Dave and Leroy Ch. 16

When Leroy stopped shaking and Dave brought him around, Leroy looked stunned. Aaron was moving the boxes away. "Hey Babe, well, that's one way to christen our new home." Dave smiled and kissed him on his forehead. "I love you."

"I didn't feel it, Dave. I'm sorry." Leroy gave a tired smile. He saw both Lee and Allison standing in the doorway of their new bedroom.

"I think it's a good stopping point for today." Dave smiled. "We have everything here. We can start putting things away tomorrow."

"Dave, I'll call and have a few pizzas delivered. The living room is almost set up. Why don't you let Leroy rest for a bit, and I'll have the guys finish setting it up." Allison said as Dave nodded his head.

"Do you need help getting up?" Dave asked as he sat back on his heels.

"I'm fucking thirty-six years old, and I feel like an old man," Leroy stated with a groan when he sat up.

Dave smiled and chuckled, "Well, you're my old man, and now you're at my beck and call. So more sex for me."

"Oh shit, that's right. Fuck, I'm back to square one." Leroy laid back down on the carpet.

Dave got up. He was glad that the first thing they did the day before was set up their new bed. Dave found the box with their sheets and put the fitted sheet on. "Come on, Leroy, at least come lay on the bed with me for a bit."

"Well, now I'm glad dad stayed with us, but he has his own suite to himself." Leroy shook his head as he pulled himself up onto the bed.

"At least I'm on first shift now, so it shouldn't be as bad." Dave knew Leroy felt like a child being watched when he had seizures. Especially now that they have Jason, they've talked about it and agreed that if it happened again, Leroy would try not to let his seizures occur in front of Jason. They didn't want to scare him. So, Leroy will pay attention to the signs, but sadly the first one usually comes out of the blue.

Once they had laid there for a while, Leroy let out a breath, "Yeah, Dave. Let's go out to the living room. I don't feel like another one is going to happen."

"I'll call Harding tomorrow to get an appointment, just in case you keep having them." Dave sat up on the opposite side and looked back at Leroy, and all he did was nod.

Dave couldn't believe that Leroy's brothers had it almost entirely set up when they walked out into the living room. "Wow, you guys work fast."

Pat turned around. "That would be our slave-driver of a sister." All the guys laughed as Allison turned around and hit Aaron.

"Hey, I didn't say it," Aaron exclaimed.

"You laughed."

"And so did your husband, and I didn't see you hit him," Aaron responded.

"Way to push me under the bus, bro. Saw that bus coming, and you just shoved me." Jason responded.

"Sorry, I wasn't going to be the only one." Aaron laughed.

Leroy sat down on the couch, and Lee sat next to him for a minute to talk. "Leroy, do you want me in a room near Jason, Dave, and you. Instead of my end of the house?"

"No, dad, you need your privacy too. That's why we bought this house. So you could come and go as you please." Leroy responded.

"Remember, Dad, Jason will be at school for part of the day, but sadly we'll have to rely on you," Dave stated. "Leroy can't drive now."

*

Over the following few weeks, the house came together. Leroy had more seizures, and Dave was glad he made the appointment with Dr. Harding. It was coming up in a few days.

One day while Jason was at school, Leroy knocked on Lee's door to his suite. "Leroy?"

"Dad, just wondering how you're doing? We didn't say that you had to lock yourself away in here." Leroy smiled.

Lee chuckled. "I know, I wasn't. I just like to give Dave and you some privacy on his days off, and shit, this room is basically an apartment."

"We wanted you to have your own space if you ever wanted to bring someone home." Leroy smiled, and Lee shook his head, picked up his remote and shut his TV off, and walked out of his suite into the main house.

Lee sat down in the family room, and Leroy sat next to Dave. "I'm too old, and I don't want to date," Lee stated.

Leroy chuckled. "Dad, you're not that old, and hopefully, one day, someone will catch your eye."

*

"Good morning, Dave." Dr. Harding walked into the exam room. "Mr. Standish-Ayers." He smiled at Leroy.

"How are you, Doc? Sorry to be meeting like this." Dave responded. "I was hoping that we'd just be meeting at our regular scheduled visits."

"But it seems, this one here decided to change that." Both Dave and Harding laughed.

"Just talk like I'm not here. I can leave." Leroy jeered.

"Leroy, the meds were working great up until a few weeks ago. So what changed?" Dr. Harding asked.

