Lily's Mirage (Hell Yeah! )

by Sable Hunter

  Lily smiled. “I hooked up, if you want to use the crude term, several times with Blade. We shared Bliss’s family cottage. Isaiah, Bliss and Dinah’s brother, was Blade’s stunt double in some of his movies.”

  “You had sex with Blade Jensen and now he’s coming here to help you decide whether or not to have life-saving surgery?”

  Flora’s disbelieving tone teed Lily off. “Yes, but he’s late. I hope nothing’s happened to him.”

  “Well, call him. Call his house. Call his agent. Text him. Facebook him. Something. There’s a million ways to get in touch with people these days.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have any of those numbers. We didn’t… He was supposed to come for a visit, but this happened.”

  When Lily looked up at Flora, she had this sad knowing look on her face. The same look as when Lily would tell her about seeing Charlotte.

  “I didn’t hallucinate Blade, Flora!”

  Tap. Tap.

  Lily whirled around to the door. “Oh, Blade, I was so…”

  But it wasn’t Blade, it was a middle-aged man in a Duke hoodie. “Ms. Bastien, I’m Dr. Fields and I’m here to speak with you about your test results.”

  Flora moved her chair back to give the doctor some room. Before he could come in and get settled, Dr. Jay Kimmel joined them. “Hello, Lily.” He came to her and patted her arm before kissing Flora.

  Lily took the opportunity to thank Jay Kimmel. “Dr. Kimmel, I don’t have words to tell you how grateful I am for this opportunity. I can honestly tell you, I’d given up hope. I thank you so much for your persistence.”

  He waved off her gratitude. “I am glad to do it.” He turned to the other gentleman. “Dr. Fields, I’d like to sit in if I may. I’m a family friend.”

  “Of course,” Dr. Fields began, but Lily held up her hand to stop him.

  “I hate to be a bother, but would someone please check the front and make sure Blade isn’t here. I promised him he could hear this.”

  “I’ll go.” Jay rose to leave the room. “Blade?”

  “Blade Jensen, the actor. I’m sure you’ll recognize him,” Lily explained slowly.

  Flora gave Lily a pointed glance, then followed Jay to the hall where they whispered together. Lily had the uneasy feeling that Flora didn’t believe her about Blade, which was silly. Why would she make something like this up?

  Dr. Fields looked oblivious to the underlying tension. “How do you feel, Ms. Bastien? Any headaches, nausea, dizziness?”

  “Please, call me Lily. No, no symptoms. I experienced some in the last few days, but I’m good now. Just a little hungry.”

  He nodded, then looked at the door where both her sister and Dr. Kimmel had disappeared. “Are we waiting on someone?”

  “Yes, my boyfriend, but he’s late. I’m worried.”

  Flora and Jay returned before Dr. Fields could answer. “There’s no celebrities lurking in the lobby, Lily.”

  Lily wanted to cry. “Something’s wrong. I can just feel it.”

  Dr. Fields cleared his throat. “Well, as for the matter at hand, I’d like to get started.”

  Everyone gathered around and Lily was probably the least attentive of them all. She lent an ear to the doctor, but her eyes were on the empty doorway.

  “The clinical trial that we’re conducting here at the Tisch Brain Tumor Center is a bit controversial. This isn’t a fly-by-night operation, we’ve been working on this for over eleven years. Like you, the patients who have been chosen for the trial have the toughest form of this disease, they’ve undergone multiple surgeries and seen the glioblastoma return. I must tell you, that out of the twenty-two people we are working with, half of those have responded and half we have lost.”

  No one responded to his somber announcement, so he continued. “We’re attempting to beat the tumor at its own game. During our research, we’ve concluded that we can use a virus to attack the cancer, the polio virus, to be exact.”

  Flora seemed stunned. “That sounds absurd, polio is a dread disease. You’d infect Lily with polio?”

  Dr. Fields held up his hand. “It’s not quite that simple or quite that dramatic. I know using the virus that causes the childhood paralytic disease called poliomyelitis to treat cancer seems outrageous – and it is, but we’re betting it will work, if we can perfect the process. First, I have to tell you that after seeing the results of the brain scan, we have decided against attempting to remove any of the tumor.”

