Dimensions of Genesis (7 page)

He recalled the unusual methods Mrs. Lambert
insisted upon trying instead of chemotherapy. One such method was
called Reiki. Apparently, someone referring to them self a Reiki
Master, would come and lay their hands on her. Mrs. Lambert
explained that the Reiki Master was utilizing the universe’s energy
to heal her.

“Um…Okay.” Was David’s polite response to her
explanation.

He could understand how someone could be
easily led into false hopes, especially in their darkest hour.
According to David, however, these alternative therapies were
nothing more than silly attempts at delaying the inevitable.

Eventually, Mrs. Lambert’s cancer spread to
the rest of her organs and she had to resort to chemotherapy. By
this time, however, it was too late for medical intervention.

Such a waste that we spend such a fleeting
time on this planet, simply to vanish from existence. David thought
sadly, Placed in a box and buried to blend with the dirt.

Shivering from the nurses’ ghost story, he
pushed the paranormal story to the back of his mind and headed to
his office to research what options he could provide for Tony.

Tears of Sorrow

A fourteen year old Gabe sat on the dock,
holding his fishing rod steady, his long legs dangling over the
edge. He watched with disdain as the fish came within inches of the
hook, then, as though they had an intuitive sixth sense, they would
turn around and swim away. After sitting there for over two hours,
he sighed with frustration and decided to pack it in and head
home.

Not in a hurry to get home, he took the long
path back up the hill toward the main road. Carrying his fishing
rod and tackle box in his right hand, he let his left hand waft
gently over the tops of the long meadow grass.

The slender blades bent over easily, the
beige stalks bowing to the every whim of his gestures. As soon as
his hand was past, the reeds of grass would quickly stand erect
again; like a perfectly programmed army of golden soldiers.

Millions of blades of grass, all perfectly
aligned, tamed to grow in flawless formation. Conformity rewarded
by protection from the elements and longer life cycles.

Gabe continued up the winding path, the
fields of grass choking each sides of the journey up the hill. Off
in the distance, Gabe noticed a small clearing in the ranks of the
meadow. An opening within the sea of grass that overlooked the
breathtaking cliffs that traced the outskirts of the Greek
landscape.

Looking intently, he saw a lone wildflower
basking in the ocean breeze of the Mediterranean coast. It proudly
flexed its teal leaves, like open arms embracing the clear blue
sky. The deep sapphire of its petals blossomed boldly as though
announcing its existence to the world.

Gabe smiled as he admired the brave and
vibrant little flower.

Breathing deeply, he saturated his lungs with
the salty scent of the ocean waters. Trudging slowly up the hill,
he realized his stomach was snarling at him. He picked up the pace,
imagining the wonderful lunch his mother was likely making him.

As he topped the grassy hill, he could see
his family’s cottage nestled within the trees.

Nearing his home, he was startled to hear
angry shouts, profanities and screaming emanating from within the
normally peaceful home. Frightened, he dropped his fishing gear and
ran to the front door. Just a few feet from the door, a piercing
shot fired that echoed throughout the secluded valley.

Paralyzed, Gabe skidded to a halt and
listened with horror to the sound of his mother’s scream followed
by a tremendous thud.

Flinging open the door, he was witness to the
worst sight of his life. His father was lying on the floor, a large
hole gouged out of his chest, blood pooling around his lifeless
body. His mother was sobbing, huddled in a far corner of the
kitchen, frantically trying to shield Anna and Dimitris from
harm.

Gabe turned to face the intruder who was
screaming furiously at his mother. A large dark-haired man stood
poised in the tiny kitchen, pointing a shotgun at his mother and
siblings. Fury flooded Gabe’s body. His hands clenched so hard his
nails drew blood within the creases of his palms.

He lunged with force at the man, snarling as
he attacked. His fifteen year old body turned lethal as pure rage
coursed through his blood. He knocked the shotgun from the man’s
hands and wrestled him to the ground.

