Impossibly Forever: Two Books in One (Impossibly Duology) (26 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Branden

  
First thing Monday morning
, I went by Dr. Henderson’s office at St.
Joseph’s Medical Center. I didn’t make an appointment beforehand. That’s how
desperate I was to make sure it wasn’t the disease again.

  
Knocking on his door, I waited for a reply this time instead of barging in.

  
“Come in,” he answered.

  
The minute I did, I got right to it. “Can you check if its back?”

  
“Branden,” Dr. Henderson stood from his chair. “What happened?”

  
Composing myself, I moved around one of the chairs facing his table and plopped
down into it. Dr. Henderson settled back into his.

  
“Well, go on,” he prompted, growing concerned.

  
“Two days ago I had this sudden, throbbing pain in my chest. It was horrible. I
was…”

  
“Scared?” he finished for me.

  
Falling back in the chair, he took off his glasses and placed them on top of
the table. “And you think
it’s
back?”

  
I nodded slowly.

  
“It could be your chest is still going through a healing process. I wouldn’t be
too quick to say the Aortic Dissection is back. However, if you want to be
absolutely sure, I’ll have an X-ray done on your chest right away.”

  
“I’d rather be sure.”

  
“All right then.” He put his glasses back on, stood,
then
walked around the desk, urging me along.

  
When we stepped out of his office and into the corridor, Dr. Henderson asked,
“Did you tell your parents about this?”

  
“No,” I replied, keeping my gaze straight ahead as we turned at a corner and
continued down another corridor. “I wanted to make sure first.”

  
“Sounds like you already believe
its
back, Branden.”
He stopped at a door and peered at me over his glasses. “Remember what I told
you that day you left the hospital?”

  
I stuck my hands inside my pockets and answered, “That I should keep positive.”

  
“Yes. I hope you’ll continue to do so.”

  
Dr. Henderson opened the door and entered what appeared to be an examination
room. “Change into that robe over there and I’ll have a nurse come in to
perform the X-ray shortly.”

  
He left me alone to it.

  
After changing, I waited a few minutes for the nurse to come in, cracking my
knuckles and growing anxious by the second. Thoughts circulated around my head.
Like what if the disease was really back? Would it kill me this time? How was I
going to tell my family, not to mention Moya? She would be devastated.

  
“Hi, Branden,” a petite nurse with her red hair up in a ponytail entered. She
held a plastic smile on her face as she pointed to the box-like device mounted
on the wall and instructed, “If you’ll step over here please.” I’d grown used
to seeing the machine by now.

  
She positioned me in front of it, and then she walked over to the producing
device a few feet away and sat down before it. “Okay, Branden. Stay still until
I tell you.”  This nurse sounded like my mother.

  
“Ready when you are,” I said flatly.

  
“Okay,” she replied, her voice chirpy and high-pitched. “Here we go.”

  
I heard a buzzing sound and lights flashed from the machine in split seconds,
my heart thumped with each. Then she instructed me to turn sideways with my
arms outstretched. The same lights flickered again, and before I knew it, she
was finished with me. A flood of relief washed over my body, and I was able to
steady my breathing again.

  
Getting up, the nurse headed for the door. “You can get dressed. I’ll get these
developed and get the results back to Doctor Henderson. He’ll be in shortly to
talk with you.”

  
The minute I hauled on my t-shirt and slipped on my sweater, I received a text
from Moya.

  
What you up to today?

  
Nothing really.

  
I hated not telling her about this when I’d promised her if anything happened I
would, but like Dr. Henderson said, it could be nothing to worry about.

  
Wanna meet up?

   Sure.
Later though.
Anything in mind?

   Why
later? How about in 10 mins?

  
Can’t babe.
Taking care of something now.
We’ll get together later. Wanna catch a movie?

  
Dr. Henderson walked in the room, holding my x-ray images. I stiffened, fearful
of what he was going to say. His mouth curled into a smile as he sat down on
the chair. It gave me hope.

  
“So?” I urged, growing impatient. Sweat started to run down the side of my
face. “Is it back?”

  
“Branden, it’s not the disease. Like I said, it was probably a late effect from
the surgery.”

