Simple Choices by Nancy Mehl

Author:Nancy Mehl
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781607422716
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2011-09-02T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Thanks again for coming over here,” I said to John. “I know it’s an inconvenience.”

He put his stethoscope back into his medical bag. “Like I said, it’s no problem. My only other patient was Franklin Marshall. Lancing the boil on his foot can wait a bit.”

“The life of a doctor is really glamorous,” I said, grinning.

John smiled. “No kidding.”

“So my father will be all right?” Dad asked.

“He’s fine,” John said. “He’ll probably be a little sore. Just make him rest for a couple of days. If he complains of any unusual pain, let me know, but I can’t find any broken bones.”

“What a stupid thing to do,” Papa said, adjusting the quilt I’d tucked around him as he lay on the couch. “I can’t imagine what I was thinking.”

Papa had no memory of even getting out of bed, and he had no explanation what it was he’d been attempting so hard to find. Ever since he’d arrived, he’d been trying to find something—a wedding present from Mama. My father believed it was something lodged in his memory from long ago and triggered by all the talk of my upcoming wedding.

“Don’t worry about it, Papa,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Must have been a bad dream. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Papa mumbled something unintelligible, and his eyes closed.

“I gave him something for the pain,” John said. “He’ll be a little sleepy.” He held out a bottle to me. “You might give him one of these every four to six hours for a day or two. Then just if he complains of pain.”

“Will they make him more confused?” my mother asked.

“Maybe a little, but he’ll be comfortable and relaxed. Alzheimer’s patients can get agitated quickly. You shouldn’t have any more outbursts for a while.”

“I shouldn’t have brought him to Harmony,” Dad said slowly.

John shook his head. “Look Daniel, it’s not my job to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. But do you think your father would be happier in a nursing home or here with his family? Yes, there will be some confusion. Some problems. But he really wants to be in Harmony. I guarantee you he’s more at peace here than he would be back in Nebraska.” He slapped my dad lightly on the back. “You can do this. Someday when he’s gone, you’ll be glad you made the effort. Regrets are poisonous. Trust me. I had to learn that the hard way. Living with them is tougher than enduring the problems you’re having now. As long as you keep him safe—make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or wander off—he’ll be fine.”

“Someone will have to stay down here with him if he can’t be upstairs,” Mom said. “What if he gets up in the middle of the night and tries to go outside or something?”

I chuckled. “Mom, this is Harmony. Even if that happened, he’d have to walk twenty miles to the highway. There’s nothing out here that can harm him.”

“Still …” she said, her face twisted with worry.

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