Recovery

*Bonus* Chapter 13

Brent's POV

(As written by @writerlover5)

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"Yes."

Those words are running through my head and pounding against my skull. I process them one more time. Officer Dowling is my dad! I can't believe this! After all these years mom had kept it from us. From me.

A flashback lights up my mind to the faint memories when I was five. Only five years old! Just before I started school. He had a chiseled jaw and dark hair, big eyes, and I had never seen him so unhappy, especially with my mom.

"Mom, why didn't you tell us before?" Lex's voice is weak, and concerned the slightest.

"I..I didn't know how I thought you weren't ready but now that we have met once again, I thought you should know. I never stopped loving him. Even though I thought he was dead." She repeats again. I hug her tight knowing that she speaks from her heart. She brings us together, she brought Lex and I closer, and that's how we make music so beautifully as siblings. My sister gets up and sits beside our mom and hugs here as tight as I am.

A knock interrupts our loud silence and my mother gets up out of our embrace and walks over to the door. She holds the handle for a few moments, breathes and then opens the door to see Officer Dowling, or I guess he's my dad, standing in the doorway.

"How are you all doing?" He asks thinking that my mom hasn't told us yet. He seems a little awkward right now for interrupting our family discussion, but he shouldn't. He is still part of the family, he just left us, which is the only difference between him and mom. I feel my anger build up again realizing that he left my mother for his own good, being selfish and not thinking of his wife or his children. Even though mom still loves him, and he may love her too, he still abandoned her when she needed him the most.

Lex is the first to break the silence. "hi... dad." I can see in her eyes that it took her every ounce of courage to say that to him. It is a lot to take in. But I think she realizes he took her case because he cares for her too.

I repeat the same words as my sister, just a little more forward but more monotoned. "hi, dad" the look on his face warms and he smiles slightly hoping that we will accept him back.

My anger will not subside, I can see that Lex is not happy, and I don't like anyone who makes my sister not happy. I'm her big brother, I have to protect her, and when she needed me before, I was not there and I regret every moment of that. Her eyes are terrified, yet I don't know why? Is it because her dad is on her case? Or that a story and truth has been kept from her? Or is she confused? I feel so bad for her but there is nothing I can do!

Officer Dowling... dad... or whatever, is just looking at us trying to figure what emotions are flowing inside us right now. I get up from my seat, whisper to my sister if she just wants to do some music playing, she freezes and eventually nods and follows me upstairs.