Chapter Twenty-Five
Maddie crept over to the bed and checked on Gramps. Eyes closed, he seemed to be resting comfortably. He looked better. No, he was better. Not as pale as he’d been lately and he’d eaten well for the past few days. Like his old self. She smiled, remembering the way he’d barked at her earlier demanding she return to Scott Hill to run the winery. Surely that had to be a positive sign, didn’t it?
The soft knock sounded like a firecracker exploding. Maddie jerked her attention toward the door. Dr. Clayton strode in, a tablet in hand. Finally. She sucked in a breath and tried to steady her pounding heart. Two hours of waiting while Gramps underwent his MRI and another thirty minutes after they’d returned here had her nerves stretched wire thin. Relax, she ordered herself.
“Hello, George.” Dr. Clayton turned on the light, then turned his attention to her. “Maddie.” He moved to the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?” He lifted Gramps’s wrist, and measured his pulse.
“I’m fine.” Gramps’s feeble attempt at batting the doctor’s hand away failed.
After Dr. Clayton finished recording Gramps’s vitals, he cleared his throat and directed his gaze at her grandfather. “I have your results, George.” He motioned for Maddie to join them by the bed.
“And?” she asked.
“It confirms what I suspected. The cancer has metastasized to your brain.”
“No.” Maddie lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle the horrified gasp from escaping. There has to be some mistake.
“Let me show you the images.” He flipped the tablet for both her and Gramps to view. The image of a human brain stared back.
“These are tumors.” Dr. Clayton pointed to several solid odd-shaped masses covering the page.
Maddie clenched her stomach for fear of losing her lunch. So many growths. A detached part of her brain wondered how Gramps could even function. She shivered. Lord, what was wrong with her? She should be concentrating on how they were going to treat the tumors, not inconsequential thoughts.
Gramps gave a brief nod of his head, his expression giving nothing away. “What happens next?”
Yes, Gramps had the right idea. Figure out the next steps. She envied him his calm demeanor. Get a grip, and fast.
“Surgery isn’t an option due to the number and locations of the lesions. More radiation is out, too. We can try a different chemotherapy regiment.”
Maddie sensed a “but” coming. Shit, shit, shit. Her heart sank. “But what?”
“The cancer has spread.” Dr. Clayton pulled up another image.
Maddie’s eyes widened. More solid masses covered Gramps’s lung and liver. Tremors wracked her body, spreading like wildfire throughout her until violent shudders shook her from head to toe. What would they do now? The only treatment option available hadn’t worked thus far. Maddie swallowed hard.
“Please, sit down, Maddie.” Dr. Clayton’s hand rested on her back and he guided her to the chair. “Is there someone I can call?”
Wyatt. She wanted Wyatt.
“No,” Gramps barked. “Get a hold of yourself, girl.”
Maddie sucked in a lungful of much needed air. She was made of stronger stuff, and she wouldn’t fall apart.
“How much time do I have?”
Maddie grasped his fragile hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t talk like that, Gramps. The new chemo Dr. Clayton told us about will help you.” It would. She needed to stay positive. Panicking wouldn’t help.
Gramps glared. “I don’t want more treatments. I’m done fighting.”
She stumbled back. “No, Gramps.” How could he give up? She didn’t want to lose him.
“How long, Doc?”
“I can’t give you the exact number of days, George.”
Days. Not months or even weeks. She gasped, and tears flooded her eyes. So much for not falling apart. “Gramps. Please, I—”
“I’ll leave you two to talk things over.” Dr. Clayton strode to the door. “Let me know when you’ve made your decision.”
“Please, wait.” Maddie hurried after him. “I’d like to speak with you.” They stepped into the hall, and she closed the door to Gramps’s room. “You’ve declared him incompetent, and what happens next is up to me. I want to respect my grandfather’s wishes, but I can’t let him die if there’s a way to save him. Can the new treatment option you recommended help?”
Compassionate blue eyes gazed down at her. Her insides twisted.
“His condition is terminal.”
Fatal. Maddie nodded and dragged a palm over her eyes. “Okay. Thank you.” She’d always known Gramps could lose his fight, but never dreamed it would come to this. Her beloved Gramps, yes beloved, because despite everything, she still loved him with all her heart. Like her parents and Grams, he’d leave her, too.