by Jan Eira
CHAPTER 3
“All my friends get to sleep late, Dad,” said Valerie. “Why do I have to do this stupid shadow thing today?”
“Come on, sweetheart,” he said. “It’ll be fun.” He closed her car door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“I don’t know if I want to be a doctor, Dad.”
“Well, this is a good way for you to find out,” he said. He put the Lexus in reverse and backed out of the garage and into the street, and then he drove from the affluent subdivision.
“All my friends get to sleep late today. I wish I could, too,” Valerie said, putting her iPod earbuds in and turning up the volume.
They drove for twenty minutes.
“We’re here,” her dad shouted over the loud song in Valerie’s ears. “Put the music away, please.”
The car stopped near a sign: Doctors’ Parking Lot. Valerie’s dad produced a card and used it to command the electric gate to open. Soon, he parked the Lexus. The two got out of the vehicle.
Valerie slammed her door. “Let’s get this stupid shadow thing over with.”
“Will you please change your attitude? This can be a lot of fun, if you let it.”
“Sure it can.” She sighed. “I was hoping to spend the day hanging out with my friends, Dad.”
“Valerie, you’re almost eighteen. College is just around the corner. You’ll need to start thinking about what to major in and what you’ll do with your life. So, instead of hanging out with your derelict friends, you get to hang out with your awesome father and see what it’s like to be a cardiologist. Is that so bad?”
“There’s plenty of time for all that BS,” she said. “Today, I was looking forward to resting, sleeping late, and going shopping with my friends.”
“Well, to go shopping, you need money, right? If you give this shadow a chance to work, I may be persuaded to give you some cash to go with your shopping spree.” Her frown slowly transformed into a smile. “That’s my girl. This’ll be fun, if you let it.”
“How much are we talking about, Dad?”
“I don’t know yet. Let’s see how much effort you put into it first.” He put his arm around his daughter and herded her into the Memorial Hospital’s main entrance.
“So, what are we going to do first?” she asked.
“First, we’ll get your ID badge and lab coat. Then, rounds. We’re going to start rounds in CCU.”
“Coronary Care Unit.”
“Exactly. You’re catching on really quick. CCU is where we put the patients who have a heart attack.”
“Great,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You just earned five dollars. See how easy this is going to be?”
She flashed a fake smile as they entered the elevator.
Within thirty minutes, they arrived in CCU.
“Good morning, Sally,” Valerie’s dad said to the secretary. “How are you this fine morning?”
“Living the dream, Dr. Rovine,” she said. “How are you?” She sipped from her coffee cup and squinted as she tried to read Valerie’s badge. “And who do we have here?”
“This is my daughter, Valerie. She’s going to hang out with me today. Shadow me.”
Valerie rolled her eyes.
“I’m Sally. Following your father’s footsteps, huh?”
“Right now, I’m just looking for some extra cash to go shopping with.”
“Don’t ask,” whispered Dr. Rovine. “Long story.”
“Gotcha,” said Sally. “I’ll get your patient census list and gather your charts for you while you go see the rep.”
“The rep?”
“Did you forget? You have an appointment with Mr. Darren Owen from Supreme Pharmaceuticals. He’s been waiting for you awhile. You’re supposed to see him before you start your rounds today.”
“Yes, yes.” Dr. Rovine looked at his daughter and then back at Sally. “That rep. Right.”
“It’s OK, Dad,” said Valerie. “How about if I go visit the gift shop and get you coffee and me a Coke while you have your meeting?”
“Honey,” said Sally. “I have coffee and Cokes right here. You go with your old man and shadow him like you’re supposed to. If you want to be a doctor, you have to put up with these boring meetings. It’s part of the show. Better start now. When you come back, I’ll have your drinks and charts ready.”
Dr. Rovine and Valerie smiled at Sally and began walking toward the waiting room. “Up to ten dollars,” he whispered.
The large waiting area was mostly empty. Two groups of people sat at separate ends of the room. A TV mounted on the wall gave the day’s weather and news. One man in his midtwenties sat alone. His navy-blue suit, blue tie, and white shirt complemented his dark complexion well. As they entered, the man stood up and approached them, his right hand extended.
“Good morning, Dr. Rovine,” he said. “I have those papers for you to review and sign.” He smiled. Then he looked at Valerie and extended his right hand toward her. “I’m Darren Owen with Supreme Pharmaceuticals.” He handed her a business card.
“Good to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand. “I’m Valerie Rovine. I’m shadowing my dad today.”
He nodded, still showing his gleaming smile.
“Let’s go into the meeting room over there,” said Dr. Rovine. “We’ll be more comfortable and have some privacy.” He led the others to a closed door. He opened it for them, and the three entered the small conference room.
“While I review the paperwork, will you tell Valerie about Enoxadin?” asked Dr. Rovine.
“My pleasure,” said Darren, opening up a small carrying case. He produced a laptop.
“Oh, great,” thought Valerie, nodding pleasantly and showing a washed-out smile. “Why me? This better be good for five hundred dollars, Dad.”
