Dr. Petrie what you asked me.”
“I already did.”
“What did he say?”
Sammy grinned back at her.
Judy wanted to kiss his forehead but didn’t; she gave him a thumbs-up instead.
“Next time you see me, Dr. Hicks, I’ll give you a thumbs-up, too!”
“It’s a deal!”
Galen walked over to the calendar on his bedroom wall and crossed off another day. He looked at the date circled in red: May 9, 2025, the day Tonio would graduate from medical school, less than four weeks away.
He shook his head as he looked in the mirror and saw the unruly gray-white hair flowing over his ears. He remembered the sideburns he had grown over 50 years before, all the rage in the late ’70s of the last century. His beloved Cathy liked to run her fingers through them and call him her “mutton-chop.”
His eyes started to mist as he remembered his second wife. No, he couldn’t let the brooding despair overtake him again. He was on the wrong side of 85. He was too old to cry in his beer of memories.
He felt totally drained that night as he changed into his pajamas, washed his face to remove the residue of dried tears, and slowly climbed into bed. It was only 9 p.m.
Edison and Nancy were still watching a History Channel program. They weren’t surprised when he had gotten up and said he was going to bed early. The strain of the impending graduation was beginning to tell on the old man.
He took off his eyeglasses, set them on the bedside table, and turned off the lamp. He lay back on the old foam pillow he and his beloved first wife Leni had slept on and stared at the blur of the darkened ceiling. His eyelids fluttered as he felt the tension of the day leaving...
He was walking on the hard dirt road, the dust of passing chariots raising clouds that obscured the blue Mediterranean sky. The highway marker pointed toward the distant temple and he knew he would soon arrive at his destination: Eleusis.
He turned to the young boy walking beside him and raised his walking stick.
“There, do you see it?”
“Yes, Tio.”
They walked on. The nearer they came to the temple the older the boy became. Once no higher than the old man’s chest, by the time they reached the marble steps he now towered above his guardian in the full bloom of young manhood.
“Tio, is this our destination?”
“Yes, boy, and your destiny. Come; the son of Apollo awaits us.”
They climbed the steps, the boy with vigor, the old man with increasing difficulty. Soon they passed between the high Doric columns to enter the darkened portal.
“Is that you, Galen?”
The voice boomed from the main altar.
“Yes, Aesclepius.”
“Come forward and bring the boy with you.”
“Tio, I am afraid.”
“As was I, Antonio, and as once was my mentor, Corrado Agnelli.”
“Galen, prepare the boy.”
The bearded god raised a golden shaft entwined by a single serpent.
Simultaneously Galen raised his walking staff. The coiled serpent leapt to the old man’s stick and he held it high for a brief second before calling out, “Antonio Hidalgo, do you understand the responsibilities you are about to take on?”
“Yes, Tio Galen.”
“Then accept the Staff of Aesclepius and the burden of carrying on from me.”
The young man’s hand reached out and grasped the radiant rod in Galen’s hand.
The old doctor felt the weight lift from his shoulders...
The buzz of the phone broke the reverie. Galen sat up in bed, his senses on alert. The dream seemed so real that he felt annoyed at the untimely interruption.
“Yes, who is it?” he asked, in his best gruff voice.
“Tio Galen, it’s me, Tonio.”
Galen’s heart skipped.
Was something wrong? Was the dream all a lie?
No, not this close to graduation!
He calmed himself and softened his voice.
“What’s happening, boy?”
“I had to tell you. We did our first cord-trauma salvage today.”
Galen’s mind hesitated then clicked into place.
“The Joshua Protocol?”
“Yeah, Tio, how did you know?”
The old doctor laughed to himself. The young always think that they are the first to have learned how to suck eggs.
“Tonio, I may be as old as Methuselah but that doesn’t mean I’m senile. Remember, I lived through the changes in development and practice of medicine that you now take for granted.”
“Sorry, Tio, it’s just ... well ... it was an awesome thing to be a part of. This fourteen-year-old boy severed his cord at C-5 and now he stands a good chance of full recovery.”
“I’m proud of you, Tonio. Tell you what. The four of us are coming down to Richmond for your graduation. Think you and your friends would like to hear how the Joshua Protocol came about?”
“Of course, Tio!
“By the way, the neurosurgeon said to send you her best.”
“What’s the name?”
“Dr. Castro.”
“Good student.”
He lay back down once more, sighed, and stared at the ceiling.
Four years already!
2. With the Sleep of Dreams Come Nightmares
He rode the nightmare that starlit summer night.
It was not the first time.
Berto, your parents are dead.
Dr. Agnelli, what happened?
They died alone, Berto.
Harold Ruddy, the half-bodied amputee of the Great War, was surrounded by the other Old Guys and Thomas the Barber.
They were his childhood
