My brother Jared was lying against the wall on the other side of the room. He had his arms crossed and wasn\u2019t smiling like he usually does. The environment was much livelier because the bright colors of the flowers we brought stood out so much against the clean white walls. In one part of the room, balloons float happily.\n\n\n\n

I spoke softly, \u201cDad,\u201d as I sank down toward his bed. \u201cAre you able to hear me?\u201d What emotions are you having at the moment?\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when he takes a quick look at me and then turns his attention to me. His eyes were really happy, even though he wasn\u2019t smiling and didn\u2019t look like he was in great health.\n\n\n\n

That worried laugh could be heard all over the room. My mom kept telling him, \u201cYou\u2019re back,\u201d while sniffling and stroking his hand. What I\u2019m hearing doesn\u2019t seem real.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow was it, Dad?\u201d I asked, trying to make things more fun. then gave him a drink of water. He was also given some water by her. Did you dream, or did you just wake up in a world that was always dark?\n\n\n\n

That was the exact moment when Dad\u2019s face changed. He got eyes that were more intense and sharp. That man seemed to want to say something to us, but he wasn\u2019t sure if we were ready.\n\n\n\n

\u201cSon,\u201d he answered, and even though he was trying to hold back his emotions, his voice went steady.\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was not just a question of dreams and sleep.\u201d \u201cI heard everything,\u201d he said, saying each word slowly as he worked to get his voice back.\n\n\n\n

Over time, the air in the room became still. Emily was standing next to the window when Leah\u2019s arms began to squeeze her. As soon as Jared pushed himself off the wall, he knew he was in trouble.\n\n\n\n

I was shocked and confused as a knot formed in my stomach, so I asked, \u201cWhat do you mean, Dad?\u201d even though my stomach hurt.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean I heard every word spoken in this room and everything that happened,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery whisper, every conversation.\u201d I wasn\u2019t not there at the time.\n\n\n\n

We were shocked at how quickly we started to feel uncomfortable and nervous. When Mom looked at him, her face showed that she was both relieved and worried at the same time.\n\n\n\n

\u201cJack,\u201d she asked softly, \u201care you sure?\u201d When people initially wake up, they could periodically feel confused\u2014\u2026\n\n\n\n

As he spoke, \u201cI am certain, Mary,\u201d his voice made it impossible for anyone to question him. \u201cAnd I have to communicate something.\u201d Everyone in this room needs to talk to each other in order to understand and learn.\n\n\n\n

He changed the focus of his eyes and looked straight at Leah. She didn\u2019t know what to do when he looked at her.\n\n\n\n

When he talked to me, he was being exact. \u201cThere is something about your wife,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s not what you think she is.\u201d\n\n\n\n

It was hard to tell when Jared briefly looked at her and then moved his attention to something else because his face was so blank. It felt like there was a knot in my belly.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat would you mean?\u201d I could ask, but the other person didn\u2019t seem to hear me very well.\n\n\n\n

The father let out a long sigh, as if the thought of what was about to be said was almost too much to bear.\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe has visited this place before, my son.\u201d Still, not with you. She showed up with Jared.\n\n\n\n

Is it Jared or Leah? All together? My mind was spinning with the idea, and my eyes kept moving back and forth between them. My brother looked like he was in pain as he touched the back of his neck. My wife\u2019s lips were open like she was going to say something, but she didn\u2019t.\n\n\n\n

I asked him, \u201cDad, are you sure about this?\u201d with a little shaking in my voice.\n\n\n\n

Dad simply said, \u201cThey sounded uncomfortable and were not happy,\u201d ignoring my inquiries. \u201cThey lacked satisfaction.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey persisted even though their quiet was as uncomfortable as it could be.\u201d \u201cWhat are they doing together all here?\u201d I didn\u2019t know what to do, but I thought they might fight. But Jared made a joke about how your mom burned the pie for the first time ever on Thanksgiving the year before. Your wife and sister both loved how funny it was when they found out that your mother wasn\u2019t as perfect as they thought.\n\n\n\n

