Part 9 (2/2)
”Okay.” Cynthia stopped and turned around to face Greg.
”I've been meaning to tell you this for while. I mean, I think you know how I feel about you, but...”
”Yes?”
”I love you, Cynthia, and maybe I'm just a fool, but...”
She moved close to him and put her arms around him.
Maybe she just feels sorry for me, he thought. She wants to let me down easy, but she doesn't know how to do it.
”I love you too, Greg.”
”Really?”
”Couldn't you tell? Couldn't you feel it?”
”Well, I wasn't sure. Sometimes I feel things that aren't really there.”
”Kiss me, you silly man.”
Greg was more than happy to be a silly man. Yes, he would proudly be hersilly man, and she could call him whatever she wanted to-as long as she loved him.
They walked into the house, beaming.
”What's gotten into you two?” said Beverly.
”What you mean, Mom?” said Cynthia.
”You look like you're on cloud nine.”
Greg and Cynthia smiled knowingly at each other.
”Does it have anything to do with that talking and kissing out in my driveway?”
”Mom, you were snooping on us?”
”It's mydriveway. I think I have the right to look at it any time I want. Aw, come here and give me a hug.”
As the three stood there hugging, Greg thought everything was going to work out just fine. Even if Beverly lived with them after they were married. But wait. One step at a time. She said she loved you. She didn't agree to marryyou. That's okay, he thought. He would worry about that some other day. She loves you!
After spending all afternoon and evening at his computer, Elmo finally dragged himself to his bedroom at 2:15 AM. He was so tired he didn't even bother to shower or brush his teeth. He just fell across the bed, fully dressed, and was asleep by the time his head hit the bedspread.
Carnie waited for Elmo to leave, and then slipped into his study. She took his stack of notes to the copy machine and made a copy of each page. Then she placed the papers back on his desk as she had found them.
She waited until she was in her bedroom to read through the papers. Her medical training and nursing experience made it easy for her to comprehend the material. Carnie had worked as a nurse for a several years. Until some patients on her floor mysteriously died.
She saw his notes in the margins and understood that he was planning to try a number of different treatment options. Her objective was to get Elmo and Carsie married. And the sooner, the better. How could she use the information in these papers to her advantage? What if Elmo were to quickly find an effective treatment for his mother? Then he could go ahead with the wedding. But it could take months or years to find something that worked. Maybe he never would. In the meantime, his relations.h.i.+p with Carsie could fall apart. No, she had to speed up the process somehow.
What he needed were a few volunteers for a clinical trial. Some women with AD who would each be given different treatments, to see which one worked best. And if none of the treatments were working, Carnie could always alter the results. Or, what if one of the volunteers didn't actually have Alzheimer's? The woman could pretend to have it, and then miraculously get better.
Once Elmo saw that his ingenious treatment idea was working, he would feel free to get married, knowing that he had done his best for his mother, and that her condition would rapidly improve.
Carnie could set it up in the sub-bas.e.m.e.nt. Elmo could work in the lab, and she would act as nurse in their own little hospital ward. But who would volunteer for such a thing? No problem. She would bring them in by force, if necessary. And once Elmo and Carsie had gone off for the honeymoon, Carnie could easily dispose of the 'volunteers.'
But the whole idea was insane. Elmo would never go along with any of it.
Carnie hashed through plan after plan for hours. There had to be a scheme that would work. And given enough time, she would think of it.
Chapter12.
Wednesday was Greg's a.s.signed hospital visitation day. The pastor took care of it on other days of the week, as needed. Greg would spend time visiting church members who were patients, and sit with the family of those having surgery. But first, there was time for breakfast at Jane's Diner.
”The usual?” Jane poured him a cup of coffee.
”Yeah.”
”By the way, how's it going with your girlfriend?”
It seemed like Jane asked that question every day.
”Couldn't be better. She's absolutely wonderful. And I'm so in love with her.”
Jane smiled. ”Have you told her?”
”Yes. I told her last night.” He beamed with pride.
”Well, all I've got to say is: what took you so long?”
”What do you mean?”
”I've known you were in love with her for months. Practically the whole town has.”
”But how could everybody else know before Iknew.”
”You knew.”
”No...”
<script>