The hospital smelled like antiseptic and resignation. Wayne hated it. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a sterile glow. He walked slowly down the corridor, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers—his mother's favorite, though he wasn't sure she'd remember.
Room 307.
He paused outside the door, heart thudding. He hadn't seen her in months. Their last conversation had ended in shouting—his voice raw, hers brittle. But something in Joey's silence had stirred him. Made him want to face the ghosts he'd buried.
He knocked gently and pushed the door open.
His mother lay in bed, frail and pale, her hair a silver halo against the pillow. She looked up, eyes blinking slowly.
"Wayne?"
He nodded, stepping inside. "Hey, Ma."
She smiled weakly. "You brought sunflowers."
He placed them in the vase beside her bed. "Figured you could use some sunshine."
She chuckled, then coughed. "Always the charmer."
He sat beside her, unsure where to begin.
"I've been thinking," he said finally. "About you. About us."
She turned to him, her gaze soft. "I wasn't a good mother."
Wayne swallowed. "You tried. That counts."
She reached for his hand. Her skin was paper-thin, her grip surprisingly firm. "I was scared. All the time. Of losing you. Of failing you."
"You didn't lose me," he said. "I just got tired of pretending everything was okay."
She nodded. "I know."
They sat in silence, the kind that heals rather than hurts.
"I met someone," Wayne said. "Well, not like that. But she's… important."
His mother's eyes twinkled. "Joey?"
Wayne blinked. "How do you know?"
"You talk about her without realizing it. Your voice changes."
Wayne laughed. "She's complicated. Strong. She makes me want to be better."
His mother squeezed his hand. "Then be better."
He looked at her, surprised. "Just like that?"
She smiled. "Life's too short for anything else."
Later, as he walked out of the hospital, Wayne felt lighter. Not absolved, but understood. He pulled out his phone and called Zed.
"Yo," Zed answered, voice groggy.
"You need to fight for her," Wayne said.
Zed paused. "Joey?"
"Yeah. But not with fists. With truth."
Zed sighed. "I don't know how."
Wayne smiled. "Start by not leaving."
He hung up and looked up at the sky. It was overcast, but he didn't mind.
Some storms were necessary.