Meg

by Steve Alten

  “David, don’t go!” She lunged forward to grab his wrist, pulling her IV out in the process, the blood drizzling from her vein.

  “Damn it, Jackie.” He reached for a wad of paper napkins and pressed them to the back of her hand.

  “Ow.”

  “Keep pressure on that,” he said as he pressed the nurse’s call button. “We need help; she pulled out her IV.”

  Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek, tears in her eyes. “I’ll tell you, then you can go.”

  He nodded as the door opened and a Jamaican nurse entered. “What a mess; now why would you want ta do a t’ing like dis?”

  “It was an accident.”

  Pursing her lips as if saying “accident my ass,” she donned a pair of latex gloves, snapping each finger in place. She cleaned and dressed the wound, then selected a fresh vein on the back of Jackie’s other hand. Using an alcohol swab, she sterilized the area and slid the needle into the blood vessel.

  “Ow again.”

  She disposed of the needle and collected the trash. “The doctor will be in ta see you soon; try not to pull this one out.”

  Jackie waited for the door to click shut behind the nurse. “David―”

  “Jackie, I already know.”

  Her hands started shaking. “You do?”

  “You put a tracking device on board Mac’s chopper.”

  “What? Why would I do that?”

  “To give Van Sicklen a heads-up when we realized the Meg nursery is in the Georgia Strait.”

  “David … no. God, is that what you think? I’d never turn against you―you saved my life.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s my fault the Tonga sunk. I’m to blame for all those people dying.”

  David felt the blood rush from his face. “What are you talking about? It was the melvillei.”

  “The whale was drugged until I shot it with a tracking device. The harpoon must have pierced its skull and struck a sensitive part of its brain. The next thing I know, it went berserk.”

  “Even if that’s true, it wasn’t your fault, it was an accident.”

  “David, I was the marine biologist in charge. It was my job to keep that monster from destroying the ship. I not only failed; it was my actions that caused it to flip out. What do you think a jury is going to decide? What will a judge rule? You can bet the prosecutors will go for criminal negligence. I’m not some rich CEO; they’ll give me jail time. Then there’s the civil lawsuits. Think we have much of a future together with that mess hanging over my head? Face it, David, I’m toxic.”

  She sniffed, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. “All that … maybe I could deal with it … only I can’t stop … I can’t stop thinking about the people on board the tanker who died. I knew most of the crew … many of them were my friends. Some days I can’t handle being in my own skin. Some nights … some nights I wish you would have just let me die.”

  David caught her as she rolled over and wept, stroking her hair as his cursed iPhone went off, chiming Pop Goes the Weasel.

  CHAPTER 11

  DANIELLE TAYLOR STARED out of the passenger window at the billowy-white cloud formations casting their shadows across the uneven squares of farmland which divided the flatland like a quilt. Dirt roads connected acreage to an occasional dwelling, but for the most part, it was just patches of green and brown and isolation. She wondered what it must be like to live so far from towns and cities―and the six-year-old who insisted on kicking the back of her seat.

  Four hours out of Fort Lauderdale―another hour before they’d land. She imagined herself collecting her suitcase from the baggage carousel and wheeling it out to locate her Uber. They’d hit some rush hour traffic before exiting to the UC-San Francisco campus. The driver would follow the circular drive of her apartment building and she’d exit into the lobby where she’d flash her student I.D. before catching the first elevator up to the sixth floor. The hall was always quiet during midterms and finals, otherwise the walls would be throbbing with music. She’d key into Unit 623 and hug her roommates. She’d shower and change and then they’d hit Union Square for a quick bite before pulling an all-nighter in the library. Her fellow med students would chastise her for ordering a few glasses of wine with dinner, but Dani needed just enough of a buzz to tuck away the last three weeks of doctor’s visits and endless tests and nightly battles between her parents … her father urging her mother to eat … “just another sip of Ensure … just one more grape,” her mother moaning, “I can’t, Jonas―enough!” Only it was never enough, each ounce her mother took in was two less than the day before … one step forward, two steps back.

