A Shadow On The Street : The Secret Of Lew's Gift by papa55mike |
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End of the last chapter. Faces surround me from above. Their thoughts begin to fill my mind until the darkness takes me. It feels like I've been in a pit with demons raging all around me. The battle was fierce, with claws ripping my flesh, trying to keep me there. But a giant hand reached down and gently put me in a comfortable bed. An unearthly voice said, "Rest, my son. You have done well." I'm trying to force my eyes open. Where am I? I hear footsteps drawing close, and a hand entwines with mine, and it slowly rises. I feel the back of my hand, caress something soft. Light begins to filter in through tiny slits. There's a face with a gentle smile. Tears are falling from her dark brown eyes, creeping down her cheeks then dripping off her chin. Kathy catches a sob and says, "Hello, sleepyhead. We were hoping you would wake up today." She rubs my hand against her cheek again. I feel the warmth of her tears. All I can manage is a faint whisper. "Where am I?" "Baptist Memorial Hospital, they rushed you to the Trauma Unit after the officer shot you." Kathy catches a sob. "You know, Lew, I never knew my father. I'm the product of a one night stand. In the few months I've known you, you became the father I never had. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. When the call came in, I thought we had lost you. Before another moment passes, I want you to know that I love you, Lew." Kathy kisses my cheek. "I love you too, Kathy. I'd be proud to call you, my daughter." It's all I can do to keep my eyes open. "You get some rest, Lew. We have a lot to talk about." The last thing I see is Kathy smiling and wiping her eyes. ~ The smell of strong coffee kicks my brain into activity. My spirit begins to soar when the aroma of Seattle's Best #5 hits my mind. My eyes blink open, and the bright lights hurt. When the glare eases, I find Kathy sipping a cup of coffee. "I would do anything for a cup of that." "I perked it at home and brought your cup." Kathy pours me a cup, raises the bed, then hands it to me. Before grabbing it, I gaze at my right hand for a second; it's not tingling now. Slowly, I put two fingers through the loop then place my thumb at the top of the handle. Raising the cup to my lips, I sip the warm nectar of the bean. "I might make it." "Lew, when did the headaches start?" "Before I answer that, what happened to the Gray family?" "Well, the police didn't charge the father with anything as long as he went to rehab. He has a severe drinking problem. What did you see, Lew?" "He was going to kill his wife and son, and then the officer would kill him. What was the officer's name that fired?" "Horace Lang." "Well, I guess Horace had to shoot somebody." "How did you see this, Lew?" "It was the next day's headline in the newspaper left by my computer." "Is seeing the future part of your gift?" "In a way, yes." Another gulp of coffee. "We'll talk about that at a later date. You're bursting with something to tell me." Kathy bites her lower lip. "A lot of things happened after you got to the hospital. They brought you in, you were screaming about a tremendous headache, and your body was rigid like someone paralyzed. Did you feel that before, Lew?" "Something very similar, when I reached to start the coffee that night, I could barely move my left side. Suddenly, it stopped, and I could move again." Kathy looks at the floor. "It all fits." "What does?" She squirms in her chair. "While they had you knocked out, they ran an MRI on your head. It seems you have two massive brain tumors in the top of your skull growing into your brain." "So, that's it!" I start to laugh. "Finally, the question answered. I've always wondered what changed in my body to give me this gift." "I don't understand, Lew?" "It helps me to understand another piece of the puzzle." I study her face for a moment. "What else did the doctor say?" "He's going to talk to you about sending you to New York. Many people want to study your mind. You're a medical marvel." "Did the doctor talk to you about it?" "Oh, I called him bad words, Lew." Kathy's voice gets a little louder. "Things I hadn't said since high school. I called him everything but a prostitute. If I'd about thought of it, I probably would have. They had to call Security to restrain me and threatened to throw me out of the hospital." "I take it you didn't agree and threw a fit?" "It was a doozy. Amy would have been proud." "Please don't make me laugh; it hurts." I finish the cup of coffee. "In a way, I agree with him, but it's not what God wants." "I'm glad." She takes my cup with a beautiful smile. "Do you want some more?" "Yes, please. There are still a few more questions." "Like what?" "Like, how is this condition going to affect me, and is it going to take my life? If so, how long do I have?" "He won't tell me those things. Are you afraid of dying, Lew?" "Heavens no, there's nothing to fear, and I'm looking forward to the rest." "Well, we need to get you some breakfast. I'm going to push the nurses into letting you go home tomorrow. The doctors won't talk to me." In a sarcastic, southern drawl, I ask, "I wonder why?" ~ I finished my hospital supper, and a lovely lady has taken my tray. The nurses have been filling me in on what Kathy has been doing every day. She's here promptly at six in the morning and checks on my condition at the nurse's station. Kathy then proceeds to bug the crap out of them for the rest of the day. When is the Doctor coming by to see him? What was that test they ran? She continues this process all day until she leaves at three to get Caleb and Terrel off to work. The nurses were thrilled when I woke up! I see the door crack open and someone peers inside. I guess the coast is clear. A large man with grey hair, thick black glasses, and dressed in a doctor's jacket walks in with a big smile. He carries a tablet in front of him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Bradley. I'm Doctor Robinson." He stops at the foot of my bed. "After talking to Mrs. Bell, I'll respect your gift and stand right here." "Thank you, Doctor. I have several questions for you." "I'll bet you do. Go ahead." "What exactly is my condition?" "In layman's terms, you have two parasagittal tumors in the upper part of your brain. One in your frontal lobe and one in your parietal lobe, they are almost the size of ping pong balls and growing. Your tumors are different, though. They have branched out into your neurons, like tiny fingers, and have activated a large part of your brain. Most people may use twenty to thirty percent of their brain's capacity throughout their lifetime. You are using almost ninety percent. In theory, those tumors have enhanced your mind greatly." I start to laugh then ask, "Do you believe in God, my friend?" "No, I don't." "What is the chance of this happening to anyone, one in a billion?" "Your condition, Mr. Bradley, I'd say higher." "That's God. Satan tried to destroy me with these tumors, but God used them to give me a unique gift to share with the world." "That's an interesting way to look at it." "Can you operate?" "Mr. Bradley, I don't think there's a surgeon in the world today skilled enough to operate. Those fingers have entwined themselves throughout your brain." "How will this condition affect me going forward?" "Well, Frontal lobe symptoms consist of sudden weakness, paralysis on one side, confusion, loss of reasoning skills. Parietal lobe symptoms include seizures, loss of touch, motor skill deficits. There are also vision problems, hearing loss, dizziness, and massive headaches to deal with daily." "Don't you think medication can help with a lot with that?" "I can recommend some things." "I need to hire a person to help me, and I have someone in mind." "But Mr. Bradley, you can help the world by letting us study you. From you, we can learn the secrets of the mind. You'll receive the finest care in the world." "I understand, Doctor. But I would rather be with the friends that I call family. I can do a lot of there, too. Will this condition take my life?" "Eventually, yes." "How long do I have, Doctor?" "A good guess would be a year or two, but nobody knows." "In that case, the Lord and I have a lot to do. When can I go home?" "I'm sure the surgeon would like to look at you again, and I'd like to get another MRI. Let's say, tomorrow afternoon." "That sounds great!"
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