by Jan Eira
“His BP is awfully low,” said Dr. Rizzo. “It’s only sixty, palpable. His pulse is one hundred and ninety. The heart monitor shows VT.”
“Have you shocked him?” asked Dr. Rovine.
“Once with two hundred but unsuccessful.”
“Shock him again.” Dr. Rovine made eye contact with the nurse near the defibrillator. “Charge to three sixty.”
The nurse placed two paddles on the patient’s bare chest.
“Clear,” she yelled. The old man’s body jerked with the jolt.
“Back in normal rhythm,” said Dr. Rizzo. “What do you want to do with him now?”
“Call the team stat,” said Dr. Rovine. “We need to do an emergency heart catheterization.”
“BP is coming up,” said another nurse. “Hundred over fifty-eight.”
“Great,” said Dr. Rovine. “He’s stabilizing. Get an EKG.”
“I’m here,” said a technician pushing a cart into the room, passing by Valerie. “Excuse me, Miss.”
Valerie stepped aside. As she did, she bumped into a teenage boy who was standing right behind her.
“Excuse me,” she said, tiptoeing around him. He was handsome, in a plain sort of way. His hair was wavy and light brown, with bangs that partially hid his beautiful, sparkly dark-chocolate-colored eyes.
“He’s adorable,” Valerie thought. “Why is he staring at me?”
“Cool,” whispered a girl gawking from behind him. A slightly older boy peeked in on the action from behind the girl, who continued talking. “Just like on TV with the heart shocks. How cool is that?”
“Didn’t the weirdo say we’d save a man’s life today?” said the older boy.
“No, he said we’d try,” said the handsome teenage boy right behind Valerie. “We would try to save a man’s life.”
“Excuse me, but what weirdo said what?” asked Valerie. “I’m shadowing my dad today. He’s a cardiologist, and he’s the one who saved this man’s life.”
“Excuse me, but who’s talking to you?” asked the girl. “Mind your own business.”
“I’m William Baten. What’s your name? Is it Valerie Rovine?”
“How do you know my name?” she asked. “How the hell do you know my name?”
“It’s written on your name tag,” said William, pointing at her hospital ID. He turned to his two friends behind him. “Valerie. Isn’t that the name the strange man told us about?”
“What strange man?” asked Valerie. “You guys aren’t quite right. What’s your major malfunction? We probably have a pill for that here.”
“Valerie,” Dr. Rovine said. “I need to work on this man right away, and you shouldn’t come with me. I see you’ve made some new friends. Hang out with them, and I’ll call your cell phone as soon as I’m done.” Without waiting for an answer, he was gone.
“Friends?” said Valerie. “They’re sure as hell not my friends.”
William smiled. “Well, you already know my name. This is Ellie, and this is Brent. Guys, this is Valerie.”
Valerie took a deep breath and then shook her head. “What are you losers doing here, anyway? Don’t you have better things to do and better places to hang out at than here?”
“Well, you’re here,” said Brent. “Why are you here?”
“I told you already. I’m shadowing my dad. Besides, I’m getting paid.”
“Oh, excuse us, rich girl,” said Ellie. “It’s OK for you to be—”
“Where do you go to school?” asked William. His words were soft, and his gaze glued itself to Valerie’s eyes.
“He couldn’t possibly mean her?” said Ellie. “He was talking about some other girl named Valerie, one who’s civilized. C’mon, guys. Let’s get out of here.”
“Who do you keep referring to?” asked Valerie. “You’re not making any sense. Are you high on drugs?”
“That’s what we asked the strange man,” William said to his companions. “Remember?”
“Who is this strange man?” asked Valerie. “And what did he say about me?”
William shrugged. “Some man we met in the woods this morning when we were camping told us I would—”
“He was some delusional patient recently escaped from the loony bin,” said Brent. “Let’s get out of this coop, guys. Our job is done. We got the guy here. Now it’s up to the hospital and the good doctor.”
“Just like the man predicted we would,” whispered William. “He said we would try to save a man’s life today. Does that mean the kid’s grandpa will die now?”
“Who knows?” said Brent. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I hope I’m wrong, but I bet the man doesn’t make it,” said William.
“By the way, Luke’s family is here now,” said Ellie, gesturing to the waiting room behind them. Three adults had arrived and were now conversing with the young boy. “Brent, let’s go give them the SUV keys and see if they’ll give us a ride to where we left our bikes so we don’t have to call your folks and let them in on our camping trip.”
“Wait, let me get this straight,” said Valerie. “You guys went camping without your parents’ permission last night. This morning, you found that little boy and his father—”
“Grandfather,” corrected Ellie.
“Grandfather.” Valerie gave Ellie the evil eye. “The man was having a heart attack, and you drove his SUV here? Do you even have a driver’s permit? I know you’re too young to have a driver’s license.”
“Yeah,” said William. “That just about sums it up.”
“No, it doesn’t,” said Brent. “For your information, I’m eighteen and have a driver’s license. And you forgot the part about how we saved this man’s life and carried him a mile on a stretcher that we made ourselves.”
