James Halperin - The First Immortal

Rebecca began to cry. Jan looked away, her own eyes welling. But dear Max had forced herself to hold her emotions in check, like a sagging dam whose purpose was to give the town below a few extra hours to evacuate before the impending flood.

“Is… Gary coming?” Ben asked.

“Yes. I’m sure of it,” Rebecca said. “He loves you, Dad. He’d be here now if he knew. I left a message on his answering machine, and called Vose Galleries, too. He’s supposed to approve the layout today for his one-man show next month. They’ll tell him as soon as he shows up, and he’ll come on the run.”

Picturing his son trying to run on that shortened left leg, he thought: more like on the reel. And that was probably Ben’s fault, too.

He whispered, “If he doesn’t get here in time, say goodbye for me. Just tell him how proud I am of him. He really made something of himself.” Despite me or in spite of me? he wondered.

“He sure did,” Rebecca said.

“In spite, I think,” Ben whispered.

After about half an hour Toby walked into the room. “Sorry to interrupt. The technicians from the Phoenix just arrived. They wanted me to make sure Ben knew.”

“Already?” Ben murmured. “Better talk to you in private.”

Max said, “We’ll be in the hall, Dad.”

“How’d they get here so fast?” Ben asked.

“They’re not from Arizona,” Toby heard himself explain, as if this were a normal frigging conversation, for God’s sake. Like he was maybe explaining a standard medical procedure; a goddamn triple bypass or something. Christ. “The Phoenix has two scientists traveling around the country training paramedics. They have teams on call in about twenty cities. Your team owns an ambulance company in Rhode Island. You’re their fourth cryonics job. Last one was in Warwick, seven months ago.”

“They can work here?”

“Yeah. They’re licensed in Massachusetts, and cleared for this hospital. I checked. Guess they figured Boston being so close…” Then Toby paused a moment, and finally said it: “Cryonics? Jesus, Ben. Your daughters know?”

“No. Couldn’t figure out how to tell ‘em… Or you.”

“What were you afraid of? That we’d think you lost your mind or something?”

“Well… yeah.” Ben was trying to smile. “Don’t you… think that?”

Toby hesitated. “Out of your mind? No. Gullible? Maybe…” He paused again. “You really s’ pose they’ll ever revive you?”

“I doubt it.” Ben chuckled weakly. “But you… never know.”

“Those three cryonic technicians seem like believers. One of them explained a bit of the procedure to me.”

“Ben, you sure about this?”

“Yes… positive.”

“Okay, I’ll help,” Toby said. After all, Ben was his best friend! Risk to his professional ass? To hell with it. What was an ass worth if you were ashamed it was yours? “But look, if we let your disease take its natural course, oxygen flow to your brain’ll diminish. And that’s a problem. You’ll start losing brain tissue long before your heart stops.”

Toby had said all this as if it were expected, the most natural thing in the world. Yet the secondary consequences were obvious enough to him.

“I know that.” Now Ben seemed concerned that Toby might be moving too quickly, like a sinner who discovers God then donates every last possession to the Church.

“So what do I do?” Toby asked

“Do it by the book. Don’t jeopardize… your license.”

“I can give you morphine.”

“That’ll put me… in respiratory arrest.”

“Probably.” Hopefully.

“I’m not… in any pain.”

“I know. I was just saying that if you were… Think about it, Ben. Maybe you’re in severe pain and haven’t told me.”

“Don’t do it. You could get… in trouble.”

“Only if I get caught.”

“Isn’t worth the risk.” Ben gasped for air. “Besides… you have to look after Alice for me.” Deep breath. “Can’t do that… from prison.”

A joke, Toby realized. No doctor had actually gone to jail for helping a terminal patient die. But both knew doctors who’d lost their licenses for it.

Toby laughed quietly. “Okay, Ben. Whatever you say.” He turned to go.

“Cryonics is a longshot. Don’t risk your career… for a longshot.”

Toby did not turn back, nor did he answer. He wasn’t sure how his voice would sound right then.

Max had been talking to Harvey Bacon, the chief cryonic technician. She was sure that her own expression was now a portrait of her disbelief and disgust.

“You can go back in,” Toby said.

“Did you know about this?” she asked.

“No. I just found out. Like you.”

“Incredible,” she muttered, going back inside. To Max, cryonics was a fraud, a waste of money. And worse, it deprived living people of healthy, lifesaving organs that might otherwise have been donated. How could her father have fallen for this scam? He used to be such a realist.

But Toby refused to play judge. Some people spent $100,000 on their own goddamn funeral, didn’t they? Or left their money to some televangelist, looking to buy a place in heaven. Maybe cryonics would actually work. Who the hell could know? Ben had always been smart, even prescient, so maybe he was right again.

Jan and Rebecca followed Max into the ICU.

Rebecca’s reservations were quite different from her sister’s: What would she tell Katie and George? Was their grandfather dead or in limbo? They’d want to know what had happened to his soul. She knew damn well he’d never be revived, but he wouldn’t be at rest either—at least not in their minds. They’d never be able to let go of him. How could he have done this to them?

Financial problems had beset Noah and Jan’s law partnership. Their practice now consisted almost exclusively of personal injury cases, which required large capital outlay against uncertain outcome. No meaningful settlements had been forthcoming, while competition in that field had intensified. They both seemed to be working much harder even as they fell further into debt; starving hamsters on a relentless treadmill.

And just four days ago Jan had learned that she was pregnant with their third child, a fact she hadn’t yet revealed to anyone. Noah would not be pleased with the news. What would happen to all of her father’s money? she wondered. Jan felt guilty for thinking it, but the thoughts still came: Was he going to keep it? He couldn’t spend it where he was going, but they sure could use it. He’d never try to take it with him, would he? Damn! Noah had been right, as usual. She should’ve helped her father prepare his will.

“You’re gonna be frozen ?” Max was saying to Ben, apparently struggling to keep a sympathetic tone to her voice. “Why didn’t you tell us, Dad?”

“Knew you’d… try to… talk me out of it,” he whispered. “But… I had to… do it… Needed to know… there’s a chance… my death… might not be… permanent. Any chance.”

Jan could feel her own fingernails biting into her palm. “You can’t be serious.”

Rebecca glared at her. Whoops. Jan said nothing more. “I’m sorry,” Ben said.

All three women began to cry again.

“I never wanted to hurt you. Any of you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t… think…”

Suddenly monitor alarms were going off. Then Ben’s right hand lurched toward his chest.

“Oh my God,” Max gasped, running out of the room, calling after Toby. “Another infarction. Come quick!”

Now Ben’s discomfort and anxiety had vanished. He felt himself hovering near the ceiling, as if floating atop a swimming pool filled with a thickly saline emulsion. Below him, with wires and tubes attached, was a comatose body. His body. People strode about it resolutely, but he detected little energy emanating from the body itself. He thought he saw it—me? he wondered dazedly—still breathing, just barely. Now Toby was barking instructions at the nurse, who ran out to fetch something. Then Toby asked Rebecca and Jan to wait outside. “But I might need you, Max, so stay right here, just in case.”