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  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 1

  Remember Me?

  A Novel by Brett Barney

  The following material is copyrighted. Copyright 1995 Brett Barney Literary. The owner of this

  copyright allows one time print rights to readers of this text. Hard copies should include the

  above copyright as a footer on each page. This work is registered, and any resubmission or

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  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 2

  Prologue

  The radio announcer’s voice only partially permeated the heavy burden of thoughts that

  cluttered Edward’s mind, but he subconsciously registered the report of record low temperatures.

  Outside, the drabness of the winter evening swallowed up the small college town. The winter of

  1965 had been a cold one, and there appeared no signs of it warming.

  Edward Penn drove his car the short distance from campus back to his apartment. He

  knew that the heater wouldn’t warm up enough to pump out any real heat until he reached the

  parking lot of his home, but he had it on anyway. Even the frigid cold didn’t seem to bother him

  today.

  Edward had a new sensation of life in him. Reaching this point in his college career had

  taken immense work on his part. He wasn’t as high a caliber student as his roommate, and had

  relied upon his ambition and labor to keep up with the idea of medical school. His future didn’t

  look that inviting, and he knew his studies would only get harder from here, but all that had

  changed slightly this afternoon. Ray had been offered the chance to steer his efforts and ambition

  in a new direction, and one which had seemed right from the mere suggestion of it. He didn’t

  even need to take the time to think about the offer, and accepted on the spot.

  He climbed out of his car and walked slowly across the parking lot, enjoying the brisk

  feel of the freezing air outside. This lasted only a short time, before he could feel the blood in his

  cheeks crystallizing, and decided to step up his pace a bit.

  Edward entered the warm apartment and opened his coat to shake off the cold. The

  radiating heat inside the home quickly soothed his chilled skin. The new snow and lack of clouds

  guaranteed that the temperature outside would continue plummeting. He quickly removed the

  large coat he wore and walked over to the warm fire.

  “They say it'll keep dropping,” spoke the man sitting on the couch in the living room. He

  could see the pain in Edward's eyes.

  “I don't know if that's possible,” remarked Ed. “I really hate the winters here.”

  The small apartment was modestly decorated, making it quite apparent that the two

  college students renting it were not interested in interior design. The shag brown carpet and

  clashing couches were humbly comfortable, and not meant to impress.

  The living room had a small kitchenette attached to it, and across from that sat the

  bathroom. The apartment had a fine layer of dust lying across the coffee table, and an assortment

  of textbooks spread about. The floor looked as if it desperately needed a vacuuming.

  “We ought to clean up around here,” Edward suggested to his roommate. From the

  fireplace, Edward could see into each of the two bedrooms, both of which were a wreck. The

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 3

  bungalow looked like the den of a savage animal. Only the smell of dinner in the air could hide

  the kaleidoscope of odors drifting out of the nooks and crannies in the apartment.

  “This week’s been too hectic to take the time to clean,” answered the other individual.

  “With this big test coming up in physiology and the battery in my car dying, I hardly have time

  to take out the garbage flowing onto the floor. Maybe we’ll get to it this weekend.”

  “Did you get your car running?” Edward asked.

  “Yeah,” the other responded, "but as cold as it was, my hands kept sticking to the tools.

  The new battery cost me twenty bucks. I guess I’ll be eating noodles and watered down gravy the

  rest of the month. Why do you think it is that car problems always seem to arise at the coldest

  time of the year?”

  “Murphy’s law, I suppose,” answered Edward. “Look at it as a personal challenge.

  Keeping an old car like that running in this kind of weather is a pretty good accomplishment. If

  you can do that, medical school will be a breeze.”

  “I have enough things to get accomplished without that old car giving me any grief. If it

  wasn’t so cold, I would just have walked for the next few months.”

  “I don’t think man is physically adapted to handle temperatures like the ones outside.”

  “No reason to worry about that anymore,” answered the young student while he

  continued to study his book. “By this time next year, we'll be down in California, studying for

  our midterms.”

  “Maybe not,” answered Edward. “I was offered an interesting proposition today. I don't

  know if I want to leave right now.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked the other in surprise as he placed the book down on

  the coffee table and turned down the bright reading lamp at his side. “You've worked for four

  years to go to medical school. What could possibly keep you here after all that?”