Mom smiled, and her cheeks turned pink, but no one else seemed to find what was going on funny. Everyone\u2019s attention was on Jared and Leah alone.\n\n\n\n

Over time, Leah learned to recognize her own voice. \u201cI can explain\u2026\u201d\n\n\n\n

Jared ended the conversation in a way that seemed very strict. He replied, \u201cI will explain further.\u201d He moved closer, looked at Leah for a moment, and then back at me.\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe wanted to see her father, but she was unsure about how to behave in his company following their several arguments.\u201d I told her I would drive with her since I was in town. That\u2019s the end of the subject.\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s it? \u201cAgain,\u201d I said, sounding a little suspicious in my voice.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted not to make things worse for you.\u201d I\u2019ve never had a good relationship with your dad, so I thought that if I came here by myself, I could try to make things better. I will leave if I\u2019m not needed; Jared was just helping me.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you dare move, young lady, that\u2019s not the end of it, that\u2019s just the beginning,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeah came back at ease around me and encouraged to be herself by your brother.\u201d Since I couldn\u2019t talk to anyone else, I kept coming back. At first, I wasn\u2019t sure how to go about figuring it out. While she was there, she stayed by my side and talked to me.\n\n\n\n

She talked about you and your kids. She told some really funny stories. One was about when you tried to convince everyone that wearing shoes that don\u2019t go together to work was just a trend.\n\n\n\n

The more I thought about what had happened, the worse I felt. I couldn\u2019t even muster a quick smile. Leah had been making fun of me about that for weeks.\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe read sports magazines for me because she knew I loved them,\u201d Dad said. \u201cShe understood I loved sports passionately.\u201d \u201cTold me about how much she hated the local football team but watched their games with you nevertheless because it made you happy.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeah shared her personal life, but I will not share it.\u201d She even said she was sorry for the fights we had had up until then. You know about that too? Because of that, I laughed. It\u2019s funny that someone said that.\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour wife showed me a side to her that I never knew, a side that I would have been too stubborn to see\u2026\u201d my dad said next.\n\n\n\n

In a whisper, Leah said, \u201cI just wanted him to come back to you guys.\u201d Her eyes got darker as she spoke. Even though I know that life is short, I am motivated to fix our relationship before it\u2019s too late.\n\n\n\n

A quick look at her helped me understand what she had said before I spoke. For years, she and my dad had been fighting because their characters didn\u2019t get along. Still, when I learned about her trips, I realized she had been trying to bring people together and close the gaps between them.\n\n\n\n

Jared cleared out the blockage in the throat. She was here for you, sir. In terms of the family. You already know that Dad can be finicky. That was what she wanted to start with.\n\n\n\n

It was hard for Dad to nod the whole time because his strength was starting to fade again.\n\n\n\n

My son told me that she is a sweet woman. At first, I didn\u2019t understand how much she had done.\n\n\n\n

And she said, \u201cThank you,\u201d barely raising her voice above a whisper.\n\n\n\n

She got down on one knee and gave him a soft hug. It was the first time my dad returned the hug.\n\n\n\n

The mood in the room started to become friendlier as the stress began to melt away.\n\n\n\n

Over many years, my family has only seen Leah\u2019s quiet and hidden side. She was the one who always had the most trouble fitting in. But I still loved her because my dad was slowly realizing that she had a caring side.\n\n\n\n

The mom was rubbing her eyes while her lips turned in a small smile. Jared\u2019s answer, which seemed to say \u201cSee?\u201d with a lot of information, was clear. It made me cry when I heard \u201cShe is one of us.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Over the next few weeks, Dad continued to fully heal, and things started to get better for our family in ways I never would have thought possible. Leah got to know everyone well by telling them stories, making them laugh, and remembering things that had happened in the past. As soon as my dad learned something new about her, he became one of her biggest fans.\n\n\n\n

When all was said and done, Dad\u2019s statement wasn\u2019t about betrayal. Most of the talk was about second chances and getting along. We found out that we were missing something big in that hospital room that we hadn\u2019t seen before: each other. Balloons and flower arrangements were used to decorate the room.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"