NANOVISION: What Would You Do With X-ray Vision? (7 page)

Judy smiled
weakly. “I know...” she answered. “... and I can’t thank you enough.”

“Well, we better
get going,” said Ethyl. “We have a good six hour drive ahead of us.”

The two women
shook hands and Ethyl made her way around to the driver’s side. She got in
while Judy said one last good-bye to Daniel.

“Well, I guess
this is it. Are you ready?” she asked.

Daniel turned his
head to the open window. “Yeah, I suppose,” he answered. “Will you visit?”

Judy nodded her
head and pulled a tissue from her bag. She dabbed her eyes and readjusted her
sunglasses. “Yeah, I’d like that,” she confided. “I want to see how you’re
making out. Maybe in a few months.” There was a slight tremor in her voice,
oh,
if her coworkers at the FBI could see her now,
she thought. “Hey, I almost
forgot!” she exclaimed. “I’ve got a present for you.” She reached into her
purse and pulled out an eyeglass case, handing it to Daniel.

“What is it?” he
asked, feeling the case.

“Sunglasses,” she
replied, “for when you get your bandages off. You can be like Ray Charles.”

“Whoooo?”
inquired Katie.

Judy laughed.
“Ask your Grandmother... She’ll explain.”

In a last
farewell bid Judy bent her body low and reached through the window. She grasped
Daniel by the neck and gave him a long hug.

“You take care
now. You hear me?”

*    *    *    *

The drive to
Santa Clara was relatively uneventful, well, except to Daniel. Though he didn’t
realize it at the time, something very special was happening−absolutely
nothing. The ride to Santa Clara was filled with boring talk, personal
interlude, and the discovery of what a normal life is. This was not something
that Daniel was used to. He had lived in Las Vegas for almost ten years and
couldn’t remember traveling anywhere except to Disneyland once when he was a
kid. For all intents and purposes, Northern California could have been Europe.
But that was not the thing that made Daniel revel in the moment. It was the
simple fact that he felt safe here in the car with Ethyl and Katie. Here, there
would be no surprises to shatter his reality, no coming home to find his Dad
drunk or depressed over losing all his money. Things with Ethyl and Katie
didn’t work like that. This was definitely a new experience.

“So tell me about
Santa Clara,” he said, his curiosity brimming over. “Where exactly do you
live?”

“We live in Los
Gatos,” bragged Katie “It means "the cats" in Spanish. We have a lot
of wild cats in the area that eat people...”

“Katie Mulroy,”
Ethyl piped in.

“Oh, all right,”
acquiesced the youngster.

“You’ll have to
excuse your cousin, Daniel. She has a tendency to let her imagination get away
with herself.” 

“It’s okay...
Aunt Ethyl... May I call you Aunt Ethyl?”

“I’d like that.” 

“Aunt
Ethyl−what exactly do you do?”

Not to be
outdone, Katie jumped back into the conversation. “She runs a nano tech firm in
Santa Clara... she’s the CEO.”

“Katie, what have
I told you about interrupting?”

“I never get to
say anything,” Katie complained, slumping back down in her seat.

The girl made
Daniel laugh. She reminded him of Zac. “So Katie, what grade are you in?” he
asked.

“I’m in fourth
grade. My teacher is Miss Myers... she’s really cool, she lets us brings our
pets to school.” 

“You have pets?”

“We have a dog,”
interjected Ethyl, “an Irish Setter.”

“She’s really
nice,” said Katie, proudly. “Her name is June Bug−she likes to lick and
chase balls. Do you have any pets?”

“No,” responded
Daniel. “I’ve never had one.”

Cognizant of
Daniel’s downcast tone, Ethyl quickly changed the subject.

“Daniel, what about
you?” she asked. “Judy said you’re going to be a senior this year. What are
your plans?” 

“Nothing special.
It’s all a wash now anyway.”

“Yes, you will
have some adjusting to do.” 

“So... Aunt
Ethyl, you never really told me what you do. Is it a secret or something?”

“Not really, the
company I started does medical research. We’re looking for ways to make
medicines that can help the body heal without surgery. The process uses DNA and
stem cells. Are you familiar with that?”

“Yeah, we studied
that in biology last year. Guess I won’t be doing that anymore.”