“You’re eighteen my ass,” said Valerie. “Prove it.”
“Guys, why are we bothering with this crazy bitch?” asked Ellie. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Excuse me, kids,” said a woman behind them. “Luke told us all about what you did for his grandfather. We wanted to thank you very much for saving his life.”
“Oh, that’s OK,” said Brent, handing her the SUV keys. “But can you give us a ride back to our bikes?”
“Of course,” said the lachrymose woman. Another teary-eyed woman approached the group, accompanied by a man and Luke. “As soon as we hear something from the doctors about his condition, we’ll be happy to drive you over there.”
“Thank you,” said Ellie.
“No, thank you, all of you kids,” said the man. The adults and Luke retreated to the waiting room and sat down.
“We need to find another way to the parking lot,” said William. “This family is in a lot of pain. Besides, I’m telling you all right now, the old man ain’t gonna make it. He’ll die today.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” said Valerie. “I heard my dad say the man was stable with a good pulse and blood pressure when they took him downstairs. My dad’s a great cardiologist, and he’s got a brand-new drug for heart attacks that I know will save this man’s life. He will die, yes, but not today and not from this heart attack.”
“Why are we still talking to her?” asked Ellie, walking away. “Let’s go.”
“I’ll tell you what, girly girl,” said Valerie. “If the man dies, I’ll drive you all to your bikes. I’m almost eighteen and I have a driver’s license. If he lives, his family will drive you there. Either way, after that, I don’t want to see any of you ever again for as long as I live. You’re all crazy, and I don’t want to get infected with your madness.”
Several yards away, Dr. Rovine appeared wearing scrubs and a white lab coat. He walked somberly toward the family.
“I’m sorry, but we couldn’t save him,” he told the group. “He had a massive heart attack and didn’t respond to anything we did for
him.”
CHAPTER 10
The Lexus drove out of town en route to the parking lot. With each passing mile, the city morphed into trees and fields of green, and the polluted air cleared and became uncontaminated bliss. The morning had blossomed into a sunny and warm afternoon. A few picturesque clouds spotted the sky.
“Turn right on this dirt road coming up,” said Brent, pointing ahead. “We’re almost there.”
The vehicle finally turned into the parking lot. A man was squatting near the three bicycles, which remained secured to a tree by a heavy chain.
“Oh no,” said Ellie. “The weirdo’s back.”
“What’s he doing to our bikes?” asked Brent.
“Good,” said Valerie. “I want to talk to him about all his so-called predictions. I want to expose him for the fake he is.”
“Actually, all his predictions have come true,” said William from the backseat.
The two boys and two girls got out of the car.
“Hey, what are you doing to our bikes?” yelled Brent. “Get away from them.”
“Brent,” said the man. “I’ve fixed your chain problem.” He was holding a weird type of wrench, the likes of which the teenagers had never seen.
“I wasn’t having any problems until you showed up, old man,” said Brent, now on his knees examining his bicycle.
“You’re always complaining about your stupid chain, Brent,” said William. “It gets out of the sprocket when you go uphill.” He pointed at the bike. “What I want to know is how he knew that. The bikes are still chained up like we left them.”
“For that matter, how did he know which bike was yours?” asked Ellie. The three friends looked at one another.
After a short moment of silence, Valerie spoke. “Hi, my name is—”
“Valerie Rovine,” said the man. “I know you very well, too.”
“But I don’t know you. How do you know me?”
“It’s a long story, kids. It involves the four of you.”
“How can it involve the four of us?” asked Ellie. “We just met her today. Hopefully, she’ll be out of our lives forever in a few more minutes.”
“You may be able to impress these three,” said Valerie to the man, pointing behind her. “But I’m not convinced of anything other than you’re some sort of a drifter trying to take advantage of some gullible teenagers.”
“You say you got a story about the four of us?” asked William. “Let’s hear it. Start from the beginning.”
“Well, the beginning is here and now.” He took a deep breath and sat down, gesturing for the kids to do the same. They remained standing. “My name is Brent Joseph Smithson.”
“That’s my name.” Brent’s attention was now piqued. “How did you know that?”
“That’s because I am you,” said the man. “I traveled back from the future to right a terrible wrong.”
“Bullshit!” said Brent.
“You got to be kidding!” said Valerie. “Now I’ve heard it all.”
“You do look so very familiar to me,” said Ellie peering intently into the man’s eyes. “I can see it now. Same eyes, nose, and mouth.”
“What about your bleeding ear and déjà vu feeling last night, Brent?” asked William. “Do you think it somehow had something to do with his arrival back in time?”
“Come on, guys. It was a little bit of blood. Nothing to it. And a frigging déjà vu sensation,” said Brent. “You all have had them before, right? Who knows how or why déjà vu exists. Who really cares?” He paced around a few steps and then looked back at the other teenagers. “This is total bullshit. How he can be me? Let’s get our bikes and get out of here.”
“I’m not sold on it, either,” said Valerie, looking at the stranger. “You say you’re him from the future? Prove it.”
