The Strand: A Time Travel Romance

The Strand

C. Bradford Baer

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 C. Bradford Baer

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I would like to dedicate this book to my wife Cecilia who always encourages me to endure and overcome any obstacles to achieving my dreams. I would like to thank my brother Arlen for reading and critiquing The Strand when it was in a very raw form. I would like to thank my 11th Grade English teacher Mr. Mandel for first revealing to me that I had the ability to be a writer and storyteller. Finally, I would like to thank God for making me who I am, and giving me the memories of a very fortunate life.

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Chapter 1

The girl lay motionless in the hospital bed on the east ward. The room was filled with household trinkets and memories of her life up to that point. In her twelve years of life she only enjoyed the first ten. The last two, although it seemed like much longer to her, were spent going back and forth to this hospital room for her treatments. The poor girl lay there, asleep now. The humming and pounding of the machines were not much unlike that of the womb, and often lulled her off to sleep.

Her parents, nearly broke, with their insurance limits stretched to the maximum, were waiting in the hallway for Dr. Ramey’s arrival. He had something important to discuss with them.

When is he going to get here? asked Mr. Barnes.

He said 6:30. said Mrs. Barnes. But it's almost 7 now.

Just then they heard the clip-clop of Dr. Ramey's shoes as he came down the hallway. They turned from the door and looked at him as he frantically hurried to meet them.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, he called out, still clip-clopping down the hall. my apologies for being late. The doctor came to a rest in front of them. I wanted you to meet someone and his transport has just arrived.

Where is he? asked Mr. Barnes, not seeing anyone else in the dark wing of the hospital.

He is in my office. Come with me. urged Dr. Ramey.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes turned toward the door to their daughter's hospital room.

Don't worry! Dr. Ramey insisted. She will be fine. Come with me.

They did not like leaving their daughter. They were really the only people in Katy's life that could tolerate her. And even though she was asleep, and was used to being in that room, they still wanted to be close by. Reluctantly, they followed Dr. Ramey to his office.

Dr. Ramey began his explanation of the purpose of the meeting with the visitor.

I want you to know that I understand your situation. You love your daughter and want only the best treatment for her. But at the same time, you have run out of the financial resources that pay for her treatments here. I myself was in the very same situation when my son was only half way through his education at Armstrong University. It got to the point where I couldn't even bring him home; he had to stay up there even during the summer break. There's no summer on the moon anyway.

Mr. Barnes replied, Ahh, that's my old Alma Madder. I graduated back in '23.

It was surprising that Mr. Barnes would be in any need of money. He was the Program Director for the advancement for space exploration for the NSCA. He was honored many times over for accomplishments not only here on Earth, but throughout the solar system.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes listened intently, anxiously waiting for the doctor to make his point.

I think I have found a solution to your problem. It is going to be difficult at first, but if you step back, I think you will see, it is the best solution for you and for your daughter.

Dr. Ramey stopped abruptly in front of his office. He held his left hand in front of the sensor to release the air lock. The door retracted into the wall.

Please step inside. Dr. Ramey motioned.

When Mr. and Mrs. Barnes walked in, an elderly foreign man seated in front of Dr. Ramey's desk grabbed a hold of the desk and chair and pushed himself up to be introduced.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes this is Dr. Mahmud Rafi Bandar from the Institute of Neurological Disorders. Dr. Bandar, these are Katy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes.

Mahmud Rafi Bandar had lived in the US most of his life but had grown up in an Islamic sub-culture on the west side of New Jersey. His parents were always well-off and Mahmud never suffered. His family's ties to the Persian Gulf oil industry assured him that he would never want for anything. Always having everything handed to him just by asking allowed Mahmud to gain great wealth himself. But he lacked the discipline required to attain this wealth on his own. At the age of 55 he had already created, built, and destroyed seven companies each in a random field that was created on a whim. He finally settled on the field of neurological research, where he had been ever since.

Dr. Bandar reached out to shake Mr. Barnes hand. At nearly 80 years old and slow in his movements, Dr. Bandar had a surprisingly strong grip. His accent was faint but still noticeable. It is an honor to meet you Mr. Barnes. I know of your great accomplishments with the NSCA. You have done remarkable things with such limited resources. Ah ha ha..

Well thank you Doctor. So what is this all about Dr. Ramey?

