Liam’s Lily

by Dale Mayer

  “Right.” She looked at him. “Do you want to get changed now? Or wait?”

  Liam looked at her, but the look in his eye said that even one more decision was just too much for him.

  She frowned. “You’ll feel better if you dress.”

  Her father nodded and straightened, looking at the clothing. “I shouldn’t be this tired.”

  “I imagine that the withdrawal of the drugs will make you off for several days,” Liam said. “Just take it easy. We’ll have quite the morning, and we need to make sure everything is handled properly.”

  Her father nodded. He struggled to his feet, grabbed the paper bag and went to the bathroom.

  Lilianna looked at Liam. “Is he okay, do you think?”

  Liam nodded. “He’s a hell of a lot better than he was just hours earlier.”

  “I’d like to see a little more fire and vinegar. But it seems to come and go in small spurts, as if the energy is just too hard to keep up at that level.” Lilianna sat on the couch beside Liam. “Katie is still here. Maria, the nurse my father supposedly attacked, didn’t show up to work today.”

  Liam raised his gaze and looked at her.

  Her lips twitched. “I was thinking the same thing. Do you think it’s coincidental?”

  “Hell no. Any idea why she didn’t come?” Liam asked.

  Lilianna shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “We need to take a closer look at this.” He nodded but pulled out his phone and jotted down something in a text.

  “Do you send information as soon as you learn of it?”

  “Absolutely. It’s the only way to maintain any kind of understanding of what’s happening. In this case I’m getting someone else to contact this missing nurse to see if she has anything to do with what’s going on here.”

  Lilianna checked her watch. “It’s nine o’clock. How long do you think we have to wait before somebody comes by?”

  He shook his head. “Not long. I’m hoping to get your father dressed so he looks like a normal human being, not like a patient.”

  “As if patients aren’t normal human beings?”

  He grinned. “You know what I mean. First appearances and all that.”

  She nodded. “But, if I was him, I’d want to get the hell out of here.”

  “And that might happen too. It might also not be all that easy. I don’t know what’s required.”

  She sat back on the couch. “Where is North?”

  “Gone looking for answers.”

  She stared at him, but he didn’t offer anything else. She realized she wouldn’t be let in on everything. “Do you think my sister is still at the police station?”

  “No idea, but I imagine she’ll be there until the police and lawyers hash this out.”

  “Do you think they’ll both come here?”

  “I highly suspect they’re all coming here, including the new lawyers and the old one,” Liam said. “You’ll need to defend your father from any onslaught coming his way.”

  She nodded. “I failed him these last few months. I won’t fail him again.”

  “You can’t look at it that way. You did the best you could with the information you had at hand. If you don’t know how far somebody will go, you don’t have a clue what they might do to achieve their goals.”

  “I never would have thought my sister would hurt my father.”

  “You don’t know that she has. You don’t know what her involvement is yet, so wait until we know for sure.”

  “Not so easy to do at this point. That she’s trying to get POA over his estate makes me very suspicious.”

  “Me too. And, if something like this could happen to your father, it could also happen to you.”

  She stared at him in horror.

  He shrugged. “No, I’m not saying that’s what’ll happen, but should it, they’d have sudden control over both estates.”

  “I don’t have an estate,” she said. “I don’t have anything. Everything I’ve earned has gone to help my father.”

  He chuckled. “I know that. You know that. But we also know there are abuses happening all the time.”

  Her father opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

  She looked at him in surprise. “Oh, wow! You look great,” she said with joy.

  He looked a little self-conscious and said, “They’re a little big.”

  She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You will fill them out fast enough,” she teased.

  He smiled. “I don’t know about that.” He looked at Liam. “At the moment I have some energy. Any idea when the lawyers are coming?”

  Liam said, “It’s hard to say now that Brianna was at the police station. Soon hopefully. But the specialist should arrive first.”

  Just then a knock was heard on the door and a man in a three-piece suit and an air of authority surrounding him walked in. He reached out a hand to Lilianna. “You must be Lilianna. I’m Dr. Splicer. Gunner sent me.”

  Her face lit up. “Thank you so much for coming,” she said warmly. “This is my father, Jim Howell.” She turned to her father, then back to the doctor. “You’ve seen his medical records?”

  He nodded. “Medical records are helpful, but it’s not the same as seeing the patient himself.”

  She watched as he studied her father.

  “It’s good to see you up and dressed,” the doctor said directly to her father.

  He nodded. “My daughter just found clothes for me. Apparently I’ve missed a couple years.”

  “And how do you feel about that?”

  “Angry,” was the snapped response.

  “Good. Keep that anger firing. Let’s give you a check over and see what we can find.” The specialist faced Liam and Lilianna.

  Liam said, “Do you want us to step outside?”

  Both patient and doctor shook their heads.

  The doctor nodded. “As long as it’s okay with Jim.”

  Her father waved his hand. “Apparently she’s been looking after me for the last couple years, so this won’t make any difference.”

  The specialist nodded and said, “Then let’s have you lay down and take a good look.”

