When He Saved Me

t h i r t y - f i v e

I sat there quietly, the hum of the machines filling the space between me and my father. The sterile scent of the room felt heavier now, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the situation or the years of unresolved tension that seemed to hang in the air. For once, the silence didn't feel suffocating. It felt like a moment of real connection, fragile as it was.

My father's voice broke the stillness, soft and raspy. "So, tell me about your life now, Asher. What I want to know everything I have missed." The question was simple, but it carried a weight that made me pause. My father hadn't asked about my life in years not in any real way. There had always been an unspoken divide between us, a space too wide to bridge with simple questions. But now, the opportunity was there.

I shifted in my chair, thinking carefully before I spoke. "School's going well," I began. "I'm almost done I graduate next fall." my eyes flickered to the window, where the world outside seemed distant, disconnected from the moment in the room. "It's been a lot of work, but I'm almost done. I'm figuring out what comes next, you know?"

My father nodded slightly, the slow movement of his head a sign that he was listening, engaged despite his weakened state.

"And I'm on a hockey team," I continued, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. "It's been great. I've learned a lot, and honestly, it's one of the things that's kept me going." I chuckled quietly, a small, bittersweet smile pulling at his lips. "I can't even remember how many times I've fallen flat on my face on the ice. But it's fun. Really fun."

My father's eyes softened as he looked at me, as though these small details were finally filling in the gaps he'd missed over the years. "I remember when you used to play outside with your friends," he said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's good to hear you've found something that makes you happy."

I nodded. "Yeah. It's a different world than when I was younger, but it feels right."

My father's gaze remained steady on me, as though he was searching for something, trying to understand the man his son had become. "Where are you living  these days?" he asked.

My face softened, the faintest hint of a smile playing at the edges of my lips. "I live with my best friends Jake, Noah, Nicky, Brooke, Jules, and Ethan. Me and Jake cosigned an amazing apartment in downtown and all of our friends help pay the rent." I paused, feeling a strange warmth in my chest at the mention of their names. "It's... good. We've all got each other's backs. We've built this little family, I guess. We've been through a lot together, and it's like... we make it work."

"That's good," my father murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, but there was a hint of something softer in his words now. Something like pride. "I always knew you had a good heart, Asher. It's good to hear you've surrounded yourself with people who care."

My chest tightened at the sentiment. There was so much left unsaid, so many years of hurt that still lingered between them. But in this moment, there was something else. Something fragile but real.

I took a deep breath before speaking again, his words slower this time. "And there's someone else in my life now, too," I said, looking my father in the eyes. "Her name's Madison. She's... she's actually with me right now." I let the words settle, watching for my father's reaction.

My father blinked slowly, as if processing the information, and then nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Madison, huh?" he said, his voice filled with a kind of quiet curiosity. 

I felt the tension in mychest ease just a little. For the first time in years, my father wasn't pulling away, wasn't retreating into the distance that had defined their relationship for so long. He was here, now, in this moment, truly listening.