Brett Barney - Remember Me.txt
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to me.
I still do research, except I live by my own rules. I’ve made some incredible discoveries.
With the right help I could change the face of medicine completely.”
“That’s a rather bold statement,” replied Raymond with a chuckle.
“It’s a cocky statement, Ray, but one I’m comfortable making. I know the seriousness of
what I have learned. I just want to share it with the scientific community now.”
“Just what is it that you’ve discovered?”
“Let me give you some background first,” insisted Edward, eager to share his news. “I’ve
become what might be termed as a mutual idealist. I like to combine two problems and allow
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them to solve themselves. For instance, what are two of the biggest issues facing the world of
pregnancy today?
“On one hand you have people who want children, and can’t get pregnant. They are
forced to adopt. They want newborns, but there’s a limited supply of them. The demand for
newborn children is extremely high and very costly.
“On the other hand, you have women who are pregnant and want abortions. They don’t
want the burden of carrying these children, so they’d rather destroy the unborn child. To add in
another factor to the equation, there’s all those people out there against the abortion process.
Two very big problems in our society, and they’re steadily growing.”
Ray sat for a moment, waiting for his friend to continue. The conversation suddenly felt
odd to him, and he didn’t know if he should take his old friend seriously or not. The whole topic
sounded strange and alien to Ray, and he couldn’t think of a logical answer for his friend.
“So, do you plan to transfer all these unborn babies into the wombs of the pro-life
demonstrators?”
“Close,” answered Edward with a smile.
“That was my best guess,” answered Ray, taking another sip of his drink. “There’s a big
battle out there between pro-life and pro-choice people, and it’s brewing into war size
proportions. It would be nice if you could find an answer to all those problems, but how are you
going to solve all that? Those mothers don’t want the children because of the inconvenience or
social pressures. Having a baby does terrible things for women prone to wearing bikinis. You
can’t just persuade them all into having their children and then giving them up for adoption. It
would be wonderful if you could, but it isn’t happening.”
“Well, what if you could save all those children by removing them and transplanting
them into another uterus which would finish the pregnancy? A uterus willing to go through all
that.”
“It couldn’t be done,” answered Ray firmly. “The new uterus would have to be at the
same stage in the cycle as the unborn child and have all the other vital functions to complete the
pregnancy. Transplant would be too costly and probably destroy the fetus in the process. Then
you run the risk of the woman’s body rejecting the child, like a transplanted organ. Where are
you supposed to come up with all these women to carry the large number of babies? It just isn’t
feasible.”
“I don’t have to come up with anyone to carry the children. I have found a uterus that will
accept any child no matter what stage of the pregnancy the child is in. I’ve found a uterus that
will adjust to accommodate the child at any size.”
“You aren’t proposing what I think you are, are you?”
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“Depends on whether you’re thinking about an artificial uterus,” answered Edward,
stopping for a moment to let the suggestion sink in. “I already know everything the child needs
to finish the gestation period outside the womb of the mother. I can simulate the entire process
with a new device I’ve developed. Any fetus that is over two months into the gestation period
could be transplanted to my artificial uterus to complete the pregnancy.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” uttered Ray in surprise.
“I’m not kidding. I’ve spent years on this subject. Dr. Evans wouldn’t pursue it with me.
He didn’t think the scientific community was ready for such a concept. I think they are. It’s all
ready to go. With modern science to help me, I know I can do it.”
Edward could sense that his friend didn’t believe what he told him. He felt strongly about
this, and needed Ray to see things the way he did. He had to persuade Ray to believe him, and
understand the importance of the work he did. Edward didn’t like making speeches to his friends,
but Ray had to feel strongly about this.
“Think of all the lives that might be spared by such technology. You and I were good
friends in college. We both wanted to go into obstetrics back then. We discussed the ethics of
abortion quite often at the time. We shared a general opinion on abortion. What do you think of
the concept of saving all those unborn children?
“I know what you would have said back then to this sort of thing. It might seem like
something impossible, but I’m here to tell you it is possible. You used to think as I do, the end
will justify the means. The procedure is not an easy one, and I’m sure there would be intense
debate about the subject, but what are your personal views about the possibility now, Ray? The
possibility of saving the lives of children has worth.”
“You’re right, Ed,” answered Raymond without hesitation. “My personal views haven’t
changed. I have a deep respect for life. Anything that might save so many lives should be fully
looked into. I would support your ethics completely in such a task.”
