Chapter 549) Delusions of a Sick Man

San Sequoia
Nova Medical Center

Sophie tilted her head and let out a sigh of relief, while smiling at him as she bent down to kiss him. She had aimed for his cheek, he turned his head and pulled her in for a true kiss on the lips, briefly only, but it made her hug him as tight as the constrictions of the hospital bed would allow.

She blushed, while sitting down on a folding chair she pulled up next to his bed.

“You gave us all such a scare, again! Gotta say, you look surprisingly good, I don’t know what I was expecting, probably the worst, but you seem fine, even have good color. I guess I expected you to look half dead again, like last time. Thank God.” Sophie sighed.

“I am fine Soph, please don’t worry, I am ready to go home, thinking me still being here at the hospital is just a precaution. It was a heart attack, but a pretty mild one, I don’t even need surgery they can do it with meds, damage was minimal. You should have seen me with all these cables they had attached to even some unmentionable places measuring and recording every inch of me. For the first two days I wasn’t allowed to get up, so I had a catheter until earlier this morning. When they took that out it felt as if I was giving birth through my wiener and now I am afraid to go to sleep, worried my body thinks the catheter is still in and just let’s go and I end up pissing my bed. Last thing I need is to humiliate myself more. I am forty years old and had a heart attack while arguing with my teen son. Seriously. Way to be a real man’s man.” Stryker frowned.

“Well, there was a little bit more involved in your heart being all worked up, even before the fight with Spencer. I don’t care about catheters and peeing beds, I am raising five children and I raised a puppy, the past decade of my life was filled with pee and poop, I am so desensitized to it I don’t even care who peed and pooped, just clean it up. I am so glad you are even alive to worry about all that. And I can’t get over how much you have changed, the way you are right now, the way you talk. Man, Stryker, I still think you finally did it. You became the man you always wanted to be. And Connor said you must have Chuck Norris as your guardian angel. Way to make a dramatic exit.” Sophie attempted to make light of it all.

“Yeah, that’s me, forever the entertainer. So good to see you, Soph. I am so glad you are here. How are you? How’s Spencer?”

“I am glad to see you now, I tried to come sooner, but Connor nixed that, said it was too soon and you needed more rest. Spencer is … well … he had a shock, in the clinical sense, and a nervous breakdown, had to stay in the hospital for a day for observation. We got him into therapy now. He is very regretful and wants to see you, but Connor blocked that too. Said you needed a few more days.”

“What the hell?! If Spencer wants to come see me, then I want to see my son! I’ll talk to Connor.”

“Good luck. I tried, there is no getting through to him. He is stubborn like a mule, that guy must be a dream to be married to. Poor Keira. Then again, I think she’s even sterner, she kinda scares me a little sometimes, yikes. Poor Christian.”

Sophie didn’t even notice Connor had entered the room, he raised an eyebrow but was bemused.

“Yeah, I am a regular dick if I gotta be, to my family and in Stryker’s case, cos someone has to. Wrap it up guys. Taking you home, Soph.” Connor said.

“What? Connor I just got here!” Sophie protested.

“Yeah, man, what the heck!? Sophie needs to stay, and what’s that shit with my son not being able to see me?! I am trying to rebuild something with him, you can’t tell him no when he wants to come see me. That’s insane!” Stryker complained.

“Well, considering that you just about died, AGAIN, and are supposed to have ZERO visitors, and I am seeing ONE visitor, I think I am being lenient. Your heart attack was fairly mild, but that doesn’t mean we can make light of it, it still would have killed you had Sophie not applied CPR and called me right away. All ‘mild’ means is there wasn’t as much damage, so consider yourself lucky. We’re not gonna overdo it. Unless you want that bypass surgery we talked about, which will take you out of commission for a LOT longer, your ticker needs rest until I am convinced all is working fine.” Connor told them sternly.

“Connor, I know others who had heart attacks and their families were able to stay with them all day. Just half an hour. Please.” Sophie begged.

“Yeah, so do I Soph, but every person and every health issue hits different, and those other heart attacks didn’t have almost everything broken inside of them from decades of toxic chemicals introduced into their system. Stryker surviving all he has makes him a human cockroach, defying every sense of logic but I am not one to push my luck. Kiss him goodbye, we’re leaving, and he will take a nice nap, like a good boy or I will give him something to put him out. I promise I will come get you for more visits. I am not THAT big of a dick, Soph, just a little bit whenever the occasion calls for it. This screams for it.” Connor explained.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t ya?” Stryker grumbled.