  “Why not?” asked Flora. “Wouldn’t that be best?”

  Dr. Fields shook his head. “After analyzing where the tumor is growing, any attempt to remove it would most likely result in Ms. Bastien’s demise. At best, it would severely debilitate her mental acuity, possibly resulting in paralysis or a vegetative state.” Even after his audience stared at him in stunned horror, he did not hesitate to continue his lecture. “Our best course of action is to inject the tumor with the virus.”

  “This is fascinating,” Jay Kimmel muttered. “How could this possibly work?”

  Dr. Fields smiled. Obviously, he was glad Jay asked. “During our research here at Duke, we managed to replace a segment of the naturally occurring poliovirus’s RNA genome with a comparable section from a human rhinovirus, the type responsible for the common cold. We discovered this new virus could still infect cells that had the poliovirus receptor, but that the virus wouldn’t replicate. Many cancer cells, including glioblastoma, overproduce this poliovirus receptor. So, by using the right amount of this designer virus, we could selectively kill glioblastoma cells in culture without affecting normal neuronal cells. In other words, it would literally cause the cancer cells to burst open and die.”

  “That sounds good,” Flora injected and Jay patted her knee for her to hold her comments.

  “That’s correct, all human cancers develop a shield around them that makes them invisible to our immune systems. This is exactly what we’re trying to reverse with our virus. By injecting the tumor with the polio virus, we’re actually removing the shield, allowing the patient’s own immune system to attack. We’ll do this by inserting a one millimeter diameter catheter into the tumor through the skull, guided by 3-D imaging. The virus should trigger the body’s immune response against the tumor cells. In fact, this should be the key, your immune response is more important than the initial destruction of the cancer cells.”

  “Well, that sounds rather simple.” Lily was at a loss as to what else to say.

  Dr. Fields grimaced. “Well, yes and no. The trick isn’t the procedure, it’s the dosage. That’s what this clinical trial is all about. We know the polio virus will destroy the cancer, but if we inject too much, it causes a massive swelling in the brain.”

  Da-dum.

  Lily understood. “That’s the risky part.” The part that had caused half of those treated to succumb to the tumor, if not the treatment.

  “Correct. If the brain swells, there’s a chance you’ll go into a coma. And if you go into a coma, there’s a chance you won’t wake up.”

  Lily exhaled loudly, leaning back against the pillow. “Decisions, decisions.” She gave Flora and the doctor’s a weak smile. “So, the tumor will kill me. Eventually. And the treatment might kill me quicker.”

  “Or, it could cure you.” Dr. Kimmel reminded her.

  Needing all the information, especially since she wanted to relay the facts to Blade, she had to ask the question. “If I choose not to join the clinical trial, what is the prognosis?”

  When he frowned, Lily spoke back up quickly. “I know the inevitable. Since you’ve seen later images of my tumor, can you give me any clearer timeframe or what the effects might be of the continued growth of the glioblastoma?”

  The doctor nodded. “I understand. Well, your tumor has spread. Grown. The areas that will be affected soon will be sight, speech, and memory. Perception, also. As for a timeframe, I hesitate to give you an expiration date. I don’t think people operate like commodities. Hope is a strange thing, Ms. Basti
en, I have seen people live years beyond the date that doctors have dictated as their end. All I can tell you is that the odds of survival with the procedure is fifty-fifty, the odds without it are…negligible to none.”

  Lily clutched the edge of the sheet, pulling on it hard enough that the stitches screamed in protest. “I need to think.”

  “I understand, but time is of the essence. The trial needs to progress, I am afraid that I must have your answer soon.”

  “I need to talk to Blade.”

  “Lily…” Flora said her name in a chastising tone.

  “I need to talk to Blade,” she repeated.

  “Do so, please.” Dr. Fields encouraged her. “I can give you no more than one week.”

  Lily nodded. “A week will be plenty of time. Blade should be here at any moment.”

