Obsessed by G. H. Ephron Page A

wheeled away the tank. Uncle Jack’s color was approaching normal and his back had straightened. Now he was smiling and scooping nonexistent dust balls off the floor.
    This time Philbrick took charge. We watched as he helped Uncle Jack up onto the table. The computer monitor was flickering salt and pepper where Uncle Jack’s brain had been. I glanced at the red panel where Annie had almost pushed a button. Could she really have wrecked the system by pressing one? Another good reason not to have visitors.
    Philbrick placed the plastic cage in place over Uncle Jack’s head, then slid the table into the tube.
    â€œPeter, you’re sure this is going to help my uncle?” Annie said under her breath. “Tell me this isn’t a stupid useless procedure.”
    â€œIt’s not.” I squeezed her hand and hoped to hell I was right.

    Through the rest of the testing Annie sat with her hands gripping the chair arms, her jaw locked. She hadn’t relaxed, even after Uncle Jack was back in his street clothes and on his way to the Pearce and we were waiting in the control room for Shands to see us.
    We could see Philbrick wiping down the MRI system and the table again as Emily backed into the room. She was carrying a mop and pail of water. She turned around, her eyes wide and her mouth open in protest. The front of her lab coat was pulling away from her as if some creature in the pocket were fighting to escape. She dropped the bucket and water spilled all over the floor as she strained to pull back.
    â€œWatch out!” Emily cried as the pocket ripped and something blasted across the room and crashed into the MRI scanner less than a foot from Philbrick.
    He recoiled, arms over his head. Then he turned slowly and stared at it—the big magnet that Emily had used to check me out was now stuck to the side of the scanner. Emily must have used it to test the metal pail and then, without thinking, stashed it in the pocket of her lab coat. Philbrick seemed to grow larger, his anger filling the room as he glowered at Emily.
    â€œWhat in the hell is wrong with you? The scanner is a magnet. A great big magnet. Right? We don’t bring magnetic objects into this because, repeat…after…me,” he thundered at Emily, “the magnetic field is never off!”
    â€œI’m sorry,” Emily squeaked.
    â€œSay it!”
    â€œThe magnetic field is never off.”
    I squirmed as I felt Annie looking at me. I knew what she was thinking. And you trust these people ?

9
    W E SAT around a small table in a small meeting room with Shands. Philbrick was pointedly turned away from Emily. He’d ignored her repeated attempts to apologize. Annie was too tense and anxious to notice.
    Shands said he’d taken a look at Uncle Jack’s MRI. “Preliminarily, I’d say Mr. O’Neill has those changes in his brain that we look for. They’re the early markers we’ve identified for Lewy body dementia.” He said this as if he were delivering a weather report. A fine day, a few high clouds… “I’m confident that analysis will confirm.”
    I wanted to kick the asshole. He was completely oblivious to the impact of this news on Annie. She’d gone pale and her jaw was quivering.
    â€œWe’d like to sign your—” Shands paused, looking through a file folder.
    â€œUncle.” Annie shot the word at him.
    He looked up, momentarily stung. “Yes, we’d like to sign your uncle up for our study.” Shands gave Annie an understanding smile. “As I’m sure Peter has told you, we’re testing a new treatment for Lewy body dementia. Results so far are promising, though of course there’s never any guarantee. And even we won’t know if your uncle is getting the treatment or the placebo.”
    Annie was looking at him but I wasn’t sure she was processing his words.
    â€œIt’s a clinical trial,” I said. “They