The Decision (20 page)

Quickly, Jonah offered up a prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for being with me and Sassy and for getting us here safely. Please be with the driver of the rescue vehicle, and also with whoever was involved in an accident
.

After several knocks on the door, with no response, Jonah determined that Elaine and Edna must not be home. Since he had a pen and tablet in his pocket, he wrote a quick note and placed it inside the screen door, letting them know that he would be back sometime tomorrow, at which time he would cut the grass. Hopefully the lawn would have a chance to dry out by then.

Whistling, Jonah hurried back to his horse and buggy and headed for home, where his own chores awaited.

Sara gently stroked her son’s silky head as she sat in the living room, rocking him to sleep. She was ever so thankful that Jonah had come along when he did. What if Mark had gotten out in the road? He could have been hit by a car, especially with that storm making visibility difficult for drivers.
Heavenly Father, You were surely watching over my boy
, she prayed.
Thank You
.

“Mama will never be so careless again,” Sara murmured as Mark’s eyelids grew heavy and he closed his eyes.

The sound of the rain gently falling against the window was soothing. Once she was sure that Mark was sleeping soundly, Sara rose to her feet and carried him down the hall toward his room.
Maybe I should move Mark’s crib into my room
, she thought.
Think I’d feel better if he slept closer to me
.

First, Sara entered her room and placed Mark in the middle of the bed. Then she rolled the crib across the hall and into her room. Once she had it in place against the wall adjacent to her bed, she picked up her son and laid him in the crib. “Sleep well, precious boy,” Sara whispered, covering him with a sheet.

The rain was coming straight down, so she could lower the top window a little, allowing some fresh air to drift in and clear the stuffiness in the room.

Sara yawned, and after she’d changed into her nightgown and brushed her hair, she stretched out on the bed. The sound of rain made her feel relaxed and sleepy. Not only did she love hearing rain, but Sara liked the smell of it, and how clean everything looked afterward. Even though it was only eight o’clock, she was exhausted and more than ready for bed. She’d left their supper dishes soaking in the sink, but they could wait until morning. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Tomorrow was another day, and maybe when she awoke she would have more energy.

Sara’s last thought before falling to sleep was a prayer that Jonah had arrived safely at the Schrocks’.

Elaine’s frustration mounted as she sat beside Grandma’s hospital bed waiting for all the test results.
What in the world could be taking so long? It’s getting late, and if we don’t hear something soon, we probably won’t know anything until tomorrow morning
.

She glanced at Grandma, sleeping peacefully after she’d been given something for the pain in her head. The doctor had determined that there was no concussion, so there wasn’t any danger in Grandma going to sleep now. Several tests had been run before Elaine had gotten to the hospital, and more were done while she’d gone to the hospital cafeteria to eat supper. What Elaine couldn’t figure out was what the other tests were about. They knew Grandma had diabetes, her blood sugar had been stabilized, and her head injury wasn’t serious, so what else could there be?

She stood and began to pace the floor. Waiting had never come easily for her, and especially now, when she was worried about Grandma and wanted to take her home. When they’d said Grandma should be kept overnight, Elaine had decided that she would stay at the hospital and sleep in the reclining chair beside Grandma’s bed. Leah had offered to stay with her, but Elaine had insisted she would be fine by herself. As she became more frustrated, however, she wished she’d agreed to let Leah stay. She could have used the company, not to mention some moral support.

Elaine jumped when the door to Grandma’s room opened and a middle-age doctor with thinning blond hair stepped in. “I’m glad you’re still here. I’d like to speak to you, if I may,” he said, glancing briefly at Grandma, then back at Elaine.

“Yes, of course. My grandma’s sleeping right now. Should I wake her?” Elaine questioned.

He shook his head. “There’s no one in the waiting room right now. Let’s go in there so we can talk privately.”

Elaine didn’t like the sound of that. Seeing the doctor’s furrowed brows, she feared he might have bad news, but she nodded and said, “The waiting room will be fine.” She followed the doctor down the hall.

Once they were seated in the waiting room, he cleared his throat and got right to the point. “When you first got here, you were asked some basic questions about your grandmother’s health history. Is that correct?”

Elaine nodded.

“Well, besides needing to know that, we tested Edna’s cognitive skills.”

“Why did you feel that was necessary?” Elaine asked, feeling a bit agitated. Did they, like some other people she’d met, think Grandma was uneducated because the Amish only go through eight years of schooling?

“Because when one of the nurses asked your grandma some questions during her initial examination, she gave many unclear answers.”

Elaine leaned slightly forward in her chair. “What do you mean?”

“She couldn’t remember certain things. Things that were important. Answers to questions that most people would know right away. Edna also kept asking some of the nurses the same question about why she was here.”

“Grandma was probably confused and scared. She doesn’t care much for hospitals.”

He shook his head. “We thought it was more than that, so we did a few more tests.”

“What other tests?” Elaine clutched her arms to her chest.

“For one thing, we did some reasoning and perceptive tests, where Edna was asked several questions, for which she either had no answers or the ones she gave didn’t make sense.”

Elaine opened her mouth to say something more, but the doctor rushed on. “We also did some blood work, and after your grandmother gave us her written permission, we did advanced brain imaging.”