  “It's not that simple, Ray,” answered Edward. “Dr. Evans asked me if I would like to stay

  behind for a while and do some research with him. He's one of the best in the field today. Most

  people would die for such an opportunity. It would only be for a couple of years, then I would go

  on to medical school.”

  “But why slow down?” asked Ray. “There's more interesting things that you could learn

  than that old relic's research. You've always dreamed of going to medical school. What makes

  you so sure you would get in if you applied again?”

  “That's not how I see it,” answered Ed. “If we go to school now, it will be all new for me.

  If I stick around here and work with Dr. Evans, I'll have applied experience and some

  background compared to other students. There is so much that I could learn from such an

  experience. The research he does is astonishing. He's working on some incredible stuff here. Just

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  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 4

  the recommendation from him guarantees that you could get into any school you wanted. Later,

  when I'm ready, I'll go back to medical school and breeze through it.”

  “I don’t understand, Edward,” spoke Ray, “it’s just research. I thought you hated

  research.”

  “At first I didn’t like it that much, but the man’s been doing some really intense things.


  He’s making tremendous discoveries in the field of premature child rehabilitation. We’ve always

  wanted to go into obstetrics or pediatrics, and Dr. Evans is doing both. It’s an excellent

  opportunity to learn things from an individual versus reading them out of a book. I’m getting

  addicted to the research. I don’t want to quit at this point.”

  “But why all of a sudden? You’ve never talked about this before.”

  “If I stick around now,” explained Edward. “I’ll get my name on every piece of research

  he publishes from this point forward. He isn’t asking me to stay on as a pupil, he’s offering me

  the opportunity to stick around and become his partner. He’ll pay me a pretty descent wage. He

  has all sorts of money from his research grants. I can build a name for myself before I even start

  medical school. He’s really close to some incredible findings, I can feel it. I want to be a part of

  that. I crave the glory and I want to be part of the advancements.”

  “But what about our plan?” asked Ray with a pause. “We were going to do this together.

  We've been a team through it all. How do you expect me to get another study partner now?”

  “You don't need me to help you. You're a much better student than I am right now. I need

  this time to help me iron down my concepts. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it if I enter

  school now. Working with an expert like this will give my education the boost I need.”

  “I realize the opportunity,” assured Ray, “but you don't need any time to slow down.

  You're good at this stuff, you're a natural. Don't let that old man talk you into dropping

  everything so that he can work you endless hours for a small wage to do his research for him.

  He’ll still be raking in the big bucks. Consider the difference between what he’s offered you and

  the money you could be making five years from now.”

  “You know I’m not in it for the money,” defended Edward. “He's a smart man, and I can't

  let the opportunity pass me by right now. I've been thinking about it all afternoon, and I've never

  been more sure of anything. I really want to do this.”

  “I just don’t understand. You could do so much for people if you finished school and

  began a practice now. There’s a real need for good doctors. Come with me so you can do some

  good for people.”

  “The work that Dr. Evans is involved with could save a lot of lives, a lot of new and

  helpless young lives. The medical field wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for the

  researchers making the advancements that treatments are based on.”

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  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 5

  “You’re right, Edward. This just all seems so sudden. Have you talked to your parents

  yet?”

  “They weren’t sure where they would come up with the money anyway,” stated Edward.

  “I know they might be a little disappointed, but it will be better for all of us if I take advantage of

  this opportunity. I’m going to call them this evening and explain things to them.”

  “Well, I guess congratulations are in order then. I never thought I would congratulate

  somebody for not going to medical school.”

  “It’s not that bad, Ray,” assured Edward. “I’m excited to be able to do this. I’ve worked

  with the man for several months. The knowledge I’ve gained so far is priceless. I really want to

  stick around for a little bit longer. When Dr. Evans asked me, I knew right away what my answer

  was. I don’t want to sound emotional, but I felt something when I thought about it. There’s

  something big at work in all of this, and I can’t turn my back on it. I’m not thinking of it as

  quitting. I know I’ll go back and finish up someday.”

  “It’s just been really nice having such a good friend as my study partner and roommate,”

  expressed Ray. “It’ll be really different trying to go to school without you around, Edward. It

  won’t be getting any easier in the future. This is just college, I don’t know if I can do medical

  school all alone.”

  “You’re a natural, Ray. You’ll do great in medical school, probably top of the class. I still

  need a little bit more work. Someday when you have your practice all set up, I’ll come and work

  for you. We’ll be partners. I still remember our plans. Someday we’ll share a practice, and work

  together to bring lives into the world.”

