synopsis: Dr. Angel has a new patient that not only hears voices in her mind but becomes an entirely different person altogether when they’re active. What is going on?
Angel Versus Myriad
Part 4
(by S.B.)
Unlike the cold, sterile corridors of St. Mary’s, Dr. Carruthers’ office was brimming with color and life, starting with the mahogany bookshelves that occupied both the left and right walls of the perfectly symmetrical square space. Besides the collection of compendiums and medical journals that included some genuine rarities that had been out of print for over two decades, there was also a sizable of sci-fi and horror anthologies with fantastic covers and spines where Mankind’s greatest hopes and fears were depicted with great details. Dr. Angel only recognized a couple of authors by name.
Inside the office, one could also see a sleek desk the same color as the shelves, four tribal African masks mounted on the wall behind it, two chairs, and a warm rug sporting an intricate yet confusing pattern of iridescent multicolored lines. A panoramic rectangle window facing the outside of the hospital grounds completed the welcoming division.
“Can I get you anything to drink, Dr. Angel?” the administrator asked as he approached the rightmost shelf. It was only then she noticed the small mini-bar hiding in an alcove next to the window. “I can offer you water, sparkling water, and flavored water,” he smiled, “so if any of that is your poison, just say the word.”
“A tempting offer but I’m good for now. I’m more interested in learning everything you can share about Jenny’s stay here.”
“Of course,” he poured himself a glass of grapefruit mineral water and sat behind his desk. “A most curious case indeed. Please, take a seat.”
Dr. Angel nodded and crossed her legs. “Thank you. Dr. Carruthers, what can you tell me about Jenny’s head injury?”
“She was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma on the right side of her brain shortly after coming to our care, which required a minor surgery of four burr holes to drain the fluid building inside. At first, the prognosis was favorable but after the first twelve hours, we noticed the fluid was running pink, which meant there was still bleeding happening. We decided to make a bigger hole to take a better look inside. There were some surface tethered veins that were corrected and we replaced the bone as well. However, that wasn’t the end of it. Jenny started slurring, and two days later, we realized that her large pupil was much larger than the left, so we had no choice but to go for a third intervention to relieve the pressure.”
“In other words, you performed a craniotomy.”
“Yes, and following it, we put Jenny in an induced coma to protect the brain and give it enough time to recover and that’s where the strangeness began.”
“Please tell me more.”
“Of course. Jenny was in a coma for about two weeks and during that time we monitored her life signs to make sure she remained stable. We were hoping all complications had been resolved by then but when we tried to take her out of the coma, she didn’t wake up.”
“Is that normal?”
“It happens sometimes. Our brain is a complex machine that can auto-correct by shifting functions from one area to another and if hers felt more time was needed to fix what was ailing her, then there was little we could do about it. The problem was there was still an abnormal swelling we couldn’t explain. It was visible on the scans but there was no underlying reason for it.”
“She was no longer bleeding internally?”
“No. The surgeries took care of that, so we started looking into other possibilities including parasitic infection.”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t you have noticed it sooner?”
“Under normal circumstances, but there are some worms that are opportunistic and hide so well that the original hematoma...”
“... could have disguised their presence there and the damages they were causing to her brain.”
“Yes. And while we treated one condition, the other was allowed to fester.”
“And was that it? A parasite?”
“Yes... and no.”
“I don’t understand, Dr. Carruthers.”
“Neither did we at the time. We suspected neurocysticercosis, but couldn’t prove it.”
“You’ll forgive my ignorance but I’m not familiar with the condition,” Dr.Angel said. “What is neurocysticercosis?”
“A condition caused by pork tapeworm larvae. After people eat food contaminated with the tapeworm’s eggs, secretions in the stomach cause the eggs to hatch into larvae. The larvae enter the bloodstream and are distributed to all parts of the body, including the brain and spinal cord. What happens next is that the larvae form cysts, clusters of them enclosed in a protective wall and when the infection happens in the brain we call it neurocysticercosis. Now, the cysts themselves usually cause few symptoms until they degenerate and the larvae inside die. which triggers inflammation, swelling, and symptoms such as headaches, seizures, personality changes, and mental impairment.”
