Promise Me Eternity (40 page)

“Listen, Dr. Patterson. I won’t listen to you
anymore. I’ve already done far too much for you. I genuinely
thought you were telling the truth, but now I know there’s
something wrong in your head. You need a shrink.”

“No, no, I don’t want to go to prison. I
didn’t kill Helen. I’m not the one. You can’t …”

Steven listened to Simon completely lose his
composure. “Or are you just trying to make us think that you’re
insane so that you might avoid prison? You won’t succeed, I can
tell you that now. I’ll testify against you in court.”

When they got outside and they were pulling
him toward the car, Dr. Patterson saw a white flash of light. He
looked toward it and there was another flash. Only a few yards away
stood a young journalist.

That’s when Simon lost it completely. He
tried to free himself from the grip of the officers and grab the
camera from the journalist’s hands. But all he managed to do
instead was to drag the two officers and himself to the ground.

The journalist didn’t let it bother her. She
kept pressing the button on her camera which, because of the
constant flashing, looked like a strobe.

Dr. Patterson lurched toward her again, but
the officers restrained him. Then they forced him into the police
car while he was still shouting like a madman.

The guards locked him into a specially
protected room. They used this procedure for every prisoner who had
not yet been convicted. Dr. Patterson sat down and was still, but
kept saying that he was innocent and that they should let him
out.

Simon waited, but when no one came to see
him, he started going wild again. He shouted and beat his hands
against the wall. Later he cried bitterly and, afterward he shook
with horror. He kicked the door until his feet hurt too much to
continue. At first the guards waited for him to calm down, but
after he had tried their patience to the limit, they called a
doctor.

Four men had to hold Simon while the doctor
injected him with a tranquilizer. He was groaning as if he had
already been sentenced to death.

Then he gradually calmed down and went to
sleep.

Chapter 84

_______________________

The next day, Jerry Duncan had the morning
off and was supposed to cover night duty. Shortly after he entered
his small office, Dr. Lawson came to see him.

“I’ve been looking for you, where have you
been?”

“I had a free morning. Has anything unusual
happened?”

“No, no problems. I’ve been bored since no
operations are on the schedule.”

Dr. Duncan said, “Yes, indeed. We’ll have to
change the schedule. Now that there are two of us, things will go a
lot faster, don’t you think?”

“That’s exactly what I was going to propose.
I’m glad it was you who said it first.”

“Of course. Hang on, let me find it. Oh, here
it is, among these papers. We can change it at once.”

An hour later they were already in the
operating room. Anita Carter was in position, watching Dr. Lawson
with a serious face. During the whole operation she was quiet. Dr.
Lawson, in contrast, was talkative. This time, he was operating.
While working on the patient’s brain, he kept talking. He told the
staff how glad he was that he had come to Medford Central
Hospital.

“At least you all know each other here,” he
said. “Before, I had a feeling I was working in a huge factory.
There were so many of us that I didn’t even know many of the staff.
We rushed past each other along the corridors without as much as a
hello. Really awful.”

Everybody was surprised at Dr. Lawson being
able to talk so much while operating. It was as if his hands
belonged to someone else and were doing their work while he was
talking about his previous life. When the operation was finished,
the others were looking at each other in amazement.

“Have we finished?” asked one of the
instrument nurses. “It seems as if only five minutes have
passed.”

Dr. Lawson looked at the clock. “The
operation took one hour and forty-five minutes. I hope I didn’t
bore you too much with my chatter.”

“Not at all,” the nurse said. “I’ve never
seen anyone operate in such a relaxed manner.”

Jerry Duncan looked at the floor, annoyed.
Dr. Lawson made him want to vomit.

In the late afternoon, on his way home, Dr.
Lawson ran into Anita Carter in the parking lot.

“Oh, you’re leaving too? What a coincidence.
You must be tired and can hardly wait to get home.”

She turned and put her hand on the roof of
her car. “I’m not tired at all. And I’ve just been wondering what
to do at home.” Her eyes had a mysterious glint in them.

“That’s odd. I’d gladly ask you to go for a
drink, but I’m afraid you’d say no. You’ve been looking so severely
at me all day today.”

“Me, severe? That can’t be true. Well,
perhaps a little bit. But I could have a drink.”

Dr. Lawson was surprised. He hadn’t really
meant the invitation. It was just a way of starting a conversation
because he thought that Dr. Carter didn’t like him much.

“If that’s the case,” Dr. Lawson said, “I’ll
leave the choice of where we go to you, considering I’m new in
town.”

They went to the Artists’ Club, which was in
a modern glass building frequented mainly by artsy types. They
ordered their drinks and sat down in a dark corner at the end of
the bar.

“How long have you been working at Medford
Hospital?”

Anita Carter thought for a bit. “Much too
long. But you get settled somehow.”

“Why too long? Don’t you like it?”

“I wouldn’t want to spoil your opinion of our
hospital.”

“Oh, come on. Tell me what you think.”

“If you insist. … What I hate most is the
overtime. We work much too much. The shortage of staff. Everything
else I can take but ….”

He smiled confidently. “Can I tell you
something?”

“Yes, of course. Why not?”

“It’s the same everywhere. I haven’t heard of
a hospital where they had enough staff. It’s a perennial
problem.”

“Is that so? I thought that in large
cities—”

“Believe me, it’s no different. You come home
tired but satisfied that you’ve done a good job. That’s my comfort.
Whenever I get gloomy thoughts, I remember all the people I’ve
helped and I immediately feel better.”

“If that’s how you feel, then you’re very
welcome here.”

They didn’t say anything for a while. They
both felt that the conversation wasn’t going smoothly. Dr. Lawson
took a sip of his beer and Anita of her rum and Coke, which she
always enjoyed.

“Which medical school did you go to?” he
asked.

