by John Charles
“Okay, I really don’t understand why you’d want to go against him, knowing what he could do to both of us. Will I see you tomorrow? Yeah I know. I love you too.” He ended the call and lay deep in thought. He pictured Alex’s smile as he held him. He wanted this. He was so scared he started to shake.
A few minutes later, he made another call. It went directly to voice mail so he knew the phone was off. “I’ll do it,” he said then ended the call.
Chapter 11
Terry held Lane’s hand as the pain meds helped him relax into a restful sleep. “He’ll be alright Terry. Listen to the doctor and do as he says. Love him gently Terry,” whispered Hallie as she watched her son holding the man he loved.
The opening door caught mother and son’s attention. There stood a tall slender man with arms full of equipment, a bulging shoulder bag, holding a cup with hot coffee printed on the side. “Can I come in?”
Hallie didn’t know this man, but Terry recognized him from the numerous times he visited Lane at the institute. “Here, let me help you with that stuff. I’m Lane’s partner Terry. Remember me?” he said as he took some of the equipment from the struggling man. “Mom, this is Abram, Abram Azriel. Abram, this is my mother Hallie.”
The two-shook hands as Terry continued to help Abram, who stood six foot three inches tall, and weighed only about 180 pounds. His clothes hung off his body as if they were two sizes too big. Shaggy black hair that looked like it needed grooming and sparkling brown eyes in a baby face gave him the appearance of a teenager pretending to be a man. “Sherry brought me up to date and asked that I try to help Lane’s memory problem.”
“Do you think you can?” whispered a hopeful Terry as he moved to stand next to his mother near the bed. "He’s had some memory recall this morning, but nothing spectacular.”
“Actually, we’ve been working on something for people with Alzheimer’s. We know their problem lies in the diminished ability of synapses of the brain to send impulses to each other, thus limiting memory and other functions.”
Hallie interrupted, “How does that relate to Lane. He doesn’t have Alzheimer’s.”
“Mom, let the man continue. I have a feeling he’ll get to that.”
Abram smiled at the mother-son bickering. My mom would ask that too. “From what we’ve learned in doing our research, memory relies on the ability of the brain to send electrical signals across synaptic pathways. When something blocks or prevents the signals, a person forgets. We know the information is still there, but the person can no longer access it.”
“Okay, I get that. How do you open those pathways?” asked Terry.
“We have been developing some ideas on that topic, but have not begun lab testing on a full scale as yet. I’d like to use these procedures on Lane,” said a very self-sure scientist. Then holding up his hands to stop Hallie from talking, he said, “I know it sounds scary, but the worst case would be that Lane sees no immediate improvement in regaining his memory. But if it does work, we think it might do more than only helping him with memory loss.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Hallie showing concern. “Could your procedure hurt him?”
“No, to the contrary it might help him in other ways. I have talked to everyone on the team since you spoke with Sherry. Oh, she said to tell you that she would be here in a little while. As I was saying, the team met earlier and put together a procedure that might help open Lane’s memory pathways. It might also allow him to have better memory and to even open pathways that were not available to him prior to the accident.”
“Other pathways, what does that mean?” asked Terry and Hallie in unison. “Are you suggesting your procedure can give him better memory?” asked Terry.
“We think it might. For now, we just want to help him remember. Will you allow me to try this on him?”
Terry and Hallie looked at each other. “He’s started to remember things already. What if this slows that down or God forbid stops it altogether?” asked a very concerned Hallie.
“Mom, didn’t you once tell me that Lane was on top of his craft? You even told me if you needed help with a physical issue, you would want Lane on the team. I think we need to trust them.”
“Do you need permission from the hospital?” asked Terry.
“Not directly. We have a research provision in place with the hospital. Sherry spoke with our contact person who said he would include Lane on the study. That means I can work this procedure on him once I get your signature on the consent form that Sherry is bringing with her.”