“Nonsense,”
responded Ethyl, glancing over her shoulder. “Daniel, you’re blind, not a
paraplegic. You have a handicap, but you can still learn and do incredible
things. Judy says the FBI will help with your training. And I’ve already begun
checking out several schools in our area. Several have stupendous programs for
the blind and even offer college preparatory classes. Once we get back and get
you settled we’ll get your physical taken care of and vaccinations up to
date−from there it’s up to you.”

“I just wish I
could remember what happened. Why I’m blind...”

“All in good
time, young man. All things in time.”

*    *    *    *

It was late
afternoon when Ethyl turned her car onto a small paved road that wove its way
up into the foothills of Los Gatos. Daniel surmised that they were nearly at
their destination as Katie had rolled down her window and was squirming around
in her seat. Doing the same, he felt for the button on the door console. His
window slid open allowing the fresh air to hit him in the face. The first thing
he noticed was an array of scents−salty air, fresh cut grass and flowers.
It smelled great. The rest he had to imagine.

The remaining
drive only took a couple of minutes as Ethyl navigated through the picturesque
lanes that comprised the settlement of Los Gatos. The estates here were well to
do, an acre or more in size, a variety of one and two story custom homes offset
with ornate fences, manicured lawns and flower beds set against the lush, hilly
terrain of Northern California. The car turned onto a gravel driveway and
Daniel listened as the car’s tires crunched against the stones. He was amazed
at noticing things like that. The car came to a stop.

 “We’re here,”
announced Ethyl, turning off the ignition.

“Yippee,” yelled
Katie. She was instantly out of the car, hooting and hollering, her nimble
young frame dancing across the lawn; she was happy to be home. Her exuberance
was infectious and Daniel had to admit he was eager to get out of the car too.
He undid his seat belt and opened the door, setting his feet on the gravel.
Using the door for support he stood and stretched his legs, while taking a deep
breath.

“Smells nice, a
little salty,” he commented. “I wish I could see where we are.”

“Well, the most
important thing I can tell you Daniel is that this is your new home,” said
Ethyl, joining him. “And I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

“What does it
look like?” he asked.

“Our house is
what they call a Tudor style,” answered Ethyl. “Something like you might find
in the English countryside. It’s two stories, brown and white with a tile
thatched roof.”

“It sounds very
nice,” responded Daniel. “And thank you.”

Suddenly from off
to one side, a fair distance away, there was a boisterous ruckus. It was
emanating from behind a six foot hedge that bordered Ethyl’s property−a
dog was barking and someone was yelling, “Okay! Okay! Wait a minute.”

“June Bug!” Katie
screamed. “Come here, girl.”

Falling to her
knees, Katie spread her arms wide welcoming her Irish Setter as it rounded the
evergreen hedge separating their home from the neighbors. The dog bounded
across the lawn full bore as if there were no tomorrow. It plowed into Katie,
knocking her down and onto the grass. She giggled and laughed hysterically as
the dog licked her face, smothering her with love.

“Did yah miss me,
baby... did yah?” she asked, as the two rolled about on the lawn.

Ethyl chuckled.
“Daniel, this is our dog, June Bug... apparently on the loose again.”

Ethyl’s
observation was quickly confirmed as an elderly gentleman appeared from behind
the same hedge following the path taken by the dog. He was a spry, thin man,
roughly seventy-four years of age, six foot tall, with dyed, thinning hair. In
his hands was a leash. He waved to the group as he approached.

“Your dog about
tore off my arm trying to get home,” he announced. “She heard your car and went
crazy.”

“Rudy... Hi...
Come on over,” invited Ethyl. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

The old man
joined the group.

“Rudy, this is my
nephew Daniel Lewis, from Las Vegas. Daniel, this is our neighbor, Rudy.”

Daniel stuck out
his hand and Rudy latched on to it. He pumped the boy’s hand vigorously.

“Nice to meet yah
kid... Las Vegas, huh? God, it’s been ten, twelve years since I’ve been there,
lots of changes I bet.”

“Rudy used to run
a casino there,” Ethyl informed Daniel.

“Really? Which
one?”

“Ahh, it was
nuthin’ kid, been retired for twenty years.” The old man turned his attention
to Katie. “Hey! How about a hug for Uncle Rudy?”

