My old man's furnace in my dream last night

I'm standing in the basement of the house I grew up in, and the furnace is still going. The air has that heavy, metallic smell, and the ductwork hums in that low way he swore he could hear but I never could. He's upstairs, I know, but I'm not allowed up there yet. When I wake up, my hands are cold and I remember he's been gone eleven years, and I still haven't fixed the squeak in that one register.