She told him her story.

“Very interesting,” he said
encouragingly.

She took another sip, savoring the taste. She
looked into his dark eyes. His irises were so dark they were almost
black.

Dr. Lawson said, “So you say that you’re
still single. How come?”

It seemed pointless to tell him about Jerry
Duncan. “I feel best that way
. O
r perhaps
I haven’t found the right guy.”

“That requires a toast.” He took his bottle
and clinked it against her glass. “I have been with someone for a
long time, which isn’t the most sensible thing to do either.”

“Are you saying you’re sorry?”

“Not at all, but you know how it is. You
always have a feeling that you’re missing out. I was twenty when I
got married, so you can imagine how it is.”

“Yes, you’re right, you were very young.”

The alcohol was beginning to take effect and
before she knew it, an hour had passed. They were chatting like old
friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Anita laughed
out loud when he recounted stories from his youth.

She said, “You should be an actor. You’re a
good storyteller.”

“Thank you. You’re very kind. No one has ever
said that to me before.”

“But it’s true.”

Dr. Lawson looked at the watch on his
wrist.

“Do you have to go already? Is your wife
waiting with your dinner?” Anita asked wickedly. She immediately
regretted it.

“Not at all,” he said. “I go home when I want
to. You know how it is in our profession, you never know.” He
winked.

They laughed again and raised their
glasses.

Anita put her hand on her forehead. “I
haven’t laughed like this for a long time. It feels good.”

“Me too. I have to say you’re quite an
extraordinary woman.”

Their eyes met for a moment, and then they
immediately looked down.

Anita asked, “How many drinks have I had? The
waiter keeps bringing them. I think it must be five already.”

Dr. Lawson waved his hand dismissively. “Does
it matter? I’ve had at least four, too.”

She searched his eyes again.
They’re so
very dark,
she thought.

Anita was the first to get up. “We’d better
leave. Otherwise we’ll feel it tomorrow.”

He paid and followed her.

At the exit, she said, “I’d ask you to my
place for another drink, but you’d probably say no.” This was
obviously a provocation.

He thought for a while, looking around. “Why
not? Just to see where you live.”

Within ten minutes they were at the entrance
to her apartment. She got annoyed with herself for not being able
to put the key in the lock.

“Let me help you,” he said.

“It won’t be necessary.” She had succeeded.
“Come in.”

When he looked around the apartment, he said,
“It’s nice. Very cozy. It doesn’t feel like you live here on your
own.”

Anita was hoping he wouldn’t notice something
that would make it obvious she was living with Jerry. “Come in,”
she said, and showed him to the dining room, where there was a
large table. “I’ll get you another beer.”

He didn’t object, and kept looking around,
surprised at the hominess of the place. “You have very good taste,
I have to hand you that.”

She deliberately ignored this comment. Jerry
had brought the various pictures, souvenirs, and other items.

She sat opposite him and purred like a cat.
“I should go out more often. I really enjoyed myself.”

“Me too. Sometimes family life can get a bit
monotonous.”

She wanted to ask if he had any kids, but
changed her mind. She didn’t really care.

They went on talking and time went by.

Chapter 85

_______________________

“Damn night duty,” Jerry Duncan cursed.
Bored, he stepped over to the office window and admired the
twinkling stars. He opened the window and listened. There was no
noise in the street, as it was evening and traffic was light. Jerry
inhaled the fresh air and held it in his lungs for a while before
exhaling.
It really is a beautiful evening.
How nice it
would be to watch television with Anita right now.
He was
happiest when lying next to her, holding her hand. That’s when he
was truly calm and content.
I wonder what she’s doing.

He walked over to the telephone to call her,
but changed his mind at the last moment. At 10:00 p.m. she might be
dozing while watching a movie. She often did that when they were
together and he always lay still so as not to wake her.

He went back to the open window. He watched
three men walking along the pavement.
How boring!
With a
weary look on his face, he glanced at his watch once more. The hand
had moved by only two minutes, no one had called him, nothing was
happening.

Two blocks down the road some boys were
playing basketball. They ran after the ball and threw it at the
basket. They laughed and talked loudly. Jerry watched them for a
while, smiling. He remembered how it was when he was young, playing
with his friends. Then he was carefree and life was one big
adventure. Fun every single day.
The crazy days of
youth!

He stood by the window for a while longer and
then a wicked thought occurred to him.
What if I went home for a
short while? Just to give Anita a hug. I’d take my cell phone with
me, in case of an emergency. No.
He shook his head. He’d never
done anything like that before.

He stood still by the window, looking out and
thinking.
What could happen? Even if a patient was brought in
and it was an emergency, I could be back in fifteen minutes. It’s
nighttime and there’s no traffic. While they were preparing the
patient for the operation, I’d be back. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.
I’ll go home for a while.

He told the receptionist that he thought he
might have forgotten to turn off the stove at home. He promised her
that he’d be back in half an hour at the most. Of course she didn’t
dare object.

“Don’t worry, Doctor, if we need you I’ll
call you on your cell. It seems like a quiet evening, anyway. We’ve
had very few people come in.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said, and rushed
through the automatic double doors.

Running through the lobby, he looked around
to see if anyone had seen him. If the boss found out about his
little escapade, he’d be in trouble.

He drove along the main road thirty miles an
hour faster than he should. If he was stopped, he might lose his
driver’s license. In spite of this, he took the risk since the road
was so familiar and he knew in which spots the police were likely
to be. There, he reduced his speed and then speeded up again.

He got home in exactly eleven minutes. Never
before having escaped from work like this, he was excited and his
heart was beating fast.

He had to wait for the elevator and decided
to take the stairs. He surprised himself as he ran like an antelope
to reach Anita’s apartment as soon as possible. Before he went in,
he smiled, knowing she’d be pleased to see him.