Disclaimer: All characters from Early Edition belong to those who created this magnificent ensemble. The others are created by me and may only be used with my permission.
May my humble offering appease the cravings of those who hunger for more Early Edition?
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Chapter 2
Marissa Clark picked at the arm of the chair in the sitting area of the hospital. In the three hours of waiting she had gone through every emotion and now just felt numb. She tried to forget the loud knock at her door that had scared her out of a sound sleep. The police had come to tell her about Gary. What little they knew. The hospital hadn't been able to get a hold of his parents. Marissa knew Lois and Bernie had gone to visit relatives, a couple hours west of Hickory. Lois had given up trying to get messages to Gary a long time ago, so she had left the phone number with her before they had left.
As much as she would have liked Emmett to be with her, she knew he had major exams to study for and couldn't bring herself to call him just to sit around. She sighed and hoped the doctor treating Gary knew what he was doing. He had treated her like an invalid. Marissa tried to push it out of her mind. It had happened before, a normal intelligent person making a fool out of himself just because she was blind.
Suddenly she reached for Riley's harness. Thinking there was trouble the dog bolted to his feet and pulled Marissa away. She about tripped over him before she managed to get control.
"Easy, Riley. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just needed to walk some where."
The retriever wagged his tail. By the tone in her voice he knew all was well. He led her down the hallway a bit confused. Her manner told him she didn't really know where they were going. But, evidently the pacing from one end of the hall to the other was important so Riley moved with the dignity of a castle guard.
After the fifth time of telling someone she didn't need any help and she just needed to know how Gary was, Marissa retreated to the waiting room. She yawned and checked the time on her watch. Another hour had passed. She was getting scared. The only thing they had told her was the doctors were still working on him. Footsteps in the distance reached her ears. She sighed in relief. Even at a distance she recognized footfall patterns as easily as someone with sight would have known who was standing there.
"Marissa," Lois Hobson took the woman's hand as she sat down beside her. "How's Gary?"
"I don't know. I haven't heard much more than they are still working on him," She felt Bernie touch her other hand.
"Hey Gary's tough. He'll be fine," Bernie assured her.
"I know. It's just the waiting that's driving me crazy," Marissa was glad to have their company. She turned her head as she heard strange footsteps approach.
"You're here for Hobson, right?" A man in surgical scrubs directed his comment to Marissa.
"He's our son," Bernie stuck out his hand. "Bernie Hobson. My wife Lois and his partner Marissa Clark." The man shook it.
"How's Gary?" Lois asked anxiously.
"I'm Dr. Corbin," He looked around. "Let's go in the consulting room for some privacy." He opened the door and waited for the three to be seated.
The doctor cleared his throat. "I'm not going to mince words. Gary is not doing very well. His core temperature is still dangerously low. He's gone into cardiac arrest seven times and it has taken longer to resuscitate him each time,"
"Oh no." Lois covered her mouth as Bernie put an arm around her.
"But he'll be all right won't he?" Marissa whispered.
"It's too soon to tell. We haven't been able to stabilize him. Your son's condition is critical." Dr. Corbin sighed. "I'm sorry I don't have better news." Suddenly the doctor's pager beeped and the intercom in the room blared.
"Code blue in room 4." Without a word the doctor raced out of the room.
Bernie hugged his wife closer and reached out and took Marissa's hand. "Look I don't care what this medical yahoo says. Gary is going to be fine," He hoped the fear he felt inside didn't reflect in his voice. "Besides, the paper isn't going to let Gary go this soon." He reminded the women.
Lois wiped her eyes. "You're right Bernie. I remember Marion Crumb telling me someone was watching out for him."
"I believe so,' Marissa agreed quietly. "But He sure does make it tough on us who have to wait," all her frustration came pouring out. Gary's parents laughed and agreed but she could hear the restraint in their voices.
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Lois Hobson sat staring at her son in the hospital bed. Every once in a while she would glance at the hissing and beeping machines keeping Gary alive. She tried to ignore them but the tubes were everywhere. Looking at his hand she clasped, she remembered how small it used to be. How it once fit inside her hand. Now her hand fit inside his. Tears started down her face and she quickly wiped them off. He's going to be fine. She told herself. He has to be.
"Lois?" Bernie called softly at the doorway, "The doctor wants to talk to us." He watched his wife squeeze Gary's hand.
"Gary, I'll be right back," she told him as she patted his hand. She looked her husband's eyes and glanced away. Lois swallowed hard. He was as scared as she was. Bernie pointed the direction as he put his arm around her.
They walked to a room near the waiting area. Chuck Fishman, a long time friend of Gary's had flown in yesterday from California. He sat with Marisa, stubbornly refusing to leave for the doctor's conference with just the family.