“Then you’ll help me?” asked Edward. Ray noticed a glimmer of excitement in his
friend’s eye. The zealous spirit of the man had always intrigued Ray. He knew Edward would
someday move on to great endeavors through his work, but nothing like this had ever crossed his
mind.
“What do you mean I’ll help you?” spoke Ray, almost upset. “Of course I’ll help you.
You have my full support. I know about your abilities. I’ll stand behind you and your abilities as
a scientist any day of the week. We have the same feelings on this subject. If you want somebody
on your side, you know you can count on me.”
“I don’t mean help me by standing behind me,” stated Edward in a soft tone. “I’m not a
medical doctor, Ray. My doctorate is scientific, and I don’t practice medicine. I don’t have the
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ability to do such testing. Time is of the essence now. I need an unborn child to prove my device
will work.”
Ray sat again for several moments. He felt as if Edward had never finished his last
sentence, that there was more he wanted to say. Ray felt confused, but knew he had to break the
silence.
“What are you getting at, Edward?”
“You can get me the unborn fetus.”
“I deliver babies,” stated Ray. “Where do I get a hold of a healthy unborn fetus.”
“I know you perform abortions,” answered Ed. “Don’t feel ashamed about it. I know a lot
of doctors who perform them. There’s a demand out there for
the procedure and it’s better that a
trained professional does it than some back-street butcher. I wouldn’t have come to you for help
if I knew you didn’t perform them.”
“It’s not something I like to discuss with people,” spoke Ray. “My own wife doesn’t even
know I perform them. I didn’t ever want to perform an abortion. When I went into obstetrics, I
did it because I wanted to bring new lives into the world. The miracles that happen during birth
are incredible, but when you’re just starting out, you have to build up a list of patients. The only
way I could do it was to join the women’s clinic. Abortions were a requirement of working there.
We try to discourage them, but I sometimes cross paths with someone determined to terminate
their pregnancy.”
“I knew abortions were a requirement,” answered Edward. “Where do you think I get the
unborn fetuses I use in my research. I take part in many of the autopsies at the hospitals. We get
them from all across the state. When I looked you up and found out you worked at one of the
clinics where we get our cadavers, I decided to pay you this visit.”
“I’m not proud of what I do.”
“You don’t have to defend your actions to me,” assured Edward. “These fetuses are a key
to our research. We could never have gained the knowledge we did without a steady supply of
them. Dr. Evans had a hard time doing the research. The sight of all those dead children bothered
him. It bothered me also, but I didn’t want to abandon my work. I chose to look at it as
necessary, so I could learn and work towards ultimately changing the fates of future children.
Working with unborn children has taken much of the life from me, but my latest work gives me
new hope.
“I believed that sustaining children outside the womb was a possibility and I wanted to
pursue the research, but Dr. Evans had problems with his conscience. As soon as he could get
away from the work, he did. Our goal to save the lives of infants was the same, but our methods
were quite different. That left me with little support to continue my own research. That’s all
changed now, but trust me Ray, you’ll never see as many unborn children as I have witnessed.”
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“I still don’t quite understand, Edward. If you have the fetuses coming in at a steady rate,
then why do you need me?”
“I can’t perform any of the procedures on children who’ve been dead for several days,”
explained Edward. “The procedure isn’t like creating a Frankenstein. I need to remove the child
myself and immediately attach the child to the device. If the child goes more than a few minutes
away from its mother, all will be lost. I couldn’t ask one of my colleagues to do the procedure.
You’re the only person I know well enough to even suggest the idea to.”
“It’s very rare that I perform the procedures anymore. It might be weeks before I saw
another patient for an abortion.”
“I still need some time to prepare for the operation. When a child becomes available, I’ll
be ready.”
“But you know what something like this could do to my career,” stressed Ray. “We could
never get away with it. If the mother went public about it, we would be destroyed by the medical
community. It’s ethically unacceptable to perform the procedure without intense testing.”
“The mother would never know what you did,” answered Edward solemnly. “I can
perform the procedure in a few minutes. I only have a short time span before the embryo dies
once I separate it from the mother. This has been a large part of my research. The technique I
developed requires no surgery. I use special tools to remove the embryo through the birth canal.
“The procedure must be done before the child reaches the stage of a fetus. All you have
to do is put the mother down with anesthesia and allow me to perform the actual procedure. You
said it yourself, Ray, if the end justifies the means, then ethics should not be a major
consideration.
