside.

And now, at long last, Erica finally awoke.

As Cora’s leg jolted up and down rapidly in confusion, her face filled with contentment upon watching her mother awake. “Mum?” She addressed her in a soft manner so as not to induce a shock attack.

The hotel room door creaked, redirecting Cora’s attention towards it.

There, Rylie stood peering through the gap, eager to see this family reunion.

“Where—Where am I?” Erica rubbed her head to minimise the swelling she had injured, her question bringing Cora’s attention back to her.

“You’re safe. You’re absolutely safe.” Cora affirmed with eyes of delight, “Welcome home.”

With her other hand, Erica rubbed the sleep out of her left eye, “Where am I…?” She enquired again, more hazily this time.

Cora took Erica’s hand, “Home.” She began to caress it gently, “You’re home, mum.”

The room came over with a vacant silent. Although Cora had assumed this silence was due to her mother processing her latest remark, the truth was that Erica’s deafness had prevented her from hearing what her daughter had just said.

Fully awake, Erica now gazed her eyes upon her estranged daughter.

But much to Cora’s dismay, Erica simply sighed and rested her head back against the board.

“Mum? Are you alright?” Cora was at a loss.

“Five dreams about you in one night.” Erica softly professed, “That’s a new record.” She clearly believed that her daughter returning to her side was just too surreal for it to be true.

“No, mum.” Cora raised her hand to brush her mother’s face now, “I’m here. It’s me. This isn’t a dream.”

But still, Erica was delusional.

“Ouch!” Erica proclaimed loudly as Cora pinched her arm.

“Sorry about that, mum. But I need you to understand that this really is happening!” She simply couldn’t wait for her mother to come to her senses in her own time; she was desperate for their reunion to commence.

As she cast her eyes upon her daughter a second time, Erica’s eyes filled with melancholy, “…Cora?”

Cora began to tear up, “Yes, yes! Mum, it’s me!” She hadn’t noticed that her mother was no longer looking to her eyes and was now instead reading her lips.

“I—” All of Erica’s emotions struck her at once, “I don’t believe it.” She was too worn out, both mentally and physically, to display the true extent of what she was currently feeling.

Unable to hold back any longer, Cora pulled her mother in for a long overdue embrace. “…I knew you’d come back for me!” She declared as she snivelled into her mother’s shoulder.

Although Erica had felt the vibrations of Cora’s words throughout her body, she had not heard what was said.

The mother and daughter broke from their cuddle.

“Cora, I—” Erica knew not of where to start, “There’s so much I need to tell you.”

Her daughter shook her head with a relieving smile, “Don’t worry. Annabelle’s already brought me up to speed with what I need to know.”

Ironically, however, Cora had not been told of the one thing that she perhaps needed to know above all else.

“Oh.” Erica asserted bluntly, still not entirely convinced that she wasn’t in a fever dream. “So, you know about me…?” She queried with regards