Bobby Brown has recently returned from California, where he welcomed his baby girl with wife Alicia Etheredge over a week ago. Back in Georgia now, he sits vigil at daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown’s bedside at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth–outside of Atlanta.

Bobby and Bobbi Kristina weren’t always close. Bobbi Kristina knew some of the issues that sent her father and mom Whitney Houston in opposite directions. Following her mom’s death, she and Bobby Brown had a serious falling out.

Bobby Brown left Whitney Houston’s funeral when he learned he wouldn’t be allowed to sit with Bobbi Kristina. It took some time to mend fences following that huge display of disrepsect.

As time went on, Bobbi Kristina realized she really did love and miss her dad, and the two eventually reconciled. How bittersweet that reconciliation must feel to Bobby Brown as he waits and watches for his 22-year-old daughter to die.

Just over a year ago, things seemed really good between Bobbi Kristina and Bobby Brown.

“I got a running start! love you daddy! #familyfirst! xxo,” Bobbi Kristina Brown captioned this Instagram photo.

A photo posted by Bobbi Kristina Houston'Gordon (@realbkristinahg) on Jun 16, 2014 at 4:46am PDT

“HappyHappyFather’sDay,” she captioned this one.

A photo posted by Bobbi Kristina Houston'Gordon (@realbkristinahg) on Jun 15, 2014 at 4:58pm PDT

While the bittersweetness of their reconciliation must punch Bobby Brown in the gut from time to time, it’s surely not as painful as it would have been had the two never made amends.

Bobby Brown has had the hardest time of all Bobbi Kristina’s relatives admitting that she won’t recover from whatever put her in this devastating condition. He believes his daughter’s boyfriend–Nick Gordon–is responsible. A $10 million civil lawsuit has been filed against Nick Gordon, alleging he physically abused Bobbi Kristina and stole money from her bank accounts.

Tyler Perry has been extremely supportive of Bobby Brown–from the time he first learned of Bobbi Kristina’s discovery facedown in her bathtub, to recently flying him back to her side from California. Hopefully good friendships like this one with help Bobby Brown through the incredibly painful days that are yet to come.