Chapter 8d09

Chapter 8 (Draft 09)

It was nearly ten days before Kari saw Sally again. Ten of the most glorious days Kari could remember in a very long time. She had taken a vacation with Robert Coleman to celebrate a renewed love affair after their brief hiatus at the hands of Nurse Ratchet. To be honest though, Kari's scheduling change to the nightshift the year before was just the excuse she needed to end her relationship with Robert at the time. Yes… their breakup was indeed something Kari had carefully planned.

It wasn't because she was continually fighting with Robert, and certainly not because of a boring sex life. As Robert had said in the car outside of Sally's apartment, that part of their relationship had always been good; more than good, it was fantastic. Their sexual antics together had even played themselves out far outside the bedroom, sometimes in restaurants and movie theaters, and one time they even did it in the changing room of her favorite shoes and bags store.

So why had she ended it a year ago? She told Robert at the time it was because she had to concentrate on saving her job after being moved to nights, but that was a lie. The truth was she couldn't stand watching him making love to her with that stupid red X ablaze on his forehead all of the time. Even when she tried shutting her eyes she could somehow see it burning through her eyelids, bright as a summer sun, warming her face as he climaxed. But those days seemed long forgotten now, and judging from the last ten days she and Robert had just spent together in a romantic beachside resort, their bond hadn't lost any of its spice and spark.

Kari was heading back to the bedroom after her morning shower when the doorbell to her townhouse on Leonard Street sounded hurried. Kari stuck her head out.

"Robert, can you check who that is? I'm not dressed yet."

Her man was already frowning at the door from his comfortable chair when the bell turned into a loud knock.

"Got it!" he hollered back. "Okay, hold on, I'm coming. Christ… who's in such a hurry?"

He quickly opened the door to find a woman he at first didn't recognize standing on the other side.

"Yes?"

The woman frowned up at him; obviously she was surprised at his presence at the apartment too.

"Detective Coleman?"

"Yes?"

"Is… Kari here? It's urgent that I speak with her."

Within seconds Robert's city-paid instincts were shifting into high gear. The cop within was already honing in on the obvious details of the woman's features and clothing, and he immediately picked up on the idea there was something wrong with the way the woman looked to him. She was average height, maybe in her mid-fifties, with a line of black roots beneath an otherwise gray head.

"Kari is in the bedroom getting dressed. I can tell her you're waiting… Miss…?"

"You don't recognize me, do you?" the woman asked him; her voice sounded frightened.

Being a man who was very good at connecting a name to a face, Robert was surprised at being baffled.

"No… I'm afraid I don't. Would you like to come in?"

The woman looked over her shoulder and another man stepped into view from the hallway. This man was immediately recognizable to the detective. He had performed a mock interview with him the day after his visit to Sally Carmichael's apartment.

"Mr. Dodge?"

"Hello Detective. We didn't expect to see you here, but it's vital we speak to Kari." Ethan Dodge stepped through the door and reached back to escort the woman across the threshold, and it was then that Robert finally recognized her.

"Jesus Christ! Mrs. Carmichael?"

Sally stepped into the room behind Ethan, looking nervous and scared. She nodded.

Robert now understood what he saw was wrong with the woman when he first opened the door. Her manner of dress far outdated the woman now standing before him. Sally Carmichael looked at least ten years younger than when he last saw her. Her face was clear of the normal blemishes that came with one her age, and her skin looked… well… almost radiant. If not for the fear displayed on woman's face, he would have even said she looked beautiful.

"Who is it, Robert?"

Kari stepped into the room in her bathrobe, still drying her hair with a towel. She stopped when she saw Ethan and Sally standing in her living room.

"Oh my God. Sally? Is that… you?" Kari said, dropping the wet towel onto her bare feet.

"Kari. Oh thank goodness you were home. You have to help me. Something is terribly wrong..." Sally's voice stumbled. "I don't understand what's happening to me, but as you can plainly see… I'm changing."

Kari's eyes were wide with shock, her jaw limp. She barely recognized her friend as the woman she last saw two weeks earlier. Kari quickly came forward.

"What's happened to… to your face?" Kari managed to say unthinkingly. "You look so much… younger."

