Before And After the Divorce - 10. Lacy's Status and Its Effect

Poor Dominic.  I think he knew, however, by the way he guessed and accepted it so quickly.  Part of it, possibly, was having been prepared for her death when she had the tumor.  Her behavior that night brought back memories of that time to him and, subconsciously, he expected this, especially after witnessing her seizure.

From what the doctor said, this was actually a mercy for all of them.  It sounded like Lacy would have been in a vegetative state after all the injuries she sustained.  While any death is hard, that kind of living death, I would think, would be much harder on everyone.  And in many places, once a person is on life support, it can be very difficult to remove it.  Now comes the heartbreak of the funeral.

OK.  Where are Lacy’s parents in all this?  I know what has been said about them being older and, maybe, unable to travel easily, but they’re probably going to be traveling now.  Why didn’t they show up when Lacy get sick originally?  Will they cause problems for Dylan regarding Dominic?

Very sad outcome, but maybe for the best. I can understand what Dominic feels, went through this myself as a child. I know it's only a story, but damn did it bring out the tears.

40 minutes ago, Clancy59 said:

OK.  Where are Lacy’s parents in all this?  I know what has been said about them being older and, maybe, unable to travel easily, but they’re probably going to be traveling now.  Why didn’t they show up when Lacy get sick originally?  Will they cause problems for Dylan regarding Dominic?

Hmm. It must have been lost in a save. I was sure I indicated somewhere along the line that Lacy's parents were both dead, but I just checked my copies, not there. I'll make sure that point is obvious in chapter 11. So, no, they won't be causing Dylan and Dominic any problems.

42 minutes ago, BoyLove said:

Very sad outcome, but maybe for the best. I can understand what Dominic feels, went through this myself as a child. I know it's only a story, but damn did it bring out the tears.

Sorry for what you went through as a child. I can somewhat sympathize because I lost my first wife with young children, one, not so coincidentally, the same age as Dominic.

As an aside, for anyone reading my other current story, 'Rocked to the Core', my youngest was four at the time, same as Adam. Mine are both girls. I guess my next story has to have a daughter that is almost eleven losing a parent. Ummm, maybe not.

Lots of memories. Back in 2004, my wife suffered a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. That's a brain bleed in an area underneath the brain in what's called the Circle of Willis by the brain stem. Back in 2004, 80% of patients who had one of those, died within 24 hours. Of those that survived, only 10% to 15% survived without quality-of-life issues. Thanks to (what was then) an experimental surgery, she has survived with very few disabilities.

Back on May 13, 2021, a young and upcoming author Juju (aka Jbird or Julian) fell in the locker room at his High School (he was a few days short of his 18th birthday). He was taken to the hospital when he didn't immediately wake up. The doctors didn't discover his Subarachnoid bleed until it was too late. This type of brain bleed normally doesn't occur in people this young.

I only bring this up because, after the description of Lacy's problem, I knew what the outcome was likely to be. It is better that she passed than the likely outcome of any quality-of-life she may have had at that point.

1 hour ago, Lee Wilson said:

Hmm. It must have been lost in a save. I was sure I indicated somewhere along the line that Lacy's parents were both dead, but I just checked my copies, not there. I'll make sure that point is obvious in chapter 11. So, no, they won't be causing Dylan and Dominic any problems.

Is there another relative like an Aunt who might cause trouble?Granted Lacey used the f-----t slur under the influence of a tumor but she still used it would a sibling feel the same way.?

19 minutes ago, weinerdog said:

Is there another relative like an Aunt who might cause trouble?Granted Lacey used the f-----t slur under the influence of a tumor but she still used it would a sibling feel the same way.?

Lacy has one much older sister, mentioned when the wedding was the topic, although her being a lot older wasn't obvious. I don't see an aunt entering the picture and making waves.

Aww, poor Dominic. 

But I get it. I've had a few characters who had a parent (or 2) die when they were young. It's most always a tragedy. 

Can't wait to see how much of Lacy's recent changes (job, custody issues, condo) will become crap that Dylan has to sort through. If indeed she does have a large bank account and brand-spanking new condo, wading through the legalities may become a major headache if she doesn't have a valid will.

There aren't any good outcomes with these types of medical issues, a co-worker in the office next to me survived an aneurysm as it was caught early and was able to return to work.

Another friend/co-worker got up from the dinner table to grab something from the kitchen and never made it past the doorway into the kitchen, death was instant.

As noted in a previous chapter's comments, while we were all ready to dislike Lacey, none of us would have wished such a fate on her. My heart goes out to Dominic and Dylan and the difficult road they are embarking on.

1 hour ago, kbois said:

Aww, poor Dominic. 

But I get it. I've had a few characters who had a parent (or 2) die when they were young. It's most always a tragedy. 

Can't wait to see how much of Lacy's recent changes (job, custody issues, condo) will become crap that Dylan has to sort through. If indeed she does have a large bank account and brand-spanking new condo, wading through the legalities may become a major headache if she doesn't have a valid will.

