Silent Fear, a Medical Mystery (29 page)

Danny swung to the side of the stool. Rhonda grinned. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. It’s all about DNA.”

“It always is,” Joelle agreed.

“I believe these samples will show the same results as Danny’s dog, his Chesapeake Bay retriever. It’s the breed’s DNA that’s the key, slightly different than all the other dogs, each of them with their own slight differences.” She paused, but realized they knew their genetics, too. “The only positive results we’ve had were from three breeds. The Newfoundland and Labrador retriever each did something different. But the Chessie is accomplishing what they both did. It is felt that Chesapeakes are bred from Newfoundlands and Labradors. So they inherited the positive features we’re looking for from both those breeds.”

Joelle and Danny both smiled. “Which would be a blessing for Dakota,” Danny said, “because then we’re not just dependent on the contents of his mouth to experiment with.”

“That, too,” Rhonda said.

“Okay, it’s time to say a prayer,” Joelle said, pointing at the six microscopes with slides on them. She looked at the first one. Danny and Rhonda stayed back, letting her do it alone. She stood straight, keeping a straight face. She held out her hand to Rhonda. “Nice work, Dr. Jackson. You were correct and that was a solid working hypothesis.”

As if Rhonda couldn’t believe it, she asked, “The three of us did it?”

Danny was already looking at the second slide, a lump in his throat. “Congratulations to all of us,” he said. “This is a huge breakthrough, and as my paramedic best friend would say, the first major medical epidemic and breakthrough for the third millennium.”

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Danny, Joelle and Rhonda left the lab and perched themselves at Coffee ‘N More. The place had a quieter atmosphere than the busy daytime hours. The few students there concentrated on books or laptops and staff physicians who wandered in left with Styrofoam sandwich containers and to-go cups. Danny ordered them three hot chocolates and an assorted sample of mini-pastries.

“Who’s calling Ralph?” Joelle asked.

“You are,” Danny and Rhonda replied in unison.

“This will make his day,” Joelle said and used her cell phone. “Ralph, it’s Joelle. Danny and my veterinarian research helper, Rhonda, are with me. We have more progress you want to hear about.” Danny and Rhonda listened to Joelle’s recap of their findings.

“It’s utterly fantastic what y’all have accomplished up there,” Ralph said. “Do the three of you want a job with the CDC?”

Joelle smiled and addressed Danny and Rhonda. “Ralph wants to hire us. How much should we ask for?”

Danny laughed in spurts. “Tell him he can’t pay me enough to leave my loved ones.”

“And I prefer more animal involvement,” Rhonda said.

“No takers,” Joelle shot back to Ralph.

“Can’t have everything,” he said. “It’s just that we’ve also been working with the samples you provided, but you’ve been one step ahead of us. We’ll catch up to you tomorrow and we both better git on the stick to develop a curative antibiotic.”

“I think this will be the easier part,” Joelle said.

“I will release CDC funds to your lab if necessary, Joelle. This is a priority. I don’t want the cost for your institution’s involvement to be a burden.”

“Thanks, Ralph. That will be much appreciated, especially by the higher ups overseeing budgets.”

Joelle got off the phone. “Ralph promised financial support. I think I’ll be going underground for awhile. We have to isolate the substances and microorganisms in the dog’s saliva which destroyed the amoeba and develop an antibiotic.” She surveyed a chocolate torte and finished it with two bites.

“Joelle, we won’t abandon you,” Danny said. “We’ll give you all the help you need.”

“You can buy these pastries any time for us,” Joelle said, “although I’m not running as much as I should these days.”

Rhonda swiped her blonde bangs away from her glasses. “I’m in, too. And why don’t you take the student in the lab away from whatever he’s working on and put him solely on this project?” She slid a square coffee cake off the center plate onto her own.

“Yes, I’ll do that,” Joelle said.

Danny finished his hot drink and got up. “I better get going, but you two finish the goodies. I need to spend some time at home with my baby girl.”

As Danny approached the door, he thought twice, and backtracked to the table. “If either or both of you are free a week from Saturday, my sister and Casey are getting married at the house. Consider yourself invited. It will be grand.”

“I love a good wedding,” Joelle said.

“Me, too,” Rhonda said, “as long as it’s not my own.”

