Promise Me Eternity (13 page)

“I’ve been told that my birth was a difficult
one and they needed quite some time to get me out.” She smiled at
this, as if joking at her own expense. “The umbilical cord was
compressed between the wall of the uterus and my body and I was
deprived of oxygen.” She paused for a few moments. “When they
finally got me out, my body was blue and lifeless.”

Dr. Patterson knew what she was talking
about. She had clearly been lucky to survive.

“They struggled for more than three minutes
to save me. They said they’d just about given up. If I’d been
without oxygen for four minutes my brain would have died. Anyway,
somehow they succeeded. And that’s where my problem comes from. It
seems that because my brain was starved of oxygen for so long, I
get these terrible headaches at least twice a week.”

“Have you ever been examined because of these
problems?”

“No, never.”

He was surprised by her response. Some people
were at their doctors all the time, while others suffered and put
things off as long as they could. He thought for a while and then
said, “Where does it hurt?”

“I feel so awkward about this, Doctor. Not
long ago you were at my home for dinner and now …. You know, I did
try to call, but I never managed to get you.”

“I’m very busy. Actually, I’m rarely in my
office. It’s alright that you came like you did. I’d like to help
you … if I’m able to, that is.”

She was relieved.

He asked her again: “Where does it hurt?”

Christine raised her hand and placed it on
the back of her head. “Most often the pain is back here.”

He went close to her and laid his hand on her
head. He applied pressure in a number of places, each time asking
if that was where the pain occurred.

As he didn’t manage to find the right spot,
she took his hand and placed it differently. “Just here.”

“I see.” He tried to remove his hand, but she
didn’t let him. He felt her damp palm and was overcome by waves of
heat.

Christine said, “Sometimes it’s unbearable.”
She transferred his hand to her forehead. “It hurts here too.
Sometimes a cold compress helps.”

He stood beside her, wanting to move away but
being unable to do so as she was still holding on to him. This had
never happened to him before.

He ran his tongue along the inside of his
lips. “I understand,” he managed to say. “We’ll have to run some
tests.”

Finally, she let go of him. “Please, Doctor,
help me. You’re my last hope.”

He sat down, his eyes fixed on her, the whole
time admiring her beauty and thinking,
Carlo Vucci is truly a
lucky man.

Her eyes drifted toward the window. “Oh,
unbelievable, miniature roses!” She jumped up and went toward them.
She picked up the pot and raised it to her face. “I’m crazy about
roses. I’m always sniffing them. Carlo gets so mad about it.”

As Christine stood with her back to him, he
stared at her backside. He knew he shouldn’t and just as he was
about to look away, she suddenly turned and caught him in the
act.

Like a child he turned his head and gave
himself away by doing so. “As I said, we’ll need to run some
tests.” He was angry with himself for behaving so stupidly.

Christine didn’t reply immediately. All the
while she was looking at him with a smile on her face. She still
held the flowerpot in her hand. “Your evening with us was really
something special,” she said. “Carlo was very enthusiastic too. He
keeps saying what a remarkable man you are.”

Simon was drowning in embarrassment. “I
really enjoyed your company as well.” He looked at the floor
because he felt as if his cheeks were burning. Then he cautiously
sought her face with his eyes. “When can you return? We need to do
a CT scan of your head and run some other tests.”

She put the flowers back on the windowsill.
As she bent over, his eyes were again drawn to her backside. She
slowly turned. Dr. Patterson was looking at her more cautiously.
Only now and then did he throw a glance her way. In spite of this,
he felt beads of perspiration gathering on his forehead.

Christine Vucci said, “I have plenty of time.
You tell me when you have the time, you’re the busy one. Whenever
you say, I’ll be here.”

When she spoke, he felt as if he were going
to be sucked in by her eyes, she stared at him so admiringly.

“I … so …” He looked through his appointment
book. “Perhaps tomorrow, at nine o’clock?” Again he met her shining
eyes.

“I’ll be here.”

When she left, he was welded to the chair for
some time. She had put him off his stride and that slightly annoyed
him.

