You did truly brilliantly here.
I don't know how else to say it. This is one of the best stories you've run. That juxtaposition of hope and horror is absolutely one of the best stories you have ever selected. It very literally brought tears to my eyes, that perfect encapsulation of the relationship between father and son. (It's one I've experienced from only one direction; while I have children myself, they've only been daughters, but I of course still recall things with my own father.)
But you really nailed it here. This is exactly what I listen to Pseudopod for.