Brett Barney - Remember Me.txt

by Remember Me

  “So you don’t know anything about your parents then?” Amy asked.

  “No,” Margaret answered. “I just can’t understand why they kept it from me all these

  years. I feel so betrayed. I’m trying to get my nerve up so I can go back and confront them about

  it.”

  “Don’t be too hard on them, Margaret. A lot of parents don’t ever tell their children that

  they’re adopted. Adopted kids don’t usually feel like they fit into a family and parents don’t want

  them to feel that way. Your parents aren’t that much different from a lot of other parents out

  there.”

  “But I wasn’t even adopted.”

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  “If I were you,” suggested Amy. “I wouldn’t let on that I knew anything. It sounds to me

  like all the answers you’re looking for are in your father’s files. If you confront them, they might

  try to hide things from you. Take it from me, sometimes if they don’t want you to know

  something, they’ll keep it from you as long as they can.

  “You have all the answers right at your disposal. Don’t risk loosing that opportunity.”

  “I don’t want to go back there tonight. I can’t believe that they risked my life for

  scientific research. I feel like I’m nothing, just the product of some experiment. All these years

  that I worked so hard in school, trying to impress them, and they were just using me as a guinea

  pig.”

  “Don’t look at it that way, Margaret,” pleaded Amy. “You have to give your parents

  some credit. I know a lot of kids that have terrible parents. I know your parents, they might be a

  little bit old-fashioned, but they’re great parents. Regardless of where you came from, they’ve

  been really good to you.

  “Your dad’s a doctor, you’ve never been beaten, you can’t abandon them because you

  find one flaw. Don’t judge them until you know the truth. Maybe your real mother died and they

  removed you to try to save your life. If that’s the case, then your dad might have saved your life.

  You can’t be so hard on them until you know the truth about things.”

  “If that was the case, why would they hide everything from me?”

  “The answers lie in the files,” answered Amy. “Go home and make up some story about

  how you lost track of time. Act like nothing has changed, but don’t let it upset you so much.

  You’re parents have taken care of you for eighteen years. I think by now they plan to keep you.

  They’ve probably grown attached.”

  Margaret smiled as she stared down at the dog licking her hands. The wet tongue covered

  her hands with fluid which quickly made them feel cold. She didn’t mind the animal’s show of

  affection. She didn’t even notice it over her thoughts.

  Amy could make everything look positive, she could find good in everything, even a root

  canal. Margaret knew how lucky she was to have such a good friend.

  “Hey Amy, who’s out there with you?” called a soft voice from the back door of the

  house.

  “It’s just Margaret, mom,” Amy yelled back.

  “Hi Margaret, have you been home lately? Your mother keeps calling, she’s worried

  sick.”

  “I know, I’m on my way home now,” Margaret yelled back.

  “Mom’s rather funny,” Amy whispered to her friend as her mother returned inside the

  house. She checks me every fifteen minutes whenever I’m in the backyard alone.

  “She just worries about you,” Margaret answered.

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  “Just like your mom?” asked Amy.

  “Yeah, just like my mom.”

  Amy walked with her dog and Margaret to the front yard. Darkness had now crept over

  the town and the street light provided the only glimmer in the dusk sky. Margaret climbed in the

  car and rolled down the window as she started up the engine.

  “Don’t worry, Margaret,” assured Amy. “We graduate in less than a week. We’ll have

  everything figured out by then. There’s no reason to ruin your graduation over something that

  happened eighteen years ago.”

  “You’re a good friend, Amy.”

  “Hey, friends help friends figure out these little secrets that have been kept from us all

  our lives.”

  Margaret threw the car in gear and waved to her friend as she started down the road. Her

  mind worked frantically as she dreamed up a story to explain to her parents when she reached

  her home just a few blocks away. Anticipation and wonder about who her parents were and what

  had happened to Edward Penn started to eat away at her. She knew she would visit the books in

  her father’s study again.

  While she drove, a new thought occurred to her. She had never imagined her father as a

  rebellious scientist. He always seemed so quiet and appropriate. This didn’t fit his personality at

  all, and she wondered what had happened to make him take part in this.

  It had been several months since Dr. Raymond Drake helped Edward remove the child

  from its mother, and he hadn’t thought about it in days when he received the call. Ray sat in the

  examining room speaking with a young expecting mother. The young woman had only days left

  before she would deliver her child. She sat in her gown on the bed with her hands resting on the

  large mass that her stomach had become. He had finished the examination and was about to

  explain his findings to her when a knock at the door interrupted them.

  Dr. Drake stood up and walked over to where one of his nurses peeped her head in. He

  recognized the importance of the message by the expression on her face.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Drake, but you have a phone call and I think you should

  take it,” whispered the young nurse.

