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“Jeremiah,” he said, shaking his head.
“Please, Dad. Listen. I had a real wake-up call. And maybe Tully taught me how to say what I feel. I should have said this long before now. I’m sorry if my studies ever caused you concern. And moving forward, I will try to be a better son. I want you to know that I appreciate everything you ever did for me. All the hours you worked, everything you provided. I know you did that for me.”
He shook his head again, his chin wobbling. “I tried to make it enough. I couldn’t give you what other kids had. I know that.”
“It was more than enough, Dad. We got by just fine.”
Another tear escaped his eye and he quickly wiped it away. “We did, huh. We got by okay. You grew up to be someone your mum would have been proud of.” He sniffled and his eyes welled with tears. “And I’m proud of you too.”
I squeezed his hand and swallowed back my tears. “Mum would be proud of you too. It wasn’t easy, but here we are.”
He took a tissue and wiped at his fresh tears. “Here we are.”
With another squeeze of my hand, he let go and sat down. He took a moment to compose himself and to take some deep breaths. This wasn’t an easy conversation for us, but I’d said what I needed to say.
And he’d returned the sentiment, which was new ground for us both. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Did my father and I have a perfect relationship? No. Would we ever? Probably not.
But we were us, and we were going to be fine. I intended to include him more, involve him more. Even if it was a weekly phone call, or maybe I could teach him how to do video calls.
“So,” he said. “Tully’s a nice young man.”
“He is, Dad. I love him.”
He blinked in surprise. “Right, yes. Well, I’m glad. I’m happy for you. He, uh, he has a nice car.”
He’s trying. He’s actually trying to talk about my boyfriend.
Another first.
I chuckled, my heart warm. I half expected one of those damn machines to beep, but it didn’t.
“He’s great, Dad. He’s kind and thoughtful and generous. He loves with his whole heart. He has a great family; they’ve been very welcoming to me. Taken me in like one of their own.”
He nodded slowly. “That’s... that’s nice.” He shifted in his seat and fidgeted with his hands. “I’m happy for you.”
“You’ll see what I mean when you meet them tonight.”
“When I... tonight?”
I snorted. “Ah, yes. Um, about that.” I let out a slow breath. “They’re holding a welcoming dinner for you at Tully’s house tonight. It’s only casual and what you’re wearing is perfectly fine.” I said that because I knew he would ask. “But I should include a fair warning. There’s a lot of them and they’re loud. But they’re amazing people, and they will make a fuss over you, and it’s honestly less painful if you just let them.”
I smiled at the look of horror on his face. It was where I inherited the same look from. “Oh.”
“Mrs Larson promised everyone would be gone by eight thirty. Or so Tully said.”
The curtain pulled back and my doctor stood there with Tully behind him. The doctor was smiling and Tully was grinning, so I assumed it was good news. Though Dad stood up, wringing his hands again.
“It’s okay, Dad. It’s good news.” I looked at Tully and he nodded. I met the doctor’s eyes. “You’re moving me to a different ward?”
“The results of the TTE are good, and the bloodwork’s good. Cardiac enzymes are back to normal levels.”
Thank God.
“That is good news.”
The doctor nodded, then gave Tully a smile. “As much as someone wants you to go home today, I think one or two more nights in a different ward would be best. We need to get you up and moving, make sure the pressure on your feet doesn’t affect those burn wounds and that other bodily functions are okay. The tests for your renal enzymes also came back clear, so once we get you using the bathroom on your own, walking on your own, then you’ll be free to go home.”
Tully was just about to burst. “Did you hear that? He saidhome. You just gotta stand up and pee.”
