Chapter Seven

Conor followed her to the car Max had rented for them. The driver opened the doors for them. Once they were settled Conor looked at her. “Just how old are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“We age slower than humans.” He wasn’t going to put up with her trying to deny it. “Your father looks to be in his late eighties. I’m thinking you’re at least fifty years old now. How are you explaining why you’re not aging?”

“Good genes.”

“That’s not going to work forever.”

“I know, but until recently I didn’t know I was aging slowly. No one asks me how old I am, and I don’t volunteer it.”

“Even when you get your driver’s license?”

“I’ve been able to order it online so far and they keep stretching how long a license lasts now so it hasn’t been an issue.” She looked out the window as the car slowed down. “We’re here. Just so you know, my mom has dementia. She still knows who I am. She might not use my name, but I know she recognizes me. Dementia is affecting her body more than her mind.”

He took her hand.

“I’m fine right now. I just don’t know what I’m going to find on the other side of that door. Is today a good day or a bad day?”

The driver opened her door and offered his hand to help her out of the car. Conor came around the side of the car and took her hand once she was out of the car. He gave it a squeeze then followed her to the door.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After holding it for a few seconds she released her breath and opened her eyes. “Ready?”

He nodded.

She knocked twice and opened the door. “Mom?” She received no answer as she pushed the door open. “I’m home, Mom.”

Conor watched her go to a recliner then kneel next to it. “Mom, it’s Sarah, your baby.”

Those words brought her alive.

“My precious baby?” The frail woman in the chair leaned forward and hugged Sarah. “I was so blessed to adopt you. Did you just get back from the store?”

“Yes, Mom.” She looked at Conor then at the nurse who stood by.

“Did you get me my candy?”

“Sure did.” She pulled a bag of pulled taffy out of her pocket. “I tried to get you some new flavors along with your favorites. Which one would you like first?”

“Ooh, strawberry please.” She took the candy from her gently, like it was gold. “Is your dad going to be home from work soon?”

“He has to work late today. I’m going to fix dinner.” She stood. “How about my famous mac and cheese?”

“Please? I love your mac and cheese.”

“I have a friend visiting.” She gestured for him to come to her side. “Mom, this is Conor.”

“Conor.” She nodded. He heard her mumble his name several times.

Sarah headed into another room. Conor followed.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” he commented.

“I can’t hold a candle to what you do for a living, but I haven’t poisoned anyone.” The nurse handed her a pad to sign so she could leave.

He laughed at that.

***

“I enjoyed that.” He washed dishes with her.

“Really?” She looked at him. “Thank you.”

“Your mother, though, was in heaven.”

“There are these beautiful moments where I see hints of my mom. This was the first thing I learned to cook, and she made such a big thing about how it tasted.” She dashed a tear from her cheek. “To know she still enjoys it the way she did when I was younger makes me happy.”

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He brushed a thumb against her cheek, wiping a tear from her cheek “It’s part of the disease. My mother was a painter. She tended her garden every day. Now I don’t think she even remembers her garden. Her paintings are all around the house to help her remember, but I don’t think she even notices them now.”

“Baby?”

Sarah looked at Conor before she walked into the room.

“I’m hungry.”

“Mom, we just ate.” She knelt in front of her mom.

“What did we have?”

“Mac and cheese, remember?”

“Oh, I love your mac and cheese.”

“I know, Mom. How about some ice cream once we're done with the dishes?”

“Oh, that would be good.”

Sarah stood and kissed her mom on the cheek.

***

Sarah needed to check to see how her father had their bedroom set up before she helped her mother to bed. She also wanted to put her bag away. Her childhood bedroom was set up like a shrine. Nothing had changed in her room since the day she went to college.

Opening the door to her bedroom she was shocked to see the bed from the guest room in her room. Where the hell did her bed go? She opened her parents’ bedroom door and it looked the same. Okay, so did her dad put the hospital bed he said he got into the guest room?