  Cancer was a cruel game of whack-a-mole, and Parkinson’s had become its bedfellow, draining what little energy her mother had left to the point where her father would simply swoop her up in his arms and carry her from the car to the apartment or the doctor’s office. She’d fuss and roll her eyes, but she knew that he needed to do it―to be her hero again, and so who was she to argue? And at the end of each day they’d cross another box off the wall calendar in the kitchen of their rental apartment―“Twenty-seven more days before your protocol begins … twenty-three more Xs before the cancer meets its killer … only three more weeks, mother!”

  Maybe the cancer knew its days were numbered; with twenty days to go before her mother would undergo her white cell cancer elixir, Danielle had received a 7 a.m. call from Dr. Maharaj. “Dani, you need to bring your mother to our office right away, her last blood test shows her creatinine level has risen dangerously high.”

  From her studies, Dani knew that creatinine was a chemical waste generated by muscle metabolism and transported through the blood-stream to the kidneys. The kidneys then filtered out most of the creatinine and disposed of it in the urine. Mom’s creatinine levels had risen from a normal 1.2 to 2.1 due to her not eating or drinking enough fluids, a condition that could lead to renal failure.

  Dr. Maharaj adjusted their game plan to include three hours every morning of IVs until her creatinine levels stabilized.

  They had made it through two more days when the next domino fell―her mother’s uric acid levels were too high and had to be reduced for her to qualify for the protocol. That meant daily blood work and more IVs.

  Dr. Maharaj’s main concern was that her mother was growing weaker from not eating. Despite their constant coaxing, Mom was still not cooperating, complaining that it hurt too much to swallow. With seventeen days to go, a physical exam revealed the cause―the inside of Terry Taylor’s mouth and throat was covered with thrush.

  Thrush is an infection caused by the candida fungus. Often contracted by infants, the yeast spreads quickly in adults with weakened immune systems. The medicated rinse prescribed by Dr. Maharaj burned Mom’s mouth beyond tolerance levels, so it had to be diluted.

  Dani had looked at the discovery of thrush as a positive development―if the meds could eliminate the cause of her mother’s reluctance to swallow, then hopefully she could start eating again. And so, a new routine developed―blood tests every morning, followed by four hours of IVs along with thrush rinses three times a day, and every other day, a trip to nearby Lynn University to drain her mother’s left lung of fluid.

  With fifteen days to go before the protocol, Dr. Maharaj had good news―a suitable donor had been found. More good news turned out to be a double-edged sword―the medication had removed the thrush, but her mother still couldn’t swallow without pain. An endoscopy was scheduled to determine if there was a blockage.

  Dani had midterms scheduled at the end of the week. Her parents insisted she fly back to San Francisco so she wouldn’t fall any further behind on her studies. “Okay, Mom, but only if you promise to drink three cans of Ensure a day.”

  “I’ll try.”

  With exactly two weeks to go, her father awoke to discover a red rash had spread over most of her mother’s back, so thick that it looked like she was wearing a vest. Dr. Maharaj felt it was probably a reaction t
o all the thrush medication and reduced her dosage.

  Today was Day 13 on the kitchen wall calendar. Dani had a noon flight scheduled; her mother had a 7 a.m. endoscopy. Thankfully, the gastrologist found no blockage, but he was extremely concerned. “Mrs. Taylor’s lack of nourishment is taking a toll, she’ll never last until the protocol unless she takes in at least five hundred to a thousand calories a day.”

  Before boarding the plane, Dani had called Dr. Maharaj. “I know it’s against protocol, but my mother’s wasting away to nothing. We need you to move the start day up.”

  “When will you be back in South Florida?”

  “Friday.”

  “All right. We’ll push everything up to Monday. But tell your father she has to eat.”

  Dani had wept at the news.

  * * *

  “We’ll be arriving at Gate C-13. Please wait until the plane has come to a full stop before leaving your seat. Use caution in opening the overhead bins as your personal items may have shifted during the flight. On behalf of Captain William Fields and our flight crew, we’d like to thank you for flying United. The local time is now four-twenty-five p.m.”