Managing to pin the man to the floor, Gabe
proceeded to pummel the stranger’s face repeatedly with all his
strength. The man pushed Gabe off, knocking the boy across the
kitchen. Dazed and bleeding, the man grabbed his gun and darted for
the open door.

Stunned and confused, Gabe debated whether to
console his weeping family or race after the offender. Just as he'd
decided to run after his father’s murderer, his mother called to
him softly.

“Gabriel.” Her voice was but a defeated
whisper. “Oh, God, Gabriel. He killed Angelo.”

Realizing the trauma which he had just
sustained, Gabe felt his legs go weak. He had no choice but to
surrender to his body’s collapse as he sat clumsily on the floor.
His head cradled within his hands, he wept tears of sorrow for his
now dead father.

The world felt as though it had spun its last
revolution as the Konstantinos family reeled from their painful and
frightening experience.

Shattered

Perusing several medical encyclopedias
sprawled open on his desk, David’s pointer finger slid methodically
down the pages, occasionally jotting down notes.

Sighing, he removed his glasses, placing them
on top of one of the open books. He rubbed his tired eyes as he
considered the limited strategies he had for helping Tony. With
Tony’s failing heart and aging body, it left no option other than a
complete heart transplant. The waiting list for heart patients,
however, was less than forgiving.

Glancing at the clock, he was relieved to see
his shift was over in an hour. Leaning back in his chair, David
closed his eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the paranormal
conversation between the nurses and himself.

Chuckling a bit, he decided to file that
story in the ‘stuff I didn’t want to know’ area of his brain.

Besides, he thought to himself, if ghosts
were real and could come ‘visit’, my mother would surely have come
to me…wouldn’t she?

“Jeez,” he mumbled under his breath,
“next you’ll be questioning the existence of leprechauns or
angels.”

Standing and stretching, he put his glasses
back on his face and closed up the medical books.

“Code blue…code blue, room 217, code blue…all
available staff on unit 6, please assist.” A nurse’s serious voice
echoed through the intercom. Code blue stood for ‘patient requiring
immediate resuscitation.’

“Room 217...” David repeated as adrenaline
rushed through his body, creating an unpleasant pins and needles
sensation. “Tony!”

David flung open his office door and started
running. Turning a corner, he nearly bowled over an old woman
shuffling slowly down the hall. Horrified, she let out a surprised
yelp and clutched her intravenous pole for dear life.

“Sorry.” He uttered, then continued to room
217. Entering the room, David saw several nurses assisting a blonde
female doctor he didn't recognize.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he
wove his way through the bustling nurses and began assessing what
he should do to help. The nurses had Tony’s lifeless body hooked up
to the machines, reading his vitals and the crash cart was on its
way.

The moment turned to slow motion as the
female doctor delegated duties to the team.

David began administering oxygen with a
resuscitation mask, pumping air into Tony’s lungs, coordinating
with the female doctor’s manual compressions.

'Dr. Alexandra Maddox' David noted, glancing
at the mystery doctor's name tag. Her blonde hair pulled into a bun
and her blue eyes fierce with concentration, she appeared cool and
professional. Her mannerism reminded David of his own dedication to
his work.

She was a taller woman of obvious
athleticism. It's funny, he thought, she looks like a female
version of me.

Pausing, he tried to remember if he’d seen
her around the hospital. David liked to get know the doctors and
their abilities before they assisted with any of his patients, not
that he was going to be picky in this emergency though.

“Crash cart! Coming through!” A heavy set
nurse yelled, sending the team scattering out of her way. Dr.
Maddox stopped the manual resuscitation as David prepared to use
the defibrillator paddles.

“Clear!!” David yelled as he placed the
charged paddles on Tony’s chest. The heart monitor registered each
blast and gave a minor beep in acknowledgment. Frustrated, David
kept it up. Charging the paddles, clearing the team and jolting
Tony’s large chest, hoping it would be the charge to bring his
patient, his friend, back to him.

After the fourth try, the monitor registered
a tiny, extra beep past the original one. Then a flat line.
Hopeful, David kept going. Fifth try nothing. The sixth attempt
appeared to not register...at first. Then, an erratic heartbeat
forced its way onto the screen.

