The Sins of Regret

Chapter 9

When Ross woke up he was on a hospital bed with no recollection of how he had gotten there.

"You're awake!"

His parents ran across the room and hugged him.

"What's going on?" Ross asked.

They pulled away and he could see their tear-stained faces.

"You wouldn't wake up. I-I thought you were dead-"

His mother buried her face in her husband's chest and cried, unable to finish.

Ross glanced at the clock on the wall, "It's six forty-eight. I've only been asleep for three, maybe four hours."

"It's Saturday morning," his father explained, "You've been in a coma for over four days."

"...What?"

Before he could get a response, a man in a lab coat walked in.

"Welcome back, Ross," he said, "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," he replied.

The doctor nodded, "Right, let's explain a bit. You have been in a mild coma for the past few days. Based on all of the factors, It seems to have been caused by a mixture of grief and stress brought on by the recent passing of your friend." Ross nodded uncomfortably. "We're going to keep you here another night, but you should be fine to go tomorrow evening." the doctor wrote something on a notepad and handed it to his parents, "I'm going to prescribe some anti-depressants. Make sure-"

"I don't need anti-depressants." Ross cut in.

The doctor turned to him, "Explain how you got those cuts on your arm."

Silence.

The doctor looked back at his parents, "Make sure he takes two pills a day. That should be fine, but if you feel that it's not helping I would suggest calling a therapist."

The air was filled with tension from that point, through Ross' release from the hospital the next day, and built until they got home.

"Do you want to explain this?" His father demanded as he locked the door.

Ross looked at the ground, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one you're trying to hurt. I just want to know why you're doing this."

Ross shrugged, "The doctor told you."

His father rolled his eyes, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Why?" Ross urged, "Wouldn't you be devastated if mom died."

"Yes, but Bridget wasn't your wife of thirty-six years. She wasn't even your girlfriend. She was just some girl!"

"She will never be 'just some girl'!" Ross was now standing up and yelling at his father, "She meant the world to me. She was there for me when no one else was, including you! So don't you dare blow her off."

"Now, you listen here-"

"John," Ross' mother interrupted, separating the fuming men. "Ross obviously cared for her a lot."

"I don't care! I lost a son once. I will not let that happen again." He turned to Ross, "I will not lose you to a case of puppy love."

His wife put her hand on his shoulder and wiped away the tears he hadn't realized were streaming down his cheeks.

John Parker took a long shaky breath, "You are going to bed. When you wake up, we will watch you take an anti-depressant. Your mother will take you to school and she will pick you up. If you don't start getting better I will not hesitate to call a therapist. Hell, I'll send you to a rehabilitation facility if I have to. Do you understand?"