Like Father, Like Daughter : The Story of the Prime Minister and His Daughter

Chapter 8

"I'll stick her in your old room," he told Dani once Morgan passed out at the table. He had only picked her up halfway when it looked like his arms were going to give out. Dani quickly took her from him and said, "I've got her. Just relax, you've done enough."

Carlton put his hand over his eyes as Dani went upstairs. What is going on? He thought to himself. Deciding to brush it all off, he picked up the plates and put them in the kitchen. "Dad, I've got those," Dani said as she took a plate from his hand.

As she was scrubbing a plate, she said, "I have some news." Carlton took the plate from her and dried it as he asked, "What is it?" She tried to repress her smile, but it was clearly difficult to do. "I'm pregnant."

Carlton nearly dropped another plate! "Honey...oh my God, wow! Congratulations!" He brought her in for a tight hug. She put her head on his chest and said, "Thanks. We found out it's a boy and decided that...well, his name is going to be Benedict Carlton."

His body tensed around hers as he asked, "Are you serious?" She looked up at him and said, "I am. Benedict Carlton Caverly." He pressed a long kiss to her forehead and told her, "Thank you, Pumpkin."

She kissed his cheek, then went back to doing the dishes. Once that was done, she said, "We should probably get going. Are we still on for dinner on Friday?" He nodded and told her, "Of course."

"Okay," she said. "Are you...are you sure you're okay? When you picked up Dan it looked like your arms had just about given up on you." He shook his head and told her, "I promise, my darling, I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me and worry about your family."

"You are my family," she retorted. "I would feel so much better if we just got you checked out. It could be something or it could be nothing. I would really like to know." Carlton sighed and pursed his lips. "I don't like the doctors," he told her.

She scoffed, "Obviously." After giving a loud sigh, he told her, "Fine. But only to put your mind at ease and so you can stop focusing on me. Just let me know when." Dani hugged him and said, "Thank you. I'll call you when I have the details."

**

This was not how Carlton wanted to be spending his day. He was sitting in a waiting room with Dani, hoping to be called in by the doctor very soon here. He hated this, but if it was going to ease his daughter's thoughts, then it was the least he could do.

"Mr. Carlton," a nurse called. "You can come back now." Dani walked with a slow Carlton and followed the nurse into a room. "Thank you," Dani told her as she shut the door. Carlton attempted to sit on the patient's table, but didn't seem to have the strength to.

"Oh, daddy," Dani cried. He waved her off and sat down in the chair instead. When the doctor came in, he introduced himself as Doctor Watts and started asking Carlton some questions. "You said you can't remember where you live?"

Carlton rolled his eyes and said, "Only sometimes, it's very rare. Anyways, that's why I don't leave the house very often, I suppose." The doctor wrote this down, then said, "Well, I'd like to do some additional tests, but to me it sounds like you might be getting Alzheimer's. Between forgetting things, to losing muscle movement and strength, it's a high possibility."

Dani quickly piped up and said, "But he remembers my mom. He sets out an extra plate for her every night." Doctor Watts told her, "Remembering certain points in life and thinking they're happening today is very common. When he sets out the plates, he's just remembering a time when he had to do that and he lives in that time, even if it's just for that moment."

Carlton scoffed and shook his head. "I do not have Alzheimer's," he told them. "I don't care what you or your damn tests say!" Dani gasped, "Dad! Please, listen to him, he knows what he's doing." He looked at her oddly and asked, "He does? He didn't know what he was doing when your mother was in the hospital!"

Both Dani and Doctor Watts looked at him oddly. "Dad, he wasn't her Doctor," Dani gently told him. "That was in London, remember?" He raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, London, I know! Bloody hell, I've only been here my entire life."

"Here?" Doctor Watts asked. "Here as in D.C.?" Carlton looked at him as if he were stupid. "London!" He shouted. "How many times do I have to say it!" Dani put her hand on his shoulder and begged, "Dad, please. Hey, it's okay."

Carlton looked at her...but now he seemed confused. "Darling, you're tearing up," he said. "What's wrong?"She just slowly shook her head and let some tears fall. "Is there any way he can stay with you?" Doctor Watts asked. "I would like him to be watched over until the test results come back."

Dani nodded and said, "Of course. I'll take care of him."

**

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Carlton lived with Ryan, Dani and Morgan. He didn't completely understand why half of the time, even if it did get explained to him time and time again. Each time it was explained, he would say having Alzheimer's was "ridiculous".

When Doctor Watts called Dani with the test results...that's exactly what he had. He was prescribed pills and he took them daily, but it just seemed to get worse and worse each day. Somedays, he didn't know where he was.

"Where's Cassie?" He asked one day while sitting on the couch, reading a book. Ryan and Dani were watching T.V. and Morgan was playing on the floor. Dani was about to say something, but Carlton asked, "Is she at work again? I swear, your mother works herself too hard some days."

Dani and Ryan looked to each other in question. Each time they told him Cassie had died thirty-five years ago, the reactions to it got worse and worse. "I'm sure she'll be home soon, dad," Dani told him.

Carlton smiled and said, "I hope so. I miss her." Dani was doing everything in her power not to cry and Ryan was trying to comfort her.

Somedays, he would go into a fit if he realized Cassie wasn't home and would try to call her...but couldn't remember her number. That just got him even more upset. Dani would assure him that he would remember after he took a nap and when he woke up, he wouldn't remember being upset. He would just be back to normal.

Things got really bad when he would wander off and the police would have to pick him up. One day, he wandered to the White House to try and visit Cassie. Dani had to drive down to the police station to bail him out after he attacked one of the guards for telling him Cassie wasn't there.

This went on for five months.

By the time Dani was nearly nine months pregnant, Carlton was too far gone. "I'm just saying, they can take better care of him in a home," Ryan told her. Dani shook her head and told him, "No. He needs us, Ryan. I'm not going to just abandon him."

"He calls you Morgan and calls Morgan Dani," Ryan said. "He doesn't even know who I am half of the time." Dani gave him a sharp glare and shouted, "We are not abandoning him! He is my father, he needs me. My entire life, he's looked out for me, done everything to protect me. Now, he needs me to return the favor. That's exactly what I plan on doing."