"Mrs. Hobson, Mr. Hobson, please, take a seat." The doctor said very gently.
"How's Gary doing?" Marisa asked Lois before the physician could start.
"About the same," Lois answered as she sat down.
Bernie eased down beside her. "Okay, Doc, what's up?" In other circumstances Bernie would have laughed at his unintentional joke but now he didn't even notice the crack.
"I have the results of the last brain scan," The Doctor told them and sighed. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this but it shows no brain stem activity at all."
"What exactly does that mean?" Bernie managed to ask in a low hoarse voice.
"We did talk about this last week," The Doctor reminded them. "Once the brain stem shuts down…a person can't be brought back."
"But it happens," Marisa protested. "A person can wake up from a coma."
"In truth that only happens in the movies," the Doctor countered. "I'm sorry. A heavy silence filled the room.
"What now?" Chuck whispered the question they all were thinking. He stood up as the rage inside him build, "We just unplug him? Say to him, too bad Gar, you don't have a chance, been nice knowing you."
The doctor let him rant. He knew the cycle of grief the family and friends go through. Anger was one of them. He waited until Chuck had sat back down. He nodded. "I know it's hard to accept but, right now, the person you know as Gary is gone. You have to ask yourselves if Gary would want to be kept alive by machines." He let the line sink in. "Because that's the only thing keeping him going."
Lois buried her head in Bernie's shoulder giving a small sob. Tears streamed down his own cheeks as he tried to comfort his wife. "It seems to soon…to do something so drastic," he whispered.
"Now or next year, the time will make no difference. I really doubt if he would make it that long on life support."
Chuck found some tissue for Marisa and held her hand in both of his not able to say anything now as tears dropped to his suit. He closed his eyes as he waited for Gary's parents to tell the doctor to shut off the machines. They were sensible people. In a moment they would believe the doctor's word and realize the futility of holding on to false hopes. The silence in the room became unbearable. Chuck opened his eyes to look at his friend's folks. They seemed to have aged in the short time he had closed his eyes.
"So, you need to sign this form," The doctor offered a pen to Bernie and pushed a paper toward the man.
Bernie just stared at the pen for a long time then shook his head. "I can't," he leaned away from the doctor. "Not yet."
The doctor looked toward Lois. She ignored him. He sighed in frustration. "Perhaps you need some time to think about the situation." The physician stood up. "I'll leave the paper here. Just give it to the duty nurse when you are ready." He nodded to them and left.
Marisa sniffed. "This is a nightmare."
"I sure wish it was," Chuck sighed. "At least from a nightmare you can wake up."
"I don't know what to do," Bernie finally admitted. His voice choked. "I can't give him up but I can't let him stay like that."
"I know," Lois managed to agree.
Marisa let out a sob. She knew the pair had accepted Gary was dead and was just trying to find the courage to let the doctor do what he had to do. Her partner, her friend, was gone. She vaguely felt Chuck's arm around her then she felt a tear drip on her arm that wasn't hers. She squeezed Chuck's hand as she heard a pen scratching on paper. There was nothing more to say. The four sat in a numb silence. A quiet rap at the door made them all jump.
Clearing his throat, Bernie answered, "Come in."
A slender tall woman entered. "I'm not intruding am I?" She asked concerned.
"No, come in," Bernie welcomed any distraction from the reality of things.
"You may not remember me. I'm Jennifer Gannon."
"You're the one who found Gary," Marisa managed, wiping her eyes.
"Yes,"
Bernie stared at the young red head. He should thank her again but the words wouldn't come out.
"I've just talked to Gary's doctor…he told me what he told you," The woman seemed angry by the information. To the four's surprise she didn't offer any sympathies for their loss. Instead she pulled up a chair directly in front of Lois and Bernie. "I need to tell you how I found Gary before you decide anything,"
"I really don't think I could take hearing that right now," Lois shook her head.
"I think it might be of some comfort," Jennifer said gently. She glanced back to the door. "I have great respect for the medical profession. They work long hours in a science that isn't exact but they are expected to be. But he is wrong about Gary. I know he is meant to live." The woman's voice became intense.
"How do you know?" Chuck scoffed. "Did a little bird tell you that?"
The woman eyed him for a moment. "No, actually a cat led me to him."
Chuck's mouth dropped open and the room filled with silence. "A cat?" He gulped.
"As strange as it sounds…maybe I should start at the beginning. Because it was early in the morning when the events for me to find and help him started." She noticed everybody's attention was on her. Jennifer took it to mean to continue. "First, normally on a nice day I take my car…to save on gas. For some odd reason I jumped in the truck and didn't even notice until it was too late to go back."
