Promise Me Eternity (9 page)

Maria blushed slightly. Simon was the only
one who praised her cooking. Helen usually said nothing and her
husband John never praised anything anyway.

She replied warmly, “You’re right. I’ve
prepared roast goose with potatoes and vegetables.”

Helen looked around the room. “Didn’t you say
you were going to buy a new kitchen?”

Simon threw her a critical look. She knew he
frowned on asking such direct and personal questions.

John was coming down the stairs. “Welcome,”
he said. “The kitchen has already been ordered, but there was a
hitch. It should have been here by now. As for that money …”

Helen could remember the exact amount they
had talked about last time. They had paid out a full seven thousand
dollars for a solid wood kitchen rather than veneer. She wondered
where they got their money, and decided to talk to Simon that
evening. They, too, could use a new kitchen.

Simon got up and offered his hand. “Hello,
neighbor, how are your flowers doing? You’re in the garden nonstop
these days.”

John wasn’t sure whether he was serious or
not. “What do you mean? Aren’t they OK?” he asked moodily.

Serving the soup, Maria cut in. “Don’t be so
sensitive, John. Simon was asking a polite question. Isn’t that
right, Simon?”

“Of course.” He was surprised by John’s
reaction. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

Maria laughed. “John is jealous of your
roses. He never manages to get such beautiful blossoms as you do.
He buys the most expensive fertilizer and sprays them regularly
against pests, but …”

Her husband gave her a sharp look for giving
the game away.

“Oh, that’s what it is?” said Simon. “My God,
I don’t take any special care of them. You know I don’t have the
time.”

“Are you telling me you don’t fertilize
them?” John asked darkly.

“No, never. Now and then I shake some ashes
from Helen’s ashtray onto the soil. I read somewhere—”

“You must put something else on.”

“Like I said, I don’t. Unless ….”

John waited for the answer. “Unless
what?”

“Edna, our cleaner, also takes care of the
garden. Maybe she does something.”

John couldn’t believe it.

“You better start your soup before it gets
cold,” Maria suggested.

The air was filled with the clatter of spoons
on china plates and the sipping of soup. Maria was ashamed that her
husband didn’t know how to eat normally. His slurping grated on her
nerves. She had pointed it out to him so many times.

“How did you spend your day?” she asked Simon
and Helen, although her eyes were mainly on Simon.

“It was quite tough. I performed two
operations. One of them was particularly difficult.”

Maria listened to him with pleasure. As a
little girl she had dreamt of becoming a doctor. Later she had
changed her mind and had trained as a geography teacher. That was
why she felt particularly inclined toward Simon. She thought him
friendly, calm, and good-natured. She couldn’t understand why Helen
kept on complaining about him. She could listen to him for hours on
end and never get bored.

Helen said, “My working day wasn’t anything
special. The usual. Anyway, have you started thinking where you’re
going for your vacation?”

John nodded immediately. “Of course. This
year we’re going to the Canaries for three weeks.”

“Is that so, the Canary Islands? Hear that,
Simon? We’ve talked about our vacation as well. We were thinking
about Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai with seven stars, weren’t we
Simon?”

He forced a smile. “We were actually only
thinking. I’m a bit short and I don’t know how …”

Helen couldn’t believe it. She’d been sure
that he would confirm her words. If nothing else, because of pride,
but no, he went and admitted to having no money, embarrassing them
both.

She angrily said, “Simon, we’re going to
Dubai even if it means selling the house. I hope that’s clear to
you.”

John and Maria exchanged looks. Simon and
Helen had often argued in front of them.

Maria got up and began carving the goose.
“It’s a bit overdone,” she said in a conciliatory way.

As if she had not heard, Helen said, “I’ll
sell your goddamn microscope if necessary! I’ve had enough of
everything!” Tears of anger showed in her eyes.

Simon turned to her and said, “I don’t get
why you’re so obsessed with what other people have. It’s possible
to have a good life without luxury vacations. I told you I have a
loan to pay off until next year …”

Maria silently served the roast goose. “I
hope you like it.”

