Revelation by Michael Mancini: Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Not Once, Not Twice but…

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air while Shaw, Kalina and Michael waited for the doctor to arrive.  Occasional beeps and twangs emanated from the multitude of monitors and machines Michael was hooked up to.  Barely blinking, Michael stared blankly at the foot of his hospital bed with a look of confusion affixed to his face.  The three pondered in deep thought when Vixy broke uncomfortable silence with a single word.

“Up?” she said in a soft angelic voice as she tugged on the hospital bed sheets.

She wanted to get onto the bed with her father like she did in the early mornings at home after she woke up.  Kalina picked her up and sat her gently on her daddy’s lap where he admired her with pride and waited for the diagnosis.  Michael’s hospital bed was now in the upright position and he seemed confused but much less groggy.

Victoria, the light of Michael’s life, was born to him in his early forties.  By then, much of his juvenile angst had dissipated and he was able to truly appreciate the beauty of being a parent. 

“Hello Poopelo!” he said with great effort in a falsetto voice.  “Poopelo” was a nickname Michael gave to Victoria when she was a newborn.  It had no definition in Webster’s Dictionary but the word represented a great deal of affection towards his daughter when it came out of his mouth.  Vixy smiled as she tried to grab the IV tube delivering saline directly into his Michael’s bloodstream through the tiny catheter embedded in his hand.

“Ah, no, no Vixy” her mother grabbed her hand.  She tried again.  “Did you hear what I said?” Vixy whined in displeasure but gave up sensing her mother’s displeasure at her actions.  Turning his attention to Shaw, still in bewilderment regarding the events leading up to his hospitalization, he asked him what happened.

“Dude, why don’t you fill me in?”  Michael asked.

“Mike, you saved a girls life.  How could you not remember?” Shaw replied.

“What do you mean, saved a girls life?” Michael winced as he asked.  His nostrils flared slightly and his voice dropped.

Kalina leaned over the bed-rail and whispered, “She was being raped Michael.  You stopped the guy and got hurt in the fray.”

“What?  When the hell did that happen…where did it happen?” Michael asked becoming agitated.

“Calm down honey, getting excited is not going to help.  We can explain but maybe you want to read this first.”  Kalina grabbed one of the copies of the newspaper she had neatly stacked on top of his bedside table.  She had fifteen copies total, and intended on saving one for the family scrapbook after she proudly handed out the rest to her family and friends.

“HERO” was the four letter heading spread across the front page of the New York Post.  A large blow photo up of the blond victim Michael unselfishly rescued was inset next to his larger photograph.

“Jeez…where the hell did they get this picture?” Michael sneered as he saw his face in the cover of the newspaper.

“Um, hun, it’s your profile photo on Facebook.” Kalina said sarcastically.

“Oh, yeah…so it is.”

Michael turned to the inside front page and began reading the story.  44-year-old Michael G. Raphael (photo opposite) rescues 26-year-old Gina Wilcox from almost certain death.  A candid photo of Michael and his family taken the previous summer was printed prominently opposite the inside cover page.  Michael read the article aloud as his mouth dropped.  Short and sweet, the article painted him as a “real life hero putting the victim’s safety before his own.  When he was finished reading the article he lowered the paper to his lap where Vixy pointed at his picture.  “Daddy?” she said quietly as she poked at the paper.

“They caught the guy?” Michael exclaimed in surprise.

“Yeah buddy.  You did well.” Shaw replied.

“I can’t remember the details Shaw!  Why did I even get involved, what made me do it?”

Michael remembered nothing of the event and it frightened him.  Kalina sensed his frustration and fear.  She grabbed his hand gently.

“I’m proud of you baby.” she said softly as she locked eyes with him.

“I can’t believe it.  I don’t remember a thing.  What the hell happened to me that I can’t remember anything?” he said as his face contorted with concern.

“Besides, since when the hell do I go around saving people?  I hate people!”

“Who the hell ever helped me?” Michael spoke with a mixture of protest and confusion in his voice still shaken by the loss of memory he was suffering.

“Babe, you don’t mean that.  You talk to everyone.  You’re one of the most congenial people I know.” Kalina retorted.

“Hun, just ‘cause I talk to them doesn’t mean I like them.  I just want them to like me.  It doesn’t matter if I like them.”

“Mike, we all know you had it rough, I’ll be the first to agree.  And you’re far from a Philanthropist.  I wouldn’t exactly call you Gandhi, but you have a good heart man.  There is no way you could have let that girl suffer.  You know that.”

Just as the words left Shaw’s mouth, Doctor Keelan walked into the room.  He was a tall, slender man of fifty with a soft spoken voice and strong facial features.  His hair was cut high and tight like a marine, which his peasant manner and quiet persona contradicted.  A white lab coat covered a crisp clean white shirt and an emerald green geometric patterned tie that swung pendulously as he walked towards Michael’s bedside.

