Barred Desires (The Deepest Desires 1)

“Just thought you should know

who your sons really are.”

Handing it to Branson, I watch him as he takes it in, before looking back up at me. Fury blazes in his eyes as he clenches his jaw.

At the same time, we both say, “Courtney.”

“What?” Sarah asks, perplexed. “Why would she do something like this?”

Running my hands down my face, not really wanting to get into this with her right now, but knowing she needs an answer, I tell her, “Remember when I said Courtney and I broke up on good terms?”

She nods.

“Well, we didn’t. Things got bad between us, nothing I really want to get into right this second, but she wasn’t happy about the break-up.”

“Did you… Did you two…?”

She doesn’t finish her sentence, but I know what she’s asking.

“No, Branson and I didn’t get together until after. Right before winter break, though, she came to my house, used our spare key, and walked in on… us.”

I can feel my cheeks heat up, and I already know my face is beet red.

“OH, um.” Sarah’s face is now equally red, and I can tell she wished she had never asked. “Well, then. Okay. Well, that’s what she gets for coming inside unannounced, I guess.”

I can’t help it; I bark out a loud laugh. It’s such a Sarah thing to do, to make light of an awkward situation.

“Why would she do this, though?”

“When she walked in on us, she had mentioned making me regret it. Thinking she was pissed and talking out of her ass, I didn’t take it too seriously. Obviously, her psycho ass was serious and is trying to cause problems now.”

“Jokes on her,” Sarah says with a shrug. “We already knew. Come on, let’s get a move on, so we can hopefully avoid the morning traffic.”

With that settled, we grab our keys and hit the road. Branson and I take my dad's car, while Sarah takes her own, in case she isn’t ready to leave when we are, or vice versa.

* * *

Dr. Bakerjust came to talk to us about what to expect with Dad waking up. Apparently, patients coming out of a medically induced coma generally wake up within a day. Of course, this varies patient to patient, and other factors come into play as well, such as how long they’ve been in the coma, what their condition is, and their overall health.

With him only being in the coma for five days, I’m hoping that will work well in his favor. The short length also means his likelihood of any long-term effects is pretty slim, too.

Basically, I’m trying to take the Branson route and remain positive until I have a solid reason to be negative. Fingers crossed that it pays off. All that’s left to do right now is wait. Hopefully, it doesn’t take him too long to wake up, but whenever he does, we’ll be here.