  “I’m sorry,” expressed Ray as he excused himself. “Why don’t you get dressed while I

  take this call and I’ll come right back to explain to you the changes going on at this point of your

  pregnancy. I’m terribly sorry for the interruption.”

  Ray closed the door while the patient stood up and started to dress. The bright room

  seemed extremely lonely to the girl as she got ready by herself. The loose fitting blue gown felt

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  comfortable to her. It was the only item of clothing she had worn in the past three weeks which

  didn’t squeeze her too tightly.

  Dr. Drake walked away from the examining room and entered his office to pick up the

  phone. He removed the white lab coat before sitting down at his desk. The small room gave him

  plenty of privacy and solitude for the unexpected call. Raymond picked up the receiver and

  pressed the flashing button to connect the call.

  “This is Dr. Drake.”

  “Hello Dr. Drake,” spoke the voice on the other end. “My name is officer Frank Burlow.

  I’m a member of the state highway patrol.”

  “Yes officer, has someone been hurt?”

  “Yes sir,” answered the man. “He’s an old acquaintance of yours. His wife asked me if I

  would call you, she’s a little bit shaken up right now.”

  “Who’s been injured?” questioned Ray, as a blanket of fear fell upon him and his mind

  raced frantically.

  “I’m sorry s
ir,” responded the officer. “The man’s name is Dr. Edward Penn. He was

  pronounced dead at the hospital about two hours ago. I’m at his widow’s home right now. She

  asked me to contact you regarding some business he left behind.”

  “Edward’s dead? How did he die?”

  “He died in a head-on collision this afternoon sir,” answered the officer. “I’m sorry I

  have to break the news to you over the phone. His wife tells me you and Dr. Penn were good

  friends from college. We have a bit of a problem that we are wondering if you could clear up for

  us.”

  “What’s the problem, officer?” asked Ray, still shocked by the unexpected news. He

  looked down at his watch, trying to get his thoughts straightened out.

  “Dr. Penn’s wife tells us that her husband was working on some delicate research. He’s

  been doing the work in the privacy of his own basement. She says that you are the only other

  person who knows anything about what he was working with.

  “All she can tell us is that the research was very sensitive and that it couldn’t be left

  unattended for long periods of time. Mrs. Penn is extremely shaky right now, and we aren’t sure

  what he may have been working with. We don’t know if it’s anything that might be dangerous or

  not.”

  Ray froze as reality settled back into his mind. He hadn’t heard from Edward in almost a

  month and didn’t know the status of Ed’s work. He knew the implications of what the police

  might find. What was more important, he realized that Edward’s family knew nothing about it.

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  “What have you found, officer?” questioned Ray. His fingers felt clammy as he tried to

  hold the phone in his trembling hands. Even in the cool, air-conditioned office, he could sense

  droplets of sweat sliding down his forehead from his own nervousness.

  “We haven’t found anything yet, sir. Dr. Penn’s laboratory is in the basement of the home

  and the doors to the room are locked tightly. His wife has a key to the room, but has told us that

  nobody is supposed to enter the room until you are here. We don’t know what is in the room, but

  we wondered if you could find the time tomorrow to come down and look things over. I have the

  key in my possession at this time, but will turn it over to you as soon as you arrive.”

  “I’ll be there in a couple of hours,” answered Ray quickly. He sensed a strange fear

  gnawing at his stomach, and felt a little queasy. He shifted through his appointment book as he

  talked to figure out how to cancel everything.

  “It isn’t necessary that you come down right away. Mrs. Penn is extremely upset right

  now and she will probably have her immediate family with her most of the night.”

  “I realize your situation, officer,” answered Ray, “but Dr. Penn’s work is extremely

  fragile. I need to come down and look things over immediately. I’m not sure what the status of

  his research is, but he poured a lifetime of work into it and I owe it to him to make sure his work

  is finished and not destroyed.”

  “I understand, sir,” answered the officer. “I’ll be at the station house if you want to come

  pick the key up this afternoon. Should I maybe enter the room and check things over for you, sir?

  I know it’s a two hour drive from there, and if there is something that needs checked, I can do

  that for you over the phone.”

  “I don’t think you’ll want to do that, officer,” answered Ray, thinking quickly. “Dr. Penn

  worked with unborn children, studying birth defects. I’m sure some of the things you will find

  could be quite graphic. You could also disturb the stability of the laboratory. It would be best for

  everyone if you wait and allow me to enter the room when I get there.”

  “All right sir, and Dr. Drake, I’m truly sorry about Dr. Penn.”

  “We all are, officer.”

  Ray hung the phone up and walked to the front counter where his nurse sat at her desk.

