I made mistakes in my life. We all do. Some more than others. My mistake wasn't drinking that night or driving home. My mistake wasn't the crash that left me paralyzed from the neck down. No, my mistake was being a father.

I watched as my daughter filled the bathtub, running her hand under the water to check the temperature. She was twenty-something now. I didn't know exactly. I never wanted to be a father. I knew I'd never be a good one.

Some people would call me a good guy just for sticking around to take care of her, instead of dumping her on a relative. A good guy, but a shit dad. It might have been better if I did give her to someone, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way.

She smiled and unbuttoned my shirt.

"Don't worry, Daddy. I'm going to take care of you now, just like you always did for me."

That wasn't comforting. She finished undressing me and put her arms under my armpits to help lift me up. I really was the baby now.

I felt nothing as she put me into the water, but the steam and the way my flesh immediately turned red told me how hot the water was. She leaned my head carefully against the edge of the tub. She dipped an old cup into the water and poured it over my head. I screamed as the water scorched my face and eyes.

"Just like when I was a little girl," she said, pouring another cup on me. "You used to wash my hair this way, do you remember?"

I did. The water was always too damn hot, but I just wanted to clean her up and get it over with. How many heat blisters did she have after those baths? I never bothered to count.

She scrubbed shampoo into my hair, hard, too hard. I felt her nails dig into my scalp. I cried out, but it only made her scrub harder. The shampoo burned my wounds, I saw red-tinted suds slide into the water. Hot water burned the wounds more as she rinsed my head. I wasn't sure which pain was worse.

"I'll just let you relax in the bath a while, Daddy," she said sweetly.

As she got up she bumped my shoulder. Whether it was on accident or on purpose I don't know. As she left I felt my body slip, bit by bit. I didn't try to call for her. I knew it would be pointless.

The water covered my shoulders, my neck. I finally felt the heat as it touched my chin and submerged my face. I didn't scream, I held my breath. Maybe if I was lucky she might come back, keep me alive to torture me more. My lungs burned almost as much as my face.

A couple of bubbles slowly escaped. Yes, I made mistakes in my life. Many mistakes.