Coma

“Don’t say anything for a second,” said Susan, not daring to look at him.

The last thing she wanted to do was cry and if Bellows persisted, it would happen. Bellows cooperated and returned to his coffee while keeping his eyes on Susan.

After a few moments Susan looked up; her eyelids were slightly reddened.

“Anyway,” continued Susan, avoiding eye contact with Bellows, “I started with an emotional sort of commitment, but that quickly mixed with intellectual commitment. I really thought I had stumbled onto something ... a new disease or a new complication of anesthesia or a new syndrome ... something, I don’t know what. But then there was another change. The problem loomed bigger than I had imagined initially. They’ve had coma cases on the medical floors as well as in surgery. On top of that, there were those deaths you told me about. I know you think it’s crazy, but I think they are related, and the pathologist intimated they have had a number of such cases. My intuition tells me there is something else in all this, something ... I don’t know how to explain it...

call it supernatural or call it sinister ...”

“Ah, now paranoia,” said Bellows, nodding his head in mock understanding.

“I can’t help it, Mark. There was something very strange about the reaction of Nelson and Harris. You have to admit that Harris’s reaction was totally inappropriate.”

Bellows tapped his forehead in succession with the heel of his hand.

“Susan, you’ve been staying up watching old horror movies. Admit it, Susan ... admit it or I’ll think you’re having a psychotic break. This is absurd. What do you suspect, some sort of sinister inversion layer spreading evil forces, or is it a crazed killer who hates people with minor ailments? Susan, if you hypothesize so extravagantly and with such creativity, then come up with some ideas of motive. I mean, a demented killer was OK for Hollywood and George C. Scott in Hospital just to create an artificial mystery ... but it’s a little too farfetched for reality.

I admit Harris’s performance sounds a bit weird, there’s no doubt about that. But at the same time I think I could come up with some reasonable explanation for his unreasonable behavior.”

“Try.”

“OK, I’m sure Harris is already completely uptight about this problem of coma. After all, it’s his department which essentially has to shoulder the responsibility. And here comes a young medical student to drive in the painful spikes a little more. I think it’s understandable for an individual to overreact under that kind of stress.”

“Harris did a little more than overreact. This nut came from behind his desk with the intent of knocking me around the room.”

“Maybe you turned him on.”

“What?”

“On top of everything else maybe he was reacting to you sexually.”

“Come on, Mark.”

“I’m serious.”

“Mark, this guy’s a doctor, a professor, a chief of a department.”

“That does not rule out sexuality.”

“Now you’re the one being absurd.”

“A lot of doctors spend so much time with the nuts and bolts of their profession that they fail to ever really adequately resolve the usual social crises of life. Socially speaking, doctors are not very accomplished, to say the least.”

“Are you speaking for yourself?”

“Possibly. Susan, you have to realize you are a very seductive girl.”

“Fuck you.”

Bellows looked at Susan, stunned. Then he glanced around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. He had not forgotten they were in the coffee shop. He took a sip of coffee and then regarded Susan for several minutes. She returned his stare.

“Why did you say that?” said Bellows with a lowered voice.

“Because you deserved it. I get a little tired of that kind of stereotyping. When you say I’m seductive you imply to me that I am actively trying to seduce. Believe me, I am not. If medicine has done anything to me, it certainly has cut into my image of myself as conventionally female.”

“All right, maybe it was a bad word. I didn’t mean to imply it was your fault. You’re an attractive girl ...”

“Well there’s a helluva difference between saying someone’s attractive and saying someone’s seductive.”

“OK, I meant attractive. Sexually attractive. And there are people who may find that hard to deal with. Anyway, Susan, I didn’t mean to get into an argument. Besides, I’ve got to go. I’ve got a case in fifteen minutes. If you want, we can talk about it tonight over dinner. That is, if you still want to have dinner?” Bellows started to get up, taking his tray.

“Sure, dinner’s fine.”

“Meanwhile, couldn’t you try to be normal for a little while?”

“Well, I have one more stone to turn over.”

“What’s that?”

“Stark. If he doesn’t help me, I’ll have to give up. Without some support I’m doomed to failure, unless of course you want to get the computer information for me.”

Bellows let his tray drop back onto the table. “Susan, don’t ask me to do anything like that, because I can’t. As for Stark, Susan, you’re crazy.

He’ll eat you alive. Harris is a jewel in comparison to Stark.”