Chromosome 'S': The Angel

by Rey, Solomon

He wanted desperately to cry out, to hit – something, but it would do nothing to help

  the situation. Her life depended on him staying with it, keeping control over his emotion.

  He held her in his arms, walking quickly as he could, as Donna supported her neck. Blood ran down the side of her face onto his arm. They walked smoothly as possible, avoiding any dips in the sand.

  Donna walked along side Richard, holding Olivia’s head secure, keeping it from moving. She stared at the little girl she thought of as a daughter. Tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Please God, don’t take this little angel. She belongs with us, she prayed, I want to be able to look into those beautiful hazel eyes again and see her smiling at me, knowing that everything will be alright.

  From a distance, Donna saw a figure approaching quickly.

  “Here comes Derek!” She yelled.

  “When he gets here, I need you and him to spread the blanket, then double it up. We’re going to use it as a gurney,” he instructed.

  Derek met up with them a minute later. Donna worked with him to spread the blanket. When they were done, they helped lower Olivia onto it.

  “Easy…Easy,” Richard directed, “Now, I’ll need you two to grab that side. Be sure you have a good grip. If you feel your hold loosening up, let us know, so we can set her down and regrip, Okay?” The others nodded.

  They slowly lifted her up and proceeded down the beach. The blanket was a perfect gurney, allowing them to move faster and ensuring Olivia was immobile. It took less than ten minutes to come into view of the SUV, but they were the longest minutes of their lives. They reached the car.

  “We need to set her down gently,” he said as they lowered her.

  “Donna, I’ll need you to drive, I’ll stay in the back with her,” he said, turning his attention to Derek, “Lower the middle seats, so it’s completely flat.” He handed his keys to Donna, “Drive as quickly, but as safely as possible. We don’t need an accident,” she nodded.

  Donna unlocked the car and helped Derek drop the seats. She ran back to where Richard was checking on Olivia.

  “Okay, let’s get her in,” he said. They took their places, lifting her slowly onto the tailgate. Richard climbed in dragging her slowly into the back of the SUV. “Donna, no sudden stops,” he advised.

  “I’ll do my best,” She closed the tailgate.

  “What about our stuff out there,” Derek asked.

  “All of that is replaceable honey, Olivia’s not,” Donna said.

  Derek agreed, hustling to the passenger side and his mother to the drivers. She eased out of the parking spot, gently applying the brake as she reached the stop sign. She turned onto the road headed to the hospital, which was fifteen miles farther then Richard’s house. They would have to pass through town.

  As they drove, Richard intensly watched Olivia. Her breathing became more sporadic, more labored. He checked her pulse, it was weakening. He didn’t need to be Dr. Death to know cardiac arrest was imminent.

  He observed, helpless to act until necessary. Her chest rose and fell, slower and slower, until there was no movement at all. Her breathing stopped. He went to work, starting CPR.

  He placed the palm of his right hand on the lower part of her sternum, placing his left hand on top of the other. He applied sufficient pressure to revive her. He pushed down aggressively fifteen times, stopping to open her mouth and clear her airway, then he blew two breaths. He repeated this pattern over and over. Tears streamed down his face, as he continued to work frantically—trying to save his beloved daughter.

  Derek watched Richard, he knew what was happening. He hung his head down and began sobbing hysterically knowing his best friend in the whole wide world had died. “She’s dead,” he said softly to his mother, tears falling on his lap. He didn’t try to hide his sorrow and he didn’t care who saw him cry.

  Derek’s statement hit Donna like a ton of bricks. His words ran through her mind over and over, ‘She’s dead, She’s dead’. No! She screamed in her head, striking the steering wheel as hard as she could. She had difficulty seeing the road through her tears.

  CHAPTER XIII

  Richard was unwavering in his determination not to let his baby die. He kept on with the compressions to her chest. He felt multiple ribs crack. He breathed into her mouth once again. This time, she began to breath…slowly…but she was alive!