"I know. It's been happening ever since I got out of the hospital. It's been little things up to a few days ago. But now… it seems to be accelerating. Kari… I'm scared."

Kari was backing away from her. "Let me get my… my stuff… I need… to take your vitals." She bumped into a table behind her, unable to take her eyes off of her friend's face. She finally turned and headed into the bedroom.

"Please, would you like to sit?" Robert offered. He looked lost for words, but as Sally apprehensively made her way to the nearest chair the detective asked her, "Have you noticed any other changes… besides the way you look, I mean?"

"Well… I don't have my usual aches and pains," she answered apprehensively, "and my eyesight and hearing are much improved. And, of course, my hair is growing back in its original color. I'm losing my gray. I guess… I shouldn't complain, but… it scares me not knowing what's happening to me."

"Sure, I can understand that." Robert looked at Ethan. "And you? Have you noticed any changes in her? I mean… besides the obvious physical ones?"

Ethan looked at Sally and then to Robert again. "I would have to say — yes. But you have to understand; I haven't known Sally very long — nowhere near as long as Kari. But in the short period of time we've shared together, I believe I've seen a dramatic change in her mental sharpness. Her critical thinking is much improved, and our discussions have become much deeper academically than when we first met."

Kari returned to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Sally again. "It's amazing," she sighed.

She then quickly came forward to sit next to her friend on the couch. "Take off your coat, Sal. Let's start with your blood pressure."

A few minutes later, Kari was pulling her stethoscope away from her neck. "Well, everything sounds okay. Your heart seems stronger — I can't hear your murmur anymore. Your blood pressure is normal too… better than normal… it's perfect. You might want to lay off the Benicar until..."

"I've stopped taking all of my meds," Sally said, cutting her off. "I'm not going to take another pill until I understand what's happening to me."

Kari frowned and then considered Sally's logic. Ethan was right; she was much sharper. "I guess that's smart." Kari stood. "Come with me into the bedroom. I want to do a physical exam."

Absent of the normal groans and stalls that usually made the nurse reach out to help her friend straighten, Kari was surprised at how quickly Sally got to her feet.

"Lead the way." Sally demanded.

"Robert, can you make us some coffee? This might take a while."

As Kari and Sally disappeared around the corner, Ethan followed Robert into the kitchen.

"You take it black?"

"No… in fact, I don't drink coffee. Thanks anyway."

Robert put the mug he had pulled down from the cupboard back on the shelf.

"I could make some tea, I guess."

"No — nothing. Really — I'm fine."

Robert looked at the man. He could plainly see Ethan was worried for his friend.

"Listen, whatever this is… I'm sure the doctors will figure it out." The detective turned to refill his own cup from the pot. "In fact, I have to say… Sally really looks fantastic." He turned to face Ethan more squarely. "If her hair changes into that auburn color through and through, she won't look a whole lot older than you."

Ethan was shaking his head when he looked up. "I'm sure you've seen a lot of things in your line of work, detective…"

"Call me Robert."

Ethan flinched a quick smile and then added, "Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?"

Robert set his cup down on the counter to think. "No, I haven't. And you're right. I've seen a lot of things in my time, but nothing like this." He gripped his cup again, but didn't pick it up.

"What about you? You've been around the block a few times in your line of business, and you've probably been to more countries in the last year than I've seen in my entire life. Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Ethan was quick to respond, and it explained his obvious fear. "No… I haven't." He then shrugged. "I dated a Chinese woman once who swore by acupuncture. She said it improved the circulation in her face, and something she called micro-current stimulation." He frowned. "Something about re-educating the muscles in the face, but that was a farce."

"Didn't work, ay?"

Ethan didn't answer.

"Well, like I said. The docs will have to check her out, but whatever's doing this is going to be big news."

"What do you mean?"

Robert took another sip from his cup. "Sally is… what… ninety-plus, right?"

"Yeah — ninety-three."

Robert shook his head. "Even if they stop whatever's doing this do her, she's not ninety-three anymore. Mid-fifties… maybe. When word gets out about this, she's going to have commercial endorsements coming out her ears." The detective laughed. "She's going to make Diane Sawyer and Jessica Walter look like old ladies."