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Friday morning Danny cut himself some slack about going to work extra early. He’d checked on Julia but hadn’t disturbed her sleep. He sat on the back patio steps with a coffee mug in hand and Casey sitting an arm’s length away. It had rained overnight and the moisture clinging to the grass and the trees glistened with the 6 a.m. light casting from the east.

Danny stretched his neck but Dakota was far down the hill and out of sight.

“You made excellent coffee,” Casey said. He placed the mug between them. “I drink the ER coffee out of necessity only.”

“It’s pretty good stuff,” Danny said, “a French roast.”

“So you know my partner, Mark?” Casey asked. Danny nodded. “He still hasn’t given up on going to med school. He’s been cracking the books again and is retaking the entrance exam.”

“Well, his background, like yours, is conducive. And it’s never too late, or almost never too late, to change careers.”

“He’s ten years younger than me.”

“Medical student ages really vary. A fair number of students in an incoming class are over thirty years old.”

“Better him than me,” Casey said. “I wouldn’t want to start over with school. Besides, I really like what I do.”

“You do. It’s a good field.”

Dakota sprinted between two large trees at the top of the hill. Whatever he smelled didn’t keep his attention and he bounded towards them. Casey grabbed his mug for safeguarding as Dakota rustled in front of their knees. The dog presented his back end to Danny and his head to Casey.

“I guess it’s time to acknowledge both of your rambunctious ends,” Casey said.

“I’m on call tomorrow and off on Sunday,” Danny said. “It will be fun for me on Sunday to have Julia around.”

“I think she’s starting to smile a bit more like a normal baby,” Casey said. He took a sip of coffee and placed the empty mug back down. His hand went behind Dakota’s ears and massaged. “So what weekend coming up does Rachel want her? I hope not next weekend for our wedding.”

“I haven’t heard from her. I don’t know what to make of it.”

“The recent legal results must have been a blow to her master plan.”

“I guess.”

“It’ll be fun, though. Julia can be in some of the wedding pictures.”

“Too bad she’s not older. She could have been the ring bearer up the aisle.”

“Well, not exactly an aisle,” Casey said. “This place is going to be hopping all week. Mary is going to have this yard transformed, then chairs and canopies and a floor and food will be set up next Saturday morning.”

“Oh, I invited Joelle and the veterinarian on the PAM case.”

“No problem. We’ve got plenty of room.”

Danny stroked Dakota’s right thigh as the dog leaned against him with more pressure. “Bruce, Matthew and I are getting some relief on Monday. Harold’s replacement is starting. He’s fresh out of residency and trained in Tennessee. His name is Jeffrey Foord. He’s a short, sneakered guy, young for a neurosurgeon. Patients will probably think he looks the Doogie Howser type.”

“I’ve seen him around during an elective rotation. He’s probably a good choice.”

“I hope so. I never know when Bruce is going to retire, so our business and professional choices now are more important to me.”

Danny heard the incoming message noise on his cell phone. He pulled it off his belt to see a text message from Peter Brown. “
Bill Patogue died at 4 a.m
.”

Danny passed the phone to Casey and buried his head into Dakota’s sorrel fur. “That’s the last of the initial group of PAM patients to die. And someone who meant a lot. Since I couldn’t just go into all of their skulls and weed this sinister hijacker out of their brains, it hurts even more. I’ve been helpless and I’m supposed to perform astonishing cures inside people’s heads.”

“Danny, you’re still going to have a part in its cure. Quit beating yourself up.”

Danny grinned. “Peter and Timothy are still flooded with newer cases.”

“As is the whole country,” Casey said. “Come on, let’s get to work.”

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Saturday proved easily manageable. Danny saw patients and did two elective surgeries and was home by four o’clock. Although he had several phone calls into the evening, he had no neurosurgical emergencies. He had no idea what time it was after going to bed and then hearing his door creak open and a moist nose nuzzle him.

Danny’s eyes cracked open. “Where have you been, you traitor? What did you do, let me sleep in?” He eyed the time – 9 a.m. “I bet you’ve been with Julia.” Danny rolled out of bed and gave Dakota a heartfelt greeting. He donned a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt from Mary with fish and ‘Alaska’ on it. Julia wasn’t in her room so he hurried downstairs.

“I thought you’d never get up,” Mary said, aiming his way with Julia in her arms. “Here’s your daughter. I’m stacked high with wedding chores today.” She handed Julia over.