  With Liam and Lilianna sitting on the couch watching, the doctor did a quick check and then asked Jim some questions. Like, what was his name, how old was he, when was he born. Things like that.

  Lilianna listened intently. But she couldn’t find anything in her father’s voice that showed any confusion. She wanted to ask Liam if he’d coached her father, but Liam was sitting, relaxed, back on his phone. Completely unconcerned. She couldn’t be so blasé. This was all about her father, and the chance of getting him back into her life in every way was tantalizingly close.

  Finally the doctor stood straight and said, “My nurse is outside. He’ll draw some blood. If possible, we’d like you to give us a urine sample.” He looked at her father. “We’ll get everything analyzed as fast as we can, but I don’t see any reason for any medication at this point.” He tapped the tablet in front of him. “I’ve gone over the treatment you’ve received to date, and, as far as I’m concerned, there is no need for the medications listed there any longer.”

  He held up a hand at Lilianna’s delight.

  “However, it’ll take you a few days to get past the lingering effects of the drugs, not to mention the abrupt withdrawal from them. I don’t want you left alone or unattended while you’re withdrawing from these drugs. It’s still possible you’ll feel chills and the shakes. I don’t want you falling accidentally.”

  Jim frowned. “I’d like to think that, at my age, I don’t need anybody looking after me.”

  “But, as we already know, somebody has had to,” the doctor said quietly. “Now that you’re close to being back to normal, let’s not slack off and have a bigger problem.”

  Lilianna jumped to her feet. “He can come home with me,” she said.

  “I can go to my own home too,” her father snapped. “Which means you can come home with me.” />
  She nodded slowly. “There has been a lot of change in two years, Dad. We’ll have to move forward gently.”

  “No, we don’t. I just have to get back on my feet.” He glared at the doctor. “How long do you think I need to be under watch?”

  “A couple days. I would suggest you go to Gunner’s place, make sure you’re strong and steady on your feet again and that you’re safe. I’m close by if there are any problems.”

  At the term safe, her father turned his gaze on Liam.

  Liam shrugged. “If you want, you can stay in the cabin with us. Or, if you’re up for the fight, we can clear out your home and put you back in as the head of the house.” Liam took a step forward. “But, once you take that step, you need to make sure you remain in power and you can hold that position.”

  The specialist nodded. “Jim, you should listen to him. It sounds easy to step back into your old life. But others have moved on, and they aren’t always happy to hand over the reins again. Particularly if assets are involved.”

  Her father lay back down again. “Maybe I’ll go to Gunner’s for a couple days, then see if I can get a few of his men to come with me and to ensure my house is returned to me in all forms.”

  “Before you do that,” Liam said, “let’s make sure we’ve got the lawyers on board.”

  Her father nodded and looked over at Lilianna. “Will you be safe?”

  She didn’t get a chance to answer. Liam jumped in. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

  A smile crossed her father’s face. “Good to know. Good to know.” He looked at the doctor. “When can we leave?”

  The doctor walked back to the door, opened it and motioned for somebody to come in. “This is Jonah. Jonah, this is Jim. Jonah is my nurse. He travels with me when I have to do house calls.”

  “I don’t imagine that’s very often,” Lilianna said.

  The specialist shot her a look. “No, it isn’t. This is a special favor for Gunner.”

  “I appreciate it,” she said quietly. “When there are power plays in the works, you don’t know who you can trust.”

  “I would already have said Gunner and Eric,” her father said.

  The nurse was setting up to take blood.

  “Who is Eric?” the specialist asked.

  “My lawyer. Or my ex-lawyer according to my daughter,” her father said. “I really want to talk to that man.”

  “Maybe not just yet,” the specialist said, watching as the nurse finished taking blood. “We do need to make sure you’re strong enough to handle this added emotional and physical stress on your body.”

  Jonah gave her father a hand back onto his feet and handed him a clear plastic bottle.

  Her father sighed and walked to the bathroom. “This is the not-so-nice part about tests,” he muttered.

  “Could be worse,” Lilianna called out. “Just think of this as your ticket out of here.”

  The door closed with a hard snick.

  She turned to the specialist. “Are you serious about not letting him talk to the lawyers? We’re expecting them before noon.”

  “I’ll have paperwork here to get your father released. If Gunner’s lawyer is coming too, that wouldn’t be a bad idea, in case I run into any legal hassles. Who has power of attorney?”

  “I do over his medical care, but my sister is trying to get power of attorney over his estate.”

  The specialist shook his head. “Like I said, gotta love families.”

  Just then the door opened again. The director stepped in and frowned. “Why is everybody in here? It isn’t even visiting hours.” His gaze zeroed in on the specialist. “And who are you?” he barked.

  The doctor walked over, held out his hand and said, “I’m Dr. Splicer. I’m Jim’s specialist.”

  The director shook his head. “He’s in our care.”

  “Then you haven’t checked your email this morning,” Dr. Splicer said. “Jim’s transfer papers are there.”

  “Transfer papers? I haven’t seen anything about that,” the director blustered.