  
He glanced over the images then handed them to me. My chest looked clear from
what I could see.

  
“There’s nothing wrong, Branden,” he confirmed.

  
I swallowed down the huge lump that had formed in my throat. “You’re sure?” I
asked again, peering at the x-ray then handing them back to him.

  
Nodding, Dr. Henderson patted my shoulder. “Relax, son. Enjoy life and stop
worrying so much.” He guided me towards the door. We stepped outside the room.
“I suggest taking aspirins now and then, just in case the pain returns. If it
ever gets bad, come see me.”

  
“Okay.”

  
A flood of relief washed over my entire body. Geez! What a scare that stupid
pain had caused. Fortunately, it was nothing major though.

  
Reaching the door of his office, I shook his hand before going on my way.
Doctor Henderson gave me a father-like look as he said, “Remember what I said,
Branden. Stay positive.”

  
“I’ll try,” was all I could utter, still overcome by relief.

  
When I got to my car in the center parking lot, I checked my cell phone before
taking off. Moya had replied to my text for a while now with an okay about the
movie. I quickly replied:

   I’ll pick
u up later k.

  
k
love u

  
love
u too babe
                               

***

  
When I walked in the front door, there were boxes piled up in the foyer. Dad
was moving out. He’d also made it clear he would give Mom the house and a
certain amount of money every month once the divorce was finalized. He wanted
to make sure she’d keep up her fancy lifestyle, or more so that she’d be
satisfied enough to let him go.

  
It was only now soaking in. My parents were going their separate ways. I knew
this was inevitable, yet, it kind of hurt now that it was happening.

  
“Branden,” Dad came down the hall with two more boxes. He placed them on the
floor. “Where’d you go? I was looking for you earlier.”

  
“Out walking,” I lied. “Why were you looking for me?”

  
Twisting, he examined the boxes then opened up the one on the top. “I got you
something. Your mother doesn’t want me coming back here after I leave today,
and I know you and your brother won’t come by my place to see me so—”

  
“Why wouldn’t I?”

  
He eyed me with a surprised expression. “You would?”

  
I took the gift from his hand. “Yes, I would. You’re my father. Regardless of
how things are between you and Mom, I still want you in my life.”

  
“Wow,” he glanced down at the box in my hand. “I wasn’t expecting that. I
thought you hated me. I mean, your brother certainly does.”

  
“Ashton hates everybody—”

  
“Not you, and not your mother,” he cut me off. “No matter how he acts with her,
he’d much rather take her side than mine.”

  
Dad picked up a few boxes. “Wanna help an old man carry these out to the car?”

  
“Sure.” I settled the gift down on the table by the stairs and picked up some
boxes as well.

  
“You know what, Branden?”

  
He held the door open with his foot until we were both outside, heading over to
his car.

  
“What?” I asked.

  
“You’re a good kid. Every day I came home and saw you here, that you’d beat
that disease, it made me proud to be a father even more.”

  
When we reached his car, Dad put the boxes down on the concrete and opened the
door to place them on the backseat.

  
“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered.

  
He squeezed my shoulder before heading back into the house. To be honest, there
were times I was mad at him, nearly hated him for being so closed off from
home. I’d gotten irritated with him for all the fights he’d have with Mom.
They’d each had affairs, and were both wrong. But when Dad was there for me, I
felt it. And walking back inside now, I realized something I hadn’t when he
said he was going to move out. I was surely going to miss him.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Moya

  
No one liked
when someone talked in the middle of a movie, only Branden
was super quiet throughout this one. We were watching a comedy, a funny one at
that, only he never laughed. Not at one single joke.

  
When the movie ended and we headed out of the theatre, the silent cloud
continued to hover over him. It bugged me how mysterious he was being.

  
“What’s up?” I asked, squeezing his hand.

  
“Nothing,” he answered in a low, somber voice.

  
I stopped him on the sidewalk, resting my hand against his chest. “It’s
definitely something. You’ve been so quiet since you picked me up. What is it?”

  
Branden tucked one hand inside the pocket of his dark jeans and combed the
other through his tousled hair as he let out a long sigh. “My parents are
splitting up…and,” he made a sarcastic grunt that took me by surprise. “I
didn’t think it would get to me this much.”

