Page 34 of Unchained
Jon sat out on the patio smoking a cigarette and contemplating the situation with Gus as he watched dawn break across the beach. He had snooped in the medicine cabinet earlier that morning and didn’t see anything announcing trouble. He yearned for a hot cup of coffee, but he dared not brew a pot, fearing it would wake Gus. His mind wandered to the first time he was on the patio with Levi watching the sunrise. He saw a couple walking along the shore and hoped they were as happy as he was with Levi.
“Jon? You’re up early.”
He jumped from his seat. The cigarette stuck to his lip and burned his fingers. He struggled to regain his composure and ignore the residual heat throbbing in his hand. “Gus? I didn’t hear the door. What are you doing up this early?”
“Apparently scaring the shit out of you,” he chuckled as he handed Jon a steaming mug.
“Was it that obvious?”
“As obvious as you were when you were prowling through the medicine cabinet in the middle of the night. You should know I’m a light sleeper.”
Jon avoided eye contact and mumbled something that was supposed to be “I’m sorry”, but he wasn’t sure how it sounded.
Gus laughed. “No worries. I know my call concerned y’all. I wasn’t trying to be cryptic, but there is something serious we need to talk about, and I was needing your help around the yard, anyway.”
“If you wanted to talk, why didn’t we talk last night?”
“I was working up my nerve. Besides, I think you’re going to need to process this before you talk to Levi.”
Jon felt his heart race. “What’s wrong?”
Gus’s head dropped. “Nothing really. I have to have a procedure done. Nothing major, but when I was filling out some paperwork, I realized I didn’t have an emergency contact that I had discussed anything with about this shit. I’m not getting any younger. I want someone to have a medical power of attorney. Heaven forbid I get in a wreck or something and no one can tell the damn doctors I don’t want to be on a ventilator. That kind of thing.”
Jon raised an eyebrow. “What kind of procedure?”
Gus shook his head. “Never you mind. It ain’t nothing serious. But you know they talk about all the shit that can go wrong with anesthesia and it got me to thinking.”
“Obviously not much thought. Why not Levi or Russ?”
Gus sighed. “Levi. I love that kid. He’s so much like the son I lost, I sometimes forget he isn’t Timmy. That’s the problem. Betty and I had these conversations at length after she was diagnosed. We tried to broach the topic with Levi once and he responded by telling us we had to live forever. I don’t think he could make the hard decision if he had to. Worse yet, I think if he made the decision, it might break him.”
“And Russ?”
“He’s not in good shape, and he’s so far away. You are closer. Besides, you have a good head on your shoulders. A level head that understands probability and the harsh reality of what he’s looking at. That’s why you’ve adjusted to losing everything so well. I know Levi has helped, but to be honest, you’ve given him something I never could. You have given him hope.”
“What do you mean? Levi has been helping me through my misery.”
Gus chuckled. “And before you came along, he hadn’t gone more than a couple of days without moping around, or worse. I don’t know what it was, but something about what your sister did triggered something in him. At first, I was worried. But then he was always telling me about how your attitude was helping him move past his own shit. That’s when the trial retirement, that I didn’t tell him was a trial, became permanent. He is thriving for the first time in years. And it’s because of you.”
Jon opened his mouth to speak. No words came out. He felt a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
“Damnit, don’t start crying.” The smile on his face defeated Gus’s attempt to sound harsh. “I’ve been watching the two of you together. Listening to your conversations. You weigh every option and think about the outcomes before you speak or act. No matter how much your heart may want one thing, you always try to make the right choice. Not the one that will make you happiest. That’s why. Levi may be just like the son I lost, but you are like the son I never had. You all are both my boys, and I know you won’t make any decisions without discussing it with Levi, but by putting the final decision in your hands, I know that the right decision will be made.”
“Gus…”
“That’s enough of this shit. We’ll talk about this more later, after you’ve had time to let this sink in. We need to get to the nursery. They close early on Saturday, and we’ve got a lot of planting to do this afternoon.”