  Danielle stretched in her seat before taking out her cell phone to check her messages.

  “Dani, it’s Dad. Mom’s in West Boca hospital. Call me.”

  She speed-dialed her father’s number, her heart racing. “Dad, it’s me. What happened?”

  “About two hours after you left she had trouble catching her breath. Dr. Maharaj told me to get her to the ER. She has fluid in her right lung; they think she may have aspirated the Ensure from her esophagus muscles being so weak and out of sync. They have her wearing this enormous mask that forcibly blasts pure oxygen into her mouth. It’s torture.”

  “What does Maharaj say?”

  “He wants them to treat her lung and get her out of here. We’re waiting on a thoracic specialist, but he won’t be here until tomorrow morning, so it looks like we’re spending the night. They’re waiting for a bed to open up in the ICU. Dani, one of the ER doctors wants to speak with me; I need to call you back.”

  She hung up, feeling numb. It seemed like yesterday that Dr. Brennan was reciting her mother’s verdict. Dani wished she could go back in time to that day … to redirect her parents to reject the course of chemo offered by the Abramsom Center and go with the slight Indian doctor in Boynton Beach offering the miracle they were praying for.

  Realizing she was the last passenger on board, she climbed out from her window seat, grabbed her carry-on bag from the open overhead bin and exited the plane, her legs shaking as she made her way up the ramp and into the terminal. She cursed her decision to leave her parents as she scrolled through her messages to locate Dr. Maharaj’s cell phone number.

  “Dr. M., it’s Dani Taylor.”

  “Danielle, hello. How is your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I just spoke to my father; he said they’re going to be admitting her.”

  “Yes, it’s very important that they clear her lung with antibiotics along with the oxygen. I told your father to make sure they start her on nutrients as well; hopefully she can regain some strength. What’s important is that they don’t start treating her cancer. Clear her lung; nutrients as soon as possible, nothing more.”

  “Understood.”

  She hung up, feeling slightly more hopeful. If the hospital could feed her mother intravenously, then perhaps this new set-back was a blessing in disguise.

  She found her way to the baggage claim, feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Her roommates had volunteered to help her cram for midterms, but the thought of studying all night seemed overwhelming. She recalled her father quoting General George S. Patton while training her for track and field tryouts back in high school. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all, Dani. Your body is telling you to quit, but it’s really your mind. You’re not just conditioning your muscles; you’re disciplining your thought process to stay positive.”

  She recognized her suitcase circling the carousel and ran to it before it disappeared through the exit. Suck it up, soldier. Think of what Mom has to endure; think about Dad and the long night and days ahead for him. Ace your exams, then get back to South Florida in time to witness your mother’s miracle.

  She headed outside looking at her iPhone to see where her Uber was located. An old poster of San Francisco’s attractions stared her in the face, one of the photos featuring Angel, taken as the 74-foot, 50-ton Megalodon rose out of the southern end of the lagoon to eat.

  This sucks. Why does David get to pursue his dream while I’m flying from coast to coast, taking care of our parents and pulling all-nighters?

  She took out her phone and dialed his number, the call going straight to voicemail.

  “Hey Superstar, it’s your sister. You need to forget about your stupid sharks and get your ass to Boca … our parents need you!”

  False Bay, San Juan Island

  Nearly encircled by land, False Bay resembled a giant bite mark taken out of the southwestern coastline of San Juan Island. The shallow waterway might have been a popular tourist destination had it not been for the abundance of shellfish which washed up daily along the mud-laced shoreline, each low tide leaving behind a powerful, intolerable stench.

  Shoes in hand, David stood ankle-deep in the bog, watching sea birds feast on oysters and clams. He had been waiting for nearly an hour; the sun having long-since dropped behind the mountains that occupied the western horizon, bathing the pre-dusk sky in an orange hue. The screw-up was his; he had left the hospital forty minutes late for his rendezvous with the Manta and his iPhone had died on the jog over, severing all communication between his GPS and the missing sub.