  “They’re all in order,” the specialist said mildly. “He’ll be leaving with me this morning. In about two hours, less if I can make that happen.”

  The director didn’t seem to know what to say.

  The specialist said, “Go check your email. Make sure everything is in order, and, if you need any other signatures, I’ll be here with my patient.”

  Lilianna watched the specialist with amusement—his overriding sense of power and might moving the director out to the hallway, closing the door behind him.

  “You did that easily enough,” she said. “I wish I could do that.”

  “It’s understanding what your rights are and not letting somebody else walk all over them,” the doctor said with a gentle smile. “We need to get the lawyers in here to get that POA matter settled. Then I want to take him away from here.”

  “As long as he’s not gone for too long,” she said swiftly. “We’ve got a hell of a mess, and everybody needs to know he’s back, holding the reins in his hands.”

  “You can put the word out,” the specialist said. “Particularly if investor confidence is an issue. Jim is definitely cognizant, but he’ll need a little bit of time to get his head wrapped around his new reality. Imagine if you woke up to find your family fighting over your bones, and you’re not dead yet, and everything’s changed in the meantime, so you don’t even have a home to go home to.”

  She nodded. “I know. Just so long as he’s healthy. That’s what I care about.”

  “Everybody needs to know they’re loved,” the specialist said.

  Her father came out of the bathroom. “Okay, what’s next?”

  “I’ll deal with the director, make sure all the paperwork is okay,” Dr. Splicer said. “And Jonah will ship out the lab work immediately. I will call Gunner to let him know we’ll be coming back to his place tonight.”

  Her father gave him a smile of relief. “And tell him that I’m really looking forward to seeing him.”

  The specialist stopped and looked at him. “Not as much as Gunner is looking forward to seeing you. You being gone for as long as you were has been hard on a lot of people.”

  Her father nodded. In a soft voice he said, “So I understand.”

  And with that the doctor and his nurse left.

  Her father sat down on the side of the bed. “Any chance of some food or at least a cup of coffee?”

  Lilianna hopped to her feet. “My turn. I’ll see what I can track down.” She raced out of the room.

  *

  Liam looked over at Jim. “And, yes, there were tears in her eyes.”

  Jim nodded. “I just hadn’t realized what a strain this must have been for her.”

  “That’s what a couple days away from this place and your place will give you, a chance to get settled and grounded back in reality.”

  He sighed and said, “Keith was everything to me. I had three children, and I loved them all, but I never quite understood the girls. Keith was just like a mini-me. Losing him was so hard.”

  “Hard, yes, but your daughters lost not only a brother but they lost their father.”

  Jim winced. “I didn’t do this on purpose.”

  “Of course not,” Liam said quietly. “I’m not suggesting you did. But it’s important to understand it wasn’t just you who suffered. It’s been a hardship on both your daughters too.”

  “Brianna is very much like her mother. She always looks out for number one.”

  “Well, now she has Carlos in the picture.”

  “And Carlos … I can’t understand,” Jim said. “I met him before Keith’s death. He wasn’t the kind of man I would have wanted for either of my daughters.”

  “Interesting that he was attracted to Lilianna first.”

  “Maybe. It just meant that Brianna wanted what Lilianna had. Brianna always did. She lacks self-confidence in a big way. Her way of handling it is to take from everybody else and to pretend to b
e bigger and better than the rest of the world. In many ways she’s very good at what she does.”

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s in business,” Jim said. “I presume she’s the one who has taken over running the sanctuary.”

  “Some of it, yes. I don’t know how effectively though. You need to understand just how little money has been coming in and how little money Lilianna has taken for her own needs. If the sanctuary can’t handle paying for the expenses of those who work there, then you’ve got a problem.”

  “Most of us work for very little because we’re working for the elephants. But you’re right. You can’t support too many paychecks. We have somebody who does a lot of the labor. I was a full-time employee. Keith was as well, but we had our own money so didn’t take a paycheck. Lilianna was our biologist. We were looking to bring in more animals in need.”

  “Keith, did he have any friends or enemies?”

  Jim smiled. “Sure, he may have had some enemies along the way, but he mostly had friends. Keith was a big teddy bear. He lived for the animals, just like I did.”

  “But you married and had three kids,” Liam said. “What about Keith? Did he have a full-time girlfriend?”

  Jim frowned as if trying to remember. “There was a girl, but I don’t remember the details. I think he had just started dating her. I honestly don’t remember. I hope there won’t be big holes in my memory because that would be damn irritating.”

  “There probably will be for a while,” Liam said. “It’s hard to say. Don’t get upset about it because there’s only so much you can do right now. Don’t expect so much these first few days.”

  “Right.” Just then there was a knock on the door. Jim sighed. “It’s bloody Grand Central Station in here.”

  The door opened before Liam had a chance to reach it. Inside stepped a man carrying a briefcase, wearing a three-piece suit.

  Jim looked at him. “Eric?”

  The man stopped. “Jim?”

  Jim swung his legs off the bed and stood, walking over to greet Eric with his hand out. “Man, it’s good to see you again.”