HAGGERSVILLE COUNTY HOSPITAL
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Lulie Saks sat with Andrew Mellon and Dr. Ellis in the family conference room. “Thank you for hearing us out, Dr. Ellis,” she said. “We know Leigh is doing very well and we’re grateful for it, but yesterday you didn’t seem to fully understand how much she’s changed for the better. It frankly seems miraculous. Now that I’ve told you more about her and you’ve spent more time with her, can you tell us whether this will continue? And how it’s possible?” She swallowed. “Will she go back to being like she was?”
Dr. Ellis said, “No, don’t worry. Leigh will remain the way she is now. I’m sorry if I seemed to dismiss your question yesterday. Leigh was new to me, and so were you. I have to say, she seems quite bright, quite alert, not nearly as you describe her before her head trauma. I’ve discussed this apparent change with our neurologists and can think of only one plausible explanation. She might have been suffering from some form of partial seizure disorder until now. There are subclinical forms that can be hard to recognize, that even her local medical doctors justifiably could have missed.”
Lulie looked like she’d been shot. She clutched Andrew’s hand, squeezed so tightly her knuckles turned white. “You mean Gunny—Leigh—was having seizures of some kind all these years, and I, her mother, didn’t realize it? Didn’t see it? I accepted she was simple—poor sweet child—and I did nothing when I clearly should have? And her doctors missed it?” Lulie’s voice climbed an octave. “I could have helped her? A simple medicine could have helped her?”
Dr. Ellis lightly laid his hand over Lulie’s. “You are in no way to blame, Ms. Saks. There was no way you could even tell she was having a seizure. Neither could her doctor. You gave her a fine home, you loved her, helped her.”
“But I don’t understand. How could this happen?”
Dr. Ellis said, “We believe some combination of her recent brain trauma, then the surgery and the anti-seizure medication phenytoin, surgeons routinely give after neurosurgery might have stopped them for now. The focus causing the seizures might no longer be active, or at least be isolated. I can’t be more definitive, there’s simply no way I can be certain, but again, this is our best explanation. Our neurologists have recommended the very best medication.
“I know it seems like a miracle to you, Ms. Saks, and maybe it is. The brain is an extraordinary organ, and we aren’t close to knowing and understanding everything about it, it can behave in mysterious ways. It’s sort of like a supercomputer, very complex, its workings very intricate. As to Leigh’s leap from slow to extremely bright, part of that is most probably your simple shock at seeing the change in her—the focus, the understanding, the ability to speak fluently with no hesitation.”
Andrew said thoughtfully, “It seems like a veil has been lifted, and we’re now seeing the true person.”
“Exactly. Also, we believe it’s possible all these years she absorbed information, knowledge, if you will, from other people, from books, television, movies, who knows, but she couldn’t express it with the seizures holding her back. Eidetic memory? Probably not, but an excellent memory nonetheless, excellent retention. Again, there isn’t a scientific precedent for this kind of change, and these are our best explanations. Now you have a daughter who will excel in whatever she chooses to do with her life. She’s a very lucky young woman who has a great deal to look forward to, with your help.” He rose, nodded to Mellon. “Congressman, a pleasure to meet you.” He paused at the door, said to Lulie, “What’s important is what a fine new world is now open to your daughter. There’s no changing the past, but the future?” He smiled. “It’s going to be fabulous for her.”
Romero Diaz was sitting forward in his chair, assessing every tech, every doctor, every nurse who got within spitting distance of Leigh Saks’s room.
He smiled real big when he saw Ty, nodded to Sala, saw Mrs. Sparrow and Eric coming behind them. He’s a heartbreaker, Ty thought again. “Anything we should know about, Officer Romero?”
“Dr. Ellis left about thirty minutes ago. Ms. Saks and Congressman Mellon are with Leigh right now. Each left only once for a bathroom break and some coffee. One nurse and two techs went in, then left.”
Sala said, “And here is Mrs. Sparrow and Eric Sparrow. They’ll be coming in with us.”
Romero got to his feet. “Of course I know Mrs. Sparrow and Eric.” He nodded to Susan and smiled, shook Eric’s hand. “Eric bought me my very first legal beer down at Beer Heaven out on Route Forty-Four.”
“Your first three legal beers, as I recall,” Eric said, and tapped Romero’s arm. “I remember you puked in the parking lot.”
“But not on your precious truck,” Romero said. “I jumped out, didn’t want you to break my jaw.”
“At the very least,” Eric said. “It was my new F-150.”
Susan rolled her eyes. “Every year it’s a new F-150. Who knows if it’s new or not?”
Eric gave her an appalled look. “How could everyone not know?”
Ty held up her hand. “I forgot to ask you how well you knew Leigh, Mr. Sparrow.”