He wiped his damp forehead with a tissue and
poured himself a glass of orange juice.
I’ll do these tests and
then I never want to see her again.

Chapter 22

_______________________

Dr. Jerry Duncan was massaging his temples
with his fingers. The last few nights he’d only slept about six
hours and it was affecting his concentration. He kept yawning and
was overwhelmed by tiredness. He could hardly wait for the end of
the day so that he could go home. He and Anita would drink tea in
front of the TV and maybe he’d go to sleep in her arms.

He plodded wearily along the corridor to do
his rounds. Dr. Patterson had called him an hour earlier to tell
him that he had other, more important work, and to do the rounds on
his own.

“Hello, Mrs. Tillman. How are you feeling?
You’re looking well.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Not too bad. The main
thing is I’m still alive. Nothing else matters.”

He studied her chart. Mrs. Tillman had had a
burst blood vessel in her brain that had led to hemorrhaging. They
had fastened a special titanium clip to the artery to stop the
bleeding.

He wrinkled his forehead and looked at her
questioningly. “Any symptoms: dizziness, memory problems, pain,
anything at all?”

“No, nothing like that. Only that I’ve been
dreaming a lot lately. Last night I dreamed I was skiing. Can you
believe it?” She smiled bitterly. “What have you put into my
head?”

“We haven’t put anything in, we’ve just fixed
what was wrong. And you will be able to ski. But you’ll need to
rest a while first.”

“I was joking, Doctor. I’ll be sixty next
year. I won’t be doing anything so crazy at my age. But I like to
dream.”

“That’s alright, then. So, I’ll see you again
tomorrow. Good-bye.”

The next patient was not so friendly. He was
an elderly man who had been operated on for sciatica.

“Hello, Mr. Foster. How are you feeling
today?”

Without returning the greeting, he replied,
“No better than yesterday. Everything is hurting. Where’s Dr.
Patterson?”

“I’m afraid Dr. Patterson won’t be here
today. Where does it hurt?”

“I want Dr. Patterson to examine me. They say
he’s a very good doctor. I don’t have any faith in you.”

“But you’ll have to. Dr. Patterson isn’t the
only neurosurgeon in the world that can help you. Besides, it was
me who operated on you, and Dr. Patterson assisted.”

The man was horrified. “What? How can that
be? I spoke to Dr. Patterson and he assured me everything would be
alright. Then he leaves me in the hands of an inexperienced young
doctor like you.”

Jerry Duncan could hardly contain himself.
“Listen, Mr. Foster, I don’t want to get into an argument with you.
The operation went smoothly. I came to see how you were. That’s my
duty. If you’re not satisfied with the hospital’s services, then
you can always file a complaint.”

“And I shall. Don’t you worry!”

“You do as you see fit. In any case, Dr.
Patterson will no doubt see you tomorrow, so you can complain to
him.”

“I certainly will do.”

“Good, then we’ll see each other tomorrow.
Good day.”

Next he visited a teenager who had sustained
head injuries when his motorbike hit a tree.

“Hi, Alex. How’s it going?”

The boy, who was barely sixteen, was pleased
to see him. “Pretty good, until I look in the mirror. God knows
when my hair will grow and cover this awful scar.”

Jerry laughed out loud. “That’s no great
problem. It’ll no longer be visible after a couple of months. You
needn’t worry about that.”

“A whole two months. And how can I face my
friends with a shaved head?”

“You’ll survive. What are you going to do
with the bike?”

The boy shrugged. “I think I’ll sell it.”

“That’s the right idea.”

“When can I go home?”

Dr. Duncan thought about it. “Hard to say.
We’ll do another scan tomorrow. We have to be sure that there’s no
more bleeding. You’ll be here at least another week. Can you handle
it?”

”If I have to. It’s so boring here. Nothing
happens.”

“It’ll pass quicker than you think. See
you.”

“See you.”

In the next bed, a young woman who’d had a
tumor removed looked very sick, with sunken cheeks and blue-gray
bags under her eyes. When she listened to Dr. Duncan talking to
Alex, she didn’t once smile.

Jerry gave her a wink of encouragement. “We
removed everything from your head that we needed to. There’s no
reason for you to worry.”

