Chapter 14
Jeremy
Heading back to the depot, things have shifted between Raquel and I. I have made my intentions clear, but she still doesn’t seem to want to be with me. Damon thinks I should just move on and stop wasting time on someone who isn’t interested, but everything in my being tells me she wants to be with me. Sure, there are obstacles in the way, but we can get through them together. If she would just let me in.
“It would be one thing if she has told you she wants to be with you, but she hasn’t, right?”
I shake my head.
“So, maybe you need to tell her you want to be with her, but if she doesn’t have any feelings for you, then you can move on. I don’t want you to get your heart broken. Tessa might be good friends with her, but I’m looking out for you.”
I want to listen to him, but my heart is telling me something else.
My phone vibrates and I see it’s the center.
“Hello,” I answer, my heart sinking.
“Mr. Grey, we need you to come down as soon as possible.”
“Is my father okay?”
“He’s been in an altercation. Can you come down now?”
“I’ll be there in ten-minutes.”
I get up from the table, go into Chief’s office, and explain the situation. Nobody at the depot knows about my father’s condition besides the Jacksons. I’ve been trying to keep it to myself.
“Get out of here, boy.”
I race out of the depot, to my truck, and floor it to get to the center. Before dad went there, he hadn’t had an episode in a couple of days, but was already showing symptoms of forgetting things. This is common in Alzheimer’s patients in the later stages, and it progresses fast after that. In the last three days, he is having multiple episodes a day, which only leads me to believe that this condition is worsening and will not get better. This is the landslide the doctors have been warning us about, but even after being told to prepare for this, no one can.
When I jump out of the truck and rush inside, there are screams echoing off the walls. I rush down the hall to see what’s going on. I find my dad on the floor with blood on him, and a nurse putting a needle in his arm.
“What is that?”
“A sedative. We didn’t have a choice.”
After he fades away, two of the orderlies help get Don back into his bed. I wait until they are gone before I question Raquel.
“What the hell is going on? Who’s blood is that?”
He had an episode and punched one of the other residents after he asked where he was, and all he would say is, where is my wife? She didn’t have a choice but to sedate him, to calm him down.
I run my fingers through my hair, distraught. “He came here so he wouldn’t attack anyone. If he finds out about this, he’ll never come out of that room.”
This might be the best place for my father, but his episodes are getting worse. What would have happened if this happened while at home? I shudder at the thought.
“Your father is not himself. His episodes have become more frequent, and it hinders his cognitive ability. There’s a good chance that these might be his last few times where he will recognize you.”
I drop to my knees, and tears fall. “I thought we had more time. So did he.”
Raquel squats and takes my hands in hers. “Right now, you need to spend as much time as you can with him. My recommendation is for Hazel to come back if she can.”
I nod. “Can I see him?”
“Of course.”
He might not be awake, but it doesn’t feel right being here and not coming in. What am I going to do? This is the countdown of a horrible event and I’m not ready.