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the guest room. There sat the hospital bed, a small table laden with supplies, and her old bed. The rumpled sheets told her that her father was sleeping in this room with her mom.

Sarah wanted to cry. She should have been here to help her father.

“It’s not your fault.”

She turned at the sound of his voice. “I should be here, helping. Not at school where I don’t know what is going on because he won’t tell me.”

“You can’t wallow in pity. Your mom needs you right now. Tomorrow we can go see your father and talk to him about keeping you more up-to-date. See if he needs you here to help.”

Tears flowed. She couldn’t stop them. “Seeing her like this is heartbreaking. My father shouldn’t be doing this alone. He won’t tell me he needs me, but I know he does.”

Conor didn’t speak he just wrapped his arms around her and let her cry out her frustration, her sadness.

***

Conor was amazed at how Sarah jumped in and handled her mom with the love and care she deserved. She woke her gently the next day and helped her bathe before bringing her out into the living room.

He had prepared breakfast. Sarah told him her favorites. He made sure he created something her mom would love without putting too much of his flare into it. Pancakes were her favorite and he had fun with them. He made little characters. There was a mouse, a dog, a lion, whatever he could think of.

Sarah gave him such a heart-stopping smile when she saw what he did for her mom. He could hear her explain to her mother who had made the animals. They sat together, Sarah would ask what animal the pancake was and her mother would try to answer. The cat she meowed. Sarah laughed and said, “Yes, Mom that was a cat.” They took their time to eat but it had been a good morning.

Especially when she had walked up to him, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a heated kiss. That kiss told him everything. How much she appreciated what he did for her mom. How much fun they had together with his creations. He could taste the maple syrup on her tongue. Too bad all he would get right now was just a kiss. Her father was due to come home today and Sarah wanted to be sure everything was ready for him.

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Someone had texted him. Pulling it out he entered his password and looked at the text. Max wanted to know when they would be back. He sent a quick message making him aware of what was going on and that he wasn’t sure when they would be back.

Sarah stood at the front window watching the street. “They’re here.”

He opened the front door and watched as the medical transport unloaded her father. He was on one of those ambulance beds where the moment they pulled him out of the back of the vehicle the wheels dropped down so they could roll him into the house.

Sarah had them help her father into his favorite chair. While she settled him in, Conor spoke to the EMTs.

“The doctors at the hospital sent this packet.” They handed it to Conor. “Something he tried really hard to leave behind because he didn’t want to take this with him. He has new prescriptions that need to be filled and a special diet that he told the doctor he didn’t like. You and your wife are going to have your hands full.”

“Thanks for the information.” He didn’t even try to correct the man. When he reentered the house Sarah was fussing over both parents.

He joined her, making sure they were comfortable and getting any food or drink they might want.

“Will you two stop fussing over us?” said her father. “We’re fine. I’m fine.”

“Dad, how often do I get to tell you what to do? Please don’t take this away from me.”

He laughed at that.

“Can I have some juice?” asked her mother.

“Of course.” Sarah jumped up and hurried into the kitchen.

He followed her. “The paramedics gave me this packet. Your dad has a few prescriptions that need to be filled. I’ll go and get them so you can spend time with your parents.”

“That’s not fair. I can get the beds while you go do something fun.”

“Being with you is fun for me.” He pulled her in for a quick hug. “I don’t mind doing this. You have fun with your parents.”

“You are too good to me.”

He kissed her instead of answering and then headed outside.

The car was waiting for him. He climbed in and gave the driver the address of the closest pharmacy. While he waited for the prescription, he got a text from Sarah.

Max is here.

***

Sarah didn’t know what to do. Why was Max here? What had Conor told him? Her mind started working again when she realized she needed to invite them in. “Please.” She stepped aside.

“Thank you, Sarah.” Alicia gave her a quick hug as Max entered her parents' home.

Max filled the room. The confidence he showed, his megawatt smile, it was all a little overwhelming to her.

“Mom?” She knelt in front of her mother. “This is Max Santos. He’s, um, my boss. The lady with him is his wife. Her name is Alicia.”

