Cole

Brain Scans

After talking with Dr. Metz I returned to be with Manda.  She looked better and was sitting up in her bed.  When she looked at me I could tell in her eyes that she adored me and really needed me.  It was like my presence was sustaining her and she wanted to remain close and hold on to me.  I wondered if the scare from me trying to leave her so deeply affected her that she was now totally emotionally dependent on me.  That made me feel bad; I wanted her to have her own inner strength too.  The scare must have damaged that and made her a little insecure.  

Then I thought of myself.  I really wasn't much different, really.  The events showed me that if I had lost her I would probably be destroyed too.  I thought about her all the time.  I could not think of what I would do without her.  The neurosynth project was not enough to sustain me.  I did not need the money.

I gave Manda lots of hugs and kisses and she became bubbly and happy again and was using her "Holy Moly" expression again.  She was still amused by my accent, though.

"Cole, what happened to your voice, your speech, you sound funny?  I don't think you really answered my question about that before."

"It's a New England accent, Manda.  If you listen to people from the Boston area they sound like that."

"But you didn't talk like that before.  Why are you doing it now?  It sounds like you are doing some kind of joke.  Can you stop doing that?  You sound like a different person", she asked.

"I'll try not to talk like that, Manda.  I'm sorry,"  I said, and I really tried to suppress it.  I made a great effort at trying to pronounce my "R's" in the words after that.

Suddenly, Mr. Westbrook appeared in the room and handed me his phone.  I did not own a cell phone.

"It's your mom", he said.

I took the phone.

"How's Manda doing?", she asked.

"She's doing real well.  It turned out she was poisoned from aluminum from some deodorant sticks.  The doctor got the aluminum out of her and she is now awake and real happy.  She is having some trouble with her legs, one leg in particular, but we are hoping that problem will go away.  The legs are weak.  At least we are hoping and praying it goes away."

"I hear a Boston accent.  Sounds like Dr. Mos, am I right?"

At this point I moved out into the hallway into a corner so no one could hear.

"Yeah, I think so, but I have only told one person, Dr. Metz"

"Dr. Metz?"

"Dr. Metz is Manda's doctor, but he was also my student intern about fifeteen years ago at Bay State General.  He is a great neurosurgeon and I already told him about myself and invited him to join the neurosynth team."

"How can you do that?  This is a secret project.  Do you trust him?"

"I can do it because it's my project, and I trust him completely and know him very well.  We need him.  Thorne is not enough.  Also, it does not hurt that his practice is here in Hawaii rather than in Boston."

"You do now sound like Dr. Mos.  Your very decisive."

"Jill, I am also making arrangements to give you some brain scans.  I need to begin trying to understand what is going on with us, especially our hyper sexuality."

"Okay, umm, that's fine.  I will do whatever you want.  Ummm, that is actually why I called you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I took a hotel room near the hospital for a couple of days.  Ummm.  I was wondering if we could get together..."

I could feel myself getting hard.  I hated myself.