Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted.
"Bridge, I don't know what to do..."
"I don't either, Court. Maybe you should avoid him until your session?"
Courtney let out a sigh, feeling as she ran a hand through her hair. "I see him all the time," she murmured into the phone. "That, and his daughter is visiting tomorrow. I would love to meet her, and I'm sure his Mom will want to see me..."
"Do you think he'll let you visit his Mom or Sophie?"
"I... I hope so," Courtney quietly said. "I hope he isn't too mad at me..."
"I don't think he's mad. I've overheard a few of his conversations with Geoff about... you know... and he really doesn't seem to remember much. His memory seems to remember and forget different things at different times, though. It's probably a good thing he's at a center..."
"I just..." She sniffed, quickly wiping away a tear. "It still eats me up, what he said that day. And what he did. I want to forgive him, I really do, but... I don't know, Bridge."
"I guess it's a good thing you two are going to counseling."
"I guess." She sighed and looked up at the clock. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. "I didn't realize it was so late! I'm so sorry, Bridgette!"
Bridgette laughed before responding, "Really, it's okay. I should go, though. We both need to get our rest."
"That we do. Thanks for letting me call you, Bridge."
"You can call anytime, you know that."
Courtney softly smiled, tears filling her eyes. She was so glad, so happy, to be friends with Bridgette again. She softly said, "I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, girl."
She reached forward and hung up the phone, but instead of getting up and going back to her room, she continued to sit there. Her mind was blank, but felt heavy. Her heart and stomach also felt heavy, due to the swell of emotions flowing around. She slowly stood up and slowly made her way back towards her room. When she got on there, she just walked over to the bed and laid down on it.
The next day would be a crazy one, she already knew it.
Duncan rolled over and looked at his clock. It was 6:47AM. His Ma and Sophie would be arriving sometime between eight and ten, depending on how long it took his daughter to get ready. He had a difficult time sleeping, for his mind was plagued with so many thoughts, mostly surrounding his ex-girlfriend, Courtney. He didn't know why he could barely remember the one argument that really made them split up. It was probably the alcohol that slowly caused him to forget, but maybe it was his own mind causing all this forgetfulness.
He slowly stood up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a minute. He let out a sigh, running a hand through the tiny amount of hair he had. Another event of the day popped into his head, and he quickly sprung out of bed, tossing off his sleeping clothes. He had an appointment with his Doctor at seven! He rushed out of his room and took the stairs up to the next level, trying to avoid any contact with his ex.
He knocked on the door as soon as he reached Dr. Smith's office. He gave her a small smile when she opened the door. He said, "I'm right on time, huh?"
Dr. Smith laughed, smiling. "That you are. You're usually early; I almost thought you wouldn't show up."
"I just woke up, like... fifteen minutes ago," Duncan admitted, stepping into her office.
"Today is Saturday, and it is pretty early." She grabbed her clipboard and sat down across from her patient, who sat down on the couch. She asked him, "Are you excited about seeing your daughter today?"
He softly smiled, nodding. "Sophie... Though I've messed up so much since she was born, there are times where I want to be so much better than what I am. Like today... well, like my stay here. I want to be a better person and do better things, just so... so she can be proud of me..."
"Do you think she isn't proud of you?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I know she loves me, and she's always telling strangers I'm her Daddy..."
"Are you thinking about the future and how she may not be proud of you then? It sounds like to me right now she absolutely adores you and is seemingly proud of you being her Father..."
He slowly nodded before shrugging once more. "I guess..."
"Does Sophie ever talk about her Mom?"
"Not too much, actually. She knows Ashley's dead, but sometimes she'll ask about her..."
"What questions does she ask?"
"After she woke up after her coma, she would continuously ask why and how Ashley had died. I used to avoid that answer, because..." He took a deep breath before saying, "I was still scared by the fact that she had just awoken from a coma. I eventually told her, and she hasn't asked since. Now she just asks what kind of stuff her Mommy did, what her Mommy was like..." He let out another sigh and quietly said, "I wish I knew more about Ashley, though. I mean, sure, I knew quite a bit, because living together and having a child... we kinda grew closer. We learned a bit about each other, but..." He paused before continuing, "Nobody expected her to die when she did, though."
"Do you think you would be here today if she were still alive?"
After a moment, he replied, "Maybe. I've had a drinking problem for a while, though during Sophie's first year, I hardly drank."
"Why is that?"
"I was focused on her and providing her with a good first year of life."
Dr. Smith nodded, jotting down a few more notes. Trying to lighten the mood slightly, she asked, "So, what do you have planned with your daughter today?"
"Well, the two of us and Ma are going out to lunch, and we're going around town a bit... I dunno what else. I know Soph and I are probably going to hang out here for a little bit as well..."
"Are you going to have Sophie meet Courtney?"
Duncan remained quiet. He wasn't sure if Courtney even wanted to meet Sophie at this point, after their argument yesterday. He quietly said, "We'll see if Courtney wants to..." He glanced at the Doctor and after seeing her confused look, he quickly said, "Look, Court and I got into a bit of a heated argument yesterday. That's why I asked you about the whole counseling thing. But, I'd love for Court to meet Sophie. I really would. I just..." He shrugged. "If I see her, I see her. If I don't... Maybe next time."
After the session, which ended a few minutes before eight, Duncan walked downstairs and into the lobby. He instantly smiled upon seeing his daughter and Ma. It was as if she noticed his presence, for Sophie slowly turned around. He could see her eyes light up and a smile instantly form on her face. He held up a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. She instantly nodded and started tip-toeing towards him. He couldn't keep the smile off his face; in fact, his smile grew bigger. When his daughter reached him, he instantly scooped her up and held her in his arms.