  
“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I had no idea.”

  
When I released him, he gazed intensely into my eyes. “I didn’t want to talk
about it with anyone.”

  
“You can talk to me about anything; you should know that by know.”

  
He stroked my cheek. “Moya, some things I don’t even want to think about.”

  
“How’s Ashton, your mom?”

  
“She’s acting relieved, and Ash is getting ready to leave for Spain. He’s
hardly been home since winter break.”

  
We started walking again, heading towards the parking lot.

  
“You know what though?”

  
“What?”

  
“It’s a good thing, ’cause they couldn’t even breathe the same air. Their
marriage was so far
gone,
they couldn’t remember why
they got married in the first place.”

  
He slowed me down, touching my arms as he said, “We’ll be different. We won’t
keep secrets between us and we’ll always remember our love for each other.”

  
Branden had a serious look in his eyes, for a moment it frightened me. I never
thought I’d be at the mercy of a man, but here I was overpowered by this
incredible guy before me. All I wanted him to know was he could believe in me.

  
I rested my hand against his chest and said, “Don’t worry, Branden. I’ll always
love you.”

  
“So will
I
,” he smiled, towing me into his embrace for
a soft kiss, one that left me breathless when it ended.

  
Tuesday night, I slipped into a graphic, burgundy tunic sweatshirt, black
jeans, and laced boots. Then I waited for Branden so we could go to the
Christmas Eve festival in downtown Berlin Heights.

  
I usually went to the festival with Vanessa, but earlier when we spoke she told
me Warren would be coming so she’d meet me there. Good thing Calvin was never
around during this time of the year. If he ran into them at the festival,
things would not turn out well.

  
Momma had left over an hour ago to have dinner with her friends. They wouldn’t
be seeing each other tomorrow so she wanted to give her gifts tonight.

  
I sat down on the sofa, waiting, fiddling with my clutch. Gazing around the
living room, my eyes landed on the presents tucked beneath the Christmas tree
standing next to the television set. Aside from what Momma and I had gotten
each other, there was a bag for Branden, as well as something for my dad.

  
It was the first gift I’d gotten for him since I was a little girl. Staring at
it gave me jitters. I was far more excited than I’d let on, having him back in
my life. I’d missed him so much.

  
Headlights shone through the curtains and zapped me out of my thoughts. At the
sound of a car pulling up outside our gate, I got up from the sofa and walked
out of the living room, getting my wool coat from the hanger by the front door.
I opened it just as Branden was about to knock.

  
“Hey there, beautiful,” he complimented, staring at me with his sexy grin that
easily made my heart flutter.

  
“Hey yourself,” I replied. “You’re as handsome as ever.” He looked sharp in a
blue shirt, leather jacket, dark jeans, and black shoes.

  
Going outside, I locked the front door and secured my keys inside my clutch,
heading down the porch steps with Branden towards his car.

  
“Warren told me he’d be at the festival with Vanessa,” he said.

  
“Yeah, they’re getting closer by the day.”

  
“You sound as if you still haven’t accepted them.” He lightly placed his hand
at the small of my back, sending chills up and down my spine. I’d noticed of
late he’d been getting more affectionate with me. Then again, so had I.

  
“I’m getting there,” I murmured, flashing him a smile.

  
When we reached his SUV, Branden opened the passenger door so I could climb
inside.

  
“He really likes your friend.”

  
I buckled my seatbelt before replying, “I hope so, ‘cause she’s giving up a lot
for him.”

  
Keeping his hand on the door, Branden lowered and gave me a kiss. My senses
heightened as I inhaled his fresh, cool breezy scent.

  
“Don’t worry so much,” he whispered when he regained the strength to pull away
from me and closed the door.

  
I kept my eyes on him as he moved around the car to his side. Sliding into his
seat, Branden turned the key and pulled onto the road. I wondered if he knew
how much his kisses drove me crazy, if he realized how in heat I was whenever
we’d get close.

  
Pressing my eyes shut for a moment, I tried to control my emotions, hoping to
have them in check by the time we reached the festival and met up with Vanessa
and Warren. Seeing them together would take some getting used to.