I'll attempt to continue with my every three-day posting schedule. I've got most of the first draft written, so you should see the next chapter Friday morning, Eastern Standard Time. Your concerns will definitely be covered.

15 minutes ago, drsawzall said:

There aren't any good outcomes with these types of medical issues, a co-worker in the office next to me survived an aneurysm as it was caught early and was able to return to work.

Another friend/co-worker got up from the dinner table to grab something from the kitchen and never made it past the doorway into the kitchen, death was instant.

As noted in a previous chapter's comments, while we were all ready to dislike Lacey, none of us would have wished such a fate on her. My heart goes out to Dominic and Dylan and the difficult road they are embarking on.

Yeah, sudden death is only good for sporting events. My dad was getting into the shower when he suffered a fatal heart attack twenty-three years ago. Not the kind of phone call you want to get while at work.

2 hours ago, kbois said:

Aww, poor Dominic. 

But I get it. I've had a few characters who had a parent (or 2) die when they were young. It's most always a tragedy. 

Can't wait to see how much of Lacy's recent changes (job, custody issues, condo) will become crap that Dylan has to sort through. If indeed she does have a large bank account and brand-spanking new condo, wading through the legalities may become a major headache if she doesn't have a valid will.

If she has died intestate, then everything will go to Dominic. It's possible probable that if Lacy did have money and a condo, Dylan could become the estate conservator.

Edited to add: So now we know that Lee is part of the grammar police, as evidenced below!!!

29 minutes ago, Al Norris said:

If she has died intestate, then everything will go to Dominic. It's possible that if Lacy did have money and a condo, Dylan could become the estate conservator.

There you guys go again, telling the story ahead of time. Oh, wait. I’m not writing it that way. My mistake.

I never understood ‘my bad.’ Bad is an adjective, mistake a noun. Every time I hear someone say ‘my bad’ I think ‘your bad what?’

My heart breaks for Dominic. He's been through so much in his young life. Even though it's kind of a blessing in disguise that she's not suffering anymore and not putting Dylan and Dominic through such a rollercoaster of emotions, her passing is still sad. 

1 hour ago, Al Norris said:

If she has died intestate, then everything will go to Dominic. It's possible probable that if Lacy did have money and a condo, Dylan could become the estate conservator.

Edited to add: So now we know that Lee is part of the grammar police, as evidenced below!!!

I've seen firsthand what headaches not having a will can cause.

Even with one there can be headaches. One of my residents died and she had everything in a trust. Well, once you die, the trust dies with you and the will takes over, which she had with 11 beneficiaries.

I listed her home and had an offer really quick (as in she accepted the offer but died before signing the title). Her idiot lawyer who set up the trust told her to take her 2 daughters off the title. Because the title wasn't signed I had to get signatures from ELEVEN people scattered across the US, waiving their right to the home just so I could get it transferred to the new owner. If her daughters were on the title as an "or" (Jane Doe or Mary Smith) there would be no issue as one of them could have signed it. 

I still have nightmares. 

12 minutes ago, kbois said:

I've seen firsthand what headaches not having a will can cause.

Even with one there can be headaches. One of my residents died and she had everything in a trust. Well, once you die, the trust dies with you and the will takes over, which she had with 11 beneficiaries.

I listed her home and had an offer really quick (as in she accepted the offer but died before signing the title). Her idiot lawyer who set up the trust told her to take her 2 daughters off the title. Because the title wasn't signed I had to get signatures from ELEVEN people scattered across the US, waiving their right to the home just so I could get it transferred to the new owner. If her daughters were on the title as an "or" (Jane Doe or Mary Smith) there would be no issue as one of them could have signed it. 

I still have nightmares. 

Yeah, that sounds like a really big mess. I’ve had no experiences like that, so nothing like that will happen here.

Because of my father's propensity to create all sorts of legal havoc and declining health, we put the family property in a trust that mirrored my grandmother's will. When the time came to place both my father and mother into long-term care, and not having financial resources, to pay, all sorts of entities tried coming after the property but could not touch it.  The trust allowed for successor trustees thus saving the property from being sold...

I believe in Massachusetts, if you die without a will the following applies...

What Happens if I Die Without a Valid Will in Massachusetts? - Don’t Tax Yourself (bowditch.com)

Yeah, we’re in the process right now.  I’m concerned about some relatives, who have already proven themselves to rather greedy and money-grubbing, to try to contest my will especially, since I have no children.  As such, I am making certain of mentioning them, by name, and bequeathing them minimal amounts.  That way, they can’t come back and claim they were overlooked.

4 hours ago, drsawzall said:

A very generous move to say the least, if they are as you describe, there are two other options to consider; first...specifically mention that "no provision" has been made for them, secondly...you could make a donation in their name to a charitable cause. 

Those are both good ideas.  However, there are a couple of babies to whom I would like to leave something (with a separate trustee managing the funds for them and stipulations on how the funds can be used.  My parents did something like this, but those babies attained adulthood before their passing and their wills were changed.). These babies are not to blame for the stupidity of the previous generations.  It’s not much, but it’s enough to give them a start for a college fund.