Both father and daughter held onto each other tightly. No words could escape Duncan's mouth as he held his daughter. Sophie lifted up her head, happily smiling at her Father. She whispered, "I missed you, Daddy."
"I missed you, baby," he whispered, kissing her forehead. He looked over at where his Ma was standing, and instantly smirked when the older woman began to freak out upon Sophie not being by her side. He let out a few chuckles when she finally turned their way.
"Duncan..."
"Ma..." he teased, continuing to smirk as the older woman walked their way. His smirk turned into a gentle smile as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. He quietly said, "It's good to see you, Ma."
"It's good to see you, sweetie," she said, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. "How are you feeling today?"
"Pretty good, actually."
"Good, good..." Suzie smiled at the younger child and asked, "Are you excited to see your Daddy?"
"Mmhmm," Sophie hummed, nodding her head.
"Where's Courtney at?" Suzie softly questioned, looking around.
Duncan also looked around. He wasn't surprised his Ma has asked that question, for she always adored Courtney. He quietly said, "I dunno..."
"Are you two...okay?"
He let out a sigh, re-adjusting his daughter's position on his hip. He quietly explained, "Ma, we haven't been 'okay' in years. That's why we stopped dating, because we weren't 'okay'."
"Have you two been trying to reconcile while here?"
"Sort of." He shrugged. "We've been talking everyday, but yesterday... We had a big fight. I set us an appointment for counseling."
Suzie nodded. She softly smiled and reached forward, rubbing Duncan's arm. She opened her mouth and was about to say something when something else caught her attention. Duncan furrowed his eyebrows and turned around. He pursed his lips as he saw Courtney walk across the lobby towards the dining room. He gathered all of his courage and called out, "Hey, Court!"
Courtney immediately stopped, frozen in her tracks temporarily. She slowly looked over and was surprised to see his Mom and daughter standing there. She couldn't help but softly smile at the sight of Duncan and his daughter. She gave them a small wave and decided to walk over to the three people.
"Oh, my gosh, Courtney!" Suzie exclaimed, instantly engulfing the woman in a hug.
Courtney softly laughed, softly wrapping her arms around the older woman. "Hello, Mrs. Evans."
"Oh, sweetie," Suzie softly said, softly patting Courtney's back. "You know that you can always call me Suzie. Heck, you can even still call me 'Mom' if you feel like it."
Courtney softly laughed, but couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in her stomach. Her and Duncan's Ma had such a strong relationship back when she was dating him, but she hadn't talked to the older woman since she broke up with her son. She let out a sigh and softly said, "I'm sorry about not... not talking to you after mine and Duncan's break-up..."
"Hey," Suzie softly said, causing Courtney to step back and really look at her face. "You don't need to apologize. You two really had a horrible break-up." She paused for a moment before another small smile broke out. "You know, I always thought you were that perfect one for Duncan. All these other women he dated..."
"He dated a lot?"
Suzie pursed her lips. "He didn't date too many women. He would bring over to our house a few women here and there, and I know of a few more he just... you know... But I'm really glad he never dated Ashley..."
Suzie's now nervous face confused Courtney. It then hit her - Mrs. Evans thought Courtney didn't know about Ashley. She softly smiled and said, "I know about Ashley."
"Oh, good, good... Oh! So you've seen pictures of Sophie then?"
Courtney's smile grew as she nodded. "I have."
"She is so precious, that child... So sweet and polite and soft-spoken, she is just an angel..."
Courtney softly laughed and admitted, "You sound just like me when I'm talking about my son..."
"Y-you have a son?"
Courtney nodded, reaching into her pocket. She brought out another picture, one from her last visit with Mike, and handed it to Suzie. She said, "Yep, Mike. He's also four."
Suzie gasped, a huge smile on her face. "He is so cute!" she gushed. She smiled at Courtney and said, "He looks just like you." She let out a laugh, shaking her head. She quietly said, "It's a shame you and Duncan didn't have any children..."
Courtney's smile dropped slightly. She remained in her spot, now slightly uncomfortable. She had heard the expression "It's a shame you and Duncan..." many times before, and she never liked hearing it. She let out a quiet sigh and muttered, "I know..."
Suzie frowned and reached forward, gently grabbing onto Courtney's arm. "I'm sorry," she softly said. "Duncan never likes hearing that stuff, either."
"Are we going, Ma?" Duncan asked, walking back over to the two of them. He had stepped away for a moment, letting the two women talk. He spent a few minutes quietly talking to his daughter, telling her about Courtney. Sophie was very curious about the woman he had called over. He looked down at his daughter, who was curiously staring at Courtney. She looked up and softly said, "She's really pretty, Daddy."
Duncan smiled, nodding. "That she is," he agreed.
"We'll talk later, okay?" Suzie softly said, continuing to hold onto Courtney's arm.
Courtney slowly nodded, a small smile falling on her face. "Okay."
"Do you want to come with us?" Duncan asked.
Courtney stared at her ex-boyfriend, looking him in the eyes. She slowly shook her head. Though her eyes were pained, she still gave him a small smile. She softly said, "I have some stuff I have to do here. I'll see you later."
A/N: Yeah... long story short, my computer died. I have everything on an external hard drive, so all I had to do was finish this!...once I thought of an ending. I already have the next chapter planned, and some of it is already written. This chapter just sets up what's coming next!
