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“Morning,” Daddy croaked as he entered the kitchen.
Will looked up from the suds and running water, a smile instantly touching his face. “Morning, Daddy.”
“Can you help Mama into the bathroom?” Daddy wouldn’t look at Will as he spoke. He pulled open the fridge though he wouldn’t take anything from it.
“Sure can.” Will shut off the water and reached for a towel. Part of him wanted to wrap his father in a hug so tight that he’d know how much Will loved him. They talked in the Cooper household; it wasn’t like Will hadn’t told his daddy how much he loved him. It felt like it had maybe been a while, and Will had maybe caused a few too many problems lately.
“Daddy,” he said, and his dad turned from the fridge. Will fiddled with the towel, wiping it between his already dry fingers. “Listen, I’m sorry if I’ve been a problem lately.”
“Will,” Daddy said. “You’re not a problem.”
“It’s just—I didn’t mean to make more work for anyone by leavin’ to see Gretchen.”
Daddy cocked his head. “I know that. You haven’t been seein’ her much lately.”
“Yeah.” Will reached to hang the towel back on the handle of the stove. “It’s been busy.”
“Trav manages.”
“Trav’s engaged,” Will said. “I’ve been out with Gretchen twice.”
“But you want to see her again, don’t you?” Daddy leaned into the counter, and Will wondered how much of that was necessary and how much was just because.
“Yes,” he admitted. “Our timing just hasn’t worked out. Her daddy is sick, and he lives in Short Tail.”
“You’ll bring her to Sunday dinner this week,” Daddy said, smiling at Will. “I know Mama wants to meet her, and I’ll corral everyone and make them behave.”
Will chuckled and shook his head. Despite his temper, Daddy couldn’t really make anyone behave these days. He’d raised five headstrong children, with plenty of opinions and the loudest voices in Texas. They’d try, though, and Will loved them all for that.
“Text Trav that he doesn’t need to come this morning,” Will said. “I’ll go help Mama.”
“You call that woman too,” Daddy called after him as Will started for the hall that led into the master suite. “Sunday dinner.”
Will didn’t answer, his mind buzzing with what this weekend would be like for Gretchen. He was fairly sure she had an event, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He hadn’t been to town in over a week now, and he didn’t keep up with the social events there anyway.
He rapped lightly on the bedroom door and said, “It’s Will, Mama,” before entering. His mother sat up in bed, several pillows propped haphazardly behind her. “You don’t need to try to get up yourself,” he said, hurrying now that he saw the evidence of her attempts to get enough support to stand.
Her left leg hung over the side of the mattress, and Will moved it further out, her right leg following it. He wrapped his arms around her torso as her legs moved, holding her up as carefully as he could. On the end of the bed, Queen Elizabeth the golden retriever watched.
“Morning, baby,” Mama said, her voice raspy.
“You thirsty this morning?” he asked her, and she nodded against his shoulder.
“I’ll get you in the bathroom, and then go grab you a drink,” he said. “Ready?”
“Yes,” she said, scooting to the edge of the bed, her arms up around his shoulders.
“All right. Three, two, one.” He counted slow and lifted right after he said one. She pushed as much as she could, which was basically nothing, but he got her to her feet. He didn’t release her instantly but gave her a few moments to steady herself.
“Thank you, Will,” she said, pure gratitude in her voice. “My pills are in the bathroom. I can just get a drink in there.”
“You’ll use the hand-bars, right?” he asked, though she did. Mama seemed to understand her limits. In the beginning of her illness, she hadn’t, and she’d fallen four or five times before Cherry had come home and she and Lee had lectured Mama into submission.
Will had been present at the family meeting, and it still haunted him. He hated watching his mother cry, and he had no idea what it would be like to accept a devastating diagnosis. She’d been battling cancer for over five years now, and Will had seen her rapidly decline, then claw her way back inch by inch.
Her issues now had taken a long time to wear her down, and her decline had been slowly intruding on her daily activities for over a year now.
He helped her into the bathroom, where he’d helped Lee and Travis affix long silver bars to every available wall. They bordered the toilet and waited on the wall across from it. They’d put two in the standing shower, one on each wall. One sat just above the towel rack, and Mama reached for that one just inside the door.