Jumping up from
the grass Katie gave the old man an enthusiastic hug, while June Bug took the
opportunity to sniff out Daniel. The boy patted the dog’s head and felt his
face and long silky coat. “Nice doggy,” he said as the animal licked his hand.

“Hey, you need
some help with the suitcases?” asked Rudy.

“That would be
nice... They’re in the back. I’m going to walk Daniel to the house and get him
settled. It’s been a long day.”

*    *    *    *

The day came to
an end rather quietly for Daniel and the Santini clan. The family had dinner
after which Ethyl and Katie escorted Daniel upstairs to his bedroom. With their
help he brushed his teeth and dressed in new pajamas and made ready for bed.
Goodnights were said, Katie scurried off, and Ethyl tucked Daniel in making
sure he had everything he needed for the night. With the lights out he fell
asleep quickly, slumbering on the most comfortable mattress he had ever felt.

Later that night,
as Ethyl sat alone in the living room reading, she heard a noise coming from
upstairs. Removing her reading glasses, she set her book aside and got up to
investigate. At the top of the stairs she heard a voice mumbling indistinctly;
it was emanating from Daniel’s room. She stood at his door and eavesdropped,
but heard nothing more. She knocked and softly inquired, “Daniel... Are you all
right?”

There was no
reply so she opened the door and peeked in. The room was lit softly by
moonlight streaming through the window. It illuminated everything with a pale
cast including Daniel’s body as he lay asleep under the sheets. Ethyl watched
silently for a moment noting her nephew’s restlessness. He was fidgety, tossing
and turning in the bed while muttering under his breath. Daniel was having a
nightmare and the words falling from his mouth were chilling. 

“No... please,
no... don’t kill... why -- why... no, no, no... please -- mmm--sooorryee” The
boy’s speech became slurred as he turned away from her, but she did manage to
catch one final phrase. “Daaa... d... I’m s-s-s-sorry.”

Ethyl closed the
door and leaned against the wall. There was concern etched upon her face. She
took a deep breath and sighed; the thoughts in her head running a mile a
minute.
They’d barely been home a day. Had she done the right thing? Could
she really help this child? What about Katie? Did she have it in her?

From somewhere
deep inside she heard the long, lost whisper of her sister’s voice. “I miss
Daddy so much−this isn’t fair!”

Yes, it wasn’t
fair and this boy’s plate was full and he needed her help. It was the least she
could do.
“Helen,”
she vowed, “I owe you this. And I promise, I will find a way to help him.”

Chapter 4

Though Ethyl had
many duties as the CEO of NanoBytes; her favorite was dabbling in research.
There was not a day that went by where she would not make time to see what was
developing in the R & D division of her company. All the doctors,
scientists, and lab workers could count on her like clockwork to show up and
peek over their shoulders to see what was developing in their fields of
ontogenesis. This habit was only further enhanced with Daniel coming to live
with her and Katie. As a scientist and a caregiver; she was piqued by Daniel’s
maladies and wanted to help, if only perhaps, to ease her conscious regarding
her sister, Helen. Deep in her psyche there lay the nagging thought that she
should have done more for her little sister after their father had passed.
Unfortunately, it was too late for that, but not for Daniel.

Within days of
moving to Santa Clara, Ethyl had Daniel undergo a thorough medical examination
at Nanobytes. She told him that California schools required a current physical
examination and assurance that his vaccinations were up to date. In part it was
true, but the reality was she wanted him under her microscope. Unbeknownst to
him, he had every test imaginable regarding his DNA and RNA right down to a
full work up on his genetic genome. Ethyl had everything she needed−well
almost.

*   *   *   *

It was about two
in the afternoon when Lance Kets appeared in LAB 5 searching for Ethyl. He had
a grim look upon his face, a dour attitude that seemed to fit him as the chief
accountant for Nanobytes. Limping across the lab with a cane in one hand and a
clipboard full of paperwork in the other, he walked up behind Ethyl unnoticed.
She was lost in thought, making notations on the computer as she studied a live
culture of cells dividing on the screen before her. Lance cleared his throat.

Ethyl looked up.
“Lance... how are you?”