“I don’t want to wait for twenty years to get the procedure through testing. It would take
years before anyone would even take it seriously. Just the suggestion could get me branded as a
lunatic and I would lose the credibility and status I’ve built. The only way to be taken seriously
is to come forward with a living child that has gone through the procedure.”
“You’re asking me to do something illegal, Edward,” explained Ray. “I could get in a lot
of trouble for not performing the procedure I am hired to perform. You realize the legal
consequences that might incur?”
“I know what I’m asking, Ray. I would only go public if everything worked out
according to plan. We would rely on the nature of the situation to protect us from the law. Who
would lock up two men who saved the life of an innocent child?
“It will take a man very true to his convictions to take a stand like this. We would be
violating so many laws that they couldn’t even be counted. I would need you with me when I
went public with it. I’m not talking about moral support here, Ray. I’m asking you to take a
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major risk and put your neck and your career out on the line. You have to trust that the world
will see this the same way we see it. It solves everybody’s problem.”
“It just sounds too odd and unnatural,” persisted Raymond. “It doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Think of how odd it sounded when doctors first decided to attempt a Cesarean-section.
It probably seemed odd and unnatural also, but look at the lives of mothers and children that it
has saved since then.”
“I don’t know, Edward,” spoke Ray hesitantly.
“I won’t force you into it. I want things to go right when I perform the procedure. I have
to have you on my side though the procedure and I can’t have you backing out once it is done. I
know the stress and outcry that will become of all of this. It will completely change your life
once everything is brought out to the public.
“If something goes wrong with the procedure, I’ll handle everything. It will be treated
like any other abortion. You will only be there to take part in the glory at the end and to aid me
in the separation from the mother, but there’s much more involvement than just that. Any
involvement will place your reputation at risk. If you don’t feel right about it, I don’t want to
involve you in it.
“I’ll leave you my number where I can be reached if you change your mind. I know I’ve
given you a lot to think about, I’ll give you some time to consider it. Just remember Ray, I won’t
be upset if you decide not to do it. It’s a lot to ask of a friend.”
Edward set his half empty glass of brandy on the coffee table and stood up from the
couch. Ray followed him to the door. He felt stunned by how quickly his friend got up to leave
and hurried to cut him off at the door. Ray had completely forgotten about his hospitality.
“You don’t need to leave so soon, Edward,” urged Ray. “It’s a shame to come all this
way and not even have something to eat. You’re welcome to stay for dinner. My wife’s an
excellent cook and we haven’t seen eac
h other in such a long time. I would like to hear more
about your family.”
“I would love to, Ray. Actually, I have to be leaving to get home. I spend a lot of time
traveling, and my family sometimes suffers because of it. If I get on the road now, I can make it
home for the dinner my own wife is cooking. Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass. It’s been
nice seeing you again, Ray. Think it over, then give me a call.”
Ray smiled as he opened the door for his old friend and watched the man walk out to his
car. The old BMW backed slowly out of the driveway and quickly drove out of sight. Ray closed
the door and turned around to find his wife walking down the stairway above.
She had her bathrobe on and looked extremely tired. She carried their small child in her
arms, and she smiled down at him as she spotted him below. She had pulled her long hair up into
a ball while she slept, but even after just waking up, she had a natural beauty about her.
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“I’m sorry, honey, did we wake you?” Ray asked his wife.
“No, dear, Helen awoke from her nap.”
“You need your rest also, Alice,” Ray reminded his tired partner. “I can take her for an
hour so you can finish your nap.” Ray took his young daughter in his hands and held her close to
his chest.
“No, Ray, I feel fine. Besides, you aren’t quite equipped to feed your daughter like I am.
Did your friend already leave?”
“Yeah,” Ray answered in a concerned tone. “He just drove away before you woke.” Ray
followed his wife to the kitchen. His young daughter stared up at him contently.
“I guess he won’t be staying for dinner then?”
“No, it wasn’t a very long visit.”
“Is something wrong, Ray?” Alice asked. She sensed that something bothered her
husband.
“Not really, dear. Seeing him again brought back some old memories. He always was a
person with radical ideas. I never realized how old I was until I saw him just now. Boy, it was a
long time ago that we were in college together. I kind of miss his energy and excitement.”
“We all grow old, Ray. So what’s he doing now? Is he an obstetrician?”
“No, dear,” answered Ray. “He works with premature children. He’s closer to a