“Let’s set things up so you can start the procedure as soon as I sign the form.” Terry helped Abram with the equipment while Hallie looked nervously at the sleeping form on the bed. “Let’s not do anything to wake him. He needs to sleep right now.”
Terry connected wires to the boxes under Abram’s directions. No one noticed Lane’s eyes open. He watched in silence. When the door opened admitting Sherry, he gasped, “Hi.” Everyone turned to see Lane’s reactions. His smile said it all.
“You remember me?” Sherry, a broad smile on her face, approached the bed. “Hallie said your memory was coming back.”
Lane looked from face to face smiling at each person around his bed. “Yes, I am remembering. It seems as if a cloud or fog is dispersing.” He reached out for Sherry, took her hand, and pulled her into a warm hug. “Bear with me. It’s coming back,” he whispered to the woman that meant so much to him. “I see you brought the army with their toys. What are you planning?”
Abram felt flustered at the thought of describing the procedure to the man who first devised it. Lane wanted details. “I understand what you are saying Abram. Do you think this will actually help me?”
“You said it would help people with memory loss. It’s your procedure Lane, not mine!” he responded. “Do you remember the paper you wrote on the issues of memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients?”
Terry opened Lane’s laptop and retrieved the paper Abram had mentioned. Turning the computer to face Lane, he said, “Here, read this and let’s see if it stirs anything in that genius mind of yours.”
Lane read his research paper as everyone watched in silence. When he finished, he turned to Abram and asked, “Did you bring the neural cortical stimulator? If my memory is correct, we decided that it was necessary for future testing.”
Hallie took a breath as she witnessed Lane’s understanding of the procedure.
Terry, Sherry and Abram continued setting up the equipment. Abram placed a hood with numerous holes on Lane’s head. He used a syringe to squirt a small amount of clear liquid into each hole, and then placed a small electrode connected to a long wire into each hole. He connected the wires to a box, which was connected to a computer. Lane looked like a porcupine with multi-colored quills.
“Okay, Lane, here are the headphones and the visor goggles.” Sherry helped Lane position them so he could only hear and see what the system gave him. “Let’s see if it works,” she said to Abram.
Terry, Sherry, and Hallie moved away from Lane’s bed and watched the two scientists. Abram talked into a microphone, testing the system. “Can you hear me Lane?” he said. Once Lane signaled he could hear, Abram turned on the visor. “Do you see the image in both eyes?” Again, Lane said yes.
“Okay. Try to keep your eyes open during the procedure. If you need a break, use your right hand to signal me.” Lane shook his head and said he was ready to begin.
“How does this work?” whispered Hallie to Sherry.
“It’s a complex procedure that Lane and the team developed over the past four years. They had been working with a victim of a car accident who lost control of his legs from a severe head injury. Lane had the idea that he could teach the man’s brain to create new pathways for the motor control of his legs. Much of that is an autonomic function so it happens without any of us having to think about it. But this man’s brain was not functioning correctly.”
Just before Abram was to start the procedure, a memb
er of the hospital’s neurology staff, three residents and a nurse entered the room. The residents were there to witness the procedure as part of their training. The nurse was there to monitor Lane’s vitals.
Sherry continued her explanation, loud enough for the residents to hear, as Abram started the procedure. Abram reminded Lane to try to keep his eyes open.
“Lane is seeing images flashing in the visor and is hearing voices, music, and electronic sounds from the headphones. Everything is moving quite fast in front of his eyes. The images stay on the screen for a fraction of a second, and then merge into another.”
“How will that improve his memory?” asked one of the residents.
“The goal is to stimulate areas of the brain that correspond to each image as well as each sound. A subliminal soundtrack is also playing that further stimulates the brain to open pathways that might have been damaged due to the accident.”
“Is it necessary to repeat the procedure more than once?” asked another resident.
“Yes. In the case of the accident victim with motor control issues, it was necessary to repeat the procedure several times. Some others only needed it twice though I’m not sure about Lane. He is already gaining some memory recall on his own. This may be enough to stimulate the natural process.”
