Dante's Day Off

by S. L. Wallace



  Dante’s Day Off

  S.L. Wallace

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 by Sarah Yoho

  First electronic edition: October 2013

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or stored in a database or retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.

  ISBN: 9781301771172

  Cover art created by Shadow Portal Productions.

  Edited by Louise Sorensen

  The head surgeon snipped the last thread and stepped back. “Well, that's it. Now we wait.”

  For a moment, the only sound was the gentle beep of the heart monitor; the only motion, the rise and fall of the patient’s chest. A grueling 18 hours after they had begun, the surgery was complete, and the team had come farther than anyone ever had before. Beneath the excitement of accomplishment, an underlying current of exhaustion was present on every face: dark circles under eyes, slack expressions and slumped shoulders. Although the chalk marks on the floor that had kept everyone in the right place at the right time no longer mattered, most of the anesthesiologists, lab technicians and nurses remained in their last positions, anxious for the patient to awaken.

  A nurse’s gasp drew their attention when the patient opened its eyes.

  Sharp teeth snapped at one of the lab techs who quickly stepped back and bumped into a stainless steel tray. Medical instruments crashed to the floor as two other technicians rushed forward to tighten the restraints.

  “Damn animal almost took off my finger.” The man chuckled nervously.

  “He nearly got you,” the surgeon confirmed. He shone a pen light above the Rhesus monkey's head. A pair of amber eyes followed the beam of light as it moved back and forth across its field of vision. “Optical nerves appear to be functioning correctly.” Then the surgeon reached to the side and picked up a small dog training device. When he pressed the clicker, the monkey blinked at the sound. “Hearing is in working order. Nurse?” The surgeon handed her the device, and in turn, she handed him a wooden skewer with a piece of cantaloupe on it. Slowly, he inserted the sweet cube into the monkey's mouth. The animal sucked on it, then chewed, swallowed, and licked its lips. A comprehensive sigh filled the room.

  ***

  “And that was in 1970?” Loretta asked.

  “Yes, indeed.” Dante's eyes twinkled at the thought. “The first successful head transplant!”

  “To a cute little monkey!”

  “Cute? From what I’ve read, it was a vicious animal.”

  “And wouldn't you be? I mean if some scientists had hacked off your head and put it on someone else's body? I'd want to take a bite out of them too.”

  Dante stared at Loretta. Perhaps she hadn't been the best one to ask.

  “And now you want me to sign this—this paper saying I'm okay with you giving away your body, or shall I say your head, for some sort of sick experimentation?”

  “Yes! Well, no, it's not quite like that. I'm just asking you to be a witness. You don't have to agree to any of it.”

  “It's wrong, Dante.” Loretta pushed the paper back into his hands. He set it on the glass tabletop and placed a rock on it, so the cool evening breeze wouldn’t blow it away. Then he poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Loretta.

  “No, it's not,” he said. “Those experiments were on monkeys, not people. And they led to a lot of life-saving practices that we take for granted today.”

  “But the poor animal had no choice in the matter. It wasn't injured beforehand. That's what you said, right? Some doctors just decided to hack off its head and play God, like Dr. Frankenstein. And what about the other one?”

  “The other one?”

  “Yes, the one that donated its body. There must have been two, you know, to do those experiments. There had to be at least two.”

  Dante sighed. He definitely shouldn't have asked Loretta. He had known beforehand that she had cats. He should have realized she'd take the monkey's side. Still, Dante reached for her hand and tried one more time. “Please?”

  “Why me?” Loretta narrowed her eyes.

  “Because I only have two loves in my life, so it has to be you.” Dante set down his glass and picked up his violin and bow.

  Loretta shook her head and smiled as he began to play the soothing melody he’d composed just for her. Leaning back in a wrought iron chair on Dante’s rooftop patio, she looked out over Trastevere Square and took a sip of wine.

  ***

  The next night, Dante unlocked the front door of the apartment building and stepped back to let Natalia enter first. He continued to hold the door open for an elderly neighbor who was carrying a bag of groceries. The gray haired woman winked at him as she passed by; she recognized the raven haired young lady as one of his regulars. Dante winked back at her.

  Five minutes later, up on the rooftop terrace, Natalia said, “And that was in 1970?” She tipped the glass of red wine to her lips. They sat against a long cushion Dante had propped against the brick wall of his rooftop patio and watched as dusk colored the sky orange and pink.

  “Yep, the 14th of March.”

  “Fascinating!”

  Dante put his arm around her shoulders, and Natalia settled against him. Although she had moved to Rome months ago when she’d accepted a position as a research assistant in the engineering department at Sapienza, she had first encountered Dante and his music just over a month ago when she saw him perform at Circolo degli Artisti. The club regularly hosted musicians such as Patti Smith and Carmen Consoli, and in her opinion, Dante Marando was better than all the rest combined.

  “So they knew how to do it years ago,” he explained, “only they couldn’t attach the nerves in the spinal column. It was just too delicate a procedure for the tools they had. It’s taken this long for technology to finally catch up to science.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “My cousin would like you, I think.”

