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“What about the army, Dad?”
“I wanted you to go. You didn’t want to go.”
“That about sums it up.”
“So you went into the FBI.”
“Yes, you didn’t want me to go into the FBI because it wasn’t the army.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
Dean fisted a hand and his arm shook. “You always said I was disappointed in you because of your choices.”
“Was I wrong?”
“No. I was disappointed, but that had nothing to do with how proud I have always been of you.”
Aaron’s lips slipped apart as he stared at his dad, who looked like he’d used all of his energy to say those words.
“If you were proud of me, why didn’t you ever say it?”
“You think I would have said it if you went into the army? My dad never said stuff like that to me and I shouldn’t need to say it to you. I’m your dad. Of course I’m proud of you. Thinking any differently is stupid.” Dean pulled the blanket on his lap up to his chest. He looked around the room at everything except Aaron.
Aaron looked at Sydney, who whispered, “He’s trying. Hear his heart, not his words.”
Aaron took a breath, then said, “Thanks, Dad.”
“I’m sorry if you didn’t know. I’m sorry if I hurt you. That was never what I meant to do. You’ve always been a better person than me. Look at what you did last year for the FBI. You single-handedly took on a federal organization. I never could have done that. That took real guts.”
Sylvia entered the room. “He kept telling all the doctors and nurses. Anyone who would listen,” she said, laying a tray full of cakes on the coffee table.
“I had a lot of help with that operation,” Aaron said. “It wasn’t all on me.”
“Every time your face came on the news,” Sylvia continued, “he’d turn it right up so everyone on the floor could hear. I was proud of you, too, hon, but that was embarrassing.”
“It was not embarrassing. Everyone was impressed.”
“Maybe the first time you talked about it, but after that, the nurses would fight over who had to check your blood pressure.”
“That’s not true. They loved hearing the story. They’d say what a handsome boy I had and they were right.”
That got Dean going and opened the floodgates. He told story after story of things his son had done that impressed him. He never looked at Aaron. It was more like he was telling a room full of his friends that his kid was better than theirs.
“Anyone want cake?” Sylvia said once Dean took a breath. “Sydney, I forgot to ask how your mom is doing these days.”
“She got remarried to a very nice guy. They retired to Florida.”
“Too hot for me,” Dean said.
“I agree, but they are very happy.”
Sylvia smiled. “I’m glad.”
“We should get going,” Aaron said when the room went quiet. “It’s getting late and we have a few hours’ drive ahead of us.”
Aaron stood and went to his dad. He held out his hand and Dean reached up, shaking his son’s hand. Then his other hand covered the shake.