“Are there any side effects?” questioned the nurse as she monitored Lane’s vitals.
“So far the only side effect we’ve seen are muscle spasms as the brain learns the new pathways,” answered Abram never taking his eyes off his laptop. “The young man with the motor control issues experienced severe spasms as his brain learned how to re-route the motor controls. At one point, he asked us to stop. He said the spasms hurt too much.”
Everyone could hear the faint sounds emanating from the headphones on Lane’s head. Suddenly they saw Lane’s body jerk as if it received a shock. “What just happened?” asked the nurse. “His pulse and respiration suddenly shot up.”
Abram explained, “We have found the body reacts as the brain begins opening pathways. Sometime the shaking is rather violent, other times it’s just as if he had a shiver. Presuming he is like the other test subjects, his vitals will remain in an elevated state as the procedure continues, but should return to normal after the procedure finishes.”
Forty minutes later, the computer beeped, indicating the procedure was completed. Abram gently removed the headphones and visor, leaving the hood as it was. He signaled everyone in the room to remain quiet.
Lane’s eyes were closed; his breathing and pulse were slowing from the elevated state they maintained during the procedure. A few minutes later Abram spoke, “Lane, open your eyes and look at me. Don’t look at anyone else in the room, just me.”
Lane did as instructed. Looking at Abram, he said, “I think I want to take that ride again my friend. It was awesome!”
“Not today, maybe tomorrow. Right now I want you to close your eyes and sleep.”
After removing the wires and hood from Lane, Abram packed his equipment and ushered everyone out to the hall. He explained that the procedure caused extreme mental stimulation that usually left the patient exhausted. “That’s why I asked Lane to only look at me.” Performing the procedure more than once per day caused the patient to become so exhausted they would sleep for days.
The residents asked several questions, specifically how Dr. Duwalt developed the numerous processes that ran simultaneously during the procedure. Abram explained the system and what they just witnessed. The brain is capable of maintaining numerous different operations at the same time. They are known as the autonomic system. People don’t think about breathing, their heart beating, digestion, etc. Memory is something taken for granted. When the brain is injured, some of the autonomic systems shut down.
The Duwalt Memory Procedure, as it was known at the institute, stimulates as many of the neural pathways as possible causing the brain to overload. The premise is the brain will open new pathways to maintain its health and stability. “The procedure is still in its infancy. Lane is the first person with this type of injury to receive it. I’ll be here for a while to make sure he sleeps soundly.”
Terry asked about repeating the procedure, only to have Abram say he couldn’t be sure of anything at this point. “Let’s see what he remembers when he wakes up. If warranted, we can do it again.”
Abram repeated the procedure three times over the following three days. Each time he increased the intensity of the video and the subliminal soundtrack. Lane remembered more after each repeat. When the third procedure was completed, he asked Lane to open his eyes and look at everyone in the room. “Tell me something about each person you see.”
Lane opened his eyes and looked at Sherry first. “I see the one woman who captured my heart many years ago. If I weren’t gay, I think we’d be married with a family right now.”
All eyes fell on the very red-faced woman with tears streaming from her eyes. Hallie wrapped her in a comforting hug as Lane continued around the room.
“I see a scientist and friend who has the courage to do things that would make others in the team cringe with fear. Thank you for helping me Abram. You are a true friend and colleague.”
“I see the woman who has been the mother I never had standing next to the man I love.” Reaching out his free hand he said, “Hello my love. I’m back.”
Chapter 12
“Are you ready?” asked Ellissa as she entered Reade’s hospital room. “My car is at the front door, but you know they’ll baulk if you try to walk.”
Just then, the duty nurse rolled the requisite wheel chair into the room. “Okay Reade, time for your ride to freedom,” she said with a smile. “Honestly, we’ll miss you.”