Elaine sat in stunned silence as the doctor gave her the worst possible news. Grandma was in the early stages of dementia, and there was no cure for the disease.

“Dementia is a progressive illness, and each person experiences it in their own way,” the doctor said. “Your grandmother’s ability to remember, understand, communicate, and reason will decline as time goes on. It will probably be gradual at first, but in some cases, a person may lose their memory very quickly. Now, if you are caring for someone with dementia, there is a lot you can do in the early stages to help that person maintain their independence and be able to cope for as long as possible. I will go over all of that with you before Edna is released from the hospital tomorrow, as well as a list of things to watch for as she progresses to the middle and final stages of the disease.”

He paused for a few minutes, as though knowing Elaine had a lot to digest. “And I think it would be good if you would attend a support group we have here at the hospital for caregivers of patients with dementia,” he added, lightly touching her arm.

Speechless, Elaine slumped in her chair. Diabetes they could deal with, but this? No, the news the doctor had just given her was impossible to accept. If there was no cure for dementia, then Grandma would need Elaine more than ever. They faced some tough decisions.

Elaine gripped the arms of her chair.
Oh, Lord, what am I going to do? How will I ever tell Grandma this horrible news?

A still, small voice seemed to say,
Trust Me. I will see you through
.

I
t’s good to be home,” Grandma said, smiling at Elaine as they settled themselves on the sofa the following day. “No more poking and prodding, with doctors and nurses asking me a bunch of silly questions when they wouldn’t answer any of mine. Now we can get busy working in the garden and planning the menu for the dinner we’ll be hosting tonight.”

“No, Grandma, that’s not tonight,” Elaine corrected. “Our next big dinner isn’t scheduled until two weeks from this Friday.”

Grandma blinked rapidly and tapped her fingers against her chin. “Are you sure? I was certain it was tonight.”

“No, Grandma. I can show you our appointment book if you like.”

Grandma shook her head. “That’s okay. I believe you.”

Elaine drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. She hadn’t told Grandma what the doctor had said about dementia and wanted to put it off as long as she could. Grandma would be terribly upset by this news. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t believe Elaine at all.

Instead of me telling the doctor last night that I would explain things to Grandma, it might have been best if I’d asked him to give Grandma the devastating news
, Elaine thought.
But then, Grandma may have become upset with him and gone into denial. Or maybe I should ask Leah to help me tell Grandma. Well, however it’s done, I’m not ready just yet
.

Elaine leaned her head against the back of the sofa and rubbed her temples, reflecting on everything the doctor had told her last night before she’d returned to Grandma’s room. Some of the common signs of dementia included memory loss, impaired judgment, faulty reasoning, disorientation of time and place, and even the loss of some motor skills or balance problems. As much as Elaine hated to admit it, Grandma had already experienced several of those things. Some she’d noticed before Grandpa’s passing, such as repeatedly asking the same questions, having difficulty paying bills, and forgetting people’s names.

Elaine closed her eyes, fearful that if she didn’t, the tears that had gathered might splash onto her cheeks.
So some of the symptoms Grandma’s been having lately may not be related to her diabetes at all. Now we are dealing with two different diseases, both with similar symptoms that could overlap, such as loss of balance
.

“Elaine, are you listening, or have you fallen asleep?”

Grandma’s question brought Elaine’s eyes open, and she blinked several times. “No, I’m not sleeping. What was it you were saying?”

“I asked if you wanted to get started on the garden right away, or should we wait till after supper to do it?”

“Supper’s several hours away, Grandma,” Elaine reminded. “Maybe we should eat lunch first, and then if you’re feeling up to it, we can work in the garden awhile. Otherwise, the weeding can wait until another day.”

Grandma shook her head with a determined expression. “It can’t wait. The weeds will choke out the garden if we don’t get ’em pulled today. Especially after that rain we had yesterday.” She rose from her seat. “And I’m feeling perfectly fine, so there’s no reason not to do it right away. The weeds will pull easy since the ground is still damp.”

“You’re right,” Elaine admitted. “All right then, I’ll make our lunch now while you rest here in the living room.”

“I’m not tired,” Grandma argued. “When they weren’t poking me with needles at the hospital, I slept.”

Elaine could see by the fixed set of Grandma’s jaw that she was not going to stay here and rest. “Okay. I’ll make a tossed green salad, and you can fix some iced tea. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good.” Grandma headed straight for the kitchen. Based on what the doctor had said, Elaine figured the symptoms of dementia would probably come and go until Grandma moved into the next phase of the disease, at which time her memory loss would worsen. He’d also said the changes could occur quickly or slowly over time. Elaine hoped in Grandma’s case that her memory loss and other symptoms came slowly, for she wanted as much time with her as possible. Once Grandma no longer recognized Elaine, it would be unbearable, but she couldn’t allow herself to dwell on that. One day at a time. That was the only way to deal with something like this.

Following Grandma into the other room, Elaine’s gaze came to rest on the note she’d found tucked inside the screen door when they’d returned from the hospital this morning. It was from Jonah, saying he was sorry he’d missed her and that he would be by again sometime today.