Mikeal gave Nicholas his address so his teacher could put it in his GPS. Afterward, they silently drove: Mikeal stared at his phone, hoping his father would call back, and Nicholas wondered how to start a conversation.

He wanted to ask many things but knew too many questions would push Mikeal to become defensive and closed off. So, he could only let the silence suffocate them.

It was good that Nicholas did not initiate a conversation because Mikeal would never reply. The only thing going through Mikeal's mind was please let my dad be okay; please let him be okay on repeat.

When Nicholas reached Mikeal's home, he noticed the father's car in the driveway. He wasn't the only one to catch sight of the vehicle as Mikeal grew pale; he felt his lie unraveling.

Nicholas opened his mouth to ask about the car, but Mikeal's nervous laugh cut him off. "It seems my father just got home. I should be going now. Thank you for the ride, Mr. Raven." Mikeal quickly jumped out of the car, closing the door behind him as he ran to his front door.

Raising his hand, Nicholas wanted to stop Mikeal, many questions entering his mind again. If Mikeal's father arrived home, why didn't he call? Is there more to the story? Should I do something? 

But no one would answer his questions with how Mikeal ran into his house. Nicholas could only drive away for now.

"Dad!" Mikeal yelled once he entered his home. He quickly took off his shoes while locking the door behind him. "Dad!" He yelled again, barely waiting for a response.

Silence still answers him, causing Mikeal to run to his father's room. He could be sleeping. Mikeal hoped. But when he entered, his father was nowhere on the bed. He would have walked out and looked around the house for Geno if he hadn't heard the sound of running water.

He entered the bathroom and saw his father sitting in the tub while the water ran over him. Mikeal rushed over, feeling that the water was running cold. He turned it off and touched his father's wet, cold skin. How long has he been here? Mikeal thought. He didn't care to think about the next water bill but more about his father.

"Dad. Dad. Wake up." Mikeal shook his father.

Geno's eyes felt heavy, and his body began shivering from the chill air hitting his soaked skin. It felt like he was in a tunnel after getting hit, and someone left him there. But he could also hear someone calling for him. They felt far but close at the same time.

Feeling his father shivering, Mikeal grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his father. "Dad, please wake up." Mikeal’s voice broke towards the end. He began questioning, again, how long his father had been here and wondered if he should call an ambulance.

But he felt extremely reluctant to call the ambulance because that meant entering a hospital. After what happened with his mother three years ago, Mikeal became resentful and traumatized by the hospital. So please wake up and be okay!

Geno felt like something kept telling him to wake up. I don't want to. Geno thought; he wanted to stay lying in this weird tunnel he was stuck in. I don't ever want to wake up. But the feeling kept getting vigorous, making it hard to resist the command.

Geno finally opened his heavy eyes after a few seconds of the persistent command. He blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the new light. It took a second to notice his son next to him. It took even longer for his brain to reboot.

"M-Mikeal, h-how are you here? Did I get you?" Geno confusedly stuttered. Maybe it took longer for his brain to catch up because he couldn't understand why he felt so cold or how long he had been here. Did I leave? If not, how did my son get here?

Mikeal relievedly laughed, blinking away the tears building in his eyes. His father took way too long to wake up. "No, Dad, my teacher drove me home. You forgot."

"I did?" Geno tried to quickly stand up, only for his numb legs and dizziness to throw him back down. He gripped his head, barely noticing the towel falling off him as he started seeing spots.

"Dad!" Mikeal grabbed Geno while picking up the towel and wrapping it back on him. "Come on, let's get you out of the tub and dressed."

"I don't know if I can walk," Geno answered, trying to stand with Mikeal's help. His body swayed, and his dizziness grew worse.

Mikeal bit his lip, helping his father out of the tub while ensuring he didn't fall over. It wasn't too much of a struggle as his father lost body weight and muscle mass during the past three years.

He helped his father to the edge of the bed, sitting him down as he went to get another towel. Geno gripped the edge of the bed, blinking a few times to wash away his spotting sight and building headache. Honestly, he felt like leaning forward to throw up.

