Nick laughed as he stepped into the dining area, grabbed a chair, and then put it in front of where my dad sat. “Let me take a quick look at you, Jim.”
“I told them I don’t need a doctor.”
Nick smiled affably. “But I’m here. And what are the odds they’ll haul you off to the ER if I don’t see you?”
“I’ll take him anyway. I don’t trust you, Nick,” Eli said.
Nick flinched slightly, but he kept his attention on my dad.
“Oh, all right,” my dad acquiesced. “But make it quick. My ice cream is melting.”
With gentle hands and demeanor, Nick checked my father, taking his blood pressure and temperature, and then doing a variety of tests, one of which included having his ice cream.
“So, what’s the verdict, doc?” my father said. “Let me guess. Parkinson’s.”
Nick, sitting back in the chair, nodded. “Yes. It appears to be a progression of the disease, but you need to see your doctor, Jim. The difficulty swallowing is common, but as you can imagine, it’s also a big problem.”
“Are they going to put a tube in me?”
My heart broke for my father.
“Eventually,” Nick said it softly, but it was clear he was being brutally honest. “You should start thinking about having home help—”
“I don’t need that. My kids are here—”
“Jim.” Nick put his hand on my father’s thigh. “I know they’re here and that they want to help you, but both of them work. You’re going to be more susceptible to falling, and if you have difficulty swallowing, you’ll be eating less, which means you’ll be weaker. Having a person around will help you and keep you safe.”
“I’m not an invalid.”
It was the first time I saw my father not able to turn something around into a positive.
“I know you feel like your body is betraying you. It is. But your mind is sharp, Jim. There’s still a lot of living to do. In fact, I’ve been looking into you and me going to San Diego to see the bongos.”
“What the hell?” Eli said.
Like Eli, I was confused. Nick seemed to have a familiarity with my father that went beyond the norm. Sure, Nick had known my father all his life, but that was in the context of being Eli’s friend. They weren’t friends anymore, but Nick seemed quite close to my father.
“You’re sure they’ve got a bongo?” my father asked.
Nick nodded. “Yep. We could fly down, visit my folks. I know they’d like to see you.”
My father’s face lit up. When Eli started to say something, I squeezed his arm hard to stop him, and shook my head. I didn’t care if Eli hated Nick. They could have their feud elsewhere. I wasn’t going to let Eli take a moment of happiness from my father.
“I’ll set it up,” Nick said standing.
“Will you stay?” my father asked. “Mia got us ice cream.”
Nick cast a glance at me and Eli. “Sorry, Jim. I’ve got a hot date tonight.”
My gut flared with jealousy. It was probably that gorgeous attorney.
“Far be it to get in the way of love.” My father held his hand out.
Nick took it, and squeezed. “I’ll check on you tomorrow. And I’ll make those plans to see the bongos. Turns out I might have a lot of extra time on my hands soon.”
“Pah. You’ll be fine. Everyone knows you’re a great doctor.”
“Quack,” my brother said under his breath.