  “Yes!” Richard exclaimed, quickly wiping away his tears.

  Derek’s head poked up when he heard Richard. He looked over to see Olivia’s chest rising. “She’s alive, Mom. She’s alive,” he said laughing through his tears. “She’s breathing again!” He used the back of his hands to wipe his tears.

  Donna laughed hysterically, not able to contain her elation. Richard was overjoyed, he was able to bring his daughter back, but Dr. Death still lingered over her. He knew she wasn’t going to make it.

  “I need you to drive to my house,” he informed her.

  “What…why?”

  “She’s not going to make it to the hospital. She’ll die before we get there,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “How do you know?”

  “I was barely able to revive her this time, next time…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. He didn’t want to think about her dying.

  “What are you going to do?” She was afraid of his answer. Would he make his daughter a guinea pig? How could he be so sure, she wouldn’t make it to the hospital?

  He remained silent.

  “Richard?”

  “I’m going to do what I need to do to save my little girl. Whatever it takes, even if I have to give my own life. I’d do it without hesitation,” he said with evident determination.

  “No!” she exhorted, “You can’t do that!”

  “What’s he going to do?” Derek asked.

  The SUV was silent only broken by Derek…

  “Richard, what are you going to do?” He questioned.

  “Chromosome ‘S’,” Donna said.

  “What!” Derek replied, looking at Richard.

  “She’s not going to make it, unless we use it,” he said, his eyes fixated on Olivia.

  “But you’ve never tested it on a human before! You don’t know what it will do to her,” Donna said, trying to get him to think of the repercussions of his possible actions.

  “If I don’t do it, she’ll die!” He declared.

  “Are you sure she’ll die?” She asked, “So you’re saying, there’s no chance at all? If we drive to the hospital, you’re one hundred percent sure she’ll die?”

  “Yes, I’m one hundred percent sure she will die,” he said confidently, “You’re going to have to trust me.”

  “Mom, he has to do it,” Derek said, completely composed, placing his hand on her arm, “There’s no other choice.”

  “Donna, you’ve known me for a long time, you know I wouldn’t even consider subjecting my baby girl to Chromosome ‘S’ unless it were the only choice to keep her alive. I have a sixth sense that enables me to know when someone is going to die. I have that feeling now and it’s very strong. She’s going to die. I’m not even sure she’ll make it to the house, but she definitely will not make it to the hospital.”

  “Donna, I’ll leave it up to you,” Richards said, “Ahead is the fork in the road. If you go left, we go to the hospital… right, we go to my house. You decide.” Richard was confident Donna would make the correct choice. He sat silently as they approached the fork.

  Derek watched his mother in anticipation.

  Donna knew she could never live with herself if Olivia died on the way to the hospital. She also trusted Richard and believed in him. He was the most brilliant man she’d ever known and if he said Olivia would die, who was she to question him. Olivia’s life was literally in her hands, but there really wasn’t a choice to be made.

  She drove onto Richard’s house. They would be there within five minutes.

  “Hurry Donna, she’s beginning to cough up blood,” Rich
ard pleaded.

  She gave no verbal response, but he could feel the SUV accelerate.

  We need to get there, Richard thought, time is running out. I can feel it in my bones, my baby doesn’t have long to live. I can’t lose her! I don’t know what I’d do without Olivia. She’s my life!

  He could see his house up ahead through the trees. Donna drove off the paved road onto Richard’s gravel driveway, coming to an abrupt stop in front of the house.

  Before Derek could jump out of the car, Richard said, “I need you to open every door, we need to pass through to get to my lab,” Richard instructed, “Do you remember the code?”

  “Yeah, I got it!”

  Derek shot out of the car, running into the house. Donna ran to the back, letting down the tailgate. Within seconds, Derek returned to join his mom and Richard at the back of the vehicle. “Okay, done.” Derek said.

