Chapter 8
8
Jewel
Nothing was going like Jewel had imagined. She’d only been here a few hours and she was already on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. What had she done by recklessly selling everything and moving up here? How was Cooper going to react to all the chaos? Her grandpa was losing it, and her grandma was seriously ill. Sure, they needed help more than ever now, but this was way outside of Jewel’s wheelhouse. Nothing about her life—being an independent artist, owning an up-and-coming art gallery, not even single parenting—had prepared her for this. She’d made a great big horrific mistake.
She twisted the handle of her boho bag as she sat across from her dad in the small waiting room. The one reserved for their “special” cases. Fortunately the hospital staff seemed to understand this situation. Or else they just wanted to contain CT and keep him from upsetting more people. But Jewel was getting fed up with him. She knew he was ill, but this was ridiculous. She loved him, but she had to control herself from shaking him and telling him to snap out of it.
Was he really this far gone? Or was he trying to get attention from his drama king act? Naturally, he was stressed. But so was she. Still, she wondered how long it would be before he would have to go into some kind of assisted living. Her mother had sworn she would never do that. “CT wants to live out his last days on the farm. To die with his boots on,” she had said more than once. Well, that was a fine platitude when life wasn’t a great big mess, but Mom might feel different about things now.
Jewel used to be a smoker back in her rebellious twenties. She knew it was a stupid habit, but more than ever she wanted a cigarette right now. She could imagine inhaling that soothing breath of tobacco smoke, holding it inside, then slowly releasing it and blowing away her troubles. Instead she recrossed her legs, folded her arms tightly in front of her, and stared helplessly at her fractured father. Hunched over, mumbling to himself about the color of the carpet, still wearing his work clothes, in need of a shave. An onlooker probably assumed he was a drifter from the streets.
She’d tried to comfort him several times, but he’d simply shrugged her off as if she were a stranger about to steal his wallet. She’d offered him food, but he’d just waved her away. Even when she tried to assure him that Mom was okay, it didn’t seem to register. He was too far gone. And at this rate, she wouldn’t be surprised if he wound up in a hospital bed himself. Maybe in the psych ward. And maybe that was a good idea. If someone could sedate him, just knock him out until it was time to take Mom home, he might actually appreciate it. She knew she would.
She reached for her phone and texted Cooper again, asking for an update on the movers and making sure she remembered to turn off the oven before the roast became a burnt offering. Cooper reassured her that the movers had come and gone and claimed to have everything under control. That is, unless Cooper was texting from the back of the moving van after informing the movers to transport all their belongings—and her—back to San Jose. She wouldn’t put it past her disgruntled daughter. Especially if Coop fully understood what they were up against now that Grandma was incapacitated. Jewel glanced back at her confused dad and realized she desperately wanted to run in the opposite direction too. Was it too late to pull the plug on this?
“Hey there.” A male’s hushed voice came from the doorframe. She looked over her shoulder to see Miguel lurking in the shadows, probably trying not to upset Dad. Who knew what might happen if Dad spotted his archenemy lurking nearby. She’d never seen her dad so angry before. As if Miguel was personally responsible for all the woes of the world. Jewel quietly rose and went over to Miguel.
“I thought you went home,” she whispered, although her dad seemed oblivious.
“I did. I had to move some cows. But I decided to come back and check on you guys. How’s it going?” He tipped his head toward her dad. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s a hot mess. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do with him if Mom has to spend the night here. I’m not sure I can get him to go home with me. He doesn’t seem to trust me. I’m not sure he even knows who I am.”
“Do you think they’ll keep your mom overnight?”
“The doctor told me it’s a possibility.” She stepped outside of the doorway. “She said it’s not only the concussion. Mom has extremely high blood pressure. 224 over 119.”
“Yikes. That’s super high. My mom has high blood pressure too, but it’s never been that high.”
“Poor Mom.” She peeked back at Dad, but he was still staring at the carpet.
“How’s your mom’s head? Did they read her CAT scans yet?”
“Yes. They didn’t see any internal bleeding. So that’s good.” Jewel noticed a woman coming their way.
The woman smiled, showed them a hospital badge, and introduced herself. “I’m Marge Stewart, a guest volunteer. I was told you might need some help with Mr. McKerry.”
“Help?” Jewel studied the gray-haired woman.
“My husband had Alzheimer’s.” Marge’s eyes were kind, but her smile reflected sadness. “I know how difficult it can be in a situation like this. I’m happy to sit with him awhile, if you two want to go get a coffee or just have a break.”
Jewel brightened. “That’d be nice.”
Marge peeked into the room. “He seems upset,” she said quietly. Then without another word, the older woman went in and sat by him, but not too close. She spoke slowly and gently, and after a bit, he looked up. Marge continued to chat with him, almost as if he was an old friend. She waved them away and, grateful for even a brief escape, Jewel took it.
“Do you know where I can find a cup of coffee?” she asked Miguel.
“I do.” He pointed down a hallway. “Right this way.” As they walked, he explained that his dad had been in this hospital for a couple of weeks. “So I got to know the place pretty well.”
“How is he now?” she asked, mostly to be polite.
“He passed away.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She glanced at Miguel.
“It was several years ago. I’d just gotten home from the service.” He indicated a turn ahead.
“Oh? What branch of military?”
“Air Force. I’d just retired and almost signed up for more, but I’m glad I didn’t now. It was good to be around for my mom’s sake. She was pretty lost without him. And it was time for me to be home for my wife and child too.”
She peered curiously at him, trying to guess his age. “How long were you in the Air Force?”