The man thought for a long moment. “Your dog tore up your Gucci sweater to pieces. Today, shadowing your dad, you make a hundred dollars. I remember you went on and on about absolutely having to use that money toward the purchase of another Gucci sweater. And you did. Red and blue, I think.”
“Red and yellow,” said Valerie. “I’ve had my eye on a must-have red-and-yellow Gucci sweater. How did you know that?”
The four teenagers stood there, gazing into the man’s eyes. One by one, they sat down on the grass—except Brent.
“He could’ve found all the facts somewhere, somehow to fool us,” he said. “Time travel is impossible.” He looked at the others.
The man nodded. “It is now, but time travel will become possible in fifty years. In fact, I’m the very first human time traveler.”
“All right,” said Brent. “If that’s true, why did you come back to now from the future?”
“To resolve an issue that begins today and ends up killing billions of people, potentially destroying the world.” He looked at the four teens, allowing time for the information to sink in. “We think the world is coming to an end. Apocalypse. Armageddon. We can stop these deaths.”
“We cause the deaths?” asked Valerie.
“Yes and no,” said the man. “Let me begin by telling you that I have to interfere as little as possible with your lives. I can’t tell you about the future. I can’t be seen or interact with anyone other than the four of you. I must ask you not to talk to anyone about me—anyone at all. We believe that if my presence here and now causes any significant changes to occur in the natural lifeline, the world will change as we know it.”
“You said we,” said William. “Who are we?”
“I better not answer that,” said the man.
“Is it the four of us?” asked Ellie. “The four of us in the future?”
“Please don’t ask me for anything more than I tell you, and I’ll try to tell you only what is necessary to accomplish this objective. I can’t risk changing the future events.”
“But you are wanting to change future events,” said Brent. “This is all bullshit. Are you guys really buying this crap?”
“You’re trying to save people from dying. Maybe they’re supposed to die,” said Valerie.
“No,” the man said quickly. His eyes were now moist with tears that were about to fall. “No, that can’t happen,” he said more calmly.
“Someone dear to you will die?” asked Ellie. The man’s head slumped as a tear ran down his cheek. He nodded slowly. “Yes. The love of my life.”
“Did she die and you’re hoping to change the past so she lives?” asked Ellie.
“Yes,” he said somberly. Then he wiped his tears with his hand and straightened up. “I can’t tell you about your future, Ellie. I can’t. I’m sorry.” He looked her in the eye, and then he looked at the others. “Look, beyond my feelings for this woman, there have been millions of people involved—maybe billions, all told—all over the globe. It will change life as we know it, with terrible worldwide consequences.”
“Apocalypse. Armageddon,” said Brent. “Yeah, right. Give me a break.”
William put a hand to his head. “OK, let’s assume the world will end in the near future. What do we have to do to stop it?”
“I can’t believe you guys are buying this crap,” said Brent. “This can’t be true. Don’t you all see it?”
“Valerie, today was the day your dad was to begin experimentation with Enoxadin,” the man said.
“It is,” said Valerie. “I don’t know how you know that, but go on.”
“The first patient was the man the three of you rescued earlier, but he died.”
“Is the drug really that bad?” asked Valerie. “It kills billions of people?”
“No, the drug is actually pretty great. It works really well,” said the man. “Enoxadin becomes approved, and it saves millions of lives of patients having a heart attack.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Valerie.
�
�Heart attacks are already a huge problem now,” said the man. “But the disease gets more and more prevalent despite all our efforts. In another thirty years, heart attack deaths in people in their thirties are commonplace. On average, heart attacks kill a human being once every second. We later learn…” His words trailed off into a muted whisper.
“We?” asked Ellie. “Is it the four of us who become involved with the research?”
The man nodded.
“So you—we—feel responsible for all the deaths,” said William.
The man nodded again and wiped a tear. “Please don’t ask any more questions. The less you know about the future, the better.”
“OK, go on,” said Valerie.
“The company continues to research the agent and eventually comes up with a pill form. This medication taken orally and prophylactically is able to reduce heart attacks and strokes to almost zero. One pill of Enoxadin saves millions of lives for many years, and billions of people end up taking it. That’s just about the whole world’s adult population.” He stood up. “Think of it. All the leaders, the thinkers, and the doers of the entire planet take the medication, hoping to avoid early deaths from heart disease. Everybody over twenty is at risk of having heart attacks, so everybody over twenty ends up taking it.”
“Seems OK to me. What’s the problem?” asked Ellie.
“In the year 2058, a new influenza-like organism is discovered, influenza GK-9. The microbe itself is no big deal. It causes a few days of a low-grade fever with a runny nose and a cough. Unfortunately, when GK-9 comes in contact with previously administered Enoxadin, a reaction occurs inside the blood vessels and leads to dire consequences. The organism is renamed vasculopathic human virus, or VHV.”
He stopped talking. From the forest came loud footsteps, branches snapping, and vulgar conversation peppered with unruly laughter.