Darren began. “Dr. Rovine has been working with Supreme Pharmaceuticals for some time now, developing what we believe to be the wonder drug of the century for heart attack patients.” He pushed a button on his computer, changing slides on its display. “Supreme Pharmaceuticals has spent considerable resources in the design and manufacturing of this drug, with extensive animal testing so far. We are now ready to begin human research on this first-of-a-kind medication.” He pressed another button, causing the displayed image to spring into action. A cartoon of a heart muscle on the screen came alive, pumping. “Enoxadin can stop heart attacks by coating the inner walls of the arteries that feed blood to the heart muscle.” Darren flashed an uneasy smile. He used a pen as a pointer. “As you can see here, this arterial wall is cracking, which causes cells to aggregate locally to repair the rupture.” He allowed the cartoon movie to demonstrate what he was conveying. “There.” He pointed to the beginning of an amassing glob of cells. “This is a platelet clot forming to restore the break in the arterial wall. But in so doing, the artery becomes totally occluded, and the blood flow instantly ceases.” He allowed the movie to catch up. “It’s this lack of blood flow that will end up causing part of the heart muscle to die, what we call a heart attack.”
“This is pretty neat,” said Valerie.
“We think Enoxadin, administered directly into the affected coronary artery, will break up the clot, restoring blood flow and, more importantly, coat the inner walls of the vessel to fortify it and prevent further rupture and damage in the future. The drug has the potential to prevent further heart attacks. It may be useful in other organ systems, such as brain, kidneys, gut, and so on.”
Valerie raised her eyebrows. “Wow!”
“Exactly. Wow!” Darren dared to let his eyes wander from Valerie’s brilliant smile and down to her chin, neck, and then chest, but only for a moment. He resumed speaking, his gaze again on her eyes. “How cool is that?”
She nodded, grinning.
Darren smiled. “If the human research goes as it did with the
animal studies, we may be saying good-bye to vascular disease forever.” He looked at Dr. Rovine and then back at Valerie. “Can you imagine a world without heart attacks or strokes?”
“Interesting drug, isn’t it, Valerie?” asked Dr. Rovine. “If Enoxadin will work administered inside the coronary artery as well as we anticipate, we hope to be able to come up with a pill form, but that’s going to be quite a little bit tougher to devise. We don’t yet have the technology available to do so. When we can, however, millions of people, maybe even billions, will be able to take it orally and therefore—we hope—completely prevent heart disease and strokes.”
“Yes, sir,” said Darren. “Enoxadin is expected to save millions, if not billions, of lives.”
“Great!” said Valerie.
“If ever you’d be interested in getting a tour of Supreme Pharmaceuticals to see how and where Enoxadin is manufactured, just let me know,” said Darren. “Enoxadin is being produced and researched exclusively at our local office and warehouse, only about a ten-minute drive from here.”
“No, thanks,” said Valerie. “I’m not really into that sort of thing.”
Darren smiled and turned to Dr. Rovine. “I already have all the hospital paperwork out of the way. The Institutional Review Board has given permission to begin the human-phase studies. All I need is your signed agreement as the principal investigator, and we’re good to go. I’ve left a couple of dosage packets of Enoxadin ready to administer down in pharmacy. I’ll have many more by early next week.”
“Can’t wait,” said Dr. Rovine, signing his name on the bottom of the document. “Let’s find our first heart attack patient. And let’s hope this stuff really works.”
CHAPTER 4
Brent was the first one to wake up. He arranged the fire in the pit and began to warm up the water for coffee. Then, he woke up the others. Soon, breakfast was prepared, and the three friends ate while planning the day ahead. On the menu at Ellie’s Diner were coffee, warm juice, fried ham, and sausages. After eating, the teens cleaned the dishes in the river, dried them, and put them away. After these chores were completed, the teens got ready for their trek through the woods in search of a better fishing spot. Loaded with a tackle box, fishing poles, folding chairs, a cooler, and bags of munchies, they began their stroll.
They had taken but a dozen steps when they heard a man’s voice. “Brent!” The sound came from the direction of the river, somewhere north of their location, in the not-so-far distance.
“Wait,” said Ellie. “Did you guys hear that?”
Brent put his gear down and turned toward the man’s voice. “Somebody’s calling my name.”
“Sh-h-h,” shushed William. They stopped in their tracks, and their ears perked up as if the teens were coyotes on the hunt.
“Brent. Ellie.” The voice was nearer now and a little clearer. “William.”
They dropped their things and walked back toward the river a few steps, their curiosity piqued.
“Ah, there you are,” said an old man with gray streaks highlighting his otherwise light-brown hair. He was wearing an unusually bright, gold-colored jacket and pants. He held a weird rucksack in one hand.
“Who are you?” asked Brent, the other kids behind him. He placed his hand on his sheathed knife attached to his belt, and he scanned the surroundings for an escape route. “What do you want?”
“My name is Brent, too,” said the stranger. He looked at the others. “And you are Ellie. And you’re William.”
“How do you know us?” asked William. “We don’t know you.” He rubbed his chin with his right hand. “Do we?”
“You do look awfully familiar to me,” said Ellie, squinting. “Very familiar. Have we met before?”