“Nearly twenty years.” He pointed to a cafeteria sign. “There she blows.”
“Thanks.” She stopped by the entrance to the cafeteria. “Care to join me for a coffee?”
“Sure. But I’ll warn you, it’s not exactly Starbucks.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. I was never a Starbucks girl anyway.” As they went inside, she did some mental math. Twenty years in the Air Force plus eight at home, would make him at least forty-six. A few years older than her. But why did it matter? Sure, he was handsome and, according to her mom— not her Dad —Miguel was a good guy. But a guy with a wife and child. After they got their coffees and sat down, he asked her how long she planned to stay in Oregon.
“The plan was to stay indefinitely,” she admitted. “But to be honest, I’m getting a little worried now.”
“Afraid it’s going to be too much?” His brow creased as he stirred cream into his coffee. “Your dad’s memory issues and now your mom’s troubles? Feeling overwhelmed?”
She barely nodded. “I knew Mom needed help with Dad ... I just didn’t expect this.”
“She didn’t either.”
Suddenly Jewel remembered something. “I’m not sure how to ask you this,” she began carefully, “but my dad said some bad things about you. And Mom told me he’s got some kind of grudge against you. But Dad acts like you were responsible for Mom’s injury. In fact, he seems certain of it.”
“I know.” Miguel leaned back in his chair. “He got it into his head that I did something to your mom. That I hurt her. But I didn’t. I replayed the whole incident in my head on my way home, trying to figure out what made him think that.”
“You mean, besides the fact he’s got dementia? Did you come up with an explanation?”
“Maybe. Here’s what happened. Your mom called me after she fell and hit her head. She sounded a little incoherent, so I rushed right over. Your dad didn’t seem to be around when I got there. She was in the kitchen, and it looked like she’d tripped over a hoe, which seemed odd. When I helped her out to my truck, I had the hoe in one hand. I tossed it down when I saw your dad, but he might’ve got it into his head that I’d clobbered your mom with it.”
“It sounds crazy, but crazy makes sense with Dad.”
Miguel sadly shook his head. “Your dad already thinks I stole his land and his tractor. Now he thinks I injured his wife. I’m sure glad your mom got rid of the guns or I’d be seriously worried for my and my family’s safety.”
“I’m so sorry about that. I hope your family’s not too scared of him.”
He smiled crookedly. “It’s not all that bad. Although I do worry about my mom sometimes. She can get worked up. But my daughter just takes it in stride. That’s Anna for you. She’s a real rock.”
“How old is Anna?”
“Just turned fourteen.”
“Fourteen and she’s a rock? Wow, my daughter Cooper’s thirteen and anything but. I’m having parental envy.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard some horror stories about girls their age. It can get ugly.”
“That’s for sure. I’ve been at serious odds with Cooper for a while, but today was the worst. She wore me out. I was really looking forward to seeing Mom. And now this.” Jewel set down her coffee. “I can’t imagine the hissy fit Cooper will throw when she learns we’ll be playing nursemaid to both her grandparents now. There’ll be no living with her.”
“Don’t feel too bad. I’ve heard most teen girls grow out of this stuff. I’m just really lucky Anna skipped all that. Don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Jewel was pea green with envy now. This guy had it all. He wasn’t single parenting. He had a wife and live-in grandma to help. No wonder Anna was perfect. “I hope Anna’s mom knows how lucky she is.”
“She did.” He spun his Styrofoam cup on the table. “Beth passed away several years ago. Cancer.”
Jewel pursed her lips as her jealousy melted away. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry. You lost your dad and your wife.”
“Yeah. Life sure has its ups and downs.”
“So it’s just you and your mom and daughter now?” she asked, feeling nosy. What was it to her if he had a new wife or more children?
He nodded. “We’ve been through a lot, but we get along okay.” He looked intently at her. “I think you will too. Just give yourself time ... and grace.”
“Grace?”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Or on your daughter.”
“Or my dad?”
He firmly nodded. “Most definitely.”
“Sounds like you’ve been pretty gracious to him, Miguel. Mom has told me how rough Dad’s been on you. I’m sorry.”
“That’s life. I just wish there was a way to mend things with him. The problem is the troubles are in his mind, so it’s a real challenge to navigate.”
“Believe me, after a couple hours with him, I know.” She heard her phone ping with a text and looked to see it was from Cooper. She read it and smiled. “Well, a bit of good news. My daughter turned off the roast before it turned to toast, and unless she’s pulling a fast one, she’s still at the farm.”
“You thought she’d go someplace else?”
Jewel attempted a weak laugh. “I was a little worried she’d stow away with the moving van and return to San Jose. That’s how resistant she’s been to this move.”
“Well, for your parents’ sake, I’m glad you and your daughter came. They really do need help. I try to do what I can, but your father makes it difficult.”
“I’m starting to understand. It’s too bad Dad does that.”
“Maybe having you and Cooper around will help mellow him.” Miguel finished his coffee. “And if Cooper needs a friend to show her around town, or whatever, I’m sure Anna would be happy to assist.”
“Anna sounds so wonderful, you might not want her to be around my brat.”
Miguel laughed. “I probably made Anna sound too good. Remember, I’m her dad, I’m a little biased.”
“She sounds like a sweet girl.” Jewel finished her coffee. “I guess I should get back to my dad.”
“Yep, and unless you need me here, I should probably get home. There’s a lot of work to do around the farm this time of year.”
“I’ll tell Cooper about Anna.”
“And let me know how it goes with your mom. Or if we can be of any help.”
“I’ll do that. Hopefully they’ll let her go home soon.”