A lump formed in my throat, and tears blurred my vision. “But why didn’t he just talk to me?” I whispered. “I would have understood.”
“I don’t know,” James said softly. “I think he was ashamed. He didn’t want to admit he was struggling, not even to you. But the thing is… he didn’t realize how much his silence was hurting you.”
I wiped my eyes, trying to make sense of it all. “So what now?” I asked. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“He wants to see you, Mom,” James said. “I told him everything — how you’ve been writing, how much you missed him. I think it finally got through to him, and he wants to make things right.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel. Part of me was relieved, but another part was still wounded from the years of being ignored. “Do you think I should see him?” I asked, looking at James.
“I think you should do what feels right for you,” he said gently. “But I know he wants to apologize. And maybe this is a chance for both of you to heal.”
That evening, as I sat in my room, I thought about everything James had told me. I thought about Tyler, how he’d shut me out, and the pain I’d carried because of it. But I also thought about how much I loved him, and that maybe, just maybe, he deserved a second chance.
The next day, when the nurse told me there was a visitor, my heart started pounding. I grabbed my walker and made my way to the front, not knowing what I’d say when I saw him.
But when I turned the corner, there was Tyler, standing there with tears in his eyes. He looked older, thinner, and there was a deep sadness in his face that hadn’t been there before. “Mom,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”
And just like that, the walls around my heart crumbled. “Oh, Tyler,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “I missed you so much.”
He rushed towards me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. For the first time in two years, I felt like I had my son back. We stood there for a long time, clinging to each other, as if trying to make up for all the lost time. And in that moment, I knew that no matter what had happened, we’d find a way to get through it together.