“Personality changes, you say?”
“Yes. Is that relevant to your case?”
“Most definitely though wouldn’t such an alteration be resolved when the infection cleared?”
“Theoretically, yes. Our problem was that neither the MRI nor the CT showed any cysts inside her. And yet it was still our best bet for we were able to trace a shipment of contaminated pork meat to her school a few weeks before her fall. There were at least thirty other children in observation, not just here but in other hospitals in the area as well and five more adults, a handful of which also developed symptoms. All cases were treated on time and, because of the correlation, we treated her in the same way.”
“And she woke up?”
“Eventually, yes. The swelling was gone but her blood work showed no traits of infection. It was like it was there but it wasn’t at the same time, which is why I said yes and no. To this day, I’m not fully convinced she ever contracted the disease but something happened in her brain and that something changed the lives of many around here.”
“I’ve been told by a neighbor that when she returned home she was different.”
“Different is an understatement. She still had the body of a child, but none of the traits that defined someone of her age. Jenny became cold, somewhat apathetic even, but whenever a nurse came into her room to check up on her, she would start talking gibberish, or interacting...”
“... with people that weren’t in the room. Yes, that is consistent with the info I have but that doesn’t account for the fact that her medical records omitted all of this.”
“Well, Dr. Angel, as I’m sure you’re aware, Federal law allows medical providers to destroy medical records after six years although that period can be extended for longer when talking about a child. If it were up to me, we would have all the data readily available, but that’s no longer the case. The original records were indeed destroyed, but not intentionally. We had a fire a couple of years back that tore through our archives, including digital copies. This was around the same time the national database was hacked, which led to the loss of every record of millions of patients, Jenny’s included. Surely you remember hearing about that commotion on the news.
Yes, vaguely. It had been a long time and her memory was no longer as accurate as it used to be. Eloise adjusted herself in the seat and scratched her right ear.
“That’s awfully convenient,” she thought. There were too many coincidences, too many obstacles to the truth she thought and she couldn’t help but wonder if Myriad had something to do with it. Her brain flashed back to the recent encounter in the underground parking lot, and all the things that had been said. The mystery grew thicker with each revelation, but so did the danger.
“Is everything okay, Dr. Angel?” the administrator asked. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“Hmm... you’ve left me with more questions than answers so far. Is there anything else you can tell me about her stay here? Were there any other tests you remember? Other theories that weren’t fully explored?”
“No, not really,” Dr. Carruthers finished drinking his flavored water. “We treated the body, got it working as it should but the psychological aspect was left for the professionals in the field. I can tell you that, neurologically speaking, there was nothing wrong with the girl, and yet I too felt uneasy whenever I was within six feet of her. It wasn’t the things she said, but the way she looked at me. Have you ever seen a truly soul-piercing stare, Dr. Angel?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then you know how unsettling that can be. Records destroyed or not, I could never forget that case.”
“Okay. Do any of the other physicians involved still work here? How about the nursing staff? Are there any other ‘survivors’ of that time still on the payroll?”
“There may be a name or two but I don’t have the names with me right now. I can call Carla to see if it helps.”
“I’m sorry... Carla?”
“Our current Chief Nursing Officer—CNO for short. She did the rounds for many years. I can’t recall if she ever interacted personally with Jenny but she may know who did. That head of hers puts many people to shame.”
“I’d love to talk to her then if it’s possible.”
“Let me see if she’s around then,” Dr. Carruthers reached for his phone and punched in the proper extension. There was a buzzing sound on the line and the call went dead. “Hmmm, perhaps she’ll answer her cell...”
There was no answer either, and he gave up quickly. “I’m sorry but it doesn’t seem likely it will happen today. I’m more than glad to give you her contact so you can call her another time.”