The woman could barely answer. “Thank you,
Doctor.”

“Tomorrow we’ll do another scan. I don’t
think there’s any reason for concern.”

“But the other doctor said the tumor was
malignant, that I’d need radiation therapy.”

“Yes, that’s right. You will need
radiotherapy.” He tried to sound as encouraging as possible. A
patient should never sense his concern. That could only worsen
their condition. “You’ll have a few sessions of radiation and then
you’ll get better.”

“What if I don’t? What if I die? I’m only
twenty-seven.”

“Of course you’ll get better. Your tumor was
a very small one.” With his fingers he showed its size, pulling a
face like a young child. “Absolutely tiny.”

The woman managed a weak smile. “Was it
really that small?”

He pulled a face again. “Really, really
small.”

Her cheeks took on a little color. “Then
there is maybe some hope I’ll get better?”

“Didn’t I say you would? You must be
brave.”

A tear squeezed from one of her eyes. “Thank
you, Doctor.”

Finally, Jerry visited a young boy who from
birth had had a strangely shaped skull. They had operated to
correct this.

“Hi, Danny, you OK?”

The boy, who was playing with a small teddy
bear, raised his head and gave him a warm smile. “Hi, Jerry. Where
you going? I’m bored.”

Dr. Duncan persuaded every child to call him
by his first name, so that they lost their fear of him. “I’ve got
to work. You know how it is in a hospital.”

The boy winked understandingly.

Jerry felt like giving him a big hug. “How’s
your head?”

“How would I know? You’ve covered it in
bandages!”

Dr. Duncan laughed. “I meant, have you
noticed anything unusual. Does it hurt at all?”

“I haven’t noticed anything. Feels like it
did before.” He held the bear in his right hand and made it jump
around the bedcover.

Jerry was always surprised at how well some
children took operations. They were too young to fear for their
lives.

“If it’s as it was before,” he said, “then
that’s great. In any case, no one can make fun of your head
anymore. It’s just like everyone else’s.”

Danny let go of the bear, his eyes shining.
“Will they really leave me alone? You know, my head never bothered
me. But others …”

“I know, I understand. In fact, I think that
now it looks even better than everyone else’s.”

“You really think so?”

“You’ll see when you get home. Everyone will
be amazed.”

The boy clapped his hands several times. “And
when can I go home?”

“You’ll have to wait a while longer. These
things take time. Maybe in a few days. We’ll see. OK?”

He nodded. “You know, it’s not all that bad
in here. I just hate being in bed all the time.”

“If you’re good, I’ll bring you a
present.”

The boy’s eyes lit up again. “Will you
really? Of course I’ll be good.”

Jerry gently pinched the boy’s cheek. “Now
I’ve got to go. Bye-bye.”

Danny raised his hand and waved. “You really
got to go? Bye-bye.”

As he went along the corridor, Jerry wiped a
tear from his cheek. He often got attached to some kid and then
felt bad when they went home. He’d mentioned this a number of times
to Anita, but she had replied coldly that she didn’t want a child
and he should get that idea right out of his head.

On the way home he stopped at a toy store and
bought an airplane kit. He could hardly wait to visit Danny
tomorrow and give it to him.

Chapter 23

_______________________

Helen had already looked three times at her
small wristwatch. She was angry because Robert Miner was late, but
at the same time she was a mass of nerves. It was a long time since
she’d been on a date.
I’ll wait five minutes more, then I’m
going home.
She raised her hand and called the waiter. When he
came over, she said, “Another martini, please.”

The waiter bowed obligingly and went off.

Waiting at the round table, surrounded by
people happily chatting and enjoying the wonderful food, her
thoughts turned to Simon. She had been married to him for more than
fifteen years. She clearly remembered the day when she had seen him
for the first time.
He was wearing a cheap, shabby gray suit. He
never had any dress sense. Later, I chose all his clothes
myself.
She remembered her first vacation with him. They had
slept in a wooden cottage in the mountains and made love many times
a day. Then she remembered how happy he was when he had completed
his specialization in surgery. She sighed out loud.