"We just moved into a new house, but I don't think that did it," Leroy said

"Was it stressful, looking?" Harding asked.

Dave and Leroy looked at one another and laughed. "Absolutely not. We had fun looking at all the different houses over the last six months. We actually looked at the house we bought a few times." Dave responded.

"The process or anything, nothing was stressful?" Harding questioned.

"No," Leroy stated. "We put in an offer on the house, and it was approved. I honestly thought we were going to have problems selling ours, but low and behold, it sold quickly and for more than what we were asking. We had Jason already in kindergarten at the school in the area. So everything was falling into place. So I don't know what brought on the seizures."

"How many have you had in these past few weeks?" Harding asked.

"So far, it's been happening about once every other day," Dave responded before Leroy could.

Harding was surprised by this. "That often, then I would like to look at his meds. Let's get his bloodwork and see if something is going on. If we need to tweak them or add to them." Leroy shook his head. "I know, Leroy, you're going to hate this, but we need to get these under control again."

"I know, Doc. You don't think I understand this? I just hate dropping whenever."

*

"Dad," Leroy stated as he walked away to his bedroom. Lee knew to keep Jason away.

Jason was watching cartoons and wanted some chocolate milk. "Daddy, can I have?" He turned in his chair to look at Leroy and only saw Lee. "Papa, where's my daddy?"

"He'll be back out in a few minutes, Sport. What did you need?" Lee asked Jason.

"Can I have some chocolate milk?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I'll get you some." Lee got up and got Jason some milk, gave it to him, and walked down to check on Leroy. He found Leroy lying on the bed with a glazed look on his face, so he walked over to him to get him out of his seizure state. "Leroy."

Leroy blinked a few times and started to focus on Lee. "Thanks, Dad, I'm..."

"Daddy, it's not time for bed." Jason interrupted Leroy as he climbed on the bed.

"No, it's not. Daddy just needed to lay down for a minute. I'm getting up." Leroy hugged Jason to him as Dave walked in.

"Daddy's home," Jason screamed as Dave sat down on the bed, looking from Lee to Leroy.

"Another one?" Dave asked, and Leroy nodded. "Dad, can you take Jason, so I can talk to Leroy for a few minutes?" It had been three months now since the seizures had started again.

"Yup, come on, Sport, your fathers, need to talk." Lee held out his hand to Jason as he jumped off the bed and walked out of the room with him.

"I spoke to Harding today." Dave looked at Leroy and continued. "He would like to try something with you."

"And what is that?" Dave swallowed hard before he began, then took a deep breath and let it out. "Will you quit stalling? What did you two discuss?" Leroy was getting annoyed.

"He would like to take you off all your meds." Dave got out before Leroy stopped him.

"Is he insane?" Leroy exclaimed.

"Wait, Leroy, he wants to wean you off them first. He understands it may throw you into more seizures, but if they get out of hand, he will admit you to the hospital." Dave was looking at a shocked Leroy. He knew he wasn't keen on the idea. "Leroy, Harding doesn't know if it'll work. But he hopes that maybe this can start you back off at square one. Maybe trick your system. He might get to lower the number of meds you take and stop the seizures again." Dave hugged Leroy. "Babe, there's a slim chance. He said that you might not need the meds."

Leroy breathed in deep and let it out. "When does he want to do this?"

"He would like to see us in his office tomorrow after my shift. So I will pick you up, and we'll head straight there."

"It's an hour's drive, Babe."

"He's going to see us at his other office," Dave responded as he squeezed Leroy's hand. "I love you, Babe. Just hear him out tomorrow."

The next day when Dave got home, Leroy was sitting in the living room, ready to leave. Dave quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and they left after kissing Jason. Lee had to take Jason from Dave so they could go.

Harding had the nurse take them right to his office, not even an exam room. When he finished with his last patient, he sat down at his desk and looked at Dave and Leroy. From the look on Leroy's face, he could tell that he did not like what Dave had already discussed with him.

"Good afternoon Dave, Mr. Standish-Ayers." Harding smiled, he knows that always gets Leroy's goat, but Leroy didn't respond this time. He had a glassy-eyed look. "Dave, we need to move Leroy to the floor now."

Harding quickly came around the desk as Dave jumped up to move his chair out of the office, and they drug Leroy to the hallway as he started to shake, and Dave cradled his head in his hands. "Shit, I think he's nervous about this." Dave looked up at Harding towering over them.