Dr. Bandar is an expert in the field of Neuro-Dendrite Detachment Disorder. He has a revolutionary new treatment which will give your daughter Katy much more freedom from the rage within her that she has been living with for the past two years.

Yes, I have been paying close attention to your daughter's case Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, and I believe that with proper treatment, you can have your daughter back again, free of pain, free of emotional disturbances..

Dr. Bandar pulled out his holographic display unit to illustrate the theory. After turning on the unit, an image of a three dimensional molecular model hovered over the desk.

You see NDDD is caused by a separation of the dendrites from the synapses of the brain. This disconnection causes artificial impulses to the brain resulting in a feeling of paranoia, anger, hatred. The brain sends out commands to the body to attack anything that is considered a threat. As the disease progresses, the brain's interpretation of threats increases until finally, everything in your daughter's life is considered to be a threat. She is, in a sense, always under attack. And her brain and body react as anyone's would when under attack. She defends herself at any cost.

Mr. Barnes looked intently at Dr. Bandar.

Believe me Doctor, I am well versed in the cause of the nightmare that my daughter is going through. But so far, the treatment has only reduced the intensity of her rage. It has done very little to bring a balance to her emotions. She hates everything and everyone. I can't tell you how many times I have woken up in the morning to the sound of Katy attacking her mother, pounding on her over and over. Or sometimes I wake up unable to breathe because Katy's hands are clamped around my neck.

Dr. Bandar asked, Do either of you have any history in your family of mental illness? Are you aware of any other incidences like this?

Mr. And Mrs. Barnes both shook their heads no in frustration.

Mrs. Barnes Spoke up. Look, we love our daughter very much. The first ten years of her life, were as normal as any child. Then something changed. At first, we didn't know what it was. We found our dog Plato with his neck broken. Then we started getting all the calls from the school about how she was flirting with the boys and fighting with the girls. So we brought her here. But we haven't seen much change.

Dr. Bandar replied, Traditional treatment can only treat the effect. It does nothing for the cause. As long as the brain is responding to the false impulses, the disease will continue to run rampant throughout the body. The only way to assure that the brain does not react aggressively is to cause a complete disconnect from the body's nervous system and allow the body's nervous system time to repair itself. And that is what my treatment does.

That's very intriguing Dr. Bandar., said Mr. Barnes, But I don't see how we could possibly afford this treatment. It sounds very expensive.

Dr. Ramey broke in, That's the best part of this Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, Dr. Bandar's treatment is experimental. As long as you would agree to the treatment, it will be free of charge. Of course, there is one thing you should know.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes had no idea what Dr. Bandar was about to tell them, but they figured it must be something about the possible negative side effects of the treatment.

Dr. Bandar explained, In order for us to completely shut down the connection between the brain, the body, and the world, Katy will have to be placed in a comatose state. She must also be separated from any external stimulus.

Like what? asked Mrs. Barnes.

Light, sound, touch. said Dr. Bandar. Basically all of her senses need to be deprived of their normal daily stimuli.

It sounds like a tomb. said Mrs. Barnes.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, said Dr. Bandar. She will be under constant surveillance. However, you will not be able to have any contact with your daughter during the treatment period.

And how long is that? asked a very worried Mrs. Barnes.

I don't exactly know; but I estimate at least 5 years. he said.

Five years! screamed Mrs. Barnes.

Perhaps 10. This treatment is new, and it is a very slow process of repair. added Dr. Bandar.

Oh no, this is preposterous! said Mr. Barnes. You can't possibly expect that we would agree to this, can you?

I'm asking you to take yourself out of the equation, and think of what is best for your daughter. Certainly, Katy will miss out on 10 years of her life, but the remaining 50 or 60 years will be a normal carefree life. In the big picture, don't you think that is worth it?

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes looked at each other and could not deny that the doctor was right, the loss of 10 years, or a lifetime of agony, treatments and suffering.

Would you give us a few minutes? asked Mr. Barnes.

Certainly! said Dr. Ramey. Take as much time as you need. We will step out.

After the door closed, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes sat their silent for a few seconds, neither one wanting to commit to an answer.

Well, Katy should decide what to do. suggested Mrs. Barnes.

Are you crazy? You can't burden a 12 year old girl with a decision like this. I don't believe she would consider everything and reach a logical decision.

So what do you do suggest we do? Can you reach a logical decision? asked Mrs. Barnes.

Mr. Barnes stared down at the ground