25 Ann
I was carrying Mac’s folded up wheelchair from the RV when Junior came out of the house. He stepped off the porch and stopped to watch. “What’s that?” He asked.
“A wheelchair. We got it when we were sightseeing in St. Louis. Your father needs it.”
“He walked up to the house without it.”
“I’m pretty sure the hospital is going to be more challenging.”
Mac, who was watching from the front passenger seat, yelled, “I told her I didn’t need it.”
Junior lifted his hands, smiled, and shook his head. I said, “I’m bringing it just in case.”
He met me at the back of his Lexus and held out his hand. I handed over the keys. He pressed a button on the remote control. The trunk popped open. He loaded the wheelchair and closed the trunk with a smirk before marching to the driver’s door to get in. I closed Mac’s door and got in the back. Junior hesitated. He took some time to study the situation before he got behind the wheel. I had the impression he was uncomfortable sitting next to his father.
##
The parking lot was full, but Junior found a spot in a distant corner. Once Mac realized how far we had to go, he agreed to ride as far as Ann’s floor. He was determined to walk into her room on his own. Junior pushed the chair. I followed with the crutches. When we got off the elevator, Mac took the crutches and I got the wheelchair.
I reached the doorway in time to hear Ann exclaim, “Dad, it’s so good of you to come.”
“It took me a while,” Mac rumbled, “but I had to make sure you were okay.”
I tried to sneak into the room. It was too crowded. Ann sat on the edge of the bed. Her face partially covered with bandages. Her left arm in a sling. She must have been dismayed to see her father hobbling along on crutches while his new wife hovered just outside the room.
“Junior said your bandages were coming off today,” Mac ventured. He sounded disappointed.
“They could have,” Anne explained. “But my face is hideous, so I asked them to wait until tomorrow.” She reached out with her good arm. “Come over here and let me give you a hug.”
Mac shuffled to her bedside and leaned in to give her a kiss. She wrapped her arm around his neck pulling his cheek to hers. He straightened. Her right hand caught his head and explored his bandage. I thought I heard her murmur, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
She let go and nodded in my direction, “Aren’t you going to introduce your wife, Dad?”
Mac maneuvered around to face me. “Come on over here, Kate.” He nodded toward Ann. “This is my daughter, and you’ve already met my son.” He waited for me to get close enough for a peck on the cheek. “Everyone, this is my bride, Katherine Graham MacGregor.”
Ann extended a hand. “Very nice to meet you, Katherine.” As we shook hands, she added, “Or should I call you Mom?” She winked, but there was no mistaking the sarcasm. I was twelve years her junior.
“I prefer Kate.”
“Welcome to the family, Kate.” Her voice was hearty but not warm. “Dad picked a winner. Didn’t he, Don?”
Junior grimaced. “Pop said he only has a few months to live. He might drop dead at any time.”
Ann recoiled. Her eyes narrowed as she studied her father. “What’s going on, Dad?”
“I’ve been diagnosed with brain cancer. A stage four glioblastoma in medical terms. It’s possible to survive for a couple of years unless you’re over 70.” He smiled at his daughter. “At my age, they give me a couple of months.”
“Isn’t there something you can do?” she pressed.
“There’s a whole raft of things. But they’re as likely to kill me as they are to help me. I decided to pass on treatment and make the most of the time I’ve got left.”
“But you said your doctor gave you some medication,” Junior interjected.
Mac nodded. “Mostly for the pain. I can legally buy marijuana.” He chuckled. “They also gave me something that was supposed to slow the growth of the tumor. The idea was to let me live a normal life as long as possible.”
Ann said, “Kate doesn’t have any place to sit. Why don’t we go to the solarium?” She slid to the floor and into her slippers.
Junior scowled in my direction. His lip curled slightly. His nose scrunched. He nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”
Ann squeezed my arm and gave me a peck on the cheek as she passed me. Mac followed her, and Junior stepped in behind him. I waited for a moment before retrieving the wheelchair and going after them.
When I reached the visiting room, Mac was looking around for a place to sit. The furniture was too low and soft for him. I pushed the wheelchair over and tugged on his sleeve. When he looked at me, I indicated the seat with a nod. He glowered, but he sat. I kissed him on the cheek.
Junior picked up the conversation. “What happened in Fairbanks?”
Mac gave him a puzzled look. Junior rephrased his question. “When you were hospitalized in Fairbanks, what happened?”
“Oh. The bugger had started taking over. The doctors told me I had a stroke because it was crushing my brain.” Mac paused to smile at me. “They operated and removed part of the tumor. That gives me a little more time.”
“Why didn’t you get it taken care of while you were in the hospital up there, Pop?”
Mac grinned. “You don’t get it. There is no way to take care of it. They can remove a tumor. They can zap it. They can feed me poisons to kill it. It will just keep coming back. I would end up spending my life in the hospital recovering.” He looked at Ann. “There was no way I was going to sit in that hospital while my daughter was down here hanging on by a thread.”
That speech took the air out of the room. I could feel myself shifting nervously. I wanted to get out of there. Mac squeezed my hand. He asked Ann. “What happened to your face?”
“I was T-boned. The airbags saved me, but splinters of glass from the window cut my face up pretty bad.”
“Can they fix it?”
“It’ll heal. They’re applying creams to minimize the scarring. I should be able to cover the remaining damage with makeup.”
Ann appraised me with her one good eye. “Aren’t you a little old for this sort of thing, Dad?” She paused expectantly. “She’s not much older than your granddaughter.”
“What’s age got to do with it?” Mac growled.
“Sexual compatibility for one thing.”
“We’re compatible,” Mac assured her. “She’s pregnant with my son.”
I needed a place to hide. I wanted to strangle him, but I didn’t have any rope. Junior was no doubt thinking I’m your son. Ann stared at me in disbelief. “You’re pregnant?” she gasped.
I nodded. “How did that happen?” she demanded.
“We made love,” Mac snapped.
Ann’s good eye popped open. Probably a hundred snappy responses raced through her brain before she managed, “Oh. Okay. Congratulations.”
Junior looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. Ann needs to get her rest. Why don’t we come back tomorrow?”
Mac scowled. He reached over and took his daughter’s hand. “We’ll be back tomorrow, honey.”
“That sounds good,” she said with a perfunctory smile. “Give me some time to get the bandages off.”
Junior was halfway to the door. He stopped and turned back. “Give me a call when you’re ready, and I’ll bring them back over.”
He walked out, leaving me to push Mac back to the car. Ann came over and hugged me. “I’m sorry. That was just such a shock. I’m really happy for you and dad.”
I hugged her back. “Thank you.”
There was an awkward pause. Then I pushed Mac to the elevator without looking back.