"Nurse, will you pull one of the reclining chairs out of the exam rooms, please." Harding looked over at one of his nurses standing in the hallway. "Dave, I'm sure he is, but I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think it would work."

Leroy came to with Dave still cradling his head and Harding towering over the two of them. "You're one tall ass man when I'm laying here on the fucking floor, Doc," Leroy responded, getting a chuckle out of both Dave and Harding.

"Well, Leroy, let's get you off the floor, so we can talk a bit."

Dave helped Leroy to sit up, and then after he was able to, Leroy stood, and they went back into Harding's office. "Leroy, basically, we don't know what is sparking your seizures right now. Your scans are clear, and your bloodwork is fine. Your seizures come from nothing, and they come from a little bit of stress, tiredness, anger, or what have you." Harding stated, and Leroy nodded.

"I would like to try this procedure with you by weaning you off your meds and by going a month or longer without them." Harding looked at Leroy's face. "Leroy, it may or may not be as bad as you are thinking. I think your body has grown too accustomed to your meds, and they aren't doing what they need to anymore. I could be wrong. We are running out of types to put you on. You work well. Excuse me, you used to work well with your current meds, but they don't seem to be doing the job, and we know the others affect your mood in a bad way."

Leroy closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair. He knew it made sense and tried to reset his body to accept the meds again. "When do you want to begin?"

"I would like to see you weekly. I may even stop in at your home if you don't mind. Let's begin Monday, cutting down to half of what you are taking now. That will give you time to get some of them filled."

Harding looked at Leroy's meds and told him that one of them he could just cut out taking his evening dose. The others he rewrote as half the dose of what he was taking. When they left, they had a semi-understanding of what would happen. Leroy will be on half the amount for two weeks, then a quarter of a dose for another two weeks, then off everything. So in one month, he won't be taking any pills.

When Dave and Leroy came home, they talked with Lee to let him know what would happen. Then they talk with Allison to let her know she may be a backup caretaker of Jason if they need to get him out of the house if Leroy's seizures are worse.

They had just a few days of planning. Lee moved from his end of the house to the bedroom next to Jason's in the meantime.

Weaning of Leroy's meds did push Leroy into a tailspin of seizures. He had them daily, sometimes up to two to three times a day. When Leroy was finally off all his meds, Harding tried to keep him off of them for a week before doing anything but ended up having to admit him into the hospital.

"Leroy, I'm going to keep you here for a few days, and hopefully, we can get the seizures to calm down a bit. I don't want to start giving you meds yet." Harding stated while looking over Leroy's vitals. "Just relax, watch some TV. You're on a mini-vacation from life."

"In a fucking hospital," Leroy grumbled.

Dr. Harding laughed, "Yes, Leroy in a fucking hospital." As he walked out.

Dave sat down beside the bed, "Just calm down. Maybe not having a rambunctious five-year-old running around will help your nerves. Harding would like to keep you off the meds for longer than a week."

Leroy took a deep breath and held it before blowing it out, "I know, but I'm tired of the seizures."

"I know, Hon. You've got a few magazines here." Dave held up Leatherneck and a few other magazines. "Why don't I leave, so you can take a nap or just go to bed for the night? Hopefully, the nurses won't wake you much. I'll be back after my shift tomorrow." Dave stated as he kissed Leroy.

"Kiss Jason for me. I love you."

"I love you too, Leroy. Have a good night. Call me if you want me to bring anything tomorrow." Dave hugged him before leaving the room.

***

When Leroy had been in the hospital for a week, Dr. Harding called Dave and asked to meet with him in Leroy's room. Dave told Harding the soonest he could be there was after his shift at three-thirty.

So in walked Dave in full uniform, which surprised Leroy. He wasn't expecting to see Dave until after dinner. "Hey Babe, what are you doing here so early?"

"I thought you knew. Harding asked for a meeting with us." Dave came up to the bed and kissed Leroy as Leroy shook his head. "So I told him I would be here straight after work."

Dave pulled a chair next to Leroy, and they chatted for a bit until Harding walked in carrying Leroy's chart. "Dave, thanks for coming. Mr. Standish-Ayers is always a pleasure." Harding smiled and pulled over a chair, so he was sitting too.

"Well, what's this all about, Doc?" Leroy asked.

"Leroy, you've been in my care for a week now. I would like to keep you here for at least another one to two weeks. I'll get it approved. You're already in a long-term stay unit. But, I would like to change something, and I don't think you are going to like it."

