Wilbur didn’t take them, and I had no idea if Dad actually knew anything about Wilbur’s physical therapy for his Parkinson’s, but it sounded convincing, if not helpful at this exact moment.
“Mr. Smith?” I said, taking the chair beside him, racking my brain for something to ask.
Slowly, he uncurled his fists and looked at me but didn’t answer. I was kind of hoping that calling him “Mr. Smith” instead of “Wilbur” would prompt him to give me his usual “Just Wilbur, darlin’,” but no such luck.
“I heard Addy’s birthday is coming up.”
After several seconds, he relaxed marginally.
“I was wondering if you could think about ideas for a present for him?”
Wilbur wiped a shaky hand down his face. “Sure, darlin’.”
There it was. “Thank you,” I said, smiling softly at him. “That’ll be a huge help. I’ve gotta go now, but I’ll check back in later?”
He nodded, and I got up and said goodbye to Dad with a brief hug. I paused at the open doorway where Nurse Emily was hovering.
“I’ll check his vitals now,” she said before taking another bite of a peach she’d produce from who knew where. “Thanks.”
I nodded. It was no good to check them before they were relatively calm.
“And I’ll call Jillie if there are any concerns.” She glanced out into the hallway discreetly. “Tell Adeline she can take as long of a break as she needs.”
I thanked her before I went back for Delly, relieved that she was where I left her.
“Come on,” I said, holding out my hand.
She didn’t even ask where we were going, letting me tug her into the elevator, which we rode down to the first floor.
It was between mealtimes, so we didn’t pass many people on our way to the life skills room, which was good. No one needed an audience when their foundation was crumbling.
“Here,” I said, opening the passenger side of the Cadillac. “Get in.”
A flicker of curiosity cut through her sorrow before she slid inside. I shut her in carefully before walking around the back and getting into the driver’s seat.
It wasn’t long before the dam inside Delly broke. A choked sob escaped her mouth, which she covered with her hand, muffling the soft cries that followed.
I reached over and took her free hand. “You have nowhere you need to be. Let it come, and let it out, sweetheart.”
And boy, did she. She always seemed so free with her emotions, her opinions, and I’d suspected that there was a flip side to her happy squeals and audible gasps.
This confirmed it.
I squeezed her hand harder, bearing witness to it.
“I am the ugliest crier,” she choked out through a sob. “Always have been. It is mortifying.” She twisted toward me, tear tracks marking her cheeks. “I thought I was prepared. Even before the Parkinson’s, I knew it was only a matter of time before he finally started to show his age. But he’s always seemed invincible to me. Just like Addy. But then with the accident, and Addy being in the hospital, and then Pops suddenly being here, it’s just like… the world has flipped upside down.”
I squeezed her hand and nodded along. I didn’t knowthe details, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was how it affected this sweet girl. “Aging is hell. For them, and for us too. Change is abrupt. And also a bitch.” She huffed a surprised laugh, and I smiled sadly at her. “And honestly, there’s no preparing for things like this. For seeing your parent or parent figure decline. Not really.”
She swiped under her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I get that now,” she whispered. “I just didn’t think this would happen. Not yet. Is that how it was with your dad?” Her eyes widened before she rushed out, “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t. Not from you,” I assured her, letting go of her hand as I sat back in my seat and thought through my answer. “As you probably know, Dad’s condition isn’t quite the same as Wilbur’s. Even if Wilbur had Alzheimer’s, it probably wouldn’t look the same as Dad’s or have manifested the same. And not just because they’re two very different people.”
Delly nodded. “Pops is a lot older than your dad. Jillie said it’s one of the reasons they thought he’d be a good fit as a roommate for your dad even though they weren’t really at the same stage of disease. At first.”
I blew out a breath. “If it had been anyone but Director Links, I probably would’ve fought against it. But the care program she put in place for Dad probably saved his life. She saw the bigger picture, and I just had to trust her.” My stomach churned just thinking of earlier this year, but I pushed through, wanting to answer Delly’s actual question. “It was sudden,” I said quietly. “To me, it was. I was just doing my own thing, trying to shape my life how I wanted it. But once I realized something was really wrong and tricked him into going to the doctor….” I grimaced at the memory, at how angry Dad had been.
When I glanced up, Delly was frowning at me, but there was only compassion in her eyes.