“I appreciate that, Dr. Carruthers,” Eloise uncrossed her legs and placed her right hand on the arm of the chair. “I just have another request, one that’s equally important despite how bizarre it may seem.”
“Oh? I’m all ears, Dr. Angel. What else do you need?”
“Something unusual happened on my way here and I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to let me check the footage of the parking lot’s cameras?”
“That’s indeed a bizarre request,” the Administrator stroked his chin gently. “What do you mean by something unusual? Were you put in harm’s way by any chance?”
“I was approached by something I can’t explain. I’m hoping that the cameras shed some light on what truly happened underground.”
“Something, huh? Dr. Angel, your visit here has been nothing short of surprising. First, you approach me concerning one of the strangest cases I’ve ever dealt with, and now you up the ante with this new revelation. Please don’t get me wrong, but I’ve offered you a wealth of information so far and received nothing concrete. I don’t expect you to break the confidentiality agreement with your patient but it would be nice if you could share at least something about what you’re dealing with. It’s only fair, don’t you agree?”
“Your courtesy hasn’t gone unnoticed and I genuinely appreciate every sliver of intel provided. What I can tell you is that Jenny’s mental condition has deteriorated lately and not much more than that. For your own safety, the less you know the better. However, if you allow me to check that footage you may get a glimpse of what’s bothering me. Forgive me if it doesn’t sound like a fair proposition but it’s the only one I can offer for now.”
“You drive a hard bargain but I understand where you’re coming from and I respect your commitment. Not sure what to think about that ‘for my own safety’ remark though,” he leaned against the rotating chair and interlocked his fingers. I can arrange a viewing of the footage right now on the one condition you’ll keep me apprised of future positive developments in your research, all within ethical and professional boundaries, of course.”
“That is a sensible request, and one I’ll strive to honor to the best of my abilities going forward. If you could lead the way...” she urged him.
“Very well. We have two security rooms in the facilities, one for each main floor and its wings, as well as a third smaller division that handles the parking lot and all the entrances and exits. In the case of the underground sections, there are security guards with their own workstations that save local copies of the cameras in their sector, but we’re going straight to the central network because it’s easier this way.”
Dr. Carruthers stood up and headed for the door, followed by the psychiatrist whose parched lips were starting to regret not accepting his drink offer. She was the first to exit while he chivalrously held the door open. Glancing backward, she said,
“I met one of your security guards on my way here. A man named Brett.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know all guards by name, Dr. Angel. There are simply too many people working here.”
“Understandable. How far is this room we’re going to?”
“It’s on the other end of the hospital, so we’ll be walking for a while. In the meantime, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you something personal.”
“It depends on the question, Dr. Carruthers.”
“Harvard? Columbia? John Hopkins?” he queried.
“Neither. I studied at Yale,” she replied.
“Ah, I have good friends there. Do you happen to know Professor Higgins?”
“Martin ‘Motorboat’ Higgins?” Dr. Angel chuckled, reminiscing about her days in New Haven, Connecticut. “Yeah, I know the old codger. He was on the jury panel when I presented my Ph.D. Dissertation.”
“I bet he gave you a hard time.”
“He gives everyone a hard time, so yeah. He’s a really nice man though despite his obsession with boats.”
“He sure is.”
The two continued their idle chit-chat as they walked through the hospital’s corridors. Dr. Carruthers had a refreshing sense of humor and plenty of stories to tell about his residency days that could make even the coldest of hearts crack a smile and he never missed an opportunity to tell one or two. She was about to learn what a patient with an abnormally enlarged ball sac and an avocado had in common when suddenly the entire hospital went dark.
“A blackout?” he mumbled, stopping in his tracks. “I don’t remember the last time we had one. Not to worry. The emergency generators should be up and running any moment now.”
“This can’t be a coincidence!” Eloise thought, blinking to adjust her eyes to the poor visibility conditions. As predicted, the power was gradually restored to the main sections including the one they were in, but the return of the light coincided with the screeching sound of a fire alarm.
St Mary’s Hospital was burning again.