“Fine, Ethyl,
fine.” He waved the clipboard at her. “Listen, I have a few questions about
these requisitions.” 

“Mmm?” she
muttered with disinterest, peering back at her work.

“Why are we
ordering cadaver eyes?” he asked.

Ethyl’s focus
remained on her computer. “It’s for a new line of research.”

“Since when?” he
countered. “Appropriations has nothing on file regarding us opening any new
lines. Our budget’s maxed. Please, help me understand?”

Ethyl stopped
what she was doing. “Lance, it’s something new, a personal endeavor on my
part.”

“Ethyl, are you
nuts? Does Gregan know about this?” 

“No, and I’m not
planning on telling him.”

“You can’t be
serious?”

“Look, Lance.
This is about my nephew. I just want to look into things. Maybe see if there’s
something I can do about his blindness. I mean, isn’t that why we’re here... to
work on cures?”

“Yeah, but going
three hundred and fifty thousand over budget for cadaver eyes and embryonic
stem cells just might send up a few red flags. And what the hell are ommatidia
and photospores?”

“Insect DNA,” she
answered. “Butterfly light receptors... and photospores... squid use them to
produce light.”

Lance was
floored. “Ethyl... Gregan is going to flip. How are you going to get this by
him?”

“Lance, you let
me worry about Paul. If you need to, take the funds from GGR. Just get me the
stuff I need.”

Lance looked as
if the wind had been knocked out of him. GGR was their government funding. He
started to protest, but Ethyl looked him dead in the eye−she then asked,
“How’s the treatment for your diabetes coming along, Lance?”

*    *    *    *

Daniel was
sitting on the steps in front of the California School for the Blind waiting
for his ride when Ethyl drove up. His hair was long now, covering his ears, but
still neatly trimmed. Ethyl insisted on that. He heard the car horn honk and
his name being called. Tapping the ground with his white cane he crossed the
grass and sidewalk, heading toward the car. He stepped off the curb, felt for
the door handle and opened the door. It only took a second for Ethyl to comment
on his face as he sat. It was red and swollen. 

            “Daniel, what happened?” 

“Nothing,” he
answered.

“Look at you,”
she persisted. “Something must have happened−you’re hurt.”

Aggravated by her
intrusiveness, Daniel barked at her, “I fell down the stairs! Okay! Can we just
go now?”

“Sure,” noted
Ethyl, quietly.

Gingerly, she put
the car into drive, nursing her injured right hand. Two of her fingers were
bandaged with heavy white gauze and there was a pinkish hue on one where blood
had seeped through. The drive home was long and quiet.

Later that
evening, while Ethyl cooked dinner, Katie and Daniel set the table. It was
their usual time together and normally a period of friendly chatter and banter.
However, that was not the case tonight. Even the radio playing all the golden
oldies that Ethyl loved and Katie and Daniel put up with, was being overlooked−Daniel
was preoccupied.

“Did Nanna tell
you what happened at Nanobytes today?” Katie chirped, trying to draw her cousin
out.

Still glum from
the misfortunes of the day, Daniel responded with a sullen, “No!”

“Some guy shot a
Golden Eagle,” she blurted with excitement, “and they brought it to the lab for
Nanna to help and it bit her−she had to get four stitches and a tetanus
shot!”

Wallowing in self
pity, Daniel barely heard what Katie had said. His mind was still occupied on
the girls who had laughed at him when he fell on the steps at school. “Mmmm...”
was all he said. 

“Boy someone’s a
grump,” Katie said, banging the silverware on the table. “So... What? Did you
get into a fight at school?”

“No,” answered
Daniel.

“Geeze, yah
could’a fooled me.”

Unexpectedly, the
song "Daniel" by Elton John began to play on the radio. The melody
floated across the room and Katie took note. “Hey, listen − they’re
playing your song.” 

“I hate this
fuckin’ song,” cursed Daniel.

Daniel may as
well have shot someone. The use of the word “fuck” in the Santini household was
one of the highest taboos and it drew Ethyl’s immediate ire. Ducking her head
around the corner she quickly admonished him. “Young man, we don’t talk like
that in this house!”