  “So this summer, you’ll just stay behind?”

  “Yeah,” answered Edward. “I’ll start getting more involved working with him now, but

  this summer I’ll go full time. I might attempt to do a masters degree as long as I’m sticking

  around.”

  “Well,” uttered Ray as he walked over to one of the kitchen cabinets and opened it,

  exposing a host of liquors inside. “I guess if we’re only going to be roommates for another four

  months, we should celebrate with a drink. I’ll break out some Brandy.”

  A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?

  © 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 6

  Chapter One

  Margaret lay sprawled out across her bed looking down at the deep green carpet. Time

  had long passed since she heard the busy hustling of voices in the large structure. Marriage and

  college had claimed the sounds of her older siblings, leaving her as an only child in her home.

  Only on holidays and an occasional weekend did the house seem complete as the entire family

  gathered to share their time together. It felt good at first, she thought, but after a period of time,

  she came to miss their presence here. The time alone gave Margaret the opportunity to think, and

  she often felt she spent too much time in some far distant place, not living her life of the present.

  During such times, she often found herself staring blankly into the distance, as she did now. Her

  mind drifted into other realms of tranquility, and she dreamed of wide open fields and large

  beautiful bodies of water to float aimlessly across.

  Deer Hollow had none of these things. The small town felt like a prison. It sat in a small

  valley surrounded by enormous mountains. Margaret hated the enclosed environment created by

  the mountains. She feared crowded places terribly. The town didn’t support a great number of

  people, and everyone knew their neighbors, as their parents had known their neighbor’s parents.

  That didn’t bother Margaret, she liked the town. She didn’t like how packed in the town seemed.

  It could never grow much larger, for the boundaries already ran up to the sides of the steep hills

  on either side of the valley. The long canyon road winding up to the town helped to separate it

  from the outside world. Indeed, Margaret often wondered if life existed beyond the canyon, and

  months would sometimes pass between visits outside her small town. Recreation balanced out

  the negative aspects of the town, and Margaret utilized this asset to its entirety. Claustrophobia

  had driven her to breaking the boundaries of the valley at a young age, and her recreational

  activities provided for the often visited means of escape. The mountains were a back door, and

  something she could count on if the trapped feeling overcame her. Even as she rested on her bed

  inside the large room, her door hung open, giving her an exit in the event the walls began shifting

  in on her.

  Ample sunlight had irradiated this side of th
e house throughout the day, making it quite

  comfortable in the spring evening. The white comforter, accented with floral patterns, still felt

  warm on the regions of dark colors and much cooler on the lighter areas. The variation of warm

  and cold spots across her bed tickled Margaret’s skin and enticed her senses. Margaret loved the

  cool breeze, and welcomed it. It reached out to her, and caressed her warm skin with its sightless

  fingers, desperately coaxing her to the wonderful afternoon air outside. The caress fought a futile

  fight against the will of her imagination, which had captured her attention at the present.

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  She had cracked the window to get some fresh and humid air into the stagnant dry

  atmosphere of her own room. The forgotten act she generally executed in the morning had come

  back to haunt Margaret, bringing out the strange odors of the warm linens and carpeting as it

  trapped the heat inside the unventilated room. The gentle breeze slowly carried these scents

  away, replacing it with the smell of musty pine from the trees surrounding the valley. The sun

  now shone on the opposite side of the house, leaving her with only the remnants of the previous

  hours penetrating light to warm the bed she lay upon.

  Margaret had only a few months until her eighteenth birthday. In two weeks, school

  would end for the year and she had another summer to look forward to. She loved the summers.

  During the long vacations, she escaped the secluded town to spend a few weeks with her aunt

  and uncle out in the large town of Harrison, a few hours away. There she could see for miles

  with only small hills to riddle the horizon. The days were hot, much to her disliking, but the open

  range more than made up for the miserable heat.

  Margaret didn’t even notice her friend Amy peak inside the doorway. Finding Margaret

  this way was nothing new for Amy. Amy almost expected to find her friend lying there, and it

  was the first place she looked as she glanced inside the room. Amy waited for some time, hoping

  that her friend would realize she had company without alarming her.

  Margaret faced away from Amy, but Amy could see the side of her face easily. That look,

  the concentrated stare of deep thought, it was not an unfamiliar look to Amy. Even as children,