I walked home, alone, I didn't have anywhere else to go. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through a handful of forums I frequented, apparently, the new isekai anime was pretty good, the translation was faithful to the source material, and so far-

There was a loud and jarring noise, the sound of someone slamming their palm on a car horn. I looked up and at the sound, a blinding light was rushing straight for me, going too fast to be real. I raised my arms up in a futile attempt to protect myself. I heard a shattering of glass, followed by the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life.

When I awoke, it was in an unfamiliar room, on an unfamiliar bed. I blinked several times and looked around the room. "A hospital?" I wondered.

I saw Mom, sleeping in a chair beside my bed. I reached out and grabbed her hand. She lifted her head suddenly, awoken from her sleep, and she came closer and hugged me. She kissed my forehead, and told me how I'd been run over by a drunk driver, how it was a miracle I was alive.

"What happened to the other guy?" I asked.

"He's dead." She said softly.

"I see..." I looked forward at the opposite wall. "Have you prayed for him?"

"Yes." She said.

"Good." I looked at her. "How long has it been?"

"A week." She said. "Your father and I have been switching off every night."

"You mean Willis was actually capable of staying around long enough for once?" I remarked bitterly.

"He does love you." Mom said. "Even if he has a hard time showing it, he loves you."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I didn't respond, I just held Mom's hand in silence...

"Hey, Ryan." Alex stood in the room with our father.

"Hey." I said.

Alex tried to maintain his usual aloof expression, but even he couldn't keep the façade in check. For the first time in forever, he actually made an effort to comfort me, which involved making physical contact with my shoulder. He hated being touched, and hated touching other people if he could help it. Even if he didn't say anything explicitly, I knew he was making an actual effort.

"How are you feeling?" Willis asked.

"I got run over, I can't feel my legs, everything's just peachy." I snarked. "Are you going to complain to me again about how much money I waste the family by always having to go to the hospital? How much am I going to have to work to pay off what the insurance isn't going to deal with? Is that even really feasible at this point?!"

Willis sat next to me and gently put his hand on mine before squeezing it slightly. "Is that what you really expect from me?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said.

He was silent for several minutes, and I saw tears welling up in his eyes.

"I am sorry." He said. "I allowed my frustration to cloud my judgment. I know you've been trying as hard as you can and-"He hid his face behind his other hand and he began to cry. I had never seen him cry so openly before. "-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Was this real? It couldn't have been.

"I'll be more supportive, I'll do better, I'll-"

I pulled my hand away, and he lowered his hand as he looked at me.

"Willis, did I really have to nearly die for you to realize what a shitty person you've been?" I asked. "I'm twenty-two years old, it's a little late to be having regrets."

"I know." He said.

I sighed. "I don't have a reason to accept your apologies, I barely even know you, you've been absent for most of my life. When I needed your help, you were always too busy with your job. Every time I tried to have a meaningful conversation with you, you brushed me off because you're either busy working or busy drinking, and really the only reason why I tolerate you at all is because Mom loves you. You may be my father, but I stopped seeing you as a dad a long time ago."

"What now?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said. "I guess I've always been destined to be a drain on your finances, unless you want to help me get published."

It all had to be some weird dream, Willis wasn't like this, there was no way...

Alex dropped his laptop off for me with the thumb drives with all of my books on it for my use. Since I was stuck here until the doctors could determine if I would ever be able to walk again, there wasn't much else to do except watch TV, which there was nothing worth watching. At least the Micro SD card for my phone survived the accident, I was able to plug it in to an adapter and watch some of the movies I had stored on it when I didn't feel like writing.

I reached for a water bottle, but was annoyed when it was out of reach. I just wanted it to come to my hand.

And it slid into my waiting fingers...