“I’m so sorry, Mary.”

“No, no problem. We wanted you to sleep. Your hours and responsibilities lately have been crazy.”

“I appreciate it. But if it’s not one thing, it’s another anyway.”

She nodded. “Casey’s working until three and you’ll have the house to yourself most of the day.”

Danny gave Julia a kiss and small squeeze. “I hope you don’t mind it, I’ve invited the docs who have been working closely with me lately to your wedding besides some of the office staff which you knew about already.”

“That will be fine. There will be plenty of food. It’s going to be one big party. Plus, I know your cash wedding gift to us is going to help pay the bill.”

Danny rolled out a laugh. “Mary, Mary. I said I would, so I will.”

Mary planted a kiss on her brother’s cheek. She threw some things into a shoulder bag and headed to the garage door. “I fed her some breakfast and she’s diapered up. See to her second installment by noon. See ‘ya.”

“Thanks, have fun.” He stepped out the back door holding Julia. Dakota followed every step. Besides taking care of Julia, he planned on adding wedding details around the house as best he could.

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On Sunday afternoon, Rachel took a fast, long walk along the river. She especially needed the exercise since she no longer had Leo’s basement equipment at her disposal. She wore gray sweat pants and a pink tee-shirt and passed young joggers and older walkers along the way. The benches were peppered with people sitting and reading books or newspapers.

She kept a brisk pace but not enough to break out in a sweat. Billowy clouds rose vertically keeping the sun at bay and a soft breeze twirled the green leaves on the trees lining the sidewalk. Deep in her pocket, her cell phone rang. After digging it out, she approached an empty bench and sat down. The caller ID popped up with Evan Parks. A sheepish grin spread across her mouth.

“Hello, officer Parks.”

“Well, hello, Miss Hendersen. I’m calling you on purpose on a Sunday afternoon while I’m not on duty, so may I call you Rachel?”

“By all means.”

“Before I ask you on a date, I hope to find out if everything worked out well with your baby girl. I did personally file a request with the Nashville police to pay a call to your daughter’s father. I’m assuming you have her now.”

Rachel leaned forward listening carefully to his every word. The date part was perfect, but she kept her mind clicking ahead, anticipating responses to all his queries.

“Yes, thank you, Evan. The situation is under control thanks to you. I decided to legally go easy on him. He was so desperate to spend more time with her, especially since the visitation was difficult and a distance away. I decided it would be best for him to have our daughter for an extended period right now.”

An older woman with a stroller passed close to Rachel’s knees so she scooted back in the bench. She heard the television on in the background of his call.

“That is very thoughtful of you after what he put you through.”

“Yes, well, I have to do what’s right for Julia.”

“I bet you’re a rare conscientious, modern mother.” A silent pause ensued. “So the other reason I called was to ask you out.”

“I’d be delighted.”

“Perhaps you’d like to do something extremely casual the first time out with a man who carries a gun.”

“Evan Parks, you sure make a woman feel secure.”

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When the call ended, Rachel logged the date into her cell phone calendar. She slipped her phone into her pocket and crossed her legs. She’d get to know Evan Parks soon enough and felt suspiciously confident that he was in her cards. But for now, she had a lot to think about. First, she needed to boost her income and would have to accomplish that on her own accord. Child support was basically gone and the newly earned ten grand from Leo wouldn’t last. She knew she had to request more hours to work at the hospital and she could even work overtime if the need arose. But, hopefully, a longer work week wouldn’t be a long-term situation for her.

Her second dilemma was Julia. She missed her so! She imagined her pretty little face with staring big eyes and her little growth milestones which made Rachel proud. Explaining Julia’s scars and injuries to Danny to try and get back her back seemed like an impossibility. Would he believe her, trust her, or think the baby could end up in the same situation again with her? Right now supervised visitation didn’t appeal to her. Not only wouldn’t it be fun to have someone watching her as she interacted with her own child, but any of the Tilson’s could start prodding her with questions as well.

Rachel racked her brain thinking of a solution, but none came. She would have to straighten it out somehow. Suddenly a practical saying came to her about how the passage of time heals most things. She’d wait a few months, that’s what she’d do. Then she would call Danny, give him some kind of sob story about her life, and tell him how much she missed her daughter. She’d take him and the attorneys up on the supervised visitation but work to get her daughter back by hell or high water.