work for most of my patients, but about ten percent do have the side effects you described.”
“If we decide to get rid of the pills, how long will it take him to get back to normal?” she asked.
“About forty-eight hours,” the doctor answered.
“Do we need to taper him off them?” she asked.
“No, tell him not to take the one for tonight,” he answered. “Any more questions?”
“That should do it. Thank you.” Alana ended the call and heaved a long sigh of relief. “I’ll talk to him, but I’d rather have all of him for less time than worry about him every time he walks out the door.”
They found Matt on the north side of Plainview at the junction of Farm Road. He was sitting on the tailgate of his truck and waving at the cars that passed by. When Alana hopped out of the truck, he got down and slammed the tailgate shut. “What took you so long? I’ve been sitting here for hours.”
“You all right? It’s pretty warm out today,” Pax asked.
“Sweatin’ a little, but I’m used to that. I’m a rancher,” Matt told him.
“Get in the truck, Daddy, and I’ll take you home.” Alana started around to the driver’s side of the truck.
Matt folded his arms over his chest and propped a foot against a tire. “Don’t you start thinkin’ you can boss me around because I made a wrong turn and couldn’t find my way back home. I’m still the head honcho, and don’t you forget it.”
“I’m glad to let you be the boss man, but you’ve been out here in the heat for a while, and I think you need a big cold glass of water or maybe a sweet tea. Why don’t we go on to the house and see what we can find?” she asked.
“Fine.” Matt got behind the wheel of his vehicle. “Now, y’all go on back in your truck, Alana. I’ll follow you so I don’t get lost again.”
“I was going to drive you, Daddy, so we can talk on the way. I called your doctor, and he said that you and I need to discuss some things,” Alana told him.
He tossed the keys to her. “Well, why in the hell didn’t you say so to begin with?” He slid over into the passenger’s seat. “See you at the house, Pax.”
Paxton waved over his shoulder. “You get the sweet tea ready. I’ll pick up a pizza on the way through town.”
Alana was good with her dad, Pax thought—much, much better than he’d ever been with his grandmother. She had to be worried out of her mind, and yet, she knew exactly how to handle Matt. She’d be a wonderful mother someday if she managed her kids the way she was taking care of her father—with patience and kindness. Matt would never know how much he’d scared her that day, the same way her kids would never know how much she fretted every time they left her sight.
* * *
Alana waited until she could trust her voice not to shake and they were well underway before she told her dad what the doctor had said about the medicine. “So what do you think, Daddy? I can’t make this decision for you.”
“I wanted to live a few more months so I could go out knowing that you and Pax were going to have a baby to take over the ranch when y’all get old,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to burden you with having to come find me every time I leave the house, either. This is as much your decision, sweetheart, as it is mine. Is quality or quantity more important to you?”
Alana wiped a tear away with the back of her hand. “I don’t want to lose you, but I sure don’t want to lose you before you breathe your last either. Seems to me that if your memory is gone, then I have already lost you anyway.”
“Then I’ll quit taking the pills. My main focus right now is on your wedding, and I need to be lucid for that,” he said. “Now how’re things between you and Pax? Did I sense a little tension back there?”
She shook her head. “We’re fine. We were both really worried about you.”
He patted her on the shoulder. “It won’t happen again. I’ll stick close to home for a couple of days. Pax is a good man to come running out of the field when you call him.”