NeuroVault Chapter Six

Your Mind. Our Promise.

We don't often stop to notice the moments that hold everything together. The AC/DC t-shirt that makes an old man's eyes light up. The pad Thai eaten alone in a food court, watching strangers live their lives. The simple mercy of a washing machine humming in an empty room. This chapter is full of those moments. I hope it feels like a breath.

Chapter Six

The next morning, a knock at the door startled Walter as he watched the morning news. Untangling his hoses, he stood to see who it was. Halfway there, the knock came again.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming. Keep your pants on.” Turning the deadbolt, he grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open, leaving the chain attached. A cheerful young woman, clad in medical scrubs, stood on the other side. A large bag hung over her shoulder. Walter removed the chain, swinging the door fully open.

“You must be here for Mara.” With a smile, Walter waved her in.

“Yes, sir. Is this a good time?”

“I’m sure it is. Come on in and have a seat. I’ll go get her.” Tapping on Mara’s door, Walter opened it a crack.

“Mara, are you awake?” The door swung open, pulling the knob out of Walter’s hand. Mara stood on the other side with a smile on her face.

“Oh, hey, a young lady is here to see you.” Walter stepped aside, then walked to the living room with Mara following.

“Mara, this is... sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Katie.” Standing up, Katie offered her hand to Mara.

“What did my daughter do to deserve such a beautiful young nurse?” Walter asked as he sat down in his chair.

“Dad, stop.” Mara scoffed. Katie smiled as she sat down on the couch and opened her bag. Tapping the cushion beside her, she beckoned Mara to sit.

“Come have a seat next to me, Mara, and I’ll take a look at your incision.” Sitting next to her, Mara flipped her hair aside. Katie removed the bandage carefully.

“Sorry if it pulls your hair. I’ll do it as quickly as I can.” Under the bandage, blood had hardened into a scab. Using saline on a cotton ball, Katie carefully wiped it away.

“Oh, it looks so good, Mara. They did a much better job than most I’ve seen.” The comment piqued Mara’s interest.

“And how many have you seen?” As Katie cleaned the wound, Walter watched intently.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a few hundred. I’ve been working for NeuroMed for a long time.” Pulling a new bandage from her bag, she placed it on Mara’s neck, patting it lightly.

“How long is a long time?”

“I think it will be 18 months tomorrow.” Packing up her things, Katie stood up.

“Wow, 18 months. That is a long time.” Looking at Walter, Mara smirked.

“Right? It’s a great place to work, and the benefits are amazing. Well, I’m done here. I’ll be back tomorrow. Will the same time work for you, Mara?”

“Yeah, it works for me. Thanks, Katie,” As Katie passed, she reached out her hand to Walter. Taking it, Walter placed his other hand over hers.

“Thank you for taking such good care of my angel, beautiful.” Blushing, Katie nodded.

“Anytime, sir,” Katie replied, her cheeks turning pink.

“Walter,” he corrected with a boyish smile.

“Anytime, Walter.” Mara walked her to the door and opened it for her.

“Alright, I will see you tomorrow. Have a great evening, Walter.” Waving through the door, Katie turned and left. Closing the door, Mara looked at her father.

“What was that, Mr. Suave? You got the hots for my nurse?”

“Just being nice.”

“That was a little more than nice, Dad.” Mara ruffled Walter’s hair as she passed and sat down on the couch beside him.

“Honestly? I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. But you know what they say, keep your enemies closer.” Mara laughed as she turned up the volume on the TV.

“Did you misplace your tinfoil hat, old man?” The news segment ended with a commercial for NeuroVault.

“I’m not crazy, Mara, just cautious.” Grabbing her keys off the hook, Mara grinned.

“Going out to run some errands. Do you need anything?” The stitches in her neck stretched again as she shrugged into her coat. Glad that at least this pain will fade, she zipped up the front. With puppy-dog eyes, Walter asked for the only thing he could think of that Mara wasn’t already giving him.

“I could use a pack of Du Maurier Specials.” Tilting her head back, Mara rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but this is the last pack. You’ve got to quit, Dad.” Without looking, it was Walter’s turn to grin.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

The mall was busy as Mara hopped from store to store. People hustled and bustled, spending their hard-earned money on all the things they didn’t really need. The smell of the food court enticed Mara toward it. There was no shortage of choices available, but Mara knew what she wanted. Stopping at the Panda Express, she ordered a chicken pad Thai, extra spicy. As she sat at a table, she watched as people came and went, wondering what their lives were like. Did they have mothers and fathers who were ill? Did they recently land new jobs? It was the kind of daydreaming that she would do when times were better. The normalcy filled her with a new hope for the future. Stopping at the kiosk in the middle of the hall, Mara grabbed Walter’s cigarettes and headed back home. Entering her apartment, she found Walter struggling to open a nicotine patch. In frustration, he tossed it on the table beside him.

