Like Father, Like Son - 27

“What a gloomy looking place,” Nicky said when they saw the asylum up ahead of them.

Declan had to agree, although he thought some of that was because the day was dark and dreary with heavy rain clouds gathered above them. “Like something out of a bad movie,” he replied with a small smile.

“Exactly.”

Declan drove up the long driveway, found a place to park their rental car, and got out just as the first raindrops began to fall. They raced to the front porch of the large brick building. After taking a deep breath Declan opened the door.

A large, nicely furnished entryway faced them. Across the expanse of tiled floor was a desk, manned by an older, gray-haired woman. She looked up, saw them and smiled. “May I help you?”

Declan nodded. “I’m here to see my father,” he told her once he stood in front of the desk.

“Who would that be?”

“Bryant Hill.”

She frowned. “To the best of my knowledge Mr. Hill has no relatives other than his father.”

Declan nodded. “I know. I mean I know you wouldn’t know about me. But I can prove I’m his son.” He took the well worn birth certificate from his wallet, handing it to her. Folded in with it were the pictures of his father and grandfather taken before he’d been born, and the one of his father and uncle he’d found in his grandfather’s wallet.

She studied the birth certificate carefully, and then the pictures. She looked at the newer one of his father and then up at him and back. “I can see a family resemblance. Let me take these to the administrator. If he agrees, and Mr. Hill’s doctor gives his okay, then we’ll allow you a short visit.”

“That’s all I ask,” Declan said, his heart beating faster. “I just want to see him, just once. I never…” He shook his head. “I’ve never met him.”

“I understand. Please have a seat. I’ll be back to let you know as soon as possible.”

“So?” Nicky said when Declan sat down beside him.

“So I wait to see if the powers that be are willing to let me see him.” His face darkened. “He won’t know me of course. He won’t even understand what’s going on, or at least that’s the impression I got from my grandfather once, when he was less…sick. But that doesn’t matter. At least I’ll know. No matter how lost he is in his mind, at least I can say I finally met him.”

“And that’s what counts,” Nicky told him, hugging him.

They waited in silence then. Finally the woman came back and crossed to where they sat. “Mr. Hill’s doctor has given his permission. He’s not here but an orderly will be out momentarily to take you to him. I’ll warn you, he doesn’t look at all like he did in that picture. And, he probably won’t even know you’re there.”

“My grandfather told me he was…off somewhere else in his head?”

“Precisely.” She saw a man enter the room and waved him over, introducing him as Lee Whitney.

Declan thanked her then stood. “Is it…can my friend come with me?”

She eyed Nicky, who tried to look as innocuous as he possibly could. “He can’t go into the room with you but he can wait outside.”

“Thank you.”

Declan followed the orderly, Nicky walking beside him. They went down a long hall to a bank of elevators then up three floors. The orderly informed them this was the locked ward, which was quite obvious from the number of doors they were buzzed through before arriving in front of the one to Bryant’s room. While the orderly unlocked the door, Nicky gave Declan’s hand a tight squeeze. Declan smiled his thanks for his support.