Eric said, “Fact is, I never knew her very well because she interacted primarily with Susan when she worked at the crematorium. Of course, I was in Afghanistan much of that time. Hey, you knew her better, Romero.”
Romero felt the weight of everyone’s attention on him. “It’s weird to think she’s different now, smarter somehow. I heard the nurse saying she bet Leigh now had a really high IQ, she seemed that smart. Well, she wasn’t smart growing up. I always liked her, thought she was really pretty and it was too bad. Some of the kids made fun of her. I’m about two years younger than her, so I wasn’t one of the guys who wanted to take her out.” He shrugged, colored a bit. “And I guess guys being guys, they were eager to score, well, to take advantage, until they met Ms. Saks. She had them believing she’d shoot any guy who tried to get fresh with Gunny—with Leigh. I don’t remember her ever really dating anybody. They couldn’t pass the Ms. Saks test.”
Sala wondered if Leigh had ever had a relationship that included sex. Probably not. Had she ever been kissed?
When the four of them entered the cubicle, Lulie turned to them, a finger to her lips. “She’s asleep. Dr. Ellis said it’s the best thing for her. Chief, Agent, I’m pleased to see you. Susan, Eric, what are you doing here?”
Susan whispered back, “It was my idea, Lulie. I wanted to see Leigh, talk to her. Lulie, you know Mr. Henry’s belt buckle was found with all those human bones in Lake Massey. No matter how light a hand Chief Christie and Agent Porto have, no matter what active measures we take, you know some people will wonder if we dumped some of our deceased clients into the lake, didn’t in fact cremate them. I’m hoping Leigh can remember more of what was said that day with Mr. Henry about that belt buckle, maybe help figure out why it was in the lake.” She paused, looked over at Leigh. “She looks so peaceful. It’s hard to think of her as being different now, as being, well, whole.”
Lulie felt tears spring to her eyes and swallowed. She didn’t tell Susan the medical determination Dr. Ellis had made, it didn’t matter. “I hadn’t realized the implications, Susan, but now I do. Let me assure you, Leigh hasn’t forgotten anything about that day. When she wakes up, she’ll be pleased to go over it with you. Now, let me introduce you to Congressman Mellon. He’s Leigh’s father. He came immediately when I told him she’d been hurt.” Lulie said nothing more, just stood back and smiled and watched Andrew take over.
Andrew shook Susan’s hand, then Eric’s. Eric said, “I voted for you, Congressman, always believed you were a stand-up guy.” He looked over at Leigh and smiled. “Glad you came, sir.”
Andrew said, “I am, too. Leigh worked for you, Mrs. Sparrow?”
Susan nodded again, but she never looked away from Leigh. She looked the same except for the big white bandage around her head. Her face was beautiful, her skin translucent. Susan said, “Eric’s right. It’s good you’re here. I didn’t vote for you, sorry.”
He smiled. “I find it hard to understand why some folks don’t vote for me. It’s always a blow. But I always hope they’ll come into the light at the next election.” He paused. “I would have thought everyone in this town would know by now that Leigh’s my daughter.”
Eric said, “The news hadn’t yet reached the house of the dead, Congressman.”
“Eric, please.” Susan looked at Lulie. What did she think about her daughter’s father showing up? If she were Lulie, she might have shot him. She said with a warm smile, one she reserved for the bereaved, “I’m so happy for you, Lulie. When Leigh wakes up, may I speak with her?”
“Of course. Look, Susan, I don’t want to see the crematorium bankrupted when I’m sure you had nothing to do with either the bones or the belt buckle in Lake Massey. Ty and Sala are smart. They’ll figure out what happened, you’ll see.”
Eric said, “Thank you for believing in us, Lulie.”
“Eric, your parents were fine people. They raised two honest boys.” Lulie looked over at her daughter, who was awake and yawning, blinking her eyes. “Let me tell her you’re here.”
Lulie walked to Leigh’s bedside, stroked her cheek with her fingertips. “Hello, sweetheart. How do you feel?”
Leigh smiled up at her mother. “I’m okay. Don’t worry, Mom.”
“Would you like to speak to Susan Sparrow? She and Eric are here to see you. And Chief Christie and Agent Sala.”
Yes, of course they were here, Leigh had heard them talking, clear as day. It was strange, but she hadn’t been aware she was awake. How odd that was. She called out, “Chief Christie, Agent Porto. Hello, Susan, Eric. I’m glad you came. I’d like to thank you for coming, especially Susan. You were a good boss, very patient with Gunny—with me.” She waited until Susan stood beside her. “Forgive me, but I’m still floating on the ceiling. But the pain medicine should clear out soon, and I’m hopeful of a soft landing.” She studied their faces. “I understand you must be worried about what people will think of the crematorium. And of course you realize many people don’t think all that deeply, they prefer always to latch onto the most titillating answer. But everyone knows the Sparrow family. You have no need to worry.”