“Pretty.” Her mom smiled at them.

“Max, this is my mother and father, Liz and Jon.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Davis.” Max smiled and offered his hand to her father.

“Sarah, you didn’t tell me that the college you were working at was the one that Mr. Santos started.”

“I didn’t know you were aware he had started a college, Dad.” She placed her hand on his arm, which he covered with his own. “I’m working for the professor that I interned for. I didn’t know my new position was at the college Mr. Santos had started until just a few days ago.”

“When are you going back?” asked her father.

“I don’t know.” She glanced at Max before turning her attention to her father once again. “You can’t take care of Mom by yourself anymore. You need my help.”

“You can’t give up your job,” said her father. “You were so excited when you found out you got it.”

“You and Mom come first. And you refuse to move closer to me.”

“It would be too much work to put the house up for sale.” He shook his head. “Then there’s the packing, and I don’t know how your mom will handle being in a strange place.”

“Can I offer a suggestion?” asked Max.

Sarah and her father looked at Max.

“First, I’d like to ask a few questions, if that’s okay with you?” He focused on her father as he spoke. “Do you still have a mortgage?”

“No. Paid it off a couple of years ago.”

“If you own the house then you could hire someone to keep the yard and the house ready for you if you ever decide to come back. I’ll even cover the cost of hiring the people and I will be sure they are trustworthy.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I want your daughter happy. She works for one of my oldest friends and she begged me to let her hire your daughter because as her grad student she was the best she ever had. In just a few days she has helped my friend pick the right people for the positions we need to fill.” Max looked at her. “I want to be sure she can focus, and not worry about what’s going on here.”

“You don’t have to stay, Dad,” Sarah pleaded. “Once you’re strong enough to take care of Mom on your own you could come back if that’s what you want.”

“I feel like I don’t really have a choice.” He looked at Max, then his daughter.

“Of course, you do.” She gave him a sweet smile. “You don’t have to go, but if you stay, I stay.”

“Sweetheart.”

“Nope.” Sarah shook her head. “I can be just as stubborn as you and you know it.”

“I taught you well, didn’t I?”

***

Conor told the driver to move when he jumped into the car. With Max at the house, anything could happen. He practically leaped out of the car the moment it slowed in front of the house. Knocking wasn’t going to happen. Conor found Max sitting in front of Sarah’s father while Sarah stood at her father’s side.

Alicia came up to him and spoke softly. “They are trying to talk Jon into moving close to the college.”

“He’s very proud and doesn’t want to lose control.”

Max gave a slight nod. Sarah looked at him, her eyes wide. Conor bet she hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Have they got you cornered yet, Jon?” asked Conor as he joined them. “Did you tell them what we talked about?”

“No.” Jon looked at him like he was a lifeline. “They want me to move there, not visit.”

“Did Sarah say forever?”

“No.” She looked at Conor. “I just want to be sure he is strong enough to take care of Mom. I’ve told him that over and over again.”

“Have you ever asked him to come for an extended visit?”

“I–,” she paused. “I did ask him and Mom to move closer to me at first, but I never thought about an extended visit. I know they wouldn’t have anyone to look after the house for an extended time.”

“And now?” asked Conor.

“Max did offer to cover that,” said Sarah. “And I can pay him back as soon as I start getting paid.”

“If anyone is going to pay for this it will be me,” said Jon. “I’m just worried about Liz.”

“Why don’t we ask her?” asked Sarah. “I know what we read, but maybe if Mom thinks we’re going on an adventure she might be excited about it.”

Sarah went over to her mother’s chair and knelt in front of her again. “Mom? Would you like to see where I work?”

“Work?” It wasn’t registering.

“Would you like to go on an adventure?”

“Adventure? Oh.” Her mom smiled at the thought. “Where are we going?”

“How about a ride in my private jet?” added Max.

“That sounds like fun!” She clapped her hands together. “When can we go?”

“When do you want to go?” asked Jon.

