“What the hell, Lukas? Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“It’s end-stage liver failure. We don’t have a lot of options?—”
“I mean, can someone get a medical power of attorney over him? Declare him unfit to make his own decisions?” I pulled out my phone and began scrolling. “Or what about a liver transplant? That has to be an option, right?”
He shook his head, snatching my phone out of my hand. “John refused all treatment, and he’s been declared of sound mind.”
“What did the doctors say? Did they give him some bullshit about poor odds or something? Could we get a second opinion?”
“JesusLivvy.I almost forgot how pushy you can be,” Lukas mumbled. “I was there when the doctors told him a transplantwas risky given his age, just like any other procedure would be, but that there was a decent enough statistical rate of survival. They offered to set him up with other doctors for a secondary opinion, but John waived it all.”
“He still said no?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I settled back into the leather.
Lukas reached over and gave my hand a slight squeeze. “I’m sorry, Livvy.”
“What happens now?” I whispered, voice breaking. I didn’t want to think about what this meant or how many difficult conversations were looming overhead. “I mean, how long?”
“We hired an in-home nurse to make sure he’s taken care of for however long he has left?—”
I slammed my hand down on the dashboard. “Which is how long, Luke? Answer the question.”
He ran a hand through his short brown hair, mussing it slightly. “Three to six months if he’s lucky.”
Three to six months wouldn’t even see John through to his next birthday. There’d be no more holiday celebrations, something that he always made a big fuss out of. No more fatherly advice followed by warm hugs and total understanding.
It would be gone.Poof. Just like Dad.
“This is bullshit,” I said as the first tear fell. I couldn’t bring myself to wipe it away. The grief weighed too heavily on my heart.
“It is,” he agreed. “But it’s what he wanted. At the end of the day, all we can do is respect his wishes and hope he doesn’t leave the world with unfinished business.”
Lukas didn’t let go of my hand as I cried. Not even when his emotions got the best of him, and tears rolled down his cheeks as well. It was all too much to handle. We’d lost our dad at an early age, but Uncle John had done his best to step up to the plate. He’d never had kids of his own, but Lukas and I might aswell have been. Neither of us were ever left wanting for anything. He made sure to stand in for every monumental moment a dad should be present for. He even walked me down the aisle on my wedding day.
Luke and I drove in relative silence back to our little hometown. The radio wasn’t even loud enough to drown out the crunch of our tires against the asphalt. I focused on the noise, trying to push away the intrusive thoughts clamoring to be let in. It wasn’t until I saw the “Welcome to Pinecrest” sign that I finally asked, “Does Mom know?”
Lukas blew out a long breath. “She does.”
“How is she taking it?”
“About as well as could be expected,” he said dryly. “She’ll probably be two bottles of Chardonnay in by the time we reach the house.”
I shifted in my seat. “Does she know I’m coming?”
“There wasn’t really a way around that, Livvy. You’ve got to see her sometime.”
“I know that. I just didn’t think it’d be likethis,” I muttered. “But I guess nothing brings people together like an impending death in the family.”
“Morbid but true,” he chuckled. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve put her in the main house with me while you get to escape to the cottage by yourself.”
“Oh, thank god. I can lock the doors and never come out,” I said.
Lukas laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think sequestering yourself is gonna work. You know how persistent she can be. She’ll probably camp outside your front door until you say something to her.”
“The problem isn’t speaking to her. It’s saying what she wants to hear.” I scoffed. “I can’t give her what she wants, Luke. It’s a nonstarter.”
“Not even now?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Especially not now. It complicates things, sure, but the wheels are already in motion. I can’t stop them. I don’twantto stop them.”