18 On the Move
The phone startled me. I needed several seconds to locate it.
“Kate? It’s Bob.”
The cobwebs were clearing. “Hi. Where are you?”
“I’m leaving the university. I’ll pick up Kirsten on the way to the hospital.”
“Great,” I gushed. Too exuberant. I checked the time. Three hours had passed since he promised to get back as soon as he found out what was going on.
“There’s a problem, Kate.”
“What’s that?” I asked as if I couldn’t guess.
“I’ve had a couple of conversations with Dr. Weizman. She has agreed to let Mac move in with Kirsten and me. We’ve arranged for home health care services.”
“That makes sense. I can handle that.”
“It can’t be you,” Bob snapped. He switched to conciliatory. “I’m sorry. Weizman is adamant. You are not to be allowed any contact with him.”
“What the fuck!”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I hope you’ll cooperate.” He paused for my response. I rolled my eyes and listened. “Our priority is to get him out of the hospital, and Dr. Weizman controls that. She will have to approve his discharge.”
“She can’t keep him in there indefinitely no matter what she may have said or implied.”
“How long can she keep him?”
I shook my head. “Touche.” But in reality, the administration would want to move a Medicare patient out as quickly as possible. Weizman couldn’t keep him in there for long.
Bob said, “I suggest you find someplace to park your camper while we work this out.”
“How long will that take?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. A week. Maybe two.”
“You are going to need his insurance information, and you should get a lawyer.”
“Yeah. I know. I’ll look into lawyers tomorrow.”
“I’ve been thru the process. Why don’t you let me help you?”
It took an eternity for him to answer, “That’s probably a good idea.”
“Should I call you in the morning to start making arrangements?”
Bob hedged. “I need some time to think this through. I’ll call you.”
So, I was the big problem. Cousin Kirsten needed Mac’s insurance information to arrange home services for a blind, cripple dying of brain cancer. She probably guessed it was in the camper. Had she guessed I was Mac’s legal guardian?
Possession of the RV was an issue. It was mine at the moment. It belonged to Mac, and he or his legal representative could take possession. If Kirsten won control, she could have me evicted. But what would she do with it? Mac was never going to drive it again.
The couple was taking on an administrative nightmare. I decided to give them a day before calling Bob to see how things were going.
I located an RV park with weekly rates and picked up a rental car for the legwork ahead of me. I stopped at a drug store for a pregnancy test kit. The question had to be settled.
##
A good night’s sleep reenergized me. I identified two lawyers who sounded promising. Charles Stevenson, the grandson of Alaska’s former governor, agreed to discuss the case with me. His secretary penciled me in for 1:30 but warned that he might have to reschedule. I told her the case was urgent. A man’s life was at stake.
Living arrangements for Mac would be more of a problem. He was certainly going to need some rehab for the next month or two. The Learned’s home wasn’t set up to accommodate an elderly, handicapped man. That could probably be fixed. But home health care services ended up at the bottom of my list. I picked out three assisted living facilities and three nursing homes for inspection.
Over the next few hours, I visited two assisted living establishments and one nursing home. At both of the assisted living facilities, the customer representative advised me that Dr. Learned had contacted them about Mr. MacGregor. I let them know that the professor was just doing preliminary research. He did not have the authority to make decisions for his wife’s cousin.
When I reached the office of Charles J. Stevenson, Attorney at Law, Charlie came out to meet me in the reception area. He gave me ninety seconds to justify my claim that a man’s life was at stake. After he heard my pitch, he invited me back to the inner sanctum. As soon as I stepped into the room, I felt at home. A work table in the center had a computer and stacks of folders just like Jimmie’s office. More stacks of case files lined the walls in neat piles. A young man wearing a white shirt, tie, jeans, and running shoes ambled in as I was getting settled. Charlie said, “Katherine, this is Ted Jones. He’ll handle your documents and get your case on the court docket.”
We spent the next half-hour reviewing the paperwork I had brought with me. Charlie asked questions. Ted took notes. When I asked why he wasn’t taking notes, Charlie said, “They’re too much trouble. If I have a question, I look at Ted’s notes.”
I dropped in on the third assisted living facility and the remaining two nursing homes before calling it a day.
##
Mac’s phone was blinking for attention when I got back to the RV. Junior had called his dad to find out what was going on. I returned the call. “Donald, this is Katherine Graham.”
Pause. “Why are you calling on my dad’s phone?”
