Hayleÿ’s Pov

What a wave of guilt and fear washed over me! My dad and I had our hurdles, but I never wanted him to suffer. "Oh my God, Mom. Is he going to be okay?"

"Everything they can." He's in bad shape," she said, her voice shaking.

I feel helpless and confused. I would be thousands of miles away, and I was too far away to do anything for my family. "When are you coming back? We need you here," she implored.

I paused, caught between the rush of my family crisis and a weave to untangle in Australia. "Just... I have to process some things here. All is...