by Sean Adelman
“Dad, I’m okay, but how much further is it?”
“See that hill up there? She lives over there.”
“Can we stop? I’m thirsty.”
They had just passed a small co-op grocery store, so Jason led her inside to get her a smoothie. As they sat outside, Jason surveyed the town. He had forgotten how quaint Bellingham was. Lily ordered a vegan strawberry banana smoothie that cost more than the ingredients would be to make ten of them. He realized he was going to have to be much more careful with spending money. He also noticed the float plane taking off again and wondered if the plane was flying to Canada. Jason figured Gibson Labs would expect him to fly to Canada after what happened in the lab and would have tried to detain him at customs.
Lily finished the smoothie so quickly Jason didn’t even get a taste. Newly invigorated, they made their way back up the hill and were now heading along Western Washington University toward Judy’s house. Jason didn’t remember the exact address, but knew he would recognize the house. When Judy and Asher visited Seattle, they would go to Pike Place Market and come home with Jason. Before Rachel’s passing, Judy and Asher had divorced. He was more interested in making tenure than he was in his wife, and at the first offering from a major university, he left her and the house. Jason always felt it was partly because of losing Rachel, but he’d always held a little anger at Asher for abandoning Judy.
The freshman dorms were on their left so Jason knew they were getting close. There it was—a light blue cape cod with cedar shingles. The yard was well maintained, but not perfect. There was a huge maple in the front yard with a swing that looked like it had been there for at least fifty years. He hoped she at least changed the rope out on occasion.
Showing up to an old friend’s house unannounced was new territory for Jason. He hadn’t seen Judy in three or four years, and couldn’t remember if she had ever actually met Lily. Between her divorce and Rachel’s death, things were just too hard. Jason walked up the short walk holding Lily’s hand, not sure if she was home, and if she was home what he would say. After ringing the bell twice, Jason began to wonder if the bell even worked. He didn’t know her phone number, so he wasn’t sure what to do next.
From the side of the house they could hear, “Jason?”
Jason replied, “Hey, I wasn’t sure you were home. I’m really sorry for stopping by unannounced.”
“Not at all. I was just planting some flowers on the side of the house. Sorry I didn’t hear you.”
Jason and Lily walked around to the side of the house where there was a small little trench along the foundation that she was working on. Jason couldn’t really make out what she was planting, but he wasn’t really into gardening either. Judy was wearing a baggy sweatshirt, jeans, and gardening gloves. She had dark eyes and shoulder-length dark hair with just a little grey. She had been clearly working for a while as there was a smudge of dirt on her right cheek. She looked directly down at Lily.
“Jason, is this Lily?”
Jason knew Lily didn’t like him to speak for her so he gave her time to answer. “One and the same.”
“My, oh, my. You are the spitting image of your mom.”
“Thank you. Dad says she was real pretty. I never got to meet her.”
“I have to say, she was really pretty inside and out.”
“What do you mean, inside?”
“Sorry, sweetie, I meant that she was a good person as well as a beautiful lady.”
“Thanks, Miss.”
“So, what are you all doing here?”
“Do you want the Readers Digest version? Or the whole story?”
“I guess that depends on if you’re staying for dinner or not.”
Jason looked to the ground before replying. “I think showing up unannounced is bad enough, let alone mooching a meal off of you. I would love to stay, but I feel we’ve intruded enough already.”
“So if you don’t stay, what exactly are you going to do?”
“That’s actually a good question. I don’t have a good answer for that.”
Judy took her gloves off and smiled at him. “Look, it’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for anyone other than myself, plus it would be wonderful to catch up a little.”
Jason pulled Lily in a little closer. “Honestly, that would be wonderful.”
“Great, it’s decided. First though, I need to shower.”
They followed her into the house. The side door led directly into the kitchen, which led into the living room. The inside was very nice with wooden floors, nice paint, and fairly modern furniture, nothing fancy, but definitely cozy. They sat down in the living room while Judy left to take a quick shower. Jason couldn’t remember exactly how long it had been since he sat on this couch, It seemed like yesterday.
“Daddy, who is this lady?”
“She is an old friend of your daddy’s from before you were born.”
“She seems nice, but why are we here?”
“I am hoping she may be able to help us.”
Jason let Lily turn on the television while they waited. Judy was true to her word. After only a few minutes she came back down. This time there was no dirt on her face. She was wearing khaki shorts and a T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail so that you could see her face. Even though they lived in the Northwest, it was clear that she spent a lot of time outside.
“Okay guys, so tell me what brings you to my doorstep.”
“Sorry for not asking about the TV. Do you mind if I let Lily watch while you and I talk?”
“Sure. Boy, you are making this sound more serious than just dinner.”
“I know this is going to sound insane, especially considering I haven’t talked to you in what seems like years.”
“Jason, stop already. I am a lot of things but stupid is not one of them. We’ve had a lot of things happen to both of us, and if I think too much about it I will probably start to cry. Since I haven’t done that in years, I’m not going to start now. Why don’t you just spill it and let me decide.”