“It’s a long story. I’ve been traveling with your dad on a cross country trip. He has had a stroke and is in the hospital recovering.”
“Dad’s in a hospital?” He shrieked. “Is he alright? Where is he?”
“He had a stroke. He’s in the ICU at Fairbanks Memorial.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes. But that’s all the doctors will tell me.”
“Who the hell are you?”
I grimaced. “I’m a friend of your father.” There was no delicate way to put the rest. “I was with him when he had a seizure, and I brought him to the emergency room.”
“Where is he?” He reconsidered. “I mean: Where is the hospital?”
“Fairbanks, Alaska.”
“Alaska? What is he doing in Alaska?”
“Visiting a cousin.”
Junior objected, “We don’t have any family in Alaska.”
“You wouldn’t necessarily know about her,” I explained. “Your dad told me he connected with the woman through Ancestry.”
“Is this a scam?”
“I doubt it.” I cocked my head. “I met her. She seems legit.”
“But I don’t know anything about you,” Junior screamed.
“I’m Kate. Do you go by Don, Mac, or Junior?”
“Don.”
“Okay, Don, I called you to let you know what was going on. You ignored the number I gave you and called your father’s phone. I got your message and called back on his phone. That means I know your father well enough to have access to his phone. I would put him on the line if I could.”
“Why can’t you put him on the line?”
“He’s in the hospital,” I sighed. “I can’t visit him because I’m not family.”
After a pause, he asked, “What can I do?”
“The cousin and her husband are trying to make arrangements. They want to move your dad to their house when he is discharged.”
“In Fairbanks?”
“In Fairbanks.”
“I live in Melbourne. He should come down here so Ann and I can take care of him.”
“That would be ideal. But I wasn’t sure you wanted that.”
“Why not for Christ’s sake?”
“He told me that he hadn’t seen you in years. He felt like you had abandoned him.”
“Bullshit,” Junior snarled. “Ann and I brought our families up to Annapolis for mom’s funeral a couple of months ago. We visited with Dad then.”
“That makes sense, but that isn’t what he told me.”
“Well, that’s the truth.”
“Okay,” I soothed. I stood to stretch my legs and ambled to the front of the RV. I looked out the front window while I collected my thoughts. “The important thing is that we have to start working on a plan for what to do after he leaves the hospital.”
“We’ll move him down here.”
“If that’s what he wants.”
“What else would he want?”
“I don’t know.” I looked at the ceiling and shook my head. “I think we need to ask him.”
“How do I do that? Call the hospital?”
“That’s a good idea, but you may not get through.”
“Why not?”
“He may not have a phone in his room. He’s probably sedated to control post-operative pain.” I took a deep breath and exhaled. “They don’t know you. They may be reluctant to let you speak to him.”
“What if I fly up there and talk to him in person?”
“Not a bad idea, but you should lay some groundwork first.”
“Such as?”
“Fairbanks Memorial has taken control because they see your father as an elderly man who needs protection. Your dad’s cousin is trying to take over. Your claim supersedes those claims, but you will have to establish that you are his son. Once you get him to Melbourne, you will need professional help caring for him.”
“Shit.”
I started toward the sofa. As I passed the microwave, I noticed it was late evening in Florida. “I’ve already done some of the legwork. I’m on speaking terms with Kirsten Learned. I’ve located a couple of lawyers that I think can do the job. I’ll text you contact information.” I paused. “Of course, you can find a lawyer on your own.”
“What’s in it for you?”
I stretched out on the sofa. “I like your father. We’ve been traveling together for about a month. I want to see that he is in a good situation.”
“Right,” he sneered. “The whore with a heart of gold. What are you really after?”
“That was uncalled for,” I snarled.
“You’re lying. You want something.”
“Look, Don. I called you and your sister. I didn’t have to do that.” The tension was getting to me. I stood and started back to the cabin. “I could have left you in the dark. Maybe I do want something, but that doesn’t change your situation. Verify that your father is in the hospital then do whatever you think is best.”
“What happens to you if I have him moved down to Melbourne?”
“I would like the opportunity to see that he gets there and is properly settled before I drop out of the picture.”
“That’s it? I won’t have to get into some big court battle to settle your claims?”
“You won’t have any problems with me. What about your sister?”
“What about her?”
“She hasn’t returned my call.”
“She was in a car accident two days ago. She’s in a coma in Melbourne General.”