Ethan wasn't amused. "You think this is funny?"

The detective's face fell. "Look, I know you're frightened for Sally, but it's been my experience it's always best to get all the facts before you start thinking the worse."

"But what if it doesn't stop?"

"What doesn't stop?"

"Whatever it is that's doing this to her. What if she just keeps… you know… getting younger?"

Robert thought about it. "Wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, who wants to be ninety when you can be twenty?"

Ethan looked horrified. "But if it does go that far, what's to stop it from taking her to ten, to two, to being a baby again? And what comes after that?"

Robert was surprised the man in front of him had taken his thoughts so far. He could see Ethan was beginning to panic.

"You need to calm down, Ethan. I think you're blowing this way out of proportion. We both know it's probably an erroneous mix of some of her medicines. They've probably stumbled on something they didn't expect in chemistry class, that's all. Maybe that - together with something in her body, maybe her DNA, I don't know. It's most likely they'll figure all of this out in just a couple of days and then she'll be back to her old self."

"Very funny."

"Christ, you know what I mean. You need to get a grip on yourself!"

Robert turned to pull a cup down from the cupboard and filled it from the coffee pot.

"I said I didn't want any."

Robert opened the next cupboard and yanked down a bottle of whisky. He spun the top off and splashed some of the amber fluid into the cup with the coffee. He turned and set it down in front of Ethan.

"Have some anyway."

Ethan looked surprised.

"Look, Ethan. I don't mean to make light of the situation here, but that's what a cop does. When you see the things I see each and every day, you have to find a way to think positive. You can't go around expecting the worst in everything. If we did that all the time, then better cops than me would end up eating their guns. Wait for the facts to come in; that's all I'm saying. See what the doctors have to say, discuss it with Sally, and then weigh your options. That's all you can really do anyway, right?"

He grabbed the whisky to splash his own coffee before raising his cup; he motioned a salute to Ethan before taking a drink.

Although Ethan didn't appear any less concerned, he did seem to understand the logic Robert was offering him. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. It burned his throat and the detective chuckled.

"Smooth, ay? Picked it up last week when Kari and I were vacationing together."

Ethan took another drink and set the cup down. "So… you and Kari…?"

Robert took another drink from his own cup and smiled. "Yeah — we were an item a while back, and I ran into her again while I was investigating those break-ins around your shop. Turns out she knows Sally. Small world, huh?"

"Yeah… small… strange world."

"We're going to the hospital," hollered a voice from the next room.

The men headed back to find Kari's head still wet, but she was fully dressed. Sally was already putting her coat back on.

"Is everything okay?" Ethan sounded very worried.

"Well, I gave Sal a quick once over and it's clear her whole body is following the same pattern. She's definitively getting younger. I don't know why, but we're going over to have the doctors take a look at her. I've already called it in."

Kari headed into the kitchen. "Can one of you go to Sally's apartment and gather up all her meds and bring them to the hospital for us? Her place is the other way and I don't want to backtrack before getting her over to the hospital."

"I'll do it," Ethan said eagerly. "I'll need your keys, Sally."

Robert followed Kari into the kitchen. "Listen, I'm due in at the precinct in another hour. Why don't you call me when you know something?"

Kari went to dump the coffee cups when she caught a whiff. She raised Robert's cup to her nose and frowned back at him.

He smiled and shrugged innocently.

Kari grinned, took a drink from the cup, and then set it down in the sink. She walked over and kissed him.

"I'll let you know what they say."

Twenty minutes later Ethan was entering hurriedly into Sally's apartment. The smell of the place seemed to welcome him with open arms and he couldn't help smiling at the subtle smell of blueberry muffins still lingering in the air. To work, he thought to himself in response, trying to remain focused on the urgent task at hand.

He quickly moved to the back of the apartment, looking for Sally's medicines. He wasn't surprised to find her bedroom immaculately kept - clean and tidy, and everything seemed to have a place for which it belonged. The bed was made and the pillows sitting in the chair near the windows were properly fluffed.