  “Your cousin?”

  “Uh-huh. He’s the reason I knew about the job opening at the university. He works in the biomedical sciences department.”

  “Really? Why haven’t you mentioned him before?”

  Natalia raised her eyebrows. “Do you usually tell your dates about your extended family?”

  “Well, I do consider you to be more than just a date.” Dante turned and gently rubbed his nose against hers. “Besides when I look into your eyes, I can’t help but think of anyone but you.”

  Natalia kissed him lightly on the lips and then pulled back to take another sip of wine. “Oh, Dante. You’re cute.” She set the empty glass aside.

  On impulse, he blurted out, “Can I ask you something important?”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a plain white envelope. “I have this document. It’s a statement of what I want to do, my wishes if anything were to happen to me.”

  She reached for the envelope and withdrew a sheet of paper. “You wrote a will?”

  “More like a living will. If anything were to happen to me, an accident or an illness, and it didn’t look like I was going to make it, I’d want doctors to keep me going somehow, if possible.”

  “Yes, I’d think most would want that.” Natalia scanned the paper before setting it on her lap. “This is different though. You aren’t talking about resuscitation, are you?”

  Dante shook his head.

&
nbsp; “You really want this?”

  “Yes, I do. Will you come with me to the notary and be an additional witness? I want this to be taken seriously by the right people, if anything were to happen—.”

  “I understand.”

  Dante smiled. “It’s no fun talking about things like this, but I knew you were just the right person to ask.” He leaned in close. “So will you be my witness until death do us part?” he whispered, his breath hot on her ear.

  Her shivers told Dante he'd found her weak spot.

  “Yes, Dante. Yes, I'll be your witness.”

  “First thing in the morning?”

  “Are you asking me to stay the night?” She smiled coyly.

  “I thought that was already understood.”

  “Oh, Dante,” Natalia giggled and kissed him again.

  After a moment, he pulled back and said, “Just to be clear, um, what exactly does your cousin do?”

  “Oh, he’s a neurologist.”

  Dante froze. “Do you believe in destiny?”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. Can I have his number?”

  Natalia shook her head. “I’m too busy to look it up right now.” She reached for Dante’s shirt and pulled him close.

  ***

  Dante was enjoying a last bite of pasta in the outdoor dining area of a local cafe when he heard a familiar voice.

  “Dante? How are you?”

  Momentarily, his back stiffened, but he took a breath and forced himself to relax before standing up and kissing Natalia chastely on the cheek. Then he pulled out a chair for her. “Won’t you join us? We’re just about done eating. How about coffee?”

  “That would be lovely. Thank you.” Before taking her seat, Natalia reached across the table to shake hands with the young woman who was seated across from Dante. “Natalia, and you are?”

  “Angela.” She shot Dante a strained smile. Her lunch break was nearly up, and he’d promised a walk before she had to return to the box office. Standing all day took it’s toll, and she always looked forward to her lunches with Dante as well as having a chance to stretch her legs a bit. But now, there was coffee. Angela watched as her boyfriend flagged down the waiter and ordered a pot.

  “Angela, this is Natalia. She works at Sapienza, and she was going to hook me up with her cousin. Right?” Dante winked at Natalia. “He’s a neurologist, and you know how much I love science. And Natalia, this is Angela. She works at the box office at the Circolo.”

  Angela leaned back and eyed Natalia while the waiter poured their coffee. When he was done, he placed the white porcelain pot in the center of the table and walked away.

  “You look familiar. How do you know Dante?” Angela asked.

  Natalia smiled. “I’ve been to the Circolo before. I especially enjoy Dante’s music.”

  “Ah, our boy is talented. Audiences love it when he takes to the stage.” Angela took one sip of coffee before deciding she really didn’t need a jolt of caffeine for the afternoon. She pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I need to get back to work. Will you be by later, sweetie?” She looked at Dante.

  He stood as well and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes, I’d like to check the schedule, see if you can fit me in anytime soon.”

  “I’ll have the calendar ready for you, so you’ll be prepared when you meet with the boss.” Angela smiled.

  After she left, Natalia asked, “What did she mean by that?”

  “If I want an upcoming gig, I have to run it by her father. He owns the place.”

  “Oh, I see. So there’s nothing going on between you two?”

  “What? Why would you even ask that?” Dante moved his chair closer to Natalia’s.

  “I don’t know. I just got this sense, and you didn’t exactly introduce me as your girlfriend.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re jealous. You know you’re the only woman for me!” He leaned in and kissed her fully on the lips but only after looking over her shoulder to make sure Angela was out of sight.

  Then he sat back in his chair and asked, “So when can I meet him?”

  “Who?” Natalia asked innocently.

  “Who do you think? Your other boyfriend.”

  Natalia rolled her eyes.

  “I mean your cousin, of course!”

  She grinned. “I know. He’ll come to dinner on Thursday, your place, 19:00.”

  “My place?” Dante closed his eyes and quickly scanned his social calendar. He’d have to cancel with Suzetta.