“Hey, honey. How was your day?” Hanging the keys back on the hook, she walked into the living room, kissing Walter on the top of his head.

“It was fine. I got you some things.”

“What are you doing wasting money on an old man?” Mara dropped the cigarettes in Walter’s lap as she passed and sat down beside him. His face lit up as he excitedly tore off the plastic wrapping. Pulling out a new pair of slacks, Mara held them up for Walter to see.

“Those are nice,” he said, pulling the tinfoil wrapping off the cigarettes. Placing the slacks beside her, Mara pulled out a new dress shirt. It was white with navy blue pinstripes.

“I thought this would go well with the pants.” With a nod, Walter agreed as he pulled a cigarette from the pack. Next, Mara held up a new bathrobe.

“What do I need that for? The one I’m wearing is fine.” Lighting his cigarette, Walter shrugged.

“Dad,” Mara said in a scolding tone.

“That one has cigarette burns all over it.” Dropping hot ashes into his lap, Walter brushed them away quickly.

“Yeah, okay, you got me there.” The last item Mara held up was a black t-shirt with an AC/DC logo on the front. Walter, sticking the cigarette in his mouth, leaned forward, snatching the shirt from Mara’s hands.

“Now we’re talk’n, girl.” Holding it up in front of him, Walter admired his new shirt. Mara chuckled.

“I thought you’d like this one best.” Mara stood, gathering up the new clothes. Snatching the t-shirt from Walter’s hands, she headed to her room.

“Hey, I was going to put that on,” Walter complained.

“You’ll get it back after I wash it, Dad. Do you have any laundry in your room that needs cleaning?”

“Yeah, there’s a couple of things in my hamper. Thank you.” Gathering the rest of the laundry, Mara made her way to the laundry room on the first floor. One dryer shook wildly in the back corner as she entered. She threw their clothes in the first available washing machine with a cup full of detergent. Popping coins into the slot, she turned the machine on and strolled over to a chair along the back wall. Pulling her laundry day book out of her back pocket, she sat down and began to read. A few minutes later, the noisy dryer stopped, leaving the whooshing sound of her washing machine to sing its song alone. The sound of the door opening drew her attention from her book.

“Hey, Mara. Long time no see.” Her neighbor Paul walked over to the now silent dryer and began pulling out clothes.

“Hi, Paul. Yeah, been a while. How have you been?” Placing the book on the chair beside her, Mara leaned forward, putting her forearms on her thighs.

“Oh, same old, same old. Jessica is ready to pop any day now, and work has been crazy.” Paul sat his basket on the table and began to fold his laundry.

“That’s exciting. I hope you’re inviting me to the baby shower.” Paul looked up at the ceiling with exasperation.

“Man, things have just been so nuts. We haven’t even started planning that yet. We’ll probably wait until things settle down a bit after the baby comes, but I will make sure you get an invite.” Placing his laundry back in the basket, Paul turned to leave.

“It was great seeing you, Mara. You should stop by for a coffee sometime. Jessica would love to see you.”

“Will do, Paul. Have a good night.” With the door closing, Mara picked up her book and began reading again. Finishing up her laundry duties, Mara made her way up the stairs to her apartment. As she passed her father, she tossed the t-shirt into his lap.

“There you go, pops.” Walter undid his robe and removed his shirt, replacing it with the new one.

“Ah, it fits perfectly, my darling.”

“Glad to hear. Night, Dad. I’m heading to bed.”

“Night, pudding pop.” Mara tossed the basket of laundry on the floor beside her bed and flopped down. Her tablet, still sitting at the end of her bed, bounced to the floor.

“Shit.” Clambering to the end of her bed, she picked it up off the floor. Hitting the power button to wake it up, she sighed with relief as the screen came to life. Lying back, with her head comfortably resting on her pillow, she checked for messages. Several new emails were in her inbox, all payment confirmations. Holding the tablet to her chest, she quietly squealed, kicking her legs under the blankets. Maybe tonight she would actually sleep.

These are the moments we don't notice until they're gone. Hold onto this one a little longer. Thanks for reading. If you liked it, please share it with your friends.

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