“I said stop.” His father dropped the letter and put his hand across his forehead, covering his eyes. “I n-n-need . . . I . . . need . . . a m-m-moment . . .”

There was a crippling pain inside Ryan’s chest, a pain beyond words. His guilt had never hurt this much; the shame of what he’d done had never cut so deep. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think his heart was being torn in two. He couldn’t bear this, couldn’t bear to imagine what havoc this news must be wreaking inside his father’s frail mind.

“Talk to me, Dad. Please. Say something.”

But his father didn’t say anything, not a word. He remained silent for an agonizingly long time. Then, suddenly, his arm dropped lifelessly by his side.

“Dad, hey . . . are you okay?” Ryan leaned in and grabbed his father’s chin, turned his head, and saw trouble right away—the distant gaze in his eyes, the frozen, constricted pupils. He felt a surge of panic. “What’s happening, Dad? What’s going on?”

In one sudden movement, his father thrust out his hand and grabbed hold of Ryan.

“S-S-on . . . I don’t . . . f-feel . . . right . . .”

“Dad? Dad ? What’s wrong?”

His grip on Ryan’s arm tightened and became viselike. He was trying to talk but seemed unable to move his lips. “I . . . I can’t . . . I can’t s-see.”

“You can’t see? What do you mean? Dad ?”

Without warning, his father’s weight shifted and he tipped out of his chair. Ryan threw his own weight behind his father, wrapping both arms around his torso and breaking the momentum of his fall. Laying him on his back, Ryan slapped his father’s cheek and gave him a shake, frantically trying to draw a response, but his eyes were closed and his body had gone limp. His chest was flat. No pulse. It was all Ryan could do not to scream and go into an all-out panic.

“You’re gonna be okay. Listen to my voice. You’re gonna be fine. I’m calling for help. Dad, I’m getting you help. Stay with me, Dad. Stay with me!”

Ryan rushed to the other side of the room, nearly falling over as he tore across the sea of paper. He yanked the telephone off the wall and punched three numbers into the handset. He waited. A moment later, the phone began to ring.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Please! We need help!” Ryan screamed. “Someone has to come quick! Now!”

“Tell me what’s happened, sir?”

“It’s my father. He’s in trouble. Please, someone needs to get here fast.”

“Sir, I need you to slow down. Take a breath and tell me what’s happened. Is your father in need of medical attention?”

“Yes!”

“Is he breathing? Can you tell me if he’s conscious?”