Mikeal returned with two towels and clothes. He set the clothes to the side and handed one towel to his father while he used the other one to dry Geno's hair. "Dry yourself. I don't want you getting sick."

Geno nodded, slowly wiping his body while the towel around his shoulders fell. Once he finished drying himself, he set the towel on the floor. Mikeal rubbed his dad's hair a few times before stepping back to pick up the thrown towel; he even grabbed the one that fell off his father's shoulders.

"Quickly get dressed and lay under the covers; I will cook you some food."

"I am not hungry."

Mikeal stared at his father hard, almost wanting to fuss. Since school ended, his father has been giving him a heart attack, from not getting him to barely answering and laying half-dead in the tub for who knows how long.

He was scared: scared of losing his father and scared of the unknown. Every day, he thinks that this is finally it with how his father's state keeps deteriorating. It almost made him want to quit school and stay with his father 24/7. But he knew he couldn't.

He knew he was too young for all of this.

"You are. And don't think I don't know you haven't eaten since this morning. I am making you food, and you will eat it." Mikeal reprimanded.

Geno opened his mouth to respond, only for Mikeal to cut him off.

"Please, for me." Mikeal practically begged. He was always begging: begging for his father to eat, begging his father to live.

"Okay." Geno quickly agreed. He hated seeing his son like this, but it was all he could cause. I am a terrible father; I am a terrible person.

"Thank you," Mikeal set the towels in the bathroom before walking to the kitchen to cook.

Geno began slowly dressing, not wanting to upset his head anymore with abrupt movements. The only thing in his mind was how selfish he was. Geno even forgot his son, his child, his reason for holding on to this depressing life. He was getting worse and never better. He fears where his mind will take him in the end. Geno fears the shaky, broken future.

How can he love someone as selfish as me?

Mikeal suddenly woke up. He turned over and checked his phone, seeing it read 3:45 am. Groaning and not understanding what woke him up, Mikeal felt like checking on his father. So, he listened to the feeling and left his room.

Entering into his father's bedroom, he heard vomiting sounds. Mikeal quickly ran into the bathroom, seeing his father hugging the toilet while puking his guts out. He swiftly joined his father on the ground, rubbing his back. "Dad, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Geno responded before throwing up again. He barely had any food left in his stomach. Everything hurts, but Geno would never admit that to his son. He didn't want to worry Mikeal.

Hearing his father's response and seeing him continuing to throw up, Mikeal snapped. "Stop telling me you are okay when you are not! You are puking up everything, and don't act like I cannot see you clucking your stomach! I may be a child, but I can take it okay. What do you think I've been doing for the past three years? Please, stop lying to me." Mikeal began crying towards the end.

Geno grabbed his son's hand, squeezing it while pushing back another nausea wave, "I am sorry, you are right. I don't feel good."

Mikeal blinked away his tears, feeling slightly embarrassed for his outburst, but his worry for his father outweighed everything. "Okay, okay. Stay here; I will get you some water and medicine."

"Where else can I go?" Geno wanted to laugh but gagged instead, facing the toilet once more as he felt everything coming up again, or should he say nothing since his stomach lay empty now?

Three minutes passed when Mikeal returned with water and medicine. He joined his father again, putting the medicine in front of his face. "Here, take this."

Geno grabbed the pills with shaky hands and swallowed them. Then Mikeal gave him water. Geno practically drowns the water like a dehydrated man. Once the water was gone, Mikeal set the glass on the counter and helped his father.

He brought Geno to the sink to wash his hands and clean his mouth. When they finished, Mikeal brought him back to the bed to lie down. "Do you still feel nauseous?"

Geno wanted to shake his head no but changed his mind, "I do, but not to the point of throwing up again."

"Okay. I am staying here." Mikeal lay under the covers with his father. He didn't feel like leaving; he worried about something happening to his father.

He is constantly worrying.

"You don't have to take care of me, Mikeal. It is okay."

"I want to. I am not leaving."

Geno wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut. His son is stubborn, and after Mikeal caught him throwing up, he knew he (Mikeal) wouldn't leave him alone. Geno could only give in. "Okay, then, goodnight."

Mikeal smiled, happy he got his way, "Goodnight, dad."