She hurried on seeing doubt creeping in on her audience's faces. "Second, I normally take the express way home. I came to the stop where I always make a left then a block further I take a right onto the express. That day…for some reason, I turned right toward the lake," She saw the listener's reservation grow." "It takes me ten to fifteen minutes to get home if I take the express. The lake road makes the drive at least thirty…usually forty minutes. So I never take the lake road, not even in the daylight." She emphasized.
"So you took the wrong car and made a wrong turn. This is destiny?" Chuck sighed mockingly. He felt too tired and hurt to listen to this trivial story.
"There's a dirt road that leads to the lake shore," The woman ignored the remark. "In the middle of the road sat a cat. The cat never moved or flinched as I came to a stop in front of him," Jennifer noticed she had their interest again. "I got out to see what was wrong with him. As I approached he ran down the dirt track. I know animals fairly well and could tell this cat wanted me to follow him," The woman shrugged. "I was going to be late getting home anyway so why not. I drove down the lane and found your son's jeep and then Gary." She smiled slightly.
"You were too late. The doctors couldn't help him," Lois said sadly.
"I have always believed things like this happen for a reason," Jennifer countered.
"REASON? What REASON is there for Gary to die out there in the cold and alone?" Lois rose in a rage. "Gary has done everything he's been asked to do…even more. I can't possible believe there is a REASON for him to end like this after all the good he has done," hot bitter tears filled her eyes. The distraught woman turned on Jennifer. "Do you know why he was out there on the lake? Of course you don't. He gets tomorrow's newspaper, a day early,"
"Lois!" Bernie stood up and grabbed her arm.
She pulled away from him. "What good is it to keep it a secret now? We haven't seen it since Gary has been in the hospital," She angrily continued telling about the paper. "He went out on the lake to probably save someone from falling through the ice. That's what he does…." Her voice choked. "That's what he did all day long. He ran around saving people from getting hurt or from dieing." The rage in her voice rose again. "So, you tell me the reason he couldn't save himself? Why did God let him die?" Lois sobbed and allowed her husband to put his arms around her.
Jennifer had been sitting quietly letting the mother vent her anger over losing her only child. She waited a long moment before she spoke. A look of deep thought and confusion was on her face. "This just keeps getting more bizarre as it goes a long." She looked at Lois until the older woman met her gaze.
"I've had the strangest dreams lately." Lois gave her a puzzled look about the change of subject. "And what you said about the newspaper actually makes it make more sense. I'm in this…strange apartment. Bare wood floors, very open like a loft. I could tell it was a man's place," she frowned as she concentrated. "I had this dream three nights and each night, I heard a cat meow and the thump of a newspaper at the door."
Marisa gasped. "Oh my, God."
The woman glanced at her and continued. "The first two nights I opened the door Gary was sitting there holding the same cat I saw one the road. He looked like he did that night …all covered with ice and he would tell me the same thing he did that night."
"Gary spoke to you the night you found him?" Bernie asked shaken.
"Yes, just briefly,"
"What did he say?" Lois's anger vanished. She wanted to hear her son's last words.
"He said, and I quote, "Don't let them give up on me." At he time I didn't know who he was referring to but I could tell he wasn't ready to give up."
"Did he say anything different the third time?" Marisa asked.
"Third time?" Bernie was confused now.
"Yes, she said she had three dreams and the first two he said the same thing. Did he say anything the third time?" She repeated.
"Actually he did. The third day, he was dressed normally. It took a moment for me to recognize him. He looked so nice in a big beige sweater," Jennifer smiled. "If he hadn't been holding the cat I don't know if I would have known who it was. Anyway the third time he said, "The paper has a reason. Don't let them give up on me.""
"What could be the reason?" Marisa wondered out loud.
"I don't know. But I was meant to find him. And evidently I was expected to pass on his message to all of you." Jennifer said firmly. "He will live. I don't care what the doctor says or what the tests' results are…the man I found two weeks ago is still around. Give him a chance to come back."
Lois stared at Jennifer a long time. Then she looked at her son's friends. She met her husband's gaze as she sat back down. She reached for his hand and he gathered her in his arms as he took the seat next to her.
The silence of the room felt different to Marisa as she waited for Gary's parents to decide her partner's fate. She wanted to shout at them to wait, to give him more time, but she didn't want to push them in the wrong direction.
"Bernie, what would it hurt to wait a while longer?" Lois finally asked.
"Nothing absolutely nothing. If he isn't there…it can't hurt. If he is there it will hurt if we pull the damn plug too soon," Bernie reasoned with more life in his voice than a few moments ago. The whole room sighed in relief. "It must be the right decision. I feel better," he added
"So do I," Lois leaned against him.
"I'm glad you are going to give him time," The woman stood up to leave. "You'll need to be united in this because doctors are, by the nature of their job, overconfident of their opinions and most likely try to get you to change your minds. Take care, " without another word the woman left.
