He used to call me his little girl, even when I was pushing thirty and had my own apartment across town. We were close—really close—until we weren’t.

Six years ago, we had a fight. A stupid one, if I’m being honest. It started over politics, but underneath that was grief, control, and two people who didn’t know how to speak the same language anymore. I slammed the door on him that day. Neither of us reached out after.

A woman from the facility told me he’d been admitted a month ago. Early signs of dementia, and then pneumonia hit. They were short-staffed. No visitors allowed inside. I didn’t even know he’d left his house.

I drove there the next morning, heart racing like I was pulling up to some courtroom instead of a nursing home. When he saw me outside his window, he just stared. I waved. He blinked. And then, slowly, he sat up.  That second picture? That’s the first time we’d touched in over half a decade. Glass or not, it broke me.

He didn’t say much—couldn’t really—but he lifted his hand, and I matched it with mine. I told him I was sorry. I don’t even know if he heard me, or understood what I meant. But he closed his eyes, just for a moment, like he was holding something sacred.

I didn’t tell anyone I went. Not my brother, not even my partner. And now I’ve got a voicemail from the nurse that I still haven’t listened to.

I don’t know if I’m ready to hear what it says.

The message sat on my phone for three days before I finally pressed play. The nurse’s voice was calm but firm: “Your father has taken a turn. He’s asking for you. Please come soon. Asking for me? That didn’t make sense. My dad hadn’t asked for anything from me since our fallout. Even during holidays, birthdays, or family gatherings, he kept his distance. Why would he suddenly want me now?

But guilt gnawed at me. Maybe this was my chance to fix things—to do something right by him before it was too late. So, I packed an overnight bag, kissed my partner goodbye without explaining where I was going (because honestly, I wasn’t sure myself), and headed back to the nursing home.