Ken McClure: Past Lives

Macandrew realised that Elroy was talking about the accident on the farm. ‘It did George but you’re okay now. Do you remember anything about what happened after that?’

Elroy looked blank. ‘No... not a thing. How long have I been out?’

Macandrew felt the correct answer might be around eight years but he settled for, ‘Quite some time, George.’

‘Ethel... can I see Ethel?’

‘You certainly can.’ Macandrew nodded to one of the nurses who went to fetch his wife. Ethel Elroy looked extremely nervous when she came into the room on the arm of her son. Macandrew stood back to let them come to the bedside.

‘George, how are you?’ she whispered.

‘Just fine, honey,’ replied Elroy. ‘That was a real dumb thing to do, falling in front of the baler like that...’

Ethel turned and looked up at Macandrew before starting to sob quietly into her handkerchief. The look in her eyes brought a lump to his throat. Words failed her but the nod of her head was all the thanks that Macandrew needed.

He returned to his office: he needed to be alone for a few minutes. In recent times he’d plumbed the depths of despair but now he was riding a high and he liked the feeling. He didn’t want the moment to end. The treatment worked! It really worked! He called Simone in Paris with the news and smiled when she broke into a torrent of excited French.

‘I know; it’s absolutely wonderful,’ he said when he managed to get a word in. ‘Let’s hope it works for the others.’

It worked just as well for the next two patients, prompting Saul Klinsman to suggest that Macandrew invite Simone over to the US for the final operation. The university would be happy to pay in view of the positive publicity the success of the new technique was going to generate. Simone arrived in Kansas City four days later — on the evening before Macandrew was due to operate. He picked her up at the airport where they had a happy reunion before he took her to her to the Best Western hotel near the Med Centre on Rainbow Boulevard where Saul Klinsman’s secretary had reserved accommodation for a “distinguished guest of the university”.

‘God, it’s so nice to see you again,’ said Macandrew as the porter left the room.

‘And you too, Mac. God, you went through such a lot and they hurt you so badly.’

‘No looking back. It’s all over,’ said Macandrew, wrapping his arms around her. ‘My god, the nights I’ve spent thinking about you.’

‘Really?’ murmured Simone, trying hard to suppress a smile. ‘Now why would that be?’

‘You’ve no idea?’

‘I just can’t imagine what you’re talking about, Doctor...’

Macandrew kissed her hungrily.

‘I thought neurosurgeons might have a strict rule about no sex before an operation,’ said Simone.

‘Only during one.’

‘Idiot.’

The operation next day was another success story and Saul Klinsman threw a party at the hospital to celebrate the breakthrough and to honour Simone’s research achievement. Both she and Macandrew had to insist that the new treatment would not be applicable to all cases — in fact, only to those with damage in the pineal area — but even at that, it was still going to make a big difference to a number of otherwise hopeless cases. The world seemed full of people who wanted to congratulate them.

‘When will you publish?’ Klinsman asked Simone.

Simone was at first surprised and then annoyed at herself for not having seen the question coming. ‘Soon,’ she replied, moving away to avoid any further talk along these lines. She found Macandrew and linked arms with him to steer him to a quiet corner. ‘Your boss just asked me about publication,’ she said. ‘He’s right, you know. We will have to publish.’

‘We just have to stick to the facts,’ Macandrew assured her.

‘Which are?’

‘Some cases of multiple personality disorder are due to damaged cells located behind the pineal gland and in some instances, these damaged cells can be reactivated using a simple surgical procedure and a chemical that you will have to describe in some detail. As for the normal function of these cells in the human brain... well, that’s conjecture and, as such, has no place in a medical journal.’

‘I love you,’ whispered Simone. ‘You’re so devious.’

‘It’s a man thing.’

‘Better not be.’

Simone gave a seminar to the medical and science faculties about the new technique and received a standing ovation from an academic audience that was clearly delighted that a mid-western university was playing such a pivotal role in such an important medical advance. Macandrew struck while the iron was hot and persuaded Saul Klinsman that he should have some more time off in order to take Simone to Boston to meet his family and spend Christmas there before she returned to Europe.

‘I guess the locum can cover again if he’s agreeable. You two are pretty serious about each other, huh?’

‘We are.’

‘Does that mean we’ll be losing you?’

‘You were always straight with me Saul: I don’t know right now. You’ll be the first to know when I do.’

‘Maybe you could persuade Simone that Kansas City isn’t that bad? I’m sure the faculty could be persuaded to offer her every facility to continue her research...’

‘Maybe.’

Macandrew had just left Klinsman’s office when he heard himself being paged with a request that he go to his own office. Feeling puzzled, he opened the door to find Tony Francini standing there. The nurse with him said before leaving, ‘Sorry, Mac, he insisted.’

Macandrew’s blood ran cold. Just looking at Francini brought back the nightmares. His hands started to ache just at the very thought of the car door: the happiness he had been feeling seemed to evaporate in an instant. ‘You’ve got a nerve,’ he said.

Francini swallowed and said, ‘I know that. Christ, I don’t even know what to say to you.’ He put his hand to his head and let a sob escape.

Macandrew remained dispassionate.

‘The word is you’ve been helping folks like Janey...’

‘We’ve been conducting a clinical trial of a new treatment. It won’t work on everyone.’

‘But it would work on Janey?’

Macandrew swallowed before finally saying, ‘It might.’

‘Christ knows I’ve no right to ask you this, but I don’t have an alternative. I love her so much. I’ll pay anything. Will you...?’

Macandrew was looking into the eyes of a desperate man — the eyes of a man faced with a steel cable and nothing but a blunt sword to cut it with. He relaxed his face muscles. ‘Have her here at the Med Centre tomorrow afternoon.’

Francini was about to be effusive in his thanks but Macandrew stopped him. He had no wish to associate with the man any longer than absolutely necessary. He recoiled from contact.

Simone agreed that Macandrew should delay their departure to Boston to operate on Jane Francini, saying that this was exactly what he should do.

Jane Francini’s operation proved to be just as successful as the others. She came out of the anaesthetic as the Jane Francini Macandrew had known before the first operation. Like the others, she remembered nothing of what had happened after going into surgery the first time. Macandrew left the recovery room before Tony Francini was allowed in, not wanting to see him again, but he did go back to visit Jane when her husband had left and she was being settled down for the night.

‘I’m so grateful to you,’ she smiled.

‘It’s good to see you looking well,’ said Macandrew. ‘I just thought I’d come and say good-bye to a fellow Scot.’

‘You’re going away? Tony will be so disappointed. He really wanted to thank you personally. Where are you off to?’