James Harper Junior had a great deal of private frustration as he entered the specific room in the ICU that his father had been placed in. As far as he knew, his father James Harper Senior was doing about as well as could be expected given that he'd had a massive heart attack at the stress resulting from the revelation that Dieter Wilhelm was practically a snake in the grass and had been behind clandestine attempts to have someone killed and nearly actually killed another person. The stress was only added to when Jenny revealed that she was already married. It had put James Harper Senior in the ICU thanks to at least one massive heart attack.
Thankfully, the hospital staff at Moon Lake General Hospital had managed to save James Harper Senior's life, but the process had really been incomplete and they were finding more and more things that would need to be done just to get James Harper Senior fit enough to travel back to Alabama, and from what Doctor Tachibana had said there was probably STILL a lot that would need to be done. In fact the Moon Lake doctor had told James Harper Junior that there were two things that needed to be done to ensure his father's survival. The first was an angioplasty that was felt to be needed just to allow for James Harper Senior to be safe to transport to Alabama. The other was potentially essentially transplanting/replacing certain heart valves that were weakened by the stresses James Harper Senior had put on his heart over the years or from the greater stress that came from the heart attack.
"What... what... are... you...?" came a gruff male voice to James Junior's right, making him turn to see his father laying in the bed he'd been placed in. He was attached to various monitoring devices and their soft low green lights were about the only electric lights that were presently on in the ICU room. The rest of the light was mostly the result of sunlight filtering through the closed blinds. It left the room rather dark and that James Junior could only just make out his father in the dim as he lay there in the bed in a medical gown and with blankets over him.
"I'm hear to talk with mother... as she could use some lunch and you could use some rest," James Junior spoke, trying hard to avoid sounding confrontational, noting that whatever sedatives the hospital had given him were essentially slowing his father down. "Everyone needs to eat."
James Senior sighed and then turned his head to look toward the window and said, "Fine."
That was enough to allow Elizabeth Harper to stand up and look to James Junior with a rather blank look to her face. James Junior moved over to the door and gave a wide gesture with his arm to his mother. He still had his frustrations over what would need to be done with regard his mother's lifetime acceptance of his father's outdated look on gender relations and thus seeming to lack the sort of independent drive and thought that Jenny had come to Moon Lake to retain. James knew that Elizabeth Harper would need to gain some measure of individual thought and judgement just to take care of James Harper Senior once the two returned to Alabama, but to a great extent, he didn't know how to get her to do that if she continued to just "obey" any Harper male that she was near. It may help get the right thing done, but relying on that would only backfire when Elizabeth Harper DID snap out of that docile state, as there were moments from time to time when it did seem like she might, but in the end she seemed to fall back into it for whatever reason.
"So... where are we eating?" Elizabeth asked.
"Ultimately... with in-laws," James Junior answered, "It might do you some good to see that the Jenkins family is a good family... that Jenny has good friends around her... and that really... Janice and John aren't going to be in a bad place with them."
"But is that respectful?" Elizabeth asked slowly.
"Yes," James Junior answered, "but more importantly they're also free to be happy and free to make their own choices, which is good for them... and in a way is good for you, too."
Elizabeth looked to James Junior for a few moments and the two did walk along for a few moments without major difficulty. And that, hopefully, let James turn the focus onto matters that would need to be turned to. It would be tough, but it was something that would be needed. For the immediate future there would be the need to deal with and discuss James Senior's health.
"In the meantime, there are things we can do for dad," James Junior spoke.
That made Elizabeth blink with some surprise as they walked through the ICU's hallway. James Junior did notice and responded appropriately. He had come to the hospital with some hope of talking his parents into accepting and supporting Jenny's independence and starting life on her own and accept a similar push for Janice and John. The revelations from Doctor Tachibana had further presented revelations on the health needs that James Senior had. The need for an angioplasty and the potential need for the replacement of a heart valve was something that made James Senior's health a bigger issue than what James Junior had wanted to star with in terms of discussion.
"Surely the doctors told you about what dad needs... with regard to his own treatment," James Junior spoke after a few moments, "based on their tests from yesterday and what their monitoring equipment that dad is still hooked up to."
"Yes... but we were promised we could KEEP our doctors," Elizabeth argued.
"The present situation is a bit beyond whether or not Dad can see a general practitioner at a sub-standard clinic for the sniffles," James Junior sighed, "They DID tell you that without an angioplasty... they don't give dad good odds of even surviving a flight to Alabama for further examination and then having an Alabama doctor reach the same conclusion as to whether or not he needs new heart valves... Right?"
"But... it's a lot of money," Elizabeth spoke, "with the delay... I could have a job and a paycheck to handle it..."
"It'll be rough... and if you can stand up to dad on his anger over Jenny marrying Harold Jenkins... I'd be more than willing to chip in some money here and there," James Junior answered, "and at the same time... the situation is such that dad NEEDS it NOW. You can't just reject treatment because it will either be expensive or anything else... Privately, I'm surprised dad went this long without having a major problem."
"But... this doctor's Japanese! And probably a Liberal!" Elizabeth answered, almost instinctively.
"If he saves dad's life... DOES it matter who he is?" James Junior pointed out, "He's willing to work to save dad's life. THAT is what's important. There is no gene that determines political affiliation and I'd put saving lives as more important than one's race. In this, Doctor Tachibana is willing to do what is best for dad... and I'd trust him to save dad's life."
"Truly?" Elizabeth asked back.
"Truly," James Junior said with a nod, "It may be tough... but we'll get through it... But it means YOU need to step up, mom. You can't just refuse treatment because dad is being stubborn and difficult. That does him no good... Unless... unless you don't want dad to make it... Do you?"
"No... I don't," Elizabeth Harper answered and looked down.
"Then... if that is your choice, mom," James Junior said slowly, "You know you can sign the papers the hospital needs to have permission to save dad's life. You don't need anyone to tell you to. It's what YOU want to do... and in its own way will also be what is best for everyone."
Of course, James Junior's definition of "best" would be different, and had the private concerns to protect Moon Lake's were population and protect the idea to emancipate John and Janice, but James Jr. didn't think that vocally defining that would be helpful to the present idea. For the moment it was hoped that the present tactic would help Elizabeth Harper recognize she didn't need her husband's go-ahead for every decision and secure the medical treatment that James Harper Senior needed.
"Okay," Elizabeth answered, "If that's what you think is best."
James Junior sighed and rubbed his head as they reached a small "lobby" area for the ICU. They slowly made their way up to the nurse's station and went through the process of getting all the required signatures. It didn't take long, as James Junior had promised to talk his mother into signing it before going to talk with his mother, and thus he figured that they likely made sure they had their forms ready. From there, the two were soon united with Henry Jenkins Senior and making their way out of the hospital. There were still a lot of things to be sorted out and James Junior knew that there was the potential for another argument... but for the moment, it was about the only way James Junior could think of that would give the hospital staff an easier time of handling the Harper family's patriarch.