"Dad?" Bobby called loudly, as he entered his father house. He looked around and didn't see the old man anywhere. "Dad?" he called, even louder. Bobby quickly hurried through the living room, then checked the kitchen and the rooms down the hall. He found his father unconscious on the bedroom floor. Bobby checked his vitals, then quickly grabbed the phone off the nightstand.
"His sugar was low, this time," the doctor explained. "Mr. Goren, have you given any thought to your father's living situation?"
"Of course I have, but he's… he's stubborn. He won't go to a nursing home and he won't agree to home health."
"Is there someone in the family who could-"
Bobby didn't even hear the rest of the question. Wasn't he already doing everything he could? Frank, if he wasn't so self-absorbed, Frank could help. But Bobby knew that would never happen. He shook his head in frustration. "Look, I'll- I'll talk to him about it again."
Satisfied, the doctor went back to his rounds. Bobby went into the hospital room.
"Bobby?" His Dad said, his voice a little weak. "Bobby, what happened?"
Goren pulled up a chair and sat at his father's bedside. "It was your sugar again, Dad. Low, this time."
"Damn diabetes! I feel awful."
"Dad, I know you don't want it, but you really need someone to care for you."
For once, the old man seemed to realize his son was right. He reached out his hand and tried to grab Bobby's. "You- you could move in with me. I got that spare room back there."
Bobby shook his head angrily. "Dad, you know I can't."
"Your mother should be in a home, Bobby, not me!"
Bobby clamped his mouth shut and scratched behind his ear. "Even if that was the case, I still can't. I've got my job, Dad."
"The job can wait. I'm only gonna be around for so long, Bobby."
He shook his head and thought again of Frank, but he didn't speak his thoughts aloud. Even his Dad knew better than to suggest Frank move in. "Look, get some rest, okay? We can talk about this later."
There was no solution to the problem, and so Bobby resolved to check on his father more often. He went in the mornings when he could, and he went every evening after work, and he slept at his Mother's house. It seemed to be working. His father always had an assortment of healthy groceries and he was more faithful in taking his medication.
The one thing Bobby hadn't quite figured out came into play sooner than he expected. He was going undercover again.
"Frank, look, I need to talk to you," Bobby spat at the phone, wrapping the cord around his fingers.
"Bobby, how the hell are you? Mom and Dad okay?"
"Yeah, for now, yeah. Look I need to see you, okay?"
"Sure, Bobby, meet me at Clannahan's. 8 o'clock."
"And you'll be there..."
"Yeah, sure. I'll be there."
"Okay, Frank. Okay."
So it was arranged. Frank moved into their father's spare room, Lewis was on call for Mrs. Goren, and Bobby went undercover.
Tutuola was coaching him again. This time, it was just the two of them. "And no phone calls this time," Fin commanded. "You leave contact up to me."
Goren frowned, but nodded.
"Anything I need to know?"
"Just… nothing's changed with my parents' situation, okay? They both have health issues."
"Okay. I'll ask Cap to follow up on them and I'll get you a report when I check in."
"My-my mother's not gonna like that. Look, here..." Bobby scrawled Lewis' name and number on a scrap of paper. "He can call Lewis to check on her."
Fin memorized the information, ripped and tossed the paper in the next trash bin on the street. "Got it." The conversation turned to the details of the job.
Lewis was fine with the new arrangement at first. That is, until Frank threw a wrench in things. Bobby's mom was starting to go off the deep end, and so far, Lewis had been successful in calming her down. After convincing her to go up to her room and relax, he was cleaning her kitchen, when Frank showed up.
"Ma!" Frank called loudly. Lewis hurried into the hall and shushed him. "What the hell are you doing here, Ruzicki?" Frank asked. "Where's Ma?"
"She's up in her room. She needs to sleep, man. I'm just, you know, I'm helping out."
"Bobby asked you to do this?"
Lewis shrugged. He'd been helping Bobby with his Mom since he went into the army. It was nothing new, though it might have been news to Frank.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Frank, you know how she gets. I don't think she's been sleeping. Just let her get some rest, all right?"
"Yeah, well, I need to see her." Frank started to walk past again, and Lewis stood in his way. Frank shoved Lewis aside and jogged up the stairs.
Lewis picked up the things that had been knocked off the table and cursed under his breath.
Three hours later, when Captain Flanagan called, Lewis honestly didn't know what to say. If he told the Captain everything, that would be an invasion of Bobby's privacy, not to mention that it wouldn't do him any good to be worrying about his Mom while he was in a dangerous undercover assignment. Lewis held his breath a moment, gritting his teeth as he thought about it. "Just tell him Frank came to see her, but I've got it under control," he finally said. He hung up the phone and went to unpack his duffel bag in Bobby's room. For the moment, Frances was okay. She had finally recognized him and calmed herself. She had asked for his help to close all the curtains and the blinds in the house. Now she sat in the easy chair in the darkened living room, muttering to herself.
"Bobby," Fin called to him firmly. Goren left the group he'd been sitting with at the bar and strutted over to his Senior Partner.
Fin turned and walked him to a corner booth, where they could speak privately, but maintain their covers. "I know how you feel about it, but Cap says your Dad's in the hospital again. He says he can't find your brother."
"What about Mom?" Bobby asked, truly worried.
"Lewis said Frank came to see her, but it's under control."
Goren's face burned with anger.
"I think you should go," Fin told him.
Bobby shook his head. "No."
"Cap said your Dad doesn't look good."
Bobby started to shake with a quiet rage. "Is this an order?" He asked quietly.
Fin shook his head sadly. "Shit, no… but I think you need to consider the worst. I mean, how would you feel if-"
"It's all right, I've already considered it. Trust me, I've considered everything." Bobby looked down at his hands and thought hard for a moment. Fin slid him a glass of whiskey. "You think I could make a call?"
"Watch your ass," Fin said with a quiet nod.