Ellissa took Reade’s laptop and briefcase while the nurse placed his duffle on his lap. Reade scanned the room as if looking for something, closed his eyes, sighed and said, “Let’s go.”
Ellissa’s driver placed the baggage in the trunk then held the door open for them to enter the rear seat. “You’re sure you want to do this?” she asked as Reade buckled his belt.
“We’ve been through this how many times? Yes, I’m ready and I don’t care what he says anymore. My only concern is how this will affect you.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret but not right now,” she said eyeing her driver. “We can talk later. Let’s get you home.”
Neither mother nor son had much more to say. They had worked through as many possibilities as they could think of. Still, Harrold could surprise them. Ellissa knew her husband would attempt to make her son’s life miserable. He could also try his arrogant tactics on her as well, but she was prepared for whatever he dished out.
Ellissa’s driver brought Reade’s duffle up to the apartment and asked if Ellissa would need the car again that afternoon. “Not for a while,” she said as she looked around the apartment. “I’ll call when I’m ready to leave. Oh, and remember, you say nothing to Harrold or anyone else about where you took Reade and me.”
“I do understand ma’am, I’ll wait for your call. Welcome home,” he said looking at Reade. With a slight bow of his head, turned, and left.
“I’d forgotten how nice this place is. It’s been quite a while since I last visited,” said Ellissa as she took Reade’s duffle to the bedroom. “Are you hungry? We can go to that little restaurant down the street. I enjoyed their food the last time we ate there.”
Reade knew his mother was trying to cheer him up, but right now, his only thought was how empty the apartment felt. He wasn’t hungry, but decided lunch might be good. “I’m sure everything in the fridge has spoiled, so yeah, let’s go for something to eat.” Mother and son walked to the quaint little restaurant two blocks from the apartment building. Once seated, Reade said, “Jason is meeting me tomorrow morning at the hospital, after his shift ends. I can’t imagine putting my life on the line everyday to save someone else. He is an amazing man.”
Ellissa pulled her son’s hand into hers and looked into his eyes. �
�You know this will work out. Harrold may be a bully, but I am sure we can make him see things our way. After all, we do have a few cards up our sleeves, don’t we?”
Walking back to the apartment, Ellissa asked, "When does your new car arrive?" She knew Reade ordered a replacement for the car he wrecked, but had none of the details. “Did you order the same model?”
A smiling Reade answered, “Yeah, I ordered the same model. I liked it for the short time I had it. Alex did too. He would never buy something like that — he’s too practical, but he did enjoy it.”
“So, when does it arrive?”
“Oh, it should be here tomorrow morning. I wasn’t sure what time I’d get sprung today and asked them to deliver it first thing tomorrow.”
Ellissa curled her arm through her son’s as they continued their leisurely walk back to his building. As they entered the lobby, the concierge welcomed them back from lunch and said Reade had a guest. He nodded to the woman sitting across the room.
The woman rose upon seeing Reade and Ellissa enter the building. Though she looked familiar, he couldn’t remember why he knew her. “May I help you?” Reade asked as she approached.
“Reade, I’m Gena Newfeld, Alex’s mother. I was hoping to talk with you at the hospital but they said you checked out earlier this morning. I thought you might come here.”
In the two years he and Alex were together, Reade never met Gena. Alex talked about her quite a bit, always touting something wonderful about the woman. “It’s nice to finally meet you Mrs. Newfeld. I’m sorry it’s on such painful circumstances. Alex was always talking about you.” Reade turned toward his mother and introduced Ellissa.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Newfeld. Shall we go up to Reade and Alex’s apartment?”
“Before we go up, there’s something I have to do,” said Reade as he turned toward the concierge. They spoke for a few minutes then Reade returned to his ladies. “Okay, let’s go.” They shared the elevator ride in relative quiet. As in most cases, people rarely talked while on an elevator. The door opened to a hallway leading to two apartments. Reade escorted the women to his and ushered them inside.