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He nodded. “Feeling good these days, Son.”
A contented sigh washed over me. Dad had been accepted for a drug trial, and while we might never get the old Red Sullivan back, this medication had been our first glimmer of hope that it may slow the progression of his early-onset dementia.
The small cotton ball bandaged to the inside nook of his elbow let me know that today was an infusion day.
“I have a shift at the firehouse but thought you might enjoy breakfast and maybe a walk.”
My dad smiled at me. “Hell, I’d like that.”
As we walked down the hallway toward the exit to the courtyard path, I offered small nods and polite smiles to the residents as we passed. Dad often stopped to shake a hand or offer a kind word on our walk.
Stationed near the exit door in nurse’s scrubs and behind a rolling laptop cart stood MJ King with a friendly wave and a bright smile. “Morning, Red.” She nodded in my direction. “Lee.” MJ typed in the code on the security pad to allow us outside access before holding open the door. “Enjoy the sunshine.”
Typically I’d take this opportunity to toss back some flirty line. MJ was friendly and cute, and even though she was a King, my flirtatious nature didn’t really care. But I was different now. This time I just took the door from her and smiled. “Thanks, MJ.”
I let Dad walk in front of me as he wove his way down the crushed limestone path that meandered through the manicured flower beds and garden paths on the sprawling property.
“Off your game today.” He smirked. “Normally you try to charm the pants off that girl.”
I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. “Not today.”
We fell in step together, and I enjoyed the silent comfort of walking with my dad. “The truth is there’s someone else. She’s ... special.”
Dad looked at me with a sideways smirk. “No shit?”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and pulled up a picture of Annie and me. It was one of my favorites, taken years ago. It was of me making a goofy double-chin face with buck teeth and Annie crossing her eyes and puffing her cheeks out like a fish. I couldn’t help but laugh as I tilted the screen toward Dad.
“Yeah”—he laughed—“she sure is something else.”
I flipped the image to a more typical one, a solo picture of Annie that I had taken one day at the beach. She was looking out onto the rolling waves, and I had snapped the picture without her realizing. It was one of many of her I had saved under my favorites.
Dad looked at the picture of Annie. “So you finally did it, huh?”
I looked at Dad, my brows pinching together. “Did what?”
He scoffed and shook his head. “Woke up. Saw what was right there in front of you.”
My mouth opened to speak, but Dad waved a hand to stop me. “I know Annie. Been watching you two give each other googly eyes for years when you think the other’s not looking.”
I lowered the phone and frowned. Of course he’d know Annie.
Dad kept his pace as we walked. “I know your brother likes to shelter me. Some days I’m not all right up here.” He tapped his temple and my heart squeezed. “I’ve been having more good days than bad. Besides, Annie comes on Mondays.”
“Mondays?”
“She visits from time to time, usually on Monday. Lately she’s been asking a lot of questions about what I remember regarding our family history. Our people. It’s been fun trying to reminisce, look at old pictures. I guess Duke’s got her on some wild-goose chase.”
Mondays.
The one day each week Annie has off and she spends it with my dad.
“I think she even knocked a few things loose.” He chuckled. “I recalled a few long-forgotten memories. Felt good.”
“That’s great, Dad.”
I fell into step with him as he continued talking about drama between residents and his unofficial job as handyman as we continued down the blooming walkways.
He lifted a finger to point out a construction site in the distance. “They’re building assisted-living houses on this back part of the property. Semi-independent homes, they’re calling them. Already got my name on a list for one.”