  “Doctor,” Flora began slowly, “I’d like to clarify something in my mind. Could Lily’s glioblastoma be producing, uh, sensory experiences of things that don’t exist outside of her mind?”

  “You mean hallucinations?” Dr. Fields asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Yes, she sees things…people, sometime.”

  “Flora, don’t,” Lily warned her.

  “She sees ghosts and…actors.”

  “Flora!” Lily shouted. “I’m not hallucinating anything! Blade is as real as you are!”

  “No need to get upset, Lily.” Flora came to her and placed a steadying hand on Lily’s knee. “This is not something you can control.”

  Lily seethed. “I need to get out of here. I want to go home.”

  Dr. Fields cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I’d like to have a word with Lily alone.”

  Dr. Kimmel nodded and took Flora by the hand. Lily could tell her sister wanted to stay and listen. When they were gone, he gave her a kind smile. “Sometimes family can mean well, but they can be a bit too involved, can’t they?”

  “Yes, sir.” Lily tried to be calm. The enormity of the situation was almost more than she could bear. “I’d reconciled myself to…dying.” She picked at the end of the coarse cotton sheet covering her. “I went on this vacation to come to terms with the end of my life and to find some peace near the ocean.” Her slight laugh was full of irony.

  “And did you?” he asked, giving Lily a look that was so common to physicians who were trying to get the patient to admit their symptoms.

  “Something much more extraordinary happened. Instead of coming to terms with my mortality, I found a reason to live.” She blushed before the doctor. “A man. A wonderful man who rejoiced in my having this opportunity, yet struggled with me in the possibility of what this operation would do. Would it save my life or steal the few months I have left to live?”

  “If I had the power to give you those answers, I’d be God…and I’m not. I can just give you treatment options and hope.” The doctor smiled sadly. “I can give you hope for a future with this procedure, without it you have the promise of a few months at best.”

  “I respect your expertise, it’s just hard to know what to do,” Lily whispered as she stared at the end of the hospital bed. “I need to talk to Blade.”

  “Well, I’m sure he’ll be here at any moment.” The doctor placed a reassuring hand on her knee. “I’m going to go.” He pointed at the IV pole with his other hand. “When you finish this, you’ll be free to leave. Go home, give this some thought and talk to your friend. We have a stringent timeframe for this clinical trial. I’ll need your decision in a week, ten days at the most.”

  “All right. I’ll sift through this and make up my mind.”

  Dr. Fields sighed heavily. “Look, I get that this is hard. Frankly, I don’t know what I’d do in your situation. But having options is better than having none, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, of course.” She felt guilty. “I’m sorry. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity. This may be the only thing that will save my life and I’m acting like this is an inconvenience…”

  “Hey, this would be tough on anyone. I’m not discounting your situation at all. Even though I work with patients like you all day, I can’t even imagine being in your shoes.” He leaned down and gave her a fatherly kiss on the top of her head. “If you have any questions, or just need to call me, you have my number.” He chuckled lightly. “Kimmel’s an okay guy too, you can lean on him for support. He was adamant as hell that you be included in this trial.”

  Lily nodded her head. “I need to thank him again, also. This just took me by surprise, you know? I thought I had come to terms with my situation and then I met Blade and then this…” She gave him a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to lose it. I appreciate this more than I can say. I won’t leave you hanging, I’ll make a decision soon.”

  Everything would fall into place.

  As soon as she heard from Blade.

  The mournful sound of A Country Boy Can Survive blasted through the speakers of the eighteen wheeler. Lou Morris sang harmony with Bocephus, lowering the window to let the cool air hit him in the face. Staying awake at this hour of the night was murder, but he had a load to make. As the Bandit always said, he had a long way to go and a short time to get there. Coming to a stop at the light, he put on his signal to turn onto the Harbor River Bridge. When he did, Lou noticed the guardrail was damaged. As he made the turn, he craned his neck and was shocked to see the rear end of a vehicle sticking up out of the shallow water.