Life thundered back into Tony’s body as he
thrashed about the gurney. Tearing off his oxygen mask, he
sputtered and gagged, trying to catch his breath. His arms and legs
flailed as the medical team tried to subdue him.

Settling down, Tony noticed David standing
beside the bed. With wild eyes, Tony grabbed David’s collar and
reeled him. Face to face, Tony tried to speak to him, tears pouring
down the old man's face.

“Ohhhhhh….” Tony wailed.

“It’s okay Tony!” David grinned at Tony, “I
brought you back!”

Struggling to form words through his sobs,
Tony finally yelled out, “Nooooo!!! Let me go back…please, please,
I want to go back...”

“But…Tony…”

Suddenly, Tony stopped crying. He looked past
David’s shoulder, to the back of the room. Smiling with peace
painted upon his face, he sat up and reached toward the empty space
behind David.

David looked around, perplexed. No one else
in the room appeared to see what Tony was seeing.

As Tony lay back onto the bed, the heart
monitor began beeping erratically. With one final breath, Tony
smiled and whispered, “The light…the light...”

David's head swam as he felt reality cave in.
Tony's last words resonated within him in like a symphony had
struck a chord in his soul. Stunned, he backed up against the far
wall, slid slowly to the floor and tried to piece together his
shattered world.

Decisions

“A priest?” Lily repeated after Gabe told her
of his plans. She'd known him for almost two years, yet this was
the first she'd ever heard of this.

Clearing his cracking voice, Gabe nodded.

Sighing, Lily stared out the kitchen window.
She honestly didn't know how to respond. As she watched her sisters
playing out in the field, she felt her heart cave in a little.

“My father,” Gabe explained as his eyes
lowered to the table. “He wanted it for me. I feel...obligated, in
a way.”

Lily fought the urge to debate with him, even
though her insides burned to argue. She didn't understand Gabe’s
intention to impress a dead man, let alone sacrifice his life to a
profession with so many rules and regulations.

She secretly hoped it was just a passing
phase, that he would change his mind.

He didn't.

Seeing Gabe for the first time in his full
length black garment and white collar, Lily felt tears creep into
the corners of her eyes.

Gabe’s mother was obviously beside herself
with pride, weeping and hugging her son. Lily, however, felt like
part of her world had faded away, like a painting that had been
rained on and the colors were bleeding off of the bottom of the
easel.

That was three years ago…the beginning of the
end.

Lily now found herself running from the
church. Running from Gabe, from God and from everything religion
stood for.

Fury and rejection filled her heart as she
thought of his kiss.

I've had enough of this! I'm done with Gabe!
I'm done with religion and commandments! She thought angrily as hot
tears streamed down her face, I don't care if my parents want me to
come here! I'm done with God and His 'rules'!

She ran to her car and drove to the only
place that she ever felt that she could be herself.

Thy Will Be Done

“The light, David! Do you see it?! That
light…”

His mother’s skeletal hands clutched his
cherubic face as she spoke.

Only moments before, she lay still,
struggling for each breath. His mother, once an angelic beauty, had
been destroyed in a few short months. Her glowing skin, now
emaciated, was gray and translucent as it clung to her bones. The
veins in her hands bulged and tinged purple. Wispy strands were all
that remained of her luxurious brown hair. Sapphire blue eyes so
full of love and life now clouded with sickness and decay.

Young David wept as he sat on the edge of her
deathbed, watching his mother perish slowly and painfully

David’s father, Jonathon, couldn’t bear to
witness the agony his precious Laura endured day after day. After
hiring a nurse to tend to his ailing wife, he spent most days
locked in his study, playing sad music and drinking wine.

David laid his head upon his mother’s bed;
listening to her failing lungs search for the will to embrace her
next breath of air.

Why my mother? David thought, Why my sweet
mother? She doesn’t deserve this. My father and I don’t deserve
this. Why?

Clutching at the sheets angrily, David
thought of the priest who’d come earlier that day to give his
mother her last rights.