“Can we go now?” Liz looked at her husband. “It sounds like such fun.”

“All right. I’ll go pack some things.”

***

“Your mom doesn’t seem to have any trouble communicating with us,” commented Alicia. She had followed Sarah into the kitchen while Max was outside getting everything set up.

“Dementia affects each person differently. For Mom, although it has affected her memory, it’s more like Swiss cheese. She doesn’t know what year it is or what time of day it might be but if you ask her simple questions she can answer. It has affected her body more. It’s forgotten how to do things. She has some of the symptoms of the Lewy body Dementia, but not enough for me to say that’s the type of dementia she has.” Sarah sighed. “I hate it.”

“Is she on any medication to help her?”

“Yes, Namenda and Donepezil.” Sarah pulled down her mom’s pills and placed them on the table. “The Namenda really makes a difference to me. I hear there is a new drug that could be available soon and I’m hoping Mom will be one of the first to take it.”

“Anything I can do?”

“Mom gets choked on just about everything, so we always try to keep her on soft foods. She will tell you she doesn’t get choked, but she doesn’t remember. I know you have a chef on the plane.” Then she grinned. “Not Conor.”

“We wish we could keep him all to ourselves, but he’d never be happy just cooking for us. The chef we have is one of Conor’s best students.”

“Anyway, I want to have a few snacks ready for Mom if she needs them. Something I know she can handle.” Sarah pulled a few things out and placed them in Ziplock bags.

Her father came in while she was getting food ready for her mom. “You grabbed every pill bottle, didn’t you?”

“Are you supposed to be up?” Sarah was ready to strong-arm her dad back into his chair.

“Sweetheart, I’m fine. The doctor was the one who had the transport set up, but he did that a day or two early so he could be sure there would be one available for me if needed.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I feel great, and he’s made sure I have everything I need to keep the strokes at bay.”

“I don’t want to lose you because you weren’t careful.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Your mother needs me.” Her father gave her a quick squeeze and then pulled the bottles he wanted to be packed forward. “Your mom has been on a pudding kick so make sure you have several. I also have some of those protein drinks she needs in the refrigerator.”

She nodded.

Within a half hour, they had everything ready.

“I took the liberty of calling a transport for your wife, Jon. I hope you don’t mind.” Max put his arm around Alicia.

“It could take them hours to get here,” responded Jon.

“Hopefully it won’t be too long,” said Alicia. “We can wait until tomorrow if you need to.”

“No. I haven’t seen her this alert in a long while.” He watched his wife while Sarah talked to her. “I want to give her everything I can that sparks her attention.”

A quick rap on the door interrupted them.

Jon opened the door and found two paramedics standing there.

“You called for a transport?” asked one.

“Wow, you made it fast.” He stepped aside to let them enter.

The moment they saw Max they bowed before waiting for instructions. He told them what was needed, and they prepared Sarah’s mom for travel. They were quick and efficient. Everyone was on the plane in no time.

Once Liz was settled Jon pulled Sarah aside.

“How did you end up in this circle of friends? Mr. Santos is a high-powered executive.” Her father kept his voice down so he wouldn’t be overheard.

“Blame Catherine.” She wanted to tell him that he could whisper, and everyone would still hear him but knew better.

“Who?”

“You remember the professor I did my grad work with?” At his nod she continued, “She’s Max’s best friend. When he learned my story, he wanted to help. He’s from Ireland and has ties there.”

“You think he can help you find your birth mother?”

“He’s trying. Then I have to figure out if I want to meet her.”

“What are you hoping to learn?” her father asked.

“I want to know why she gave me up. It would also be nice to know my family medical history.”

“You’re our baby and we want you happy. I hope you find out the things you want to know and don’t find the things you wished you hadn’t learned.”

“I know, Dad. It’s scary, but if I don’t try to find out I’ll always wonder.”

“I get it.” He hugged her. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t want to get hurt either, but I know who will be there to help me pick up the pieces.” She returned his hug.

“And what about the chef who’s staring at us like we’re his next meal?”