“I’ve had enough of your excuses! You find a
reason every year. Go to hell!” Helen got up and went off toward
the bathroom.

Simon angrily watched her go, grinding his
teeth.

“Ah, that’s the way women are,” John said in
a jocular fashion.

Simon waited for her to close the bathroom
door before saying, “Sometimes I feel like cutting her throat, she
makes me so angry.”

Maria was taken aback. “There, there, that’s
no way to talk about your wife.”

Even John was surprised. He had never seen
Simon so furious.

“She’s always pressuring me about money. If I
don’t have it, I can’t just pluck it out of nowhere. She knew about
the microscope and had no objections back then.”

“Don’t get upset, Simon. You’d better start
eating. How do you like it?” Maria asked.

He stared toward the bathroom for a moment
and then bit into the crispy golden goose leg. “You’re right.
There’s no use getting upset about it. Mmmm, it’s delicious. Maria,
there’s no better cook than you. Truly excellent.”

She was satisfied. She watched him eating,
radiating delight. That is a real man, she thought. Smart, kind,
and considerate. But why is Helen so much against him? She began to
eat.

When Helen returned, it was obvious that she
had fixed her makeup. As if nothing had happened, she sat down and
started a conversation about a new shopping mall that was being
built not far away. “I’m sure there’ll be some new clothes shops,”
she said.

Later, they discussed tax policy and how
certain prices were going up and how the government failed to do
anything about it.

When it was almost midnight, Simon and Helen
got up and thanked them for a wonderful dinner.

Chapter 16

_______________________

Standing restlessly beside the beautiful
flowers in his office, the director of Medford Central Hospital
called out angrily, “Come in!”

When Dr. Patterson appeared, Brad Horras came
straight out with it. “His wife is going to sue the hospital. Are
you crazy? How could you disinfect the wound with iodine if he’s
allergic to it? Didn’t you check? Who’s responsible?”

Simon meekly hung his head. “I’m so sorry.
It’s my fault. I didn’t check.” His voice broke.

“What, you admit it? I thought it wouldn’t be
your fault. How could you do such a thing? Have you any
explanation?”

“I should have checked, but didn’t. I don’t
understand what happened. I’m so sorry ….”

“Sorry? You think that’s enough? Who will pay
the legal expenses? Not to mention all the problems that will
follow. What do we do if the wife talks to the press? What the hell
do I say to them? What if they demand my resignation? Did you think
about that?”

“I really am sorry. I can still see that man
fighting for his life. I almost killed him.” He exhaled slowly. “I
made a terrible mistake.”

“That’s not enough,” the director yelled.
“Not enough. I want details. Tell me how it happened. Why didn’t
you check the patient’s condition?”

Simon shook his head a number of times. “I
was terribly tired, I’d been on night duty. When I entered the
operating room the patient was already prepped. Maybe I thought
someone would warn me about the allergy. Almost always, someone
warns you. I don’t know how it was that no one noticed.”

“Are you trying to say someone else is to
blame?”

“No, no, not that. The responsibility is
wholly mine, I’m responsible for the operation. It just seems
strange. I’ve been thinking about it since this morning, how it
could happen. It’s the first time in my career that it’s
happened.”

“It could be that because of your tiredness
both your career and mine are over. Did you think about that?”

“I’ll try and talk to the family.”

The director put his hands to his head. “No
way! They don’t want to even hear your name. Don’t go anywhere near
them. I’ll deal with them.”

“So what do I do?”

“Nothing! Simply nothing! I’ll tell you
something, Dr. Patterson. If this should happen even one more time,
if you endanger another patient …”

“God forbid!”

“Then I’ll see to it that no other hospital
in this hemisphere will ever take you on. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” he said, nodding contritely.

“Good. Then get out of here and pray that I
manage to calm down the family.”

Simon decided to go and see some of his
patients to ask how they were. He was sorry that he had put the
man’s life in danger, but had to carry on with his work.