“I’m glad you haven’t changed. As you may remember, I changed my research and I’m studying the genetic makeup of the 21st chromosome, specifically as it applies to T cell function in immune disorders. I’ve also been on some committees for the ethics and indications of genetic testing. I think the latter may have made me some enemies.”
“I can’t imagine you having enemies, Jason.”
“I certainly haven’t been trying to make enemies, but a few days ago someone left me a threatening note in my car after a TV interview. Then after the interview, I had words with someone I don’t see eye to eye with. I didn’t know what to make of it at the time, but the next morning, someone tried to run me off the road on my bike. I freaked out and decided to visit the cabin on Orcas Island when I found out someone had vandalized the lab, wiping out all of our research. And then someone framed me as the one who tore up the lab.”
“Holy cow, Jason. That’s a lot to take in. Why would someone do that?”
“It doesn’t end there. After I found out about the lab, someone followed us on the island. I had to ditch my car and catch a flight here. So, someone is after me and apparently wants my research gone. Or who knows what? Gibson Labs may have something to do with it. I’ve had a few runins with them, but it just doesn’t make any sense.”
“Have you spoken to Debbie?”
“Oh no. I need to call her quickly. Give me just a sec.”
Jason grabbed his cell phone and realized they would be able to track him so he immediately turned off the GPS functions after turning it on. He had turned the cell off before leaving the island to save battery. He also then realized they could probably trace his phone call, so on second thought he turned it back off.
“Hey Judy, can I borrow your phone for a quick call?”
“Go ahead,” Judy said, handing him her phone.
Jason took the phone from Judy and touched on the application that said phone before realizing he didn’t know
what Debbie’s number was. She had always been in his favorites list so he hadn’t needed to actually dial her number in quite some time. Jason was still for a moment while he tried to remember her number before opening his own phone just so he could get the number to call Debbie. As he went back and forth between the phones he could see Judy smiling at him. Jason suspected Judy would soon start laughing so he made the call. The phone rang several times, Jason was beginning to worry it would go to voice mail.
“Hello?”
“Debbie, hey. This is Jason.”
“Hey, Jason. I was just going to call you. What’s with the different number?”
“It’s a long story. The short version is that there are all kinds of things going on. Someone is following Lily and me. This is a friend’s phone. I will try to call you later, but you can reach me at this number.”
“Jason, something’s up over here, too. Be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think there’s something going on with Nate’s boss at Gibson Labs. Nate is working it out, but I’m worried he’s in over his head.”
“All right, will do. I need to hang up, but I’ll call you later.”
Jason tried handing the phone back to Judy, but noticed she was distracted. Judy was watching Lily, who was completely mesmerized by some show that he couldn’t make out from where they were standing.
“Hey, Judy, here is your phone back. Thanks.”
“I was thinking. It’s interesting that you’re up here today. I was actually going to give you a call. You’ve become something of a celebrity locally, so believe it or not, I actually did have an inkling of what you are up to these days, minus the people chasing you of course. The reason I was going to call you was that one of my old friends from college called me last week just to catch up, and she’d seen you on the news.”
“Really? I guess I am famous, especially if you say so.”
“Will you shut up and let me finish?” she said, grinning. “Anyway, my friend’s son was recently diagnosed with that new CID thing and he’s practically in a bubble. My friend’s had some issues trying to cope with it and is researching everything. She knows her son isn’t treatable with what is available now with today’s technology.”
She looked directly at Jason. “Yes, I know you already know that. The difference is her dad is...well, he’s connected. That is to say he was on one of the original patents for Bluetooth, so pretty much every device known to man he gets a portion of.”
“Wow, I would expect that he does have some connections.”
“Exactly, and he has a beautiful grandson who has an incurable disease, so he’s motivated to help. Especially given that he has the resources to pay just about anything. He actually wanted to talk with you, and my friend remembered that you and I knew each other.”
“How do you want to let him know my situation?” Jason asked. “I actually have the only backup for the data that was lost from my lab. I can look it up on my laptop, but I can’t do much more than that without a lab.”
“First off, he is somewhat desperate. Second, he grew up with a brother who had Down syndrome, which is the other reason he wanted to talk with you. As a result, he has a relationship with the Linda Crnic Foundation which funds research on Down syndrome. The foundation does both clinical research and laboratory research. He gives them a lot of money, and they have access to quite a lot through the University of Colorado.”
“Okay, then sign me up. The real problem will be that I am somewhat wanted at this time.”
Judy frowned. “I don’t know who’s after you, but I believe that if anyone can help keep you off the grid for a bit it’s my friend’s father. He has resources you and I can’t imagine.”
Jason thought for a moment. “I don’t think I have any choice at this point. You are one of the very few people I trust. What’s next?”
“How about dinner?”
Lily turned at the mention of food. “Dinner. I’m so hungry. What’s for dinner?”
“I know you have had a long day already, but I thought we could walk down to the Avenue Bakery. It’s close enough that it’s not really worth taking a car.”
“I’m ready to go now,” Lily said.
