Chapter Five
The room smells of antiseptic with a sour scent lingering underneath it. There is a game show playing on the TV. The volume is turned so low that I can only hear every other word. The windows are drawn and the room feels as if I have stepped into the middle of the night. The other side of the room is covered with gift baskets, balloons and flowers from close friends and people from his company.
My father is propped up in his hospital bed like a rag doll. He looks shrunken, as if all strength has been sapped out of him. I feel frozen to the spot I am standing in. Bennett seems to sense this and takes a step toward my dad.
“Richard,” he says softly, as if my dad is an animal that Bennett is afraid of startling. “Hi, it’s Bennett, Kevin’s son.”
My dad’s face turns slightly to