In a burst of
rage, Daniel replied to her declaration by sweeping his arms across the dinner
table−his actions sending everything to the floor−plates, glasses,
silverware everything. The clamor that followed was a loud, shattering
explosion as the dishes hit the tile floor. To make matters worse, Daniel
punctuated his tantrum by screaming at the top of his lungs, “I don’t give a
fuck!”

Like a runaway
locomotive Ethyl was in the dining room instantly. Throwing her pot holder
down, she waved Katie from the room while coming face to face with Daniel.
Furious beyond words, she slapped him across the face, stunning him.

“Now you listen
to me young man,” she reproached the boy as he stumbled back. “I understand you
have been through a lot−in fact I can’t pretend to know the pain you’re
going through, but I will not tolerate such disrespect in this house. Now sit
down!”

Groping for a
chair, Daniel did as he was ordered. He sat while Ethyl grabbed another chair.
She sat in front of him. Hotter than a gas furnace, her voice quivered as she
spoke as only a mother can.

“Daniel, I think
it’s time for us to come to an understanding,” she declared firmly. “Your
actions tonight are beyond the bounds of acceptability in this household. Your
use of foul language and unbridled anger will not be tolerated. We do not
deserve this. We’re your family−the ones taking care of you. We’re the
ones who have bent over backwards to help you. I could have said ‘no’, when
Judy Salinski came to me, but I didn’t. I took you in and I have gone over and
above making sure you have everything you need to get your life back in order.
And this is how you show your appreciation? Yelling at your cousin, swearing,
breaking the dishes. No more young man−no more. We deserve
better−much better. And you owe Katie an apology. Especially with all
she’s done for you−helping you learn Braille, seeing to it that you have
someone to take walks with−that you’re not alone...”

From behind his
dark glasses, tears began to trickle down Daniel’s face. Slowly his pain seeped
out, the sobs, soft at first, became hard.

“I’m sorry... I’m
sorry Aunt Ethyl... it’s just that I miss him. I miss him so damn much. And the
last thing I remember is hating him. Hating him for making us poor, taking my
things and selling them. And now I just want to tell him how much I miss him...
that I love him and I can’t...”

Cognizant of the
real issue behind Daniel’s outburst, Ethel’s anger faded. She couldn’t remember
him really talking about Steven−he kept so much bottled up inside.
Gathering up Daniel in her arms, she hugged him tightly, rocking him gently. 

“It’s okay, Daniel...
it’s okay. I’m sure he knows.” Tears clouded her eyes. 

“I never got to
say goodbye,” he sobbed. “I don’t even know where he’s buried.”

“We’ll find out,
Daniel. We’ll find a way for you to say goodbye. I promise.”

From out in the
hallway Katie stood silently watching−tears in her eyes.

Later that night,
after everyone had eaten and things had settled, Daniel returned to his room
and his homework. There was a soft knock on the door.

He looked up from
the bed. “Yes,” he responded.

“May I come in?” Katie
asked.

“Sure”

With a bit of
reservation Katie entered. In her hands she carried a chessboard, a small
drawstring pouch, and a book. She approached Daniel’s bed and sat on the end.

“You wanna play
chess?” she asked.

“Don’t know how,”
he answered with a shrug.

“You’re kidding?
It’s a great game. My Dad taught me when I was four.”

Daniel smiled
weakly and set the book he was reading aside. 

“How can I play
if I can’t see?” he asked. 

“It’s easy, lots
of people play without seeing. Some even on the Internet or by mail.”

“Mail?” 

“Yeah, you know,
snail mail. In the olden days, people would mail their moves to other people
across the country−even the ocean.”

“Sounds like a
lot of trouble.”

“So? You wanna
learn?”

“Naw.” 

“What’s a matter?
−‘fraid a girl might beat you?” 

“No!” 

“Well, it’s not
like you have anything else to do.” Katie covered her mouth, but the words were
already out. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, “that was mean.”

Embarrassed, she
began to pick up the board, the book, and the pouch, but Daniel reached out and
stopped her.

“Mean, but true,”
he said, grinning. “So, how do you play?”

Katie’s smile
reached from ear to ear. She set the book entitled:
Teaching Chess to the
Blind
down on the bed, and opened the chess board. She then opened the
pouch and dumped the chess pieces out. “Okay first thing...”