  He felt surprised at his quick thinking under pressure from the officer. He had handled the

  situation calmly and protected himself and Edward from a possible catastrophe. Ray didn’t have

  time to mourn as he feared for his practice. He reached the counter with his hands still shaking,

  and walked up to the nurse. She saw him coming and sensed that something was wrong. His face

  looked as if he had seen a ghost.

  “I have to go out of town immediately,” explained Ray.

  “Is everything all right at home, doctor?” asked the nurse.

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  “Yes,” he continued. “An old friend of mine just died. I need to go to his home and take

  care of some things. Could you please answer any questions my patient has and ask the other

  doctors to cover for me. I only have two more appointments scheduled.”

  “Sure doctor. Don’t you worry about anything here. I’ll take care of everything for you.

  You run along now.”

  “Two quick things,” explained Ray. “The patient in the examining room only has a few

  days left. It could happen any time now. This is her first child and she isn’t very relaxed. I

  wanted to talk with her and comfort her a little bit. She has a lot of pressure on her right now.”

  “I’ll talk with her,” assured the nurse. She admired his dedication to his work, but knew

  what needed done. She walked with him to the door as he left the building. “Don’t you worry

  about a thing. I can comfort any first time mother.”

  “Also,” continued Ray. “Call my wife and tell her it was important that I hit the road

  right away. I’ll call her in a couple hours, once I get everything taken care of. I know it’s all

  quite sudden, but tell her I’ll explain when I get home.”

  “You bet, doctor. I’ll call Mrs. Drake right away.”

  “Thanks Mary, you’re an angel.”

  Ray stepped into his car and looked at his watch, two thirty. He knew the trip would take

  over two hours. Ray had no idea of what had taken place with Edward’s research in the past

  month. He tried to add up the age of the fetus, but the time had slipped his mind. Then he

  remembered the young girl in his examining room.

  She had come into his office around the same time as the mother who had chosen to abort

  her pregnancy. The two unborn children should have entered the same stages of pregnancy

  together, but Ray had no idea if the procedure had managed to work.

  Ray had driven several miles before the reality of the situation really hit him. His old

  friend from college had died. He choked on the stagnant air in the car and rolled down the

  window to settle his stomach. He drove on as tears flowed freely from his eyes. He had so much

  he had wanted to say and so little that he really knew about his old friend anymore.

  Ray reached the door of Edward’s house early in the afternoon and knocked lightly. He

  had picked up the key from the police station and told the officers he would call them if he

  needed any help. He had only met Cheryl Penn twice, one of the times at their wedding

  reception. He felt like a stranger as he waited at the doorstep. He hardly knew the woman.

  An unfamiliar face greeted him at the door. Ray could see some resemblance in the

  features to his old friend Edward, but he didn
’t know who she was. The woman didn’t seem to

  recognize him either.

  “You must be one of Ed’s sisters,” Ray spoke in a tender voice.

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  “Yes,” she answered. “I’m afraid I don’t recall you.”

  “I’m Raymond Drake. Ed and I were classmates in college. Mrs. Penn sent for me.”

  “Oh yes,” the woman answered in an excited voice. “Cheryl’s been waiting for you.

  She’s really worried about what Ed’s been working on lately. I hope you can calm her down a

  bit.”

  “Will you take me to her?”

  The woman motioned him to follow her down the hallway. The house was crowded with

  close friends and relatives who had come to give their condolences. The smell of fresh baked

  breads, brought by neighbors to aid with the burden created by the loss, filled the air around him.

  Ray saw several children as he walked down the hallway whom he recognized as

  Edward’s own. They looked old enough to understand what had happened, but too young to lose

  a father. A sadness overcame him before he could reach the room and his tears returned.

  The woman led Ray to the master bedroom where the widow sat at her bed with a

  handkerchief. The drawn shades provided little light to brighten the dismal mood of the home,

  and it felt uncomfortably cool inside. Cheryl looked up at the two as they entered the room and

  immediately recognized Ray.

  “Oh, Dr. Drake,” Cheryl cried out. “Thank you for coming so soon. Come with me to the

  study where we can talk.”

  The woman stepped up from the bed and grabbed Ray by the hand. She didn’t look as

  Ray had expected after the recent visits from Edward. Edward looked so worn out and haggard,

  but she had a younger, vibrant appearance. Her long auburn hair and healthy skin made it hard

  for Ray to believe that she and Edward were the same age. The radiance which seemed to

  surround her looked only temporarily covered by a shadow of sadness.

  She led him back down the hall and into an unoccupied room. Cheryl shut the door

  behind her as Ray walked over and stood by a bookshelf near the desk. Mrs. Penn walked over

  and leaned up against the desk. The small room provided a region of solitude in the busy,

  mourning atmosphere of the home.

  “I’m sorry about your husband,” Ray began. “He was a good man.”