“Immensely. Chop, chop guys.” Connor told them unimpressed.

“Okay, well, I’ll be back as soon as the prison warden over there allows me to be. Bye Stryker.” Sophie sighed, making Connor snicker.

“I love you, Soph. I do. And thank you for everything. Sorry I ruined it again.” Stryker frowned again.

“Oh Stryker, no! You didn’t, it was just a mishap. Don’t worry about it. We had a great time together, including the kids. We are all glad you are okay. We’ll just have a do-over whenever you are better.” Sophie said.

“I’d be welcome back?” Stryker asked, carefully, hopeful.

“Of course! This wasn’t your fault.” Sophie told him.

“But THIS time we are taking the pills as NEEDED, I didn’t prescribe all that because I want to impress the pharmacist with my extremely legible handwriting.” Connor interjected.

“There’s my punishment. All day long Connor jokes that aren’t funny, all aimed at me not being perfect. Did I mention vamps don’t need sleep, so he’s haunting me even at night with this crap.” Stryker said, gesturing in Connor’s general direction.

“It’s called patient care, Stryker, and I don’t give a shit if you are perfect, as long as you are alive and take your meds. Now I would never admit that you called me away from a rare toddler-free date night with your recent episode, and unlike you and Sophie, Keke and I were still working up to the grand finale. So yeah, every chance I get you will get shit for this from me, now that I know you are out of the woods. Life’s little pleasures.” Connor grinned.

Sophie kissed Stryker again, then hurried to the door with Connor, where she turned around and blew Stryker another kiss.

In the hallway, Sophie turned to Connor.

“Sorry about the … extra agitation I put on Stryker that night. And sorry we kinda ruined date night for Keira and you. We didn’t plan on any of that, it just evolved, and I was too weak to want to stop it, and so was he. I didn’t think it would have such an effect on his heart, not like we did anything out of the ordinary, just normal … stuff.” Sophie apologized sheepishly.

“It’s fine, Sophie, we can’t protect a grown man from everything, that is the harsh reality for Stryker, now and for the rest of his natural life. Has to accept his limitations and if you really want to give him another chance, that will be your reality too. No use sugarcoating it. He needs his medications, and he needs to know the signs on when he overdid it and needs to take measures immediately, not sit on it or let himself get distracted. He and I had talks about it again. He needs to choose his excitement wisely. He can have sex, if his body is willing to do it naturally, cos his heart can’t handle those blue pills, but he needs to monitor his signs and not go from something like that straight into a big fight with a teenager. That is too much. Now you have seen why I am so strict. In other news, and if you forgive me being so blunt, I do have to say I am happy to see you two managed to get his equipment reanimated. That is a good sign that his body is still healing. And as a man myself, I know there is nothing I can say to make a man feel like a real man if that is dysfunctional. So, that is good news you two discovered that.”

“Okay, I thought here comes the lecture on not doing THAT with him.”

“Sophie, I have known Stryker since I was a teen, and he is a very … let’s call it sensual … person. Being able to do that isn’t a bad thing, as his doctor I would encourage it, as long as you both can remember to take precautions and take it easy, no swinging from the chandeliers for him, and we need to keep him out of the kinky stuff. Altercations with teen children are unavoidable too. I have a toddler who keeps challenging me as a parent, so I know kids can push buttons without breaking a sweat. Which is fine, we can’t wrap Stryker in bubble wrap, what a life would that be for him anyway? But he needs to know his limits. Since we both know Stryker isn’t the most reliable about that, that may fall on you for a good part. The price of dating that man.” Connor shrugged.

“Oh, I know. I am very much aware of it, and I am willing to go that extra mile for him as long as I know it’s safe for him. Connor, this is very premature, but what are the chances Stryker could move out of Jackson’s cabin again and into a different environment in future? Not straight out of this hospital bed, but eventually.” Sophie asked.

