He hadn't seen the old man since...

He hadn't seen the old man since the day of the funeral. There was too much pain and shame to confront, but now he may not have a choice. 


The call had come in the early afternoon. The hospital advising that if he wanted to say goodbye he needed to get there now. He had deliberated whether he wanted to go. Did he need to say goodbye, or had they been dead to each other for years? What would be gained from it? Would he regret not going?

In the end, he knew he had to go. It was the right thing to do and they might even put the past behind them. He knew he would be able to forgive, but he would never forget. It was something he had lived with his entire life, but adulthood had given him the strength to do what was best for him and his family.
His family. The people who were there to support him and help him through it all. He had made the decision not to take them. They didn't need to be there and he had a responsibility to protect them. It was that responsibility that had led him to get on his motorcycle and ride north, heading for a hospital room with a man he once called 'Dad'.
Looking towards the squat beige building, like a shoebox, typical hospital design. He walked in the Main Entry and up to reception. The unhappy-looking lady behind the desk got some details and pointed him towards the third floor. As he got in the lift, he saw the directory on the wall 'Third Floor - Intensive Care'.

.........

He arrived early morning, stretching as he got off the bike. Seven hours on the highway, riding through the night. Roaring past trucks and families in sedans. Plenty of time to think and sing along to the music in his helmet. He knew he had to go in, but first he needed to get the bugs out of his beard and try to look at least somewhat presentable. 

A nurses station greeted him as soon as he exited and they asked for the patient's name. He was told that a doctor would need to talk to him first and offered a seat by the lift. The hard plastic chair looked particularly uncomfortable, so he followed the habit of a lifetime and stood with his arms behind his back. He didn't plan on waiting long.

The thirty-something doctor came around the end of the ward corridor after a few minutes and wore the expression of a man with some tough news to pass on. The doctor was all business and introduced himself in short order.

He smiled at the doctor and told him to relax. He wasn't the sort of person who generally caused a fuss. He tended to treat people with the respect he expected in return. The doctor told him that it was only a matter of hours at best and that he was hooked up to all sorts of machines. This wasn't a concern, he had seen worse and expected as much. He was taken into the room and there was the man that had hurt him so long ago, but something wasn't right.

The Old Man was dead.

.......