Page 40 of An Engagement for Erica

There might have been celebrations in some people’s eyes when his father died, but everyone knew his grandfather was still there.

But now, there was a lot of worry with him being new and his grandfather hanging on with no sign of what long-term issues there could be.

Being told there was a thirty percent chance of full recovery wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

The door opened and Dr. James walked in.

He could see the resemblance between Erica and her father.

Might even see some of the personality, but he’d never tell Erica that.

“Hi,” Tucker said, standing up. “You’re here late.”

“Most nights,” Dr. James said. “I thought I’d check on your grandfather before I left for the night.”

“I can step out,” he said. “He doesn’t seem to want to stay awake too much.”

“The medication is causing that. I’m told he’s eating well though, but most likely exhausted by now.”

“I figured as much. I’ve wanted him to rest and Michael has been here with him.”

Dr. James nodded and started to check his grandfather over.

His grandfather’s eyes opened.

“Tucker,” his grandfather said. “I was wondering if you were going to come visit me or not. I’m glad you came into town. Been a while.”

He looked at Dr. James. “I’ve been here every day,” he said.

“Oh,” his grandfather said. “Guess I might have lost track of time.”

“I’ll return in a minute,” he said. It was hard for him to see the big man that he’d looked up to most of his life lying in the hospital bed medicated with a bandage on his head.

He turned when the door opened five minutes later.

“He’s asked to see you,” Dr. James said. “As I said before, it’s normal for him to experience confusion for a bit. It could be the surgery, the medication, or the stroke. We won’t know fully just yet.”

“How long do you think he’ll be here?”

“It’s not unheard of for someone to be here for five days. I’d say that for sure. I’ll reassess it in two days. He’s going to need care when he leaves here.”

“He’s got an assistant that lives in the house, but I’ll make sure we’ve got a nurse there also.”

“Good,” Dr. James said. “He’ll most likely need to go to rehab or physical therapy. Right now it’s hard to see how much damage was caused by his stroke. He’s moving his arms and legs when touched, but we haven’t had him trying to do too much more.”

“How is he eating?” he asked. “Holding silverware?”

Why wasn’t he thinking of this before?

“I think he’s getting assistance with that from the nurses and Michael. When I say he’s eating well, it’s not a lot, but what is to be expected.”

Tucker ran his hands through his hair.

Shit!

“He’ll get every bit of care he needs,” he said. “Money isn’t an issue.”

Dr. James nodded. “He’s asking for you. He’s still awake. He actually rushed me through the exam. I figured you’d want to know that.”

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