  “Ready? Just as we did before. Nice and easy,” Richard said as they slid her out of the SUV, passing through the threshold, turning right, stopping at the top of the stairs.

  “What do we do now,” Derek asked.

  “We need to take a step at a time, no more. We can’t afford to stumble.”

  They nodded their agreement, slowly descending into the lab, placing Olivia on the largest counter.

  “Derek, go to my safe behind my desk, open it and you’ll find two bottles, bring me one.”

  “I don’t know the combo,” he said.

  “Oh sorry! It’s 122702.

  “Okay , got it,” The combination was not difficult for him to remember, it was Olivia’s birthdate.

  Richard went to a cabinet, gathering everything he would need: syringe, antiseptic wipes, cottonballs and medical tape. By the time Richard returned to Olivia’s side, Derek was waiting impatiently.

  “This one?” Derek asked.

  “Yes, that’s what I need.”

  Richard opened the antiseptic wipes, thoroughly cleaning the area. He stuck the needle of the syringe into the vial of serum, extracting the contents to inject into his daughter. He held the syringe with the needle pointing up, tapping it to allow the air bubbles to rise, as he gently pushed the plnnger in, it caused a small stream of serum to shoot out. He was ready.

  He didn’t have time to stop and pray, so he asked the Lord’s prayer in his head as he worked. He found the most prominent vein, inserted the needle and pushed 30 ccs of the serum into her dying body. Olivia lay still, her breathing shallow.

  “How long till we see something?” Derek asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know. A mouse and a human are very different animals, that’s why we do clinical trials,” Richard replied, “All we can do now is wait and see. We really don’t know what the extent of her injuries really are. It might take a while for the internal damages to be repaired, which means a longer period of time before we see any signs. I need to start an I.V. and chart her vitals.”

  “Is she going to be okay?” Donna asked, “Do you still have the feeling” She didn’t know how to refer to his premonitions.

  “I’m still getting the feelings, it seems to be getting stronger, but as Chromosome ‘S’ starts to take over, the sense of imminent death should dissipate…most likely,” he said, “uh…Donna, I’m sorry,” he continued setting Olivia up with an I.V.

  “For what?”

  He turned to her, “For snapping at you while we were at the beach.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she smiled feigning ignorance.

  Derek had been watching Olivia for any sign that Chromosome ‘S’ was working,

  “Guys, “he called out, “I think something’s wrong.”

  Olivia’s breathing had become rapsy and more shallow. Richard checked her pulse; very weak, almost non-existent. Her breathing suddenly stopped. Richard went to work again, as mother and son stood to the side, helpless.

  “What time is it?” Richard asked, not taking the time to look up, not wanting to take his attention away from his daughter for a second.

  “10.45,” Derek said.

  He worked diligently and relentlessly to save his daughter’s life. Perspiration beaded on his forehead and back doing everything in his power to revive her. Time was swiftly passing by. He only had a fee minutes to resuscitate her, after that, there could be permanent brain damage—assuming she survived.

  As time quickly passed, Donna and Derek became disheartened. Richard could hear their sobs behind him. He glanced at the clock−five minutes had passed.

  Olivia was gone—Dead!

  He cried into his hands and collapsed to the ground. Donna and Derek joined him, each consoled the other. As Richard sat, emptiness enveloped him. A void in his heart began to grow. He could feel it consuming him. How do I go on, he thought, without my baby, without my Olivia? It was different when Brenda was killed, he was forced out of his misery, because he had a responsibility to care for his daughter, she depended on him, she needed him.

  He couldn’t help but reflect on what was being taken from him. His thoughts revolved around Olivia now, and all the good times they had spent together.

  CHAPTER XIV

  “Dad, you want to play a game?” Olivia asked, as they drove home from Fred Meyers.

  “Sure, how do you play?” Richard asked, enjoying his time with Olivia. He knew things never remained the same. Eventually, they grow up to lead their own lives and a parent’s lucky to get one day a week to spend with their child, let along one day a month. It’s ironic how our children depend on us, but the reality is we depend on them equally. They revitalize our heart and souls, reminding us what it’s like to be children.

