Robin Cook - Foreign Body

Finishing with the injection, Laurie regarded herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her hair was an absolute mess, and the dark circles beneath her eyes were drooping down in the direction of the corners of her mouth. Worst of all, she felt just generally dirty. But no wonder. First there’d been the overnight flight to Paris, during which she’d managed to sleep only a couple of hours. Then there’d been the three-hour layover, which was mostly needed to get to the next departure gate. And then there had been this current eight-hour marathon. What had her irritated was Jack, who had no trouble sleeping. It just didn’t seem fair.

Laurie picked up the debris from her shot and poked it into the trash. The used needle went back into her purse, where she carried the medications and the fresh syringes. She didn’t want to be irresponsible. She washed her hands and again looked at herself in the mirror. It was hard not to, since most of the wall behind the sink in the Lilliputian bathroom was a mirror. She couldn’t help but wonder what effect this sudden trip was going to have on her infertility saga. She had absolutely no idea why she’d not gotten pregnant so far, and hoped the travel wouldn’t add to whatever her problem was.

She opened the door and stepped out. Sensing that between her reaction to Jack’s sleeping and her pondering her inability to get pregnant, she was getting herself worked up, she made a conscious effort to calm down. She hoped that over the course of the visit she would be capable of keeping her fragile emotions in check so she’d be able to provide the support Jennifer needed, which was the major stimulus for making the trip. At the same time, Laurie admitted to herself that she was also there to appease her own conscience. Maria’s passing had definitely provoked a certain amount of guilt.

Back in her seat, Laurie looked at Jack. He was still sound asleep and in the exact same position as he was when she left him five minutes earlier. He was the picture of relaxation, with a slight insouciant smile on his handsome face. His hair was certainly messed up, but since he wore it short in a kind of Julius Caesar style, it didn’t look nearly as bad as her tangled mop.

As swiftly as the irritation about Jack’s sleeping ability had come over her a few minutes earlier, now the opposite feeling surged through, bringing a smile of appreciation to her own face. Laurie loved Jack more than she had thought she was capable, and felt blessed.

At that moment the plane’s intercom crackled to life. The captain welcomed everyone to India and announced that they had begun their descent into the Indira Gandhi International Airport and would be arriving in twenty minutes.

With a surge of love, Laurie reached down and cradled Jack’s head in both hands and gave him a sustained kiss on the lips. His eyes popped open and blinked, then he returned the gesture. Laurie gave him a broad smile. “We’re here,” she said.

Jack sat up, stretched, and tried to look out the window. “I don’t see a damn thing.”

“You won’t. Remember, it’s ten-forty at night. We’re landing around eleven.”

The landing was unremarkable. Both Laurie and Jack felt a definite excitement as they exited the plane and walked through the terminal. There was no problem at passport control, nor did they have to wait for luggage since they hadn’t checked any. They were waved through customs without hesitation.

As Laurie and Jack came up the ramp outside the customs area, Jennifer began waving wildly and shouting their names. Her impatience was such that she ran down a few steps to meet them, enveloping Laurie in a hug. “Welcome to India,” Jennifer said gleefully. “Thank you, thank you for coming. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Laurie said, laughing, somewhat taken aback by Jennifer’s exuberance. Until Jennifer let go, she was unable to walk.

Jennifer then hugged Jack with equal enthusiasm. “You, too,” she said.

“Thank you,” Jack managed, trying to keep the Boston Red Sox baseball hat his sister had given him from falling off his head.

Jennifer transferred one arm back to Laurie’s shoulder so that she had one on Jack and one on Laurie. In that awkward configuration, they walked the rest of the way up the ramp to where Neil was standing. He had not run down when Jennifer had. Jennifer introduced them, and they all shook hands.

Laurie was instantly confused as to who Neil was, and said as much. She thought Jennifer was in India alone.

“Neil is a friend from L.A.,” Jennifer explained, still overexcited with Laurie and Jack’s arrival. “I met him my first year. He was the chief resident in the ER. Now he’s already one of the head guys. Kind of a meteoric rise, if I say so myself.”

Neil blushed.

Laurie smiled and nodded but was still in the dark.

“Listen, guys,” Jennifer said with great animation. “I’ve got to run and use the facilities. It takes maybe an hour to get to the hotel. Anybody else need to use the bathroom?”

“We used them on the plane,” Laurie said.

“Terrific. I’ll be right back,” Jennifer said. “Don’t go away! Stay right here! Otherwise, we might lose each other.”

Jennifer dashed off. The other three watched her go. “She’s really wound up,” Laurie said.

“You have no idea,” Neil said. “She’s been so excited you were coming. I’ve never seen her like that. Well, that’s not true. The last time her grandmother came to L.A. she was like that. I was with her at the airport then, too.”

“The people-watching is fantastic,” Jack said. “I’m just going to walk around this general area. Okay?”

“Okay, but don’t get yourself lost. We’ll stand here. But I don’t think Jennifer will be long.”

“Neither will I. Can I leave my carry-on with you?”

“Sure,” Laurie said. She took the bag from Jack and stood it next to hers. Both she and Neil watched Jack wander into the crowd.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Neil said. “Other than her late grandmother, you are the only one she talks about from her childhood. You must know her really well.”

“I suppose.”

“As I said,” Neil added, “I’m glad to meet you.”

“Jennifer didn’t tell me you were here,” Laurie said. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Jennifer having company.

“I know she didn’t,” Neil said, “because she didn’t know I was coming. I got here last night and didn’t meet up with her until today.”

“I also didn’t know she was seeing anyone seriously.”

“Well, don’t jump to any conclusions. I don’t even know how serious it is. I guess it’s one reason why I’m here, so as not to burn any bridges. I really do care for her. I mean, I came all this way for a grandmother. But I’m sure you know Jennifer and how difficult she can be, given her relationship with her father.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“You know: self-esteem issues.”

“I’ve never thought of Jennifer as having self-esteem issues. She’s bright, attractive — just a great girl.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s got them, and it can make relationships kind of bumpy. And she definitely doesn’t think of herself as beautiful as other people think she is, no way. I mean, she’s textbook with the entire recognized complex, but not without hope.”

“What exactly are you talking about?” Laurie demanded, squaring off in front of this stranger who was openly criticizing someone she cared deeply about.

“She’s confided in me, so you don’t have to pretend. I’m talking about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her delinquent father after her mother died. I mean, she’s done amazingly well, thanks to her intelligence and general strength of character. She’s very tough, and her father is lucky she didn’t kill him, as headstrong as she is.”