Ethan looked first to the dresser for the little white bottles he had taken Sally to pick up at the drugstore around the corner, but they were nowhere in sight. As he went about opening and closing several drawers under the mirror, he stopped suddenly when he saw something that surprised him sitting next to a cherub lamp. He carefully reached out and picked up a silver picture frame of Sally standing next to her deceased husband Sam.

Given the fact Ethan had never seen Sally's husband prior to that moment, one might have thought it probable it was the man in the photo who had gathered his attention, but the fact was Ethan barely noticed Sam at all. It was Sally's face he was studying. No doubt the image in the photo was several decades old, but as he inspected the picture closely, the face of the woman looking back shook him. This was Sally Carmichael forty years ago, and yet… it was also a picture of Sally Carmichael from twenty minutes ago, the same woman who was at that very moment rushing her way to the hospital with Kari Dietz.

"Jesus Christ…" the man whispered to himself. "She looks exactly the same." And it was at that exact moment when Ethan Dodge first realized how physically beautiful Sally was to him. He finally did notice the man standing next to her in the photo and couldn't stop himself. "You were a very lucky man, Samuel."

He carefully set the photo back down on the dresser, knowing with little doubt Sally would probably notice its askew departure from its proper resting place. He then noticed the second frame next to the first and slowly reached out to pick it up. The photo was of a young woman in her early twenties, posing somberly with her chin resting on the back of her hands. The writing in silver ink at the bottom said, 'To Mom and Dad, Love Mary.'

"Mary Carmichael," Ethan whispered, gazing wonderingly at Sally's only daughter in the delicately woven frame. He remembered Sally telling him about Mary's death while at college and Sally's tears when she admitted that she almost ended her own life after they buried her.

As Ethan stared at the photo, he could see Sally's eyes looking back at him, the curve of her jaw and cheeks were the same, the color of her hair a beautiful strawberry blonde, and almost immediately, Ethan could hear Detective Coleman's words ringing in his ears.

Who wants to be ninety when you can be twenty?

He sat the picture back down again, but continued to glance up at the image of the young girl watching him as he rummaged through the rest of Sally's drawers.

"Bathroom!" Ethan said, bolting upright to straighten. He headed into the adjoining bath where he immediately found a note in beautiful, slanted script taped to the wall next to the mirror. It was a list of medicines, when to take them, dosages and refill dates. Ethan snatched the paper down and opened the medicine cabinet. And there they were, at least twenty little, white bottles in perfect rows, their labels turned out for clear inspection. He looked down to find a wastebasket sitting on the floor near to his feet with a clean and empty Wal-Mart bag as a liner. He snatched up the bag and began dropping the bottles inside.

A minute later, Ethan was crossing the foot of the bed toward the door when he stopped to look at the pictures on the dresser again. His eyes focused on Sally in the photo next to Sam and then to the picture of Mary again. Back and forth, his eyes moved between the two photos in wonderment before finally realizing Kari and Sally were waiting for him at the hospital. He headed for the front door.

As Ethan closed and relocked the door to the hallway outside, a man's voice sounded.

"Hold on there. What do you think you're doing?"

Ethan turned to find an elderly gentleman in a rumpled sweater glaring back at him.

"That's Sally Carmichael's apartment, and the police are on the way, sonny-boy."

"Oh, hello. I'm ah… a friend of Sally's and I was sent here to get something from her apartment." Ethan could immediately see the man's didn't believe this weak explanation. "Ah… you would be Mr. Hirch, correct?" The man looked surprised.

"Yes, that is correct. And I'm also one of Mrs. Carmichael's closest friends, so you can understand my questioning somebody going in and out of her apartment. My friend is a proper lady, and is not in the habit of allowing strangers into her flat."

Ethan almost laughed out loud. If Sally knew her nosey old neighbor was introducing himself as one of her "closest friends" he could only imagine her fit of rage.

"Oh, I'm not a stranger. I met Sally a couple of months ago in my bookstore around the corner."

The old man wasn't buying the line.

"Then you wouldn't mind my seeing some identification?"

Ethan hesitated; he needed to get to the hospital. "Well… I really need to…" Hirch raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course… here."

Ethan removed his wallet from his back pocket and handed it over to the man. Hirch opened it and peered down appraisingly at the photo on his license.

