Busy, as usual, Harley replied, hoping her father couldnt see through the lie.

Too busy to see me one last time? Dad waved a dismissive hand before Harley could answer. Then his eyes brightened as a new thought occurred to him. You know, I might be able to last a bit longer if I knew there was a grandchild on the way.

Harley smiled thinly. They reminded her so much of one another, Dad and Rob. Freud might even say that was why she had married Rob.

Thats not why Im here, she said, needing to change the subject. I came to see you.

Dad raised his eyebrows. Thats the price of admission, eh? You couldnt be bothered to come by for the holidays, but when you hear the word cancer... Its almost like youve been waiting all this time to see me off. He shook his head with a look of disappointment that was all too familiar to Harley. We used to be so close.

The words stung. In the years following Kellys disappearance, Harley had practically begged her father to notice her. When she realized he would never love her the way he had loved Kelly, she built a wall to protect herself from the disappointment. That was why shed left in the first place. Now that she was an adult, however, her dad seemed determined to break down her defenses with a sledgehammer.

She felt powerless, wanting to be noticed and yet knowing he would be disappointed with what he saw.

The room fell silent except for the beeping of the machines.

I dont want to fight, Dad, she said in a low, defeated voice.

Who said anything about fighting? he answered, raising his eyebrows at Greg in disbelief. I was just asking a question. I try and try to reach you, and you just ignore my calls. Rob wont even talk to me now. Am I some kind of pariah?

No, Dad, its just… She paused. How much did she really want to get into, then and there? She had so much to say, so much to unpack, but she was afraid he would dismiss it all as he had so many times before. What was the point in trying again?

There are a lot of things we just havent dealt with since Kelly disappeared. A lot of hurt.

Ah, he answered. Still stuck in the past. His face twisted into an ugly smile as he stared out the window. He was like a pot slowly boiling on the stove.

He turned back toward her. You know what your problem is? he said. You could never accept anything, never let a wound heal. You had to keep picking and scratching at it, going endlessly over the details as if somehow, if you looked at it from the right angle, you could undo what happened. You could bring Kelly back.