Chapter 27 : Awake

I could hardly believe my eyes; my father was awake. He looked tired and his eyes were hollow, but he was awake and right in front of me.

Everyone looked on with concern and curiosity at the sight of the great Henry Bergmann in a wheelchair.

"Dad," I whispered, moving across the room without even thinking about it. I knelt before him and hugged him tightly—the first real hug I had given him in years. All the bitterness and animosity I had felt towards him took a backseat in that moment; I was just glad to have my father with me.

"You've done marvelously, son," he said with a proud smile. "Let your old man take it from here."

My father wheeled his way to the front of the courtroom. "I apologize for interrupting court proceedings, but my son is not guilty of anything," he said firmly. "The charges of illegal medical facilitation and identity fraud are mine to bear, not Noah's."

"Alpha Henry Bergmann," the judge said, "out of respect for your station I will allow you to interrup