  Natalia laughed, completely misunderstanding his hesitation. “Don’t look so nervous. I’ll make dinner.”

  ***

  Natalia was placing a basket of hot dinner rolls on the table when the buzzer rang. Dante had shoved aside a plate of salad and was busy scrawling notes on a piece of sheet music.

  “I see you’re hard at work. Can you pause for a minute to come and say hello?” she asked as she hurried over to the intercom to allow her cousin entry into the apartment building.

  “Of course.” Dante wrote a few more notes, then set down his pencil and followed Natalia to the front door.

  A muscular man with a thin black mustache stepped inside and hugged Natalia. Then he extended his hand; Dante gripped it firmly.

  “Pietro, this is my boyfriend, Dante. He’s been wanting to pick your brain. Dante, this is my cousin, Pietro, a world renowned neurologist. I know you both want to talk, but the food is ready.”

  “Then let’s talk over dinner.” Dante put his hand against the small of Natalia’s back and guided her to the dining area. He pulled out her chair while Pietro sat across from her. Dante sat to her right.

  “Natalia tells me you’re a musician. What do you play?”

  “The violin,” Dante said. He shuffled his papers and set them on the floor to make room for his plate. “I was composing a piece for Natalia when you arrived.”

  Natalia looked up from her salad in surprise. She swallowed and then said, “For me?”

  Dante smiled and placed his hand over hers, and Pietro said, “You must play it for us after dinner.”

  “I would love to hear it!” Pink crept over Natalia’s cheeks, making her even more beautiful to Dante.

  “Of course.” He looked at Pietro. “You work at the university too?”

  “Yes, I teach a few classes, but my main focus is research.”

  “I’ve been reading about the recent advances in transplants. Are you doing any research in that area?” Dante asked.

  “Yes, actually. How much has Natalia told you?”

  “Not much,” Natalia said, “because you haven’t told me much.”

  “Well, we’re not ready to advertise it yet, but we’re pursuing the idea of head transplants.”

  Dante placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, eager to hear more.

  “We’re very close to receiving final approval to move ahead. I’m thinking it will only be weeks, if that. And it could be as soon as tomorrow.”

  “What could be?” Dante asked. “What’s been holding you up?”

  “There’s a lot of controversy and some special circumstances. As you probably know, a lot of people already donate their organs upon death, and many even choose to donate their entire body for research. In the past, most complete human bodies have been donated to universities for the medical students to use for practice.”

  Dante nodded. “That makes sense. What better way for med students to learn the trade?” He looked at Natalia, and she smiled back at him. “I wouldn’t want a new doctor performing surgery on me unless he’s had quite a bit of practice.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  Pietro continued, “Exactly! But there’s a difference for us. The bodies used as cadavers can sit in the freezers for a while before they’re examined, but for our purpose, they’ll need to be fresh. And to be legally protected, we need to be sure the donors are willing participants.”

  “Willing?” Natalia asked. “I’m not sure I follow.”
>
  “I mean we need to know their final wishes. What do they mean when they say they want to donate their body to science? Are we all in agreement? If we’re not careful, close family may tell us that a head transplant wasn’t what their loved one had in mind.”

  “But it’s not really a head transplant, now is it?” Dante said.

  Natalia and Pietro turned to look at him.

  “I mean, it’s really more of a full body transplant, wouldn’t you say? If a person’s body is damaged beyond repair, but his brain is in good working order, what he needs is a new body. Any needed organ or part, right?” Dante reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope.

  “Dante!” Natalia laughed. “Do you always carry that with you?”

  “It’s important for people to know.” He shrugged and handed it to Pietro who read it over.

  “This is fantastic. Would you bring this to the university? I’d love to get you into the system—just in case, you understand. We have a database. It’s new, you’d only be the second. The other man who has expressed an interest is a quadriplegic, but it’s important to get started. We’ll need to take some blood tests and make sure we have everything we need to match you to the correct donor in the event of an untimely death.”

  “Of course!” Dante was all smiles.

  “Okay, this is getting a little weird,” Natalia said. “I mean, here I am watching you two grin about the possibility of Dante’s death. What’s wrong with us?”

  “Nothing, dear cousin. We are merely talking about medical research. Imagine how much we could learn!”

  Dante jumped in as well. “Oh, I have wondered about it! I’ve wondered about it a lot actually. I mean, just think of some questions that have plagued humans since the beginning of time. Is there a soul?”

  “And if there is,” continued Pietro, “where does it reside, in the heart or the brain?”

  “Maybe the soul runs throughout every cell of our being,” Natalia chimed in. “Maybe it runs through our nervous system.”

  “Another thing I’ve often wondered about,” Dante cut in, “is muscle memory.”

  “What do you mean?” Natalia asked.

  “I think I know where he’s going with this,” Pietro said. “May I try to clarify, see if I’m right?”

  Dante nodded eagerly. From all the strange looks he’d gotten whenever he tried to discuss any of this, he was glad to finally have an agreeable audience.