  “Well, I just made it up.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay. I hit you like this,” she slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. She giggled.

  “Owwww!” He exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder, “Well, that’s not very fun and you’re mean to top it off. If the point of the game is to make me not like you…it’s working,” he said jokingly.

  “Ha,ha,ha, very funny,” she said sarcastically, “Now, you hit me.”

  “Gladly!” He didn’t hesitate to slap her shoulder, “You know that felt pretty good, but what’s the object of the game?”

  “The point is to see who’s tougher. Who can take it the longest. Do you want to play?”

  “Okay, I’m up.” It was rare that he wouldn’t go along with one of her games.

  They drove on slapping each other’s shoulder.

  “Owww!” He shouted, as he back handed her, laughing.

  “Owww!” She took her turn.

  “Owwww!” He said, “When does it end?”

  “As soon as someone gives up,” he slapped her again. “Owww!” She said through gritted teeth.

  “It’s not fair,” he complained.

  “Why isn’t it fair?”

  “Because you have very bony hands, it’s almost like being slapped by a skelton,” he laughed.

  “Funny Dad, but if you can’t handle it, you can quit.” She slapped him again as she chortled.

  “Not me! You’re going to quit before I do.” The challenge was on. Welts were beginning to appear on their shoulders.

  Richard would quit eventually. Bruises would appear and remain for days. It wasn’t about the actual game, but the time they shared together.

  Other memories came to mind…

  “So…what color do you want to paint your room?” Richard asked Olivia as they stood in the Walmart’s paint section, reviewing the color charts.

  “How about this purple here and…the canary yellow for trim?” She said not sure what her father would say, being that the colors were somewhat bold.

  “It’s fine with me, you’re the one who has to live with it,” he replied, “But don’t come crying to me when you end up having nightmares because the colors are so horrid,” he chuckled.

  She ignored his last comment, “Cool! I think Derek will like it!”

  They bought everything they would need
: paints, primer, rolls of tape, tarps, paint rollers, and pans, and various sizes of brushes. They also picked up individual bottles of soda and a few bags of sunflower seeds.

  Before they made their trip to Walmart, they had cleared out Olivia’s room of furniture. He was not surprised to find a trash dump behind Olivia’s dresser: wadded up pieces of paper, couple of pens, candy wrappers, magazines and a plethora of other items lost behind there. It was the Bermuda Triangle, which existed in all teenagers’ rooms.

  They were prepared to get right to work when they arrived home. They unloaded the car, setting up the tarps to keep the paint off the carpet. They taped the windows and trim, as they ate sunflower seeds, taking the occasional sip of soda to wash away the salt. They put on tunes, as they continued to prep.

  Richard and Olivia spit the shells on top of the tarps, planning to discard them before they began to paint. Richard spit shells out, accidently hitting Olivia. She glared back at him.

  “What?” He asked innocently as he laughed. She stood glaring at him with a shell glued to her cheek. The glue—saliva.

  “Really Dad?” She said faking annoyance, flicking the shell from her face.

  “It was an accident,” he continued laughing.

  “Okay,” she said, as she shot a saliva drenched shell out of her mouth, bouncing it off his forehead.

  “Now, that’s not cool!” He said chuckling, as he wiped the spit off his head.

  “Why not? You did it to me.”

  “Yeah, but mine was an accident,” he said, quickly spitting one into her hair. She scrunched her nose at him, causing him to double over with laughter.

  “Okay Dad,” she said, spitting an unshelled seed at him, but he deflected it with his hand, sending one right back at her. She dodged it as she side stepped, shooting at his head, pegging him right between the eyes. It stuck! They laughed uncontrollably through the whole ordeal. Finally, they called a truce, ending the war. They looked at the tarps,-which looked like a sea of sunflower seeds.