"Ethan Dodge?" He looked up again. "I don't remember Sally ever mentioning you."

"Listen, I have to get back to the hospital," Ethan said, reaching for his wallet again. "Sally is waiting for me."

The old man's eyes widened. "Hospital? Is she ill, don't tell me she's fallen again."

Ethan could see the concern in the man's eyes. He thought it rather sweet despite's Sally's terrible opinion of him.

"No nothing like that. We… really don't know what's the matter with her at the moment, but they wanted me to stop by and pick up her prescriptions. You see?" Ethan opened the Wal-Mart bag to show him.

"Well…" the man said, looking down at his license again. "I guess you don't really look like a drug addict." He handed his wallet back to him again. "What hospital is she in?"

"Mercy."

The man scoffed. "Mercy's full of idiots. I told them to call me if ever Sally needed anything."

"I have to get over there, but I'll tell her you were asking about her," Ethan said turning to leave.

Finally, the man seemed appeased. "You tell that wonderful lady that I'll be over there to check on her just as soon as they get her in a room, you hear me?"

Ethan almost laughed again. "I certainly will, Mr. Hirch, and thank you for your concern. I'm sure Sally appreciates it to," Ethan replied with a friendly wave as he opened the door outside.

"You just remember what I said about that hospital, boy."

Sally sat in a paper gown on an examination table looking troubled and worried. The room she was occupying at the hospital was very large, with several empty beds sitting with their headboards against the curved wall surrounding her. A team of three doctors and two nurses were standing twenty feet away in a circle conversing. Sally could almost hear them even as they tried to keep their voices low. They were talking about the many tests she had already taken over the last seven and a half hours since their arrival at the hospital. An older doctor was now suggesting another battery of tests, but the other two were shaking their heads in disagreement.

Sally finally smiled for the first time that day when she saw Kari walking toward her with a blanket.

"You look cold, Sal. I got you a cover."

"Bless you, child," Sally replied grandmotherly, eagerly reaching out for the blanket. "I'm so tired."

"Why don't you lie back? There's a pillow right there behind you."

"I'm afraid if I lie down, they'll want to keep me here longer." Sally looked at her friend. "They're not going to make me stay here tonight are they, Kari? I hate this place."

The girl helped Sally to lie back. "I really don't think so. From what I've heard them discussing so far, they can't seem to find anything wrong with you, so I doubt they'll be able to keep you here much longer."

After a long pause Sally spoke again. "What do you think is happening to me, Kari? Something is definitely wrong with me, right? This isn't supposed to happen."

Kari moved in next to her friend and smoothed Sally's hair. She could see the reddish-blonde roots about a half inch thick under her gray. She frowned. She only just saw Sally ten days earlier. How could her hair have grown out so fast?

"I don't know, Sal. I think you've got them all a little baffled here." She tried to smile to conceal her own worries. "Your hair is really coming in nicely. It's a beautiful color. Was it this color when you were younger?"

Sally smiled up at her again. "Yes, Auburn; Sam used to call it strawberry blonde."

Kari leaned in to kiss her friend on the cheek. "Well I'm jealous, that's for sure."

"I think it's growing faster too," Sally informed her, looking worried again. "It's strange."

"Mrs. Carmichael?"

Sally bolted upright and looked to the other side of the bed. She could see another doctor approaching them; this one was familiar to her.

"It's ah… very nice to see you again," the man said appraisingly.

"Hello Doctor Hoffman." It was the doctor who had saved her life when her heart stopped. Sally took a deep breath. That seemed ages ago.

The man smiled strangely at her. "Well — I see your memory is as good as ever. I must say you look absolutely wonderful." He glanced back at the group of doctors who had stopped conversing to watch them.

"The doctors handling your case asked me to come in and… ah… take a look at you. Since I was the doctor assigned to you before your last release, they wanted my opinion of your physical condition." He stared again at her in a manner that told Sally he was evaluating her every reaction, her every word.

"Do you remember any of our conversations the last time you were here?" Hoffman asked her.

Sally frowned. "I… don't understand what you mean."

