After leaving the hospital, Dave felt an overwhelming sense of loss and emptiness. Cassidy's harsh scoldings echoed in his mind, a painful reminder that nothing he did could mend the rift between them. Desperate to drown out the hurt, he found himself at a dimly lit bar, the kind of place where the weight of the world could be temporarily forgotten at the bottom of a glass.
He ordered drink after drink, each one burning less than the last as he tried to numb the emotional pain. The bar was nearly empty, the only sounds being the low murmur of distant conversations and the clinking of glasses. Dave’s thoughts became a muddled haze, the events of the day swirling in his mind as he continued to drink. It wasn’t long before he lost his balance, nearly toppling off the barstool.
“Dave, what t