“Actually, none of you really know me. Not really. But I know the three of you very, very well.” The man looked intently at them. “I need you to do me a huge favor. Mankind needs you to do me a huge favor. Many lives depend on it.”
“We don’t talk to strangers,” said Ellie from behind Brent. She tugged on his shirt. “We have to go now.”
“What kind of favor do you want from us?” asked William. “What can we do? We’re only teenagers. We’re just high school kids.”
“I really need your help,” said the stranger. “Believe it or not, billions of people are going to die if you don’t help me.”
“Listen,” said Brent. “Nice talking to you. We got to get going now. Our parents are expecting us at home in a few minutes. They’ll call the police if we’re late.” He began to turn around. The man took several hurried steps toward him and grabbed his right arm.
“Wait! Please hear me out.” The man put his hands together in a praying gesture. “I know your parents aren’t expecting you until Sunday, any of you. I know Ellie is supposed to be with one of her girlfriends from church for the weekend. Is it Clarissa? Alyssa?”
“Marissa,” corrected Ellie. “How did you know that? Were you spying on our conversations?”
“And you, William, you’re supposed to spend the weekend with me.” He smiled. “Those were the days, huh?” He smiled faintly and looked from side to side.
“What days?” asked Brent.
“You’re creeping us out,” said William. “We need to go now. Come on, guys. Let’s go.”
“William, you’re going to meet the love of your life today,” said the man. “Her name is Valerie.”
“Why would William spend the weekend with you?” asked Ellie. “We don’t know you.” She bit her lower lip. “But I wonder why you look so awfully familiar to me.”
“I meant, William told his parents he was going to spend the weekend with Brent.” He looked up at the sky for a long moment. “This is going to be tougher than I thought.”
“What is?” asked Brent.
“Where am I going to meet the love of my life?” asked William. “And how do you know that?”
“You’re not making any sense,” said Ellie.
Brent looked the stranger in the eye. “How can you say those things? No one can predict the future.”
William repeated himself. “Where and how am I going to meet the love of my life?”
“You’ll find her today when you try to save a man’s life,” said the man.
“What?” asked Ellie. “What are you saying? Are you high on drugs? Booze?”
“No, Ellie. I’m perfectly sane and in complete control of my faculties.” He put his hands on his hips. “But I can’t possibly expect all of you to help me on this important mission without coming completely clean. Have a seat, kids.” He gestured to the ground. “I have a story to tell you that you’ll find very hard to believe.”
“Sorry, mister,” said Ellie. “We have to go now.” She grabbed Brent’s arm, urging him to depart. Brent turned. The three friends picked up their belongings and walked away.
“Please wait,” said the man. “Let me explain it all to you. You’ll understand why it’s so important that you help me. You have to help me.”
The teenagers continued to walk and soon left the clearing and entered the woods. The stranger was now out of sight.
“Ellie,” he yelled out to them. “You’ll find the love of your life today, too. But unlike William, you’ll set yours free within the hour.”
The teenagers continued to walk away, the man’s words echoing through the forest. “I’ll be right here. Whenever you’re ready to hear me out, you can find me here in these woods.”
The man’s voice trailed off into the distance as the three put as many steps between them and the odd drifter as quickly as their feet allowed.
“By the way, Brent,” the stranger hollered from the distance, through the trees. “Happy sixteenth birthday. It was yesterday.”
CHAPTER 5
With a little help from his grandpa’s magical touch, Luke had managed a pretty decent take off and was n
ow controlling the model airplane flawlessly. He had learned how to bank right and left and make steep turns and was now beginning to master the art of recovering from stalls.
“This is so cool, Grandpa.” Luke smiled. “When I grow up, I want to fly real planes.”
“My father brought me up here and taught me how to fly a model plane for the first time when I turned ten, too. I still remember how much fun I had. So, I brought your mother and Uncle Joe here, too, when they turned ten, and I promised myself I would do the same thing for you on your tenth birthday.”
“They had airplanes when you were a kid, Grandpa?”
“Oh yeah! Not as sophisticated as this one, but just as much fun.” His grandpa removed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
“Why do you smoke, Grandpa?” asked Luke. “We learned in school that smoking is really bad for your heart and lungs.”
“It’s my only vice,” he said, pulling a long drag on his cigarette. “It’s not that bad.”
They flew the model for almost an hour. Luke ran side to side, his gaze on the airplane, his smile beaming.
“Ready to do your first solo landing?” asked his grandpa.
“I’m afraid I’ll crash-land it.”
“I’ll be right here, if you need me.”
Luke took a deep breath. “OK, here goes.”
“Just do it like I showed you.”
The airplane descended elegantly and slowly to the grass runway. Soon, its wheels touched the earth.
“Nice job, Luke.”
Luke ran to the model plane and carried it back, being as gentle as a mother cradling her newborn.
“Let’s clean up and gather all our things,” said his grandpa. “We still have almost a mile to walk back to the SUV. Grandma made me promise I’d have you home by noon for your surprise birthday party. Don’t forget to look surprised.”
About fifteen minutes into the trek back to the parking lot, Luke’s grandpa suddenly stopped and put his backpack down at his feet. He took the cigarette he was smoking and threw it on the ground. Luke noticed his actions and stared at him.