"She's right you know," Chuck looked at his best friend's parents. "I'll back you to the wall and through it on this. You can count on that."
"Me too," Marissa listened closely for the telltale sounds of any doubts.
"Thank you both. That means a lot to the both of us," Lois stood up again. "I have to get back to Gary."
"I'll go with you," Marissa as the four left the small room. Chuck and Bernie followed them to intensive care. Nothing had changed. The respirator still hissed each breath for the pale man lying in the bed.
Lois took his right hand. "I'm back Gary,"
The tone of her voice revealed a new determination that made Marissa's spirits rise as she found her partner's left hand. But the feel of his hand made her hope drop again. She felt nothing. The hand was warm but she couldn't feel Gary. She said nothing so she wouldn't bring down the morale of the others.
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Gary bolted upright in his bed. He glanced at the clock, 7:45. The paper was late. He rushed to the door and flung it open… nothing, no cat and no paper. He raced down to the bar.
"Marissa?" He called glancing around for his partner. Gary couldn't remember if she had other plans that morning to keep her from coming in at her normal time. He chided himself about not paying closer attention to what Marissa told him.
He went back to the office to check for the paper but still nothing. Glancing over Marissa's area for clues to her arrival, Gary snorted to himself. Her notes were in Braille. 'Like I can read that,' then he wondered if maybe he should learn. He sighed in frustration.
Voices and the sound of the front door closing reached him. He opened the office door and was a surprised to see his Mom and Dad with Marissa and Chuck. Instantly he focused on his old friend.
"Okay, Chuck, where is it?" He demanded as Chuck went behind the bar and poured himself a drink. It puzzled Gary to see his friend drinking at this time in the morning but his mind was on the paper. "The paper, Chuck, give it back!" His friend just stared at the drink with a strange sadness on his face. Gary then noticed all four of them seemed very subdued. Tears stood in Marissa's eyes as she took a seat at the bar.
"Marissa, what's wrong?" Gary moved closer to the four people standing awkwardly around the bar. "Mom? Dad? What's going on?" His voice choked as he caught a defeated look on his father's face. An expression he had never seen there before. "Mom?" Turning he felt a fear creeping up inside. Looking at his mother, her were eyes red from crying and a mask of utter hopelessness covered her face.
"I can almost hear him." Lois whispered then started crying. Bernie put his arms around her as she sobbed. More tears fell from Marissa's eyes. Chuck took her hands and a squeezed as a few of his own tears dropped to his suit.
"Come on, Lois, maybe you should lay down and rest," He led his wife through the office to the loft. To Gary's surprise his mother didn't protest.
"What is going on?" Gary demanded from his friends. He walked closer two look into Chuck's face but something in his friend's hand caught his attention. A memorial pamphlet from a funeral home made him look even closer as it was opened. The main line read:
'Gary Hobson memorial service 6:30 am December 1 2001.' Gary staggered backwards staring at his two friends at the bar. "I'm dead?" He asked them. No one answered.
Chuck sighed as he read it over again. "So little to say about a man who did so much."
"Gary wouldn't want too big of fuss."
"I think you're wrong. McGinty's should have an Irish wake for him," Chuck's brain started whirling with ideas. But when Marissa didn't even argue, he didn't pursue the thought.
"Marissa? Chuck's voice was rough so he cleared his throat. "I wonder who's getting the paper now."
"I've wondered that too," Marissa said softly. "Disappointed it isn't you?" Her voice got stronger with her teasing.
"Me? I don't want it. That paper is a curse," Chuck declared.
"Gary did a lot of good with it."
"Yea, he did."
"Do you think…?" Marissa's voice broke.
"Think what?" Chuck usually could follow Marissa's train of thought but today his mind was mush.
"If he knew?" She blurted out.
"Who knew what? You've lost me, Marissa," Chuck came around the bar to sit beside her.
The woman struggled to answer. "If Gary knew he was going to die and didn't tell anyone."
"No. He couldn't have known," Chuck shook his head. "Unless he got the paper three weeks ahead instead of one day."
"I see what you mean," Marissa sighed. "That makes me feel a little better, not much but a little." Chuck put his arm around her shoulder and the friends sat in comfort of each other's presences.
Gary stood trying not to believe what he knew was true. He was dead. Slowly he looked around McGinty's hoping something would tell him it was just a bad dream. He was afraid to touch his two friends in fear he would 'do' something to them. Almost in a panic, he fled out the front doors in search of answers. A mass of confusion met him. The traffic flew by at an astounding rate. People on the sidewalks sped by not seeing him. After walking a block from McGinty's, Gary began to feel an urgency to go somewhere but he didn't know where. As he got farther away from the bar the need to return forced him to run all the way back. He burst through the front doors out of breath.