Page 105 of Tumbleweed Temptation
“Months, without treatment. With treatment, over a year.”
Mr. McKay’s snort was half-laugh, half-despair. “That’s not a big difference.”
“No, sir.”
“And my quality of life?”
“Let’s talk,” Austin said, and sat in the chair, uninvited, across from the man who’d caused him so much pain.
*****
BOTH MEN WERE SOMBERas they walked out of the office. Mr. McKay had placed a call to Con telling him to come up to the house. Austin and Mr. McKay joined Mrs. McKay in the den. She sat on a large leather sectional, but Austin noted her bed was in here, too. His first thought was that she couldn’t make it up the stairs, but no, this house didn’t appear to have any stairs. He needed to get her examined soon, needed blood samples because she was probably diabetic as well, and he wanted to see how he could help her.
But she wouldn’t see it, not right now, and his priority was her husband.
She stiffened when she saw Austin. “Why is he still here?”
“He’s our doctor now, Lex. You know that. We’ve talked about it.”
“Why is he here? In my space? I thought he’d come to ask you for money.”
“Let’s wait for Con, why don’t we, so we only have to go through this once.”
Austin had never seen Mr. McKay as anything but gruff, so seeing him treat his wife with such tenderness was kind of a shock. But he didn’t sit beside her, choosing instead a chair across the room. Austin wasn’t sure where to sit so he stood until Con walked in, his t-shirt dirty from whatever job he’d been doing, stretched in the front from where he’d clearly used it to wipe his face.
He stopped short when he saw Austin.
“What’s going on?”
“Have a seat, son. I need to talk to you.”
Con jerked a thumb toward Austin. “Him, too?”
“He’s here to make sure I get it right.”
“What? He needs more money?” Con’s brow creased in confusion, and the look he shot Austin was hostile.
“Right now he’s here as my doctor.”
“As your...doctor.” The words sank in, and Con dropped to the couch near his mother, within arm’s length.
“I went to him a few weeks ago because I wasn’t feeling right. First diagnosis was diabetes, which I told you about, but Austin here saw something that he didn’t like, and he pursued me to go to San Angelo for additional tests, and it’s cancer.”
Of course he would state it so matter-of-factly. But even Austin was surprised by the bluntness.
Con drew in a sharp breath and sat up straight, looking from his dad to Austin, to his mom then back to his dad. “Okay. So what’s next?”
“It’s pancreatic cancer, and it’s not good. Even if I start treating it tomorrow, it’s going to kill me, and it will be a miserable way to go.”
Austin tried, really tried, to keep his focus on Con and Mr. McKay, but he had to lower his gaze for a minute. As much as this man had caused him pain, Austin didn’t want this for anyone. Not anyone.
“Well we have to try, right? I mean, people beat this disease all the time, don’t they?” Con looked at Austin. “Don’t they?”
Austin held Con’s gaze, though his heart stuttered. No part of this was going to be easy. “It’s a tough one to battle, and we didn’t catch this early. If we had, I’m a hundred percent sure your dad would be tough enough to beat it. But it’s advanced, and it’s up to your dad, the next step. Treatment will be daily, in San Angelo, and will beat him up pretty bad. But he’ll be around longer with it. Without treatment, I don’t think he’ll see Easter.”
Mrs. McKay’s breath was a hitched sob. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? That you’re not just trying to get back at him for saying those things about your mother?”
“Mrs. McKay.” Austin sank to sit on the edge of the fireplace. “If you can’t take my word, I can show you the test results from the doctors we went to see in San Angelo. I know he didn’t tell you he went to San Angelo because he didn’t want you to worry. He didn’t want to tell you now, but the illness—it’s going to make itself pretty well known here pretty soon. Your family has a decision to make, and I’m here to give you the options and consequences, to the best of my ability. Please believe me that it gives me no pleasure to cause any of you this pain, and I’m here for your family, for anything you need, day or night.”