  “Holy Mother of God,” he muttered, reaching for his phone to call 9-1-1. “Hurry! We’ve got a partially submerged vehicle, looks like the driver drove right off the side of the Harbor River Bridge on the Saint Helena side.”

  After hanging up, he secured his truck on the side of the road and scrambled out to see if he could help whatever unlucky son-of-a-bitch had plowed over the side and into the drink. As he neared the site where the car rested at an angle in the water, he could see the front half was submerged. “Hell, I don’t see how anyone could’ve survived this, if the crash didn’t kill them, the poor bastard drowned.”

  9

  “No, Flora, I’m not going home with you. I want to go to my house, I want to be at the gallery.” She also wanted to be where Blade could find her when he arrived in New Orleans. She could kick herself six ways from Sunday because she didn’t have his number to call and check on him. In fact, she didn’t have any idea how to get in touch with him. As soon as Flora left, she planned to get on the computer to see if she could find any type of address or phone number or…something.

  Dr. Kimmel parked his Mercedes near the front door of Charlotte’s Gallery. The hour was late, way past midnight, so both her shop and Bliss’s were locked tight. “Did you check in with Dinah while I was gone?” Lily asked Flora.

  “No, I had my own affairs to attend to. Plus, I flew with Jay to North Carolina to meet with Dr. Fields before we ever called you.”

  As soon as Jay cut the engine to his sedan, Lily leaned up from the back seat and touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry I slept most of the way back, I guess I was exhausted. I should’ve thanked you earlier, you went to so much trouble for me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for your kindness.”

  The handsome doctor’s eyes met hers in the rear-view mirror. “You did thank me, you were just so upset, you don’t remember. And repay me by having the procedure done. I plan on marrying your sister and she has her heart set on you being the maid of honor.”

  The news took Lily completely by surprise. “You’re getting married?” she cried, a smile blooming on her face. Flora wasted no time bustling from the car to meet Lily on the sidewalk for a hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

  “Thank you, Lily. Jay is right. You must have this surgery. I know I’ve given you a hard time over this place and what I call your obsession.” She waved her hand toward the gallery. “But you must know that I love you, you’re all the family I have left in the world.”

  “I love you, too, Flora,” Lily murmured. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, both now and always.” She
gave her sister a kiss on the cheek.

  “Will you be all right alone? Do you want us to come in with you?”

  “Oh, no.” She dug in her purse for her keys. “You need to go home and get some rest. I’m feeling quite refreshed after my nap and the glucose they gave me.” Lily flung open the door of Charlotte’s Gallery and turned off the security system. As she did so, a waft of breeze fell on her cheek. The spectral caress made her smile. “I’m sure Blade will be here any moment. When he arrives, I’ll want you to meet him straightway.”

  “Oh, I’m very interested in meeting your Mr. Jensen,” Flora said as she glanced back at Jay who was waiting in the car. “If you have any problems, call us. If you feel dizzy or sick or just lonely, call us. There’s no use to sit here and commune alone with your spirits when you have family.”

  Lily didn’t take the bait, this wasn’t the time to renew their old argument. “Yes, I’ll call.” She really wanted to just be alone to think and wait for Blade. “Oh, wait. My painting!”

  Flora moved to help her lift the wrapped canvas from the trunk, along with her bag.

  “I want to see this thing tomorrow, it always amazes me to see what you find hidden away.”

  “All right, I’ll be here when you’re ready to drop by.” After giving her sister one last hug, and Dr. Kimmel one last thanks you through the car’s open passenger window, Lily entered the gallery and reset the security panel. She didn’t bother turning on a light until she reached the back hall of the gallery. As soon as the area was bathed in a welcoming glow, Lily felt an overwhelming sense of homecoming. Peace enveloped her like a blanket on a cold day when she stepped into her private courtyard, even the dark bulk of the massive banana tree looked welcoming. Glad to be at home, she slipped off her shoes and padded barefoot along the stepping stones that led to her cottage. Overhead, the wisteria wound through the arbor that protected the area from harsh sun and direct rain. Tonight, she didn’t let her eyes search the shadows for anything mysterious, she had her own personal ghosts to contend with.