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He parked the truck on the street, helping her out of her seat and up the stairs of the old historic home. It was raining. Again. Which only made everything smell like the rain.
“Good morning,” said the nurse. “You must be the doctor Casey said was coming out to check on her father.”
“Yes. I’m Gabi Slater, and this is my husband, Zulu.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” smiled the man, staring up at Zulu. “You have to be the biggest man I’ve ever seen.”
“You should meet my friends,” smirked Zulu. “I’m just a baby compared to them. How is Mr. Islip?”
“He had a rough night, in fact he’s nothing but rough nights lately. He keeps asking me for more morphine, but I can’t. I mean, legally, I can’t, but morally, I just can’t do it.”
“How long have you worked here?” asked Gabi.
“Nine years,” he smiled. “I was working in the cardiac care unit at Charity Hospital and felt as if I was drowning. One day, I had a patient come in that was HIV positive. He was seven years younger than me, and he looked a hundred. My heart just broke for him.
“I’m a gay man. A proud gay man. I was raised in a generation where we knew to take precautions and did. Others weren’t as careful or simply decided they were invincible. Still others were innocent victims, like Mr. Islip. I knew that this would be my calling.”
“Still, it has to be difficult,” said Gabi sympathetically. “You spend a lot of time here and know they’re here only for a short time.”
“That’s true,” he nodded, “but I can make their last few days, weeks, or even months better than what they had before. I can offer them companionship, friendship, play cards with them, tell jokes, watch movies. We eat together, we live together, and I watch them pass on when it’s time. It’s my honor to do so.” Greg turned, leading them into the living room, where they found Casey sitting with her father, holding his hand.
Zulu nearly cracked with grief for the man. His daughter sought him out, wanted to get to know him, and now he had only a short time to make up for twenty years lost.
“Weston? I have some friends of Casey’s that would like to see you,” said Greg.
“Oh?”
“Dad, these people work with the other men that are helping chef. This is my father,” said Casey, standing to wipe her tears.
“Mr. Islip, my name is Gabi Slater. I’m one of the doctors on staff with our clinic. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do that would help to make you more comfortable.”
“Well, a vial or two of morphine should do the trick,” he said with a sardonic smile.
“Dad,” sniffed Casey.
“I didn’t mean it, Casey. I’m sorry, honey.”
“You’re in pain,” said Gabi. “It stands to reason you’re tired and don’t want to do this any longer. But you’ve been given a great gift by your daughter, Mr. Islip. You can try to make amends for all the years lost between the two of you.” He stared at the woman, then up at the huge black man beside her.
“Are my eyes going bad, or do you have a halo above your head?” Gabi laughed, shaking her head.
“No, it’s my hair. I have silver hair that makes it look that way. Plus, my eyes are a strange color.”
“Remarkable,” smirked the man.
Gabi listened to his heart, frowning at the abnormal rhythm. It was worse than she’d feared. He was reaching the end of his life. She listened to the lungs and was even more disturbed by what she heard.
“I think he has the beginnings of pneumonia. We may need to admit him,” she said to Greg and Casey.
“No,” said Weston. “No. No more hospitals, no more treatments only for me to get sicker and sicker. No.”
“Dad,” sniffed Casey.
“Casey, baby, I’m so glad you found me, and I’m sorry I was so stubborn about not seeing you before. But please, please don’t ask me to keep this up. I just can’t. I’m tired, sweetie. I’m tired, and I’m ready to go. I’ve seen you and the amazing woman you’ve become. Now, I can go and know that you’re alright. Maybe I’ll see your mother again, and we can be happy like we used to be.”
“Oh, Dad,” she cried, lying against his chest.
“Mr. Islip, will you at least allow me to give you some oxygen to help with your breathing?” asked Gabi. He nodded, wheezing with the weight of Casey on his chest.
