Seeing You

Proud

I sat next to my Dad's bed and held his cold hand, he was barely there at all now. He slept most of the day and the staff looked after him well, making sure he was comfortable and that wasn't in pain. A stab of pain shot through my chest as I berated myself for not being with him more but he didn't know I was with him. When he did wake, he didn't know who I was or where he was and it just distressed him more. I still sat beside him but the minute his eyelids flickered open, I was out of his bedroom and into the hall.

One of the nurses, a woman called Viv walked in and tapped my shoulder gently, "We need to give him some medication and change his position, Pete, is that ok?"

I nodded and followed her out into the hall. Two other nurses went in and closed the door behind them, I started walking down the hallway when Viv caught up with me. 

"Pete, can I ask a question?"

I stopped and nodded.

"One of the doctors would like to talk to you. She's doing outreach sessions for some of the relatives of our patients and I recommended you."

"Me? Why?" I asked, feeling my phone buzz in my pocket. Gabe was coming over to the cottage for dinner tonight and I guessed it was him.

Viv frowned, " I don't want to overstep here but I think you've been through a lot, when I heard about your Nan passing away as well...I thought it might do some good to speak to one of our doctors about it. It's all confidential."

My first instinct was to become defensive but I remembered what Gabe had talked to me about that morning in my kitchen and I knew that this was the last thing to letting me move on. I needed to talk about everything that I'd been squashing down for years amidst worries that I was going to turn into my father. 

I nodded, "That would be good, thanks."

Viv blinked, shocked by my response, then she smiled, "I'll give him your number, you should hear from him in a couple of days."

I nodded again and left, walking out and heading towards my car. I pulled out my phone and called Gabe.

"Pete, hey," he said softly. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I've just left Dad. I should be home soon."

"Great, I'll have everything ready for when you get here," he replied.

"I spoke to someone here, one of the doctor's is going to have some sessions with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I smiled, opening the car and sitting in the driver's seat. 

"I'm proud of you, Pete. Really proud and just when I think I couldn't be more proud, you go and surprise me. Like you always do."

I blushed, "Gabe."

"Come home, Pete and I'll show you how proud I am."