“Well, it’s nice to see you conscious Mr. Raphael.”  Dr. Keelan said calmly.  “How are you feeling?”

Kalina jumped in before Michael could reply.

“He’s a bit disoriented doc.” Kalina said with concern.  “He doesn’t remember anything that happened.”

“Yeah Doc, what’s wrong with me?” “Did I hit my head and get amnesia or something?” Michael pulled him self up a little straighter as Kalina removed Victoria from his lap so he could speak with the doctor.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about Mr. Raphael.  We ran tests and scans to rule out any head trauma and we found all normal brain function from the scan.  We were a little concerned about the bruise on your head but no internal damage resulted from the bump, so we are confident your brain suffered no injury.  You are suffering from a slight concussion.”  “However,” he continued, “You lost a great deal of blood.  The type of loss you have experienced can sometimes take a toll on the whole body.  When blood is scarce in the system, the body has a wonderful defense mechanism.  It sends what it can to all the vital organs to avoid systemic failure.”  Michael and the others still looked confused.  Doctor Keelan noticed the confused looks and continued his explanation.

“Let me explain further.  The brain is a vital organ so it continued to receive oxygenated blood during the accident, but the Medulla Oblongata, which controls respiratory functions and the cardiac center areas of the brain received the most to avoid catastrophic failure.  The parts of the brain that control the involuntary motor reflexes receive blood first in a trauma situation such as yours.  Less important areas in a survival situation are the Cerebral Cortex and the Frontal Lobe; they are responsible for cognition, memory functions, and the learning of new information.  The body innately reacts and delivers less blood to these areas when blood is scarce.  Since memory and cognition play a secondary roll in a trauma or crisis situation, you body reacted accordingly.  It is simply a matter of survival Mr. Raphael.  That would explain your loss of memory or inability to recall what happened.”

Shaw interjected.  “So in layman terms, he won’t remember anything because the memory part of his brain wasn’t working at the time doc?”

“Yes and no.” Doctor Keelan replied.  “He may begin to remember small details over time which could help him piece together the event, but it could take some time.  On the other hand, there is no guarantee he will recall anything at all.  Unfortunately it’s not an exact science.”  Dr. Keelan explained.  “At any rate, I need to discuss a topic of some greater importance with you.” his expression became more serious as he looked directly into Michael’s eyes.

“Mr. Raphael, your injuries were serious and as I mentioned before you lost a great deal of blood.  With injuries as severe as you had when you arrived twelve short hours ago, one would assume a significant deal of time would have to pass before a marked improvement could be realized.”

“What are you saying doc?” Michael asked with a look of concern on his face.

“Well, what I am trying to tell you is, I don’t know why you are healing at such an accelerated pace.  The fact that I am even standing here having a normal conversation with you is extremely unusual.”

“Well, what do you mean by accelerated doc?” Shaw inquired.

“Yeah, what does that mean?” Michael and Kalina said in unison.

“Well it means that you are healing at thrice the rate of an average male patient of your age would be expected to recover.”

“Thrice?  What the hell does that mean?” Michael asked.

“It means three times Mike.” Shaw said quietly.

“I know that for crissake!” Michael retorted.  “But, is there something wrong with me?” he looked towards Doctor Keelan as he asked.

“No, no Mr. Raphael, not at all.  In fact, it’s just the opposite.  You are as healthy as a horse.  I’m just very curious that’s all.”

“Well thank God for that.” Michael took a deep breath and looked at Kalina holding Vixy.  “What now?” he asked the doctor as he smiled at his daughter.

“Well, I want to keep you for a little while longer for observation, but if you remain stable, we might be able to release you tomorrow.  Let me make the rest of my rounds and we will talk before I leave for the day.  For now, just take it easy and rest up.  Deal?”

            “What ever you say doc, you’re the boss.” Michael said agreeably.

Doctor Keelan turned towards the door to leave.  As he reached the doorway he turned and said, “Oh, and try to keep those annoying reporters away from my ICU.  They are like a bunch of flies hanging around out there.  I told them you would be allowed to see them after your discharge and not before.  I don’t want a media circus on my floor.” He said as he smiled politely.  “Apparently you have become quite a celebrity Mr. Raphael.” he winked at Michael and exited to the hallway.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room when the doctor left.  The three pondered the meaning of Michael’s accelerated healing.  Michael looked down at Vixy, still on her mother’s hip.  She leaned over the stainless bed rail with her delicate little hand and grabbed for the gold St. Christopher medallion that hung from a long chain around Michael’s neck.

Shaw broke the long, uncomfortable silence with a snide comment.

“Thrice...” he said sarcastically.  “Who the hell talks like that?”