The rounds lasted almost an hour and finally
he stopped by a large room at the end of the corridor on the third
floor. This was the largest and most luxurious room, intended for
important patients. It was equipped with a flat monitor TV, CD
player, and music center. It also had an upgraded bathroom.

As soon as the director of the hospital heard
that the famous Carlo Vucci had had an accident, he checked
personally on the condition of this room. He had a carpenter called
in and ordered new furniture. He knew how much money Carlo Vucci
had and hoped that after he recovered, he’d donate at least a small
part of his wealth to the hospital.

When Dr. Patterson entered the room, Carlo
Vucci was peacefully sleeping. He didn’t want to wake him, so he
looked at the medical chart and shook his head a few times. He
thought the patient had been lucky. During the operation, they had
made great efforts to remove all the clotted blood. He hoped
everything would be alright. He turned to leave.

“Why the hurry, Doctor?”

Dr. Patterson turned. “I thought you were
asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Carlo Vucci’s voice was hollow. “You didn’t
wake me. I was only dozing.”

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Patterson
asked.

“To tell you the truth, not too good. I’m
dizzy all the time. And I’ve got a pain in my head.”

“That’s to be expected, Mr. Vucci. You
survived a serious accident. Luckily, medicine has made great steps
forward and we were able to save you. Twenty years ago it wouldn’t
have been possible.”

Carlo nodded, his eyes weary. “One of the
nurses told me that you
’
re a great
specialist in the field of brain surgery. I can’t begin to tell you
how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me.”

Dr. Patterson waved his hand and smiled.
“There’s no need to thank me. I was just doing my job.”

Carlo was surprised at his modesty. He had
long admired such people. “What are my chances? Tell me the truth,
no beating about the bush.”

“I think the worst is already over. The
operation was a success and you’re unlikely to suffer any
aftereffects. You just need to rest.”

He was visibly relieved. “Well, that is good
news. I thought things were worse than that.”

“It was very serious, but now it’s over. You
had a damaged brain stem, which in most cases can be fatal. Try not
to think about it. Any kind of agitation could harm you. For at
least two weeks you must lie down and move your head as little as
possible.”

“I understand, Doctor. You can be sure I’ll
take your advice. I don’t want to suffer any aftereffects.”

Dr. Patterson gave him one last nod of
encouragement and moved toward the door. Their conversation had
left him with an uncomfortable feeling. He didn’t care for the
patient’s confident, domineering manner. For a moment he had felt
like he was talking with the president of some country.

“Wait! I’d like to repay you. I was thinking,
what if you came over for dinner when I’m back on my feet? I’d be
really delighted. I’d like to introduce you to my wife.”

Dr. Patterson took a deep breath. “There’s
absolutely no need. It was a regular operation.”

“I really would like it if you could come
round. Please, Doctor, I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

“I’m sure you’re a busy man … I really
couldn’t …” Simon hadn’t the slightest intention of visiting him,
sure the man was mixed up in a shady business. He could tell from
his manner.

“I insist, Doctor. It really would mean a lot
to me.”

Dr. Patterson frowned. It had happened before
that some patient wanted to repay him, but when he turned them down
they had never insisted so forcefully. With a sour smile he shook
his head. “There’s no need to repay me. There really isn’t.”

“It would make me happy. Please!”

Simon sighed, resigned to his fate. “Well,
alright then. My wife and I would be glad to come to dinner. When
you’re ready, let me know a day or two in advance.”

Carlo Vucci was satisfied. He liked Dr.
Patterson a lot and felt the need to return the favor. He thought
about the kind of reward he would like to offer him, to show his
gratitude.

When Dr. Patterson left the room he was angry
with himself for giving in to Carlo Vucci.
Now I’ll be another
day behind in my research.

Chapter 17

_______________________

The sun was high in the sky, casting its rays
over the streets and rooftops. Cars were roaring along the road and
people with satisfied faces were hurrying about their business on
this warm spring day.