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  “Nate Sinclair, eh?” Kieran asked. “He called my office earlier today wanting to know how Sidney wound out there. My staff had a similar conversation with him.”

  “I think he’s spent all day chewing people out.” She sat up. “But then again, that’s the nature of my profession. If everybody were happy, content, and perfectly functional, then I’d be out of work.” She paused. “I wonder sometimes if people really want to get better, or if they want me to slap a name and a prescription on them so they can use it as an excuse to stay exactly the same.”

  “It’s natural to have doubts about your life course from time to time,” Kieran said. “No matter what you do, there’s going to be problems.”

  “That’s true,” she said, curling her legs against her on the couch. “Kieran, can I ask you something?”

  He smiled. “Reversing roles on me?”

  She returned the smile, but it was weak. “I was wondering. Have I acted like that?”

  Kieran jolted on the couch. “No! Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know,” she paused. “Something Sidney said to me yesterday made me think about Kalea and her role with Dad.”

  “Reversing roles on your patients? That’s worse! What did she say?”

  She sighed. “She said that being on the periphery gave you a unique perspective; that you see things, but everybody shuts you out. I was wondering, what has Kalea seen that she isn’t saying? What does she know that we don’t?”

  “A lot, I imagine. I haven’t heard her complain about anything.”

  Annaliese pointed at him. “That’s just it. She wouldn’t complain. Kalea is a tough type that figures if you come to it, then you come through it. When the going gets tough, she shuts off her emotions and reverts to pure function. That’s an unusual trait in a woman.”

  “I’ll say, but it’s a trait the two of you share, and it’s one I appreciate,” Kieran said. “I bet most people do appreciate it.”

  Annaliese smiled. “Thanks, but as I said, that’s an unusual trait in a woman. Most of them do the opposite. They retreat from function and delve into emotion, like Sidney did. She told me that lately she’s been acting and reacting, and not fully realizing what she’s doing or why she’s doing it. That happens to a lot of people when they’re under unrelenting stress, and I don’t think it’s uncommon.”

  “Okay,” Kieran wondered where Annaliese was going with this train of thought.

  “I didn’t realize that when you’re in a situation, you take the ones around you for granted. Kalea’s been there for Dad more than I have been. Overall she took it well, but when that thing happened with him grabbing her leg a couple of months ago, I didn’t think much of it. Avery told me he thought she was being overly dramatic, and I agreed. I was so glad that Dad was better that I thought she was being bratty like she wished he had gone ahead and died and not scared her like that. But --“she cut off, choked by a sob.

  Kieran shifted to put his arm around Annaliese. “But what?”

  “We put too much on her, and I think she cracked,” Annaliese said. “But it’s not just that. He’s dying again. I’m going to lose my father anyway. Whatever happened in that room was no miracle, it just delayed the inevitable. In fact, now it’s worse. Now we’ve had to go through all the worst parts of this twice.” She swiped her nose with her shirt sleeve. “What if Kalea has been acting weird all this time because she’s had a front row seat to Dad’s suffering, and nobody’s listening, so she dove into her work where she wouldn’t be dismissed or judged? What if Avery and I have been so locked in our own struggles that we didn’t see the truth, and we left the one that did see it out there on her own?”

  “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. It is different for you and Avery. It’s your father, not Kalea’s. No matter what she sees or thinks, it doesn’t affect her the way it does you.”

  Annaliese leaned back, swiping more tears from her eyes. “Just because it’s different doesn’t negate the truth.” She swiped her nose. “I saw it in Sidney’s eyes yesterday. She saw things. She knows things, but she doesn’t say them because she believes I can’t hear her.”

  “Did she say that?”

  Annaliese shook her head. “Not in those words, but when somebody tells you they feel like an alien in their own world, it’s shocking.”

  Kieran sighed. “Is that why you told Kalea to go on vacation next week?”

  Annaliese nodded. “I know you said I couldn’t have any more than the earth scans from Avery to prevent a conflict of interest before this bill passed, but some of the doctors I contacted about Dad got back to me over the past couple of days. All of the cancer patients that had a ‘miracle healing’ a couple of months ago have died. They all died exactly four weeks after they recovered, and now all the dementia patients are back in homes, regressing through their dementia at one stage a week.” She choked. “My father is going to die in a week. I know it.”

  “You don’t know that,” Kieran protested.

  Annaliese nodded. “I feel it. I think the truth is that I knew deep inside that his recovery wasn’t right, but I was so glad to see him being himself one more time, that I denied it. Here I am a psychiatrist, and I can’t keep my head right about my own family.”

  “You aren’t expected to,” Kieran said. “Isn’t the point of therapy supposed to be third-party intervention from somebody completely outside the situation? You’re deeply entrenched in this situation. There’s no way you can pull back and be impartial.” He paused. “None of us can, not even Kalea. Don’t get me wrong. She’s been great, but even she has a biased opinion. Your whole family has always lived on that estate down there, separated from the rest of the world. You’re a close-knit group. And Uncle Gerald and Aunt Daphne check in daily, and they’re coming back to the estate in December. In fact, weren’t they fixing to drive down there when your father was bad off in August?”

  Annaliese nodded. “They did come down and spent a week here with Dad.”

  “They do understand your situation, and have done all they can to help you and Avery. It’s their choice whether to talk to you about what they think and feel or not. I haven’t once heard you tell Kalea to put a lid on it when she was talking about your father’s condition.”

  Annaliese sighed. “I didn’t confront her, but I think I gave clear vibes that I didn’t always want or need her opinion.”

  “How so?”

  Annaliese paused, picking at a spot on the couch. “There have been some times over the past few months that I disagreed with her on the severity of Dad’s condition. I told her that it wasn’t that bad and she was overreacting.” She looked up, her gaze distant. “And yet, she was more on target every time. When Dad started falling and she said go to the hospital, Mom and I said no, it’s not that bad, we just need to be more careful. And then he hit his head and she broke her foot.”

  “Annaliese,” Kieran cautioned.

  “And when he bolted out of that bed in August and scared her, Mom and Avery got mad at her. Did you know he asked her to lunch a few days later on the premise of checking on her, and he accused her of not caring about Dad?”

  “I didn’t know that,” Kieran said.

  Annaliese choked on another sob. “He said he apologized, but why did he do that? Why did either of us make assumptions about her? She was there. She was there more than about anybody other than Mom, and nobody was listening to her.”

  “Annaliese,” Kieran pulled her into a hug. “You let Sidney and her husband make you feel bad. Trust me, you aren’t acting like either of them, and you’re handling your father’s condition much better than they have.” He patted her back. “Don’t you think I would have said something if you were acting out of character?”

  “Yes, but you work long hours like I do, and you lost your father ten years ago. You understand it in a different way. In Kalea’s situation, it’s an uncle that she’s close to. In Sidney’s, it’s the first parent between her and her husband to pass. They do have
different perspectives.” She pulled back. “They all do.”

  Kieran stared at Annaliese. “Who?”

  She picked her computer up off the coffee table. “All the people affected by these ‘miracle healings,’ if you can call it that if the people are dying again. I did some research today after talking to some of my colleagues about these cases.” She paused, tapping at her computer. “All of these people that witnessed a ‘miracle healing’ were what Sidney referred to as ‘people on the periphery.’ No direct relatives were affected. They were nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, friends, or even medical staff in a few cases. They all had minor or mid-level illnesses or injuries that were healed within twenty-four hours of the healing. And they’re all healed of every ailment while their loved ones are dead or dying, save signs of anxiety.”

  Kieran stared at Annaliese. “I didn’t know that.”

  Annaliese dropped her computer on the couch cushion beside