  Without that signal to home in on, Monty could be anywhere.

  David felt his lower back tightening. With no place to sit, he could only shift his weight or continue walking along the shallows―an activity he ceased after stepping on a crab.

  The sky had deepened to a scarlet-burgundy by the time he saw the ripple appear on the placid surface, the two-foot wave moving steadily in his direction. A quick flicker of underwater lights revealed the Manta. David hurried to intercept the sub before it beached, frantically signaling Monty to kill the engines to prevent the vessel’s twin pump-jet propulsors from getting clogged with mud. Grabbing the vessel by its prow, he slowed its forward inertia, then turned it around one hundred and eighty degrees before pushing it back out into deeper waters.

  The hatch popped open, releasing Monty, who stood up in the cockpit, unzipped his shorts, and ceremoniously peed over the side. “I’ve been holding that in for two hours―what the hell happened to you?”

  “My phone died.” David stepped onto the portside wing to climb aboard, causing the sub to teeter and Monty to pee down his shorts.

  “Hey!”

  “Sorry. You know there is a built-in port-a-potty connected to your seat.”

  “And have to listen to Cyel bitch about using it? No thanks.”

  David dried his feet off on the carpet before slipping his shoes on. He then secured his feet to the two foot pedals and buckled the harness across his chest while Monty sealed the hatch. Powering on the engines, he headed across False Bay at five knots, approaching the exit to the Salish Sea.

  “I take it Mac located the vessel that caught Bela’s pup?”

  “She was in the Georgia Strait, just as you predicted. A big ol’ yacht―the Hot & Spicy, registered in Texas.”

  “Texas? What’s it doing in the Salish Sea?”

  “Hunting Meg pups … duh. The owner is Shelly Shelby-Smallwood. Her father was some corporate big-wig. He died on a fishing trip in the Salish Sea when he was yanked overboard and eaten by the male Meg that impregnated Angel.”

  “Geez. Well, that explains his daughter’s motive. Where’s the yacht now?”

  Monty pressed a control on the dashboard monitor, causing a GPS satellite image of two islands to appear.

  “Denman and Hornby Island?”
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br />   “Yeah, but there’s a small island that’s not showing up … hold on.” He magnified the image to reveal Flora Islet. “According to Mohammed―our hopper captain, not the prophet―the water’s real deep. He thinks there might be a seal population living on that rock.”

  “The Meg nursery … Where’s the McFarland? ”

  “On the way. Mac said they should arrive around midnight.”

  “Then we need to put the pedal to the metal.” They had reached the choppy surf separating the shallow bay from the sea. David switched the cockpit glass to night-vision mode, causing the world to brighten to lime-green before he pushed down on the joystick in his right palm.

  The submersible plunged at a steep angle to one hundred feet before he leveled out and pressed both feet to the thruster pedals.

  The Manta accelerated through the dark green void, its forward speed causing particles in the water to whip at them as if they were traveling in a blizzard.

  David locked in their course on the auto-pilot, adjusting the sub’s speed to thirty knots. “We’ll follow Boundary Pass into the Georgia Strait. Better go active on sonar, Monty. I don’t want to get us sucked into the vortex of a tanker.”

  “Yeah, that would suck.” Reaching for the sonar array, he flipped the toggle switch from PASSIVE to ACTIVE. “You know, Junior, if my Dad had been eaten by one your sharks―”

  “That big male wasn’t one of ours.”

  “Duly noted. But if one of my family members had been eaten by Angel, or Bela or Lizzy, one could see why they’d want to kill these sharks.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “Actually, that was my point.”

  “Monty, I’m not advocating allowing the Megs to use the Salish Sea as a breeding ground. The difference is that I don’t want them killed, I want them held in captivity.”

  “Right. But you don’t exactly have a great track history of keeping these monsters in their pens. Angel escaped, so did Bela and Lizzy.”

  “Bela and Lizzy were released … there’s a big difference.”

  “Not to the people who were eaten. Listen, I’m on your side. But if it comes down to us and them, I need to know you’ll choose us.”