"Anything at all; do you remember anything we might have said or discussed when we were last together here at Mercy?"

Sally looked over at Kari, who seemed just as curious about the question. Maybe it was a memory test.

"Well… I remember you saying I was the most remarkable patient you've ever had in your care. You said you wanted me to share my secrets of longevity with you."

The man's eyes widened; he seemed genuinely taken aback. "My God, it really is you! Sally Carmichael?"

Sally was at first confused and then the reality of the situation suddenly hit her. She immediately moved to swing her legs over the side of the bed with such speed it took everybody in the room by surprise.

"Kari — take me home," Sally said angrily.

Kari came forward quickly, but Sally was already on her bare feet and looking around.

"Where are my clothes? I want you to take me home — now!"

"Sal… what are you doing? What's the matter?"

Doctor Hoffman didn't move, but several of the other doctors immediately came forward.

"Uh… Mrs. Carmichael, where are you going? We still need to wait for a few more tests results. It won't be that much longer. Please, we need you to stay."

Sally was incensed. She whirled about to scowl at Hoffman.

"I'm not here to play some practical joke on you, doctor; I wasn't lying when I told you and these other doctors who I am and why I've come back here. My name is Sally Carmichael; I was a patient here two months ago; I thought I was dying. You were the one who restarted my heart," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Hoffman. She looked around. "You came in my room every morning to check on me," she said to another doctor. "And you were the nurse who pulled the tube out of my throat," she said, pointing at the respiratory nurse who was standing to the back.

Kari now looked angry as well as she scowled back at the team. "I don't believe this. You thought I was lying to you about Sally? You think I'm in on some kind of stupid joke?" She looked indignant. "Have any of you known me to joke about one of my patients?" One of the nurses came forward looking apologetic, but Kari was infuriated. "How dare you!"

Kari walked back to Sally. "This is Sally Carmichael. She's one of my very dearest friends, and she's both confused and worried about her health and what's been happening to her. This isn't a joke. I told you she came in here three months ago with congenital heart failure and was eventually released. Since that time, she seems to be getting younger." She looked around at the confused faces staring back at her. "What the hell is wrong with you people?"

Finally, it was Hoffman who answered. "I'm… very sorry, Sally… but I…"

"That's Mrs. Carmichael to you, sir," Sally snapped back at him. "I never gave you permission to call me familiar, and with your attitude… I doubt you will ever be allowed the privilege."

"That's Sally, all right," a voice interrupted from behind them. Sally and Kari turned to find Bea Jenkins and Lisa Bonds standing inside the room smiling at them.

Kari seemed relieved as her friends came forward.

"Hello, Sal," Lisa cooed kindly. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"My God," Bea was shaking her head disbelievingly as she leaned in to look closely at Sally's face. "When Kari called to tell us what happened, it was hard to believe… but seeing is believing, I guess." She looked up at the other doctors. "This is definitely Sally Carmichael."

"Thank you, dear," Sally answered resentfully, scowling back again at Hoffman.

Hoffman turned again to the other doctors. "Let's go over those tests again, and I want somebody down in the lab kicking them hard in the ass for those remaining results. Tell them I want them down here in thirty minutes or I'll have their jobs." One of the nurses ran out of the room as Hoffman turned to Sally.

"Mrs. Carmichael. I can only beg for your forgiveness. In this job, a man as old as me thinks he's seen just about everything, but obviously I was wrong. If you'll agree to stay, I will personally guarantee my full attention and that of my staff on your case."

Sally looked at Kari who was still staring unblinkingly at Hoffman. She finally turned to her and shrugged.

"Please Mrs. Carmichael. Let us begin again with all due diligence."

Sally still seemed unconvinced but… "Very well, doctor, but I won't have anybody questioning my motives or who I am again. Are we agreed?"

"Absolutely. Yes ma'am."

Sally lay down on the bed again and Kari leaned over to wrap her in a blanket.

"Freakin' doctors," Kari whispered next to her friend's ear. She looked back at Hoffman who was now huddled close with the others on the other side of the room. "They think you're old," Kari continued. "They say Hoffman worked at Mount Sinai for a while… unfortunately I think it was with Moses."

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