They all walked back the same way that Jason and Lily had come up from the air terminal. As promised, it was close and mostly downhill. Even though it was quiet in town the bakery was still busy. The entire front was a glass wall that maximized the ambient light and gave the bakery a very warm feel. Jason and Judy ordered sandwiches while trying to order Lily a child’s meal.
Lily pursed her lips together and spoke to Jason, “I am not a little kid. I want a real sandwich.”
Jason was very careful not to laugh. “I know, sweetheart, but these sandwiches are huge.”
Lily pointed to the board where the menu was listed and pointed. “I want the chicken pethto.”
Jason knew he had been defeated; she was simply too cute to resist and had actually read the menu. “Okay, okay, how about I split the pesto with you?”
“Okay, dad, it’s a deal.”
After ordering, they all sat at their table while Lily sipped her orange soda. Jason took the opportunity to see how Judy had been.
“How are things at the university?” he asked.
“Oh, I stopped working there about three years ago. After Asher left me, I had too many bad memories so I decided I needed a change. I’ve been doing local veterinary work over in Fairhaven. At first, I was foolish enough to think it was beneath me. The big researcher girl was too good to take care of people’s pets. Fortunately, I didn’t let my ego stop me from doing it. I didn’t have the same challenges, but there were definitely new ones. The people of Fairhaven love their animals like their own kids, so, I have to say, being a regular veterinarian has been rewarding. The pay is better as well, so without Asher’s salary I was still able to pay the mortgage.”
“I’m just glad you are doing well.”
“Order for Jason!”
Jason got up to grab their food. Wow, people actually eat this much. His and Lily’s sandwich was easily big enough to feed two people and Judy’s looked like it could have fed four. I guess I know what we will be eating tomorrow. Lily was staring at him and nearly drooling, so he brought everything over to the table. As expected, they only ate about half of what they were given so a big doggy bag accompanied them on the walk home.
Even though it was uphill, the walk home was slow and easy. Jason could tell Judy was trying to work up the nerve to ask him something. She kept looking at the ground and occasionally glancing up at him. She finally asked, “Where are you guys staying tonight?”
Jason was very uncomfortable with imposing on a friend so he took a few moments. Before Jason could speak, Lily chimed in, “Can we have a sleep over, please? Can we stay at Ms. Judy’s tonight?”
Jason felt relief wash over him as he raised his eyes to Judy. “We don’t have any plans. I didn’t get past just getting to Bellingham.”
Judy smiled. “Of course you guys should have a sleep over. Come on, Jason, you didn’t think I was going to let you and this lovely girl stay in a hotel.”
When they arrived back at Judy’s house, Lily was barely conscious so Jason put her to bed and came back to the living room. Putting Lily down to bed reminded him of how tired he was. Judy was sitting in a soft leather love seat in front of the window reading a book. Jason stood outside her field of vision and watched her read. He became conscious of what he was doing and turned to Lily’s room where she was sleeping soundly. With her legs wrapped in the sheets and her body pulled into the ball, she looked so little again. Jason was briefly reminded of his little girl wrapped up in her sheets in the crib. The sight of Lily sleeping always brought a sense of peace to Jason, a warmth that he could feel which fed his desire to take care of her. I don’t know what’s going on, but we will get through it. It was time for him to get ready for bed so he turned and went into the bathroom.
Jason found himself
staring at himself in the mirror. He felt the same but knew that there were a few more wrinkles and grey hairs than usual. More than what he could see was a sense of the hole that was created ten years ago. The feeling never seemed to change. As a scientist, he knew he couldn’t measure it, couldn’t name it, but he knew it was there nonetheless. It was a black hole; if you got too close it would pull you in and there would be no escape. To protect himself he always avoided it, and tried not to think about it. This was the first time in a very long time he was conscious that there was something missing. Looking at Lily and Judy reminded him that living was not enough, that being a parent was not just providing the necessities. Jason needed to be a role model for living, not just the support that gave her stability. Loving your most comfortable chair, feeling like you could always sit in it and be comfortable and warm didn’t mean you wanted to grow up and be that chair. Jason needed to start showing Lily what it meant to be alive and give reason to the tragedy that was the start of her life.
Jason backed away from the mirror, his mind flooded with thoughts. It had been ten years since he had shed a single tear, ten years since he thought of anything other than supporting Lily and finding out what had happened to Rachel. Now, as his eyes welled up, he had to bite his lower lip so hard that he could taste the salt of his own blood to keep from crying out. With one more look in on Lily he swallowed his tears, and walked out into the living room.
18
ANN ARBOR—2014
Debbie woke up very early after a restless night of sleep. The phone call from Jason, the craziness with Nate, there were far too many coincidences for her to be comfortable that pure chance was at play here. Nate was a little too confident that things would work out and that it was just a misunderstanding. She knew he was trying to keep her from worrying, but she was not a child. It seemed incredible that it had been ten years since Rachel’s passing and Nate, Lily, and Jason were all she had left. What happened was still a mystery, and she knew that’s what drove Jason. She couldn’t fathom losing anyone else.