Son surprises father with early homecoming

After traveling for a 9-10 month period, George Pike returned home early to surprise his 70-year-old father who had been ill since he left -- and the reaction is priceless.

George had left his dad in July 2013 to travel to and work in Australia, because he was under the impression that an infection that his father had gotten from a hip replacement surgery was going to be treated.

While he intended to travel for 1-2 years, he soon realized -- after speaking to him on Skype daily -- that it was best to return home and take care of his father, whose treatment wasn't going as smoothly as planned.

George decided to Skype his brother and organize for him to pick him up from the airport and take him straight to his dad's house -- where his father had practically been chair-bound for 14 months.

His brother walked in first with his phone to discreetly film the surprise.

At first, George's father did not recognize his son, as he shook his hand nonchalantly. As soon as he did, though, he got up out of his chair to give George a big hug.

"You didn't recognize me, did you," George asked jokingly.

It seemed as though George's father was getting a little teary-eyed, as he took off his glasses during their embrace.

George's father now finally had his hip replaced -- and George hopes that it will end all of his father's pain and suffering.

Also on AOL:
Bride gets walked down the aisle by mascot
Same dog claimed by 2 families 4 states apart
Elderly man throws down canes, dances like no one's watching