PART 2: THE FATHER WHO NEVER CAME BACK
PART 2: THE FATHER WHO NEVER CAME BACK
The emergency room doors slammed shut behind the nurses.
Little Lily was rushed toward a treatment bay while doctors surrounded him.
But Michael couldn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on the old man standing in the hallway.
The face was older.
Weathered.
Broken by time.
Yet unmistakable.
Twenty-five years had passed.
Twenty-five years since the day his father disappeared without a goodbye.
Without a letter.
Without a reason.
Michael had spent most of his life believing he had been abandoned.
Now that man stood in front of him.
Trembling.
Crying.
"My son..." the old man whispered again.
Michael's jaw tightened.
"Don't call me that."
The words landed like a knife.
The old man lowered his head.
"I deserve that."
"You deserve worse."
Years of pain poured into Michael's voice.
"Mom worked three jobs after you left."
The old man closed his eyes.
"I know."
"You know?" Michael snapped.
"You knew what happened to us and never came back?"
The old man struggled to answer.
Then finally he looked up.
"Because I was in prison."
Silence filled the hallway.
Michael stared.
For the first time, genuine confusion crossed his face.
The old man reached into his coat and pulled out a worn envelope.
"I never abandoned you willingly."
Inside were dozens of letters.
All addressed to Michael and his mother.
None had ever been opened.
"I wrote every month."
Michael's hands shook as he looked through them.
The dates stretched back decades.
Every birthday.
Every Christmas.
Every year.
The old man's voice cracked.
"Someone made sure you never received them."
Before Michael could respond, a nurse rushed from the emergency room.
"Doctor Reed!"
Both men turned.
May you like
"The boy is crashing."
Without another word, Michael ran.