"You have me off all my meds. I'm already seizing a few times a day. What else can you do?" Leroy asked.

"I've noticed that you seize more after you have visitors," Harding stated. He saw Leroy close his eyes, and Harding looked up at the monitors, and Leroy's heart rate increased. "I'm not going to limit everyone, well, almost everyone. For the next week, I would like you to only have Dave come to visit."

"So, no one from my family?" Leroy asked.

"No, I've been having the nurses write down who visits and when they leave. The monitor's record when you seize. You hardly have a seizure after Dave leaves unless he is here with another member of your family." Harding mentioned. "I'm wondering if you have some internal stress that you do not realize with your family. Or it's what they are discussing with you. I don't know because I'm not in the room at that time."

"I will ask my family not to visit while I am here," Leroy responded.

"I would also like you to limit your phone use if you can. While you are here."

"There are only two people that I'll need to talk to, well, really one, as long as Dave is allowed to come here. But I will be calling Dave to talk to Jason. He doesn't know where I am. We have told him I'm visiting my aunt." Leroy looked at Dave and squeezed his hand.

"That's fine, I don't mind that. I want to see what a week does and if it starts to work. I might keep you longer. If not, I might start placing you back on your meds." Harding responded.

"That is fine. Hey Allison, will you give us a few minutes, please." Leroy agreed as someone knocked on the door and opened it.

"Yeah, no problem, Leroy," Allison replied and walked back out of the room.

"Leroy, I will talk more to you tomorrow. Do you still see Dr. Frank Watts?"

"I haven't in some time."

"Do you mind if I give him a call to come up to your room?" Harding asked.

"No," Leroy responded. "I'll talk to my sister and tell her to have everyone stay away, that you are trying a new method with me."

"Thank you, Leroy. Have a good night, Dave and Leroy." Harding walked out of the room, and Allison walked in.

"Hey, how's everything going? Is he getting closer to letting you out?" Allison asked.

"On the contrary, no. Harding wants to keep me for another week or two." Leroy responded.

"Wow, that sucks, seizures not getting any better, huh?"

"Nope, and he would like to try something new, and I'm afraid the family's not going to like it."

"What's that, Leroy?" Allison asked.

Leroy informed her that Dr. Harding wanted to limit his visitors to just Dave for the next week to see if it would help his seizures. He asked if she could let the family know not to stop in to see him, or if she couldn't, he would call everyone. She told him that she would do it.

Allison visited with him for a bit longer. They pretty much talked about nothing, but before she left, she brought up a subject that most of the family had brought up to him, dad. "Leroy, I know we've brought this up a lot to you lately. You bought a beautiful house and a great suite for dad. Are you sure that it is in the best interests that dad stays with you?"

Leroy, as always, was remaining calm on this subject. "As I told you before, Dave and I love having dad living with us. If you want to ask dad if he doesn't want to live with us, go ahead. Nothing is stopping any of you. Dad has money if he would like to get his own place."

"Okay, Leroy. We were just asked. Have a good night. Dave, did you want me to take Jason this weekend?" Allison asked.

"More than likely, but I would like to spend the morning on Saturday with him," Dave responded. Allison hugged both Dave and Leroy before she left.

Dave held Leroy's hand for a while, seeing if Leroy would vent, but he didn't. Thirty minutes after Allison left, he had a seizure. After Leroy recovered, Dave took his shoes and duty belt off and crawled into bed with him. He laid his head on Leroy's chest and just held him. "I love you, Leroy."

"Dito." After laying there a bit, Leroy finally spoke up. "Dave, I know Harding didn't want any of my family to come here. But I would like to see my father. Would you please ask him to come to see me tomorrow?"

"Yup, I will ask him when I get home tonight. Are you worried that he doesn't want to stay with us or what, Leroy?" Dave asked.

"I don't know. All my family keeps bringing it up. They even had before we moved. Like I'm blackmailing him into staying with us."

"I've noticed that they have brought it up a few times, but I didn't know they have brought it up a lot. Maybe we need to have a family meeting." Dave stated.

"Maybe, please ask him, Dave."

"I will." Dave stayed for a bit longer than he needed to head home to have dinner and be home for Jason.

When he arrived, Jason and Lee were in the family room watching TV. "Dad, what would you like for dinner? I'm sorry I wasn't home earlier."

"Dave, there's a plate in the microwave for you. I can cook too. Have you heard from Leroy today?"