Tissue Warning
'Dad?'
'Oh good, you're awake!'
His Dad leant over and grasped his hand. Scott blinked at him, confused. That confusion must have shown for he continued:
'That was some rescue you went on.'
'Wha-what happened?'
'I'm not sure, Kayo said everything had been fine and the rescue finished when you got hit by a car. It came out of nowhere and threw you against a tree. Kayo's already taken care of the driver. You've been out of it for over a day.'
Scott stared at the ceiling. It was a plausible explanation for his injuries, he had to give Kayo that. He could feel his Dad's concern, and he knew he was about to add to it, but it felt important to mention his dream.
'I dreamt about Mom.'
'Yeah. It's nearly the anniversary of her death.'
Jeff looked away and Scott couldn't help but feel guilty for causing his Dad more pain and kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling. He ignored the feeling of tears welling, and he bit the inside of his cheek to try to control the overwhelming emotions.
'I dream about her sometimes.'
'Me too, Son. Every night.'
'I – I failed to protect her, Dad. Mom died because of me.'
There. He'd finally said it. All these years Scott had been carrying this pain, this guilt around. He stifled a sob as he threw an arm over his eyes.
'It seems like I can't protect anyone.'
Jeff regarded his son sadly. Scott was such a stalwart protector, yet he never saw how much he actually did to protect them all, himself included. He dampened a cloth to lay on Scott' forehead as he thought about his words carefully.
'No, you got it wrong, Son. The love of my life died protecting you. I will always be proud of her for that. And thankful that I still have you. You remind me of her every day, you show the same love for us all that she did.'
He gently pulled Scott's arm down and held his son's hand and laid the cloth over his forehead. Jeff leaned forward and wiped away the tears while murmuring softly just how much he loved his son.
Scott cried himself to sleep.