“Different environment, huh? Well, his stay with Jackson was never meant to last as long as it has, let alone be permanent, that poor boy should have his cabin back eventually especially now that he is seeing a certain girl, but let’s not get into THAT. I assume you are thinking about moving Stryker in with you? Theoretically I am not hating the idea, practically I think that would require extensive testing, taking baby steps, maybe by allowing longer visits, extending them out as we go, until we can gage if this would be something doable permanently. He still needs eyes on him a lot, even though he is very self-sufficient again, but you have now seen how quickly things can go from dreamy to delirium for him, and you have the restaurant and the catering business. That seems like a big stretch and I worry you might be overdoing it, don’t want the next frantic emergency call I get to be about you, Soph.” Connor told her soberly.

“My family can help out. My parents are retired and live just up the road and you know my dad has had a history with substance abuse and all that long before I was born, but he definitely wouldn’t be a stranger to the issue. So, it wouldn’t be outlandish to think that could be in our future?” Sophie questioned.

“I think it would require one of those ‘every detail out in the open’ kind of family meetings with Stryker and your entire family, all of them, and just make sure nobody has expectations Stryker won’t be able to live up to, including himself, maybe even have me there to inject the medical reality and limitations of it all. It’s possible and even desirable. Stryker needs to start living a real life again, though I do have inhibitions recommending him to live alone, for obvious reasons, and since he alienated every friend he ever had, we both know his mother isn’t an option, you would be his one saving grace. I’d even like to see him get some sort of job one day, or real tasks, chores that have to get done daily, like he has at Jackson’s ranch, nothing fancy, something to give him a perceived purpose, even if that job would be helping out with the kids or at your restaurant. Whatever that ends up looking like is largely his choice, but he shouldn’t retire on poor Jackson’s ranch. Jackson realized that before I did and just put him to work, you see it has done wonders for him, in several aspects, not to mention build his confidence back up. Jackson was a temporary fix and it worked, but we need to graduate from that eventually. I know, seems odd to say that after he just had a heart attack, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t the worst one I have ever encountered. I am happy to hear that his future might involve you and the kids. That is great news. Stryker really is lucky that you can find it in your heart to forgive all he has put you through. We see it all the time that some people can’t distance themselves from the fact that addiction is a monster and we struggle keeping former addicts motivated to even keep going after they lost everything and everyone they ever cared about. Hard to tell a person to stay alive when they feel like they have nothing worth living for. Sad truth.” Connor told her bluntly.

“Oh yeah, this wouldn’t be immediate anyway. Just … dreaming. Spencer needs therapy now, so I want to see how that goes first. I have to make sure my son is okay before I can even dream about taking on Stryker. Connor, thank you again for saving him. Again. I love him. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.” Sophie said calmly, but genuinely.

“No, if you can still love him, you absolutely should. He needs that more than the air he breathes. That is not meant as a cute platitude, I am dead-serious about that. Stryker can live in poverty, if he has too, but has to feel loved and needed. You are giving him that and he’s like a hungry dog watching a steak dangle. This is a chance for everyone. And Sophie, no real love is ever perfect. Yours and Stryker’s may just be more rugged than most, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. From what I have seen, you are his entire world. Don’t fall prey to the mistake to judge him by his actions while inebriated as anything more than delusions of a sick man. I thoroughly believe the only reason he has come this far, and is even still alive, is because of you and your children.”

Connor hugged Sophie, then ported home with her.

Windenburg
Hayes Residence
About a week later

Connor watched Stryker – freshly released from the hospital and invited for another week-long visit at Sophie’s – enter the living room, where all the younger kids screamed excited and ran to hug their dad. Under the watchful eye of Connor and their mother they were allowed to say hi and hug their dad, before Sophie corralled the four of them, assigning them kitchen tasks like making coffee and cutting cake in honor of their dad’s recovery and visit, which they all ran to do immediately.

One child remained, the oldest, creating some mild awkwardness, when Stryker looked at his firstborn, who looked at everything except his father, but then sheepishly mumbled

“I am sorry.”, his voice cracking.

Stryker opened his arms, waving the teen closer, Spencer didn’t have to be asked twice and flopped into his father’s embrace, Stryker was clearly fighting his emotions, Spencer was trying not to cry, but lost that fight when his father kissed the top of the 14-year-old’s head and said

“I love you, Spence.”

Sobbing into his father’s chest, Spencer mumbled

“Love you too, dad. I am glad you are okay.”

Sophie started crying when she heard their oldest address his father as ‘dad’ to his face for the first time in almost two years, and she could see it was doing things to Stryker. She barely noticed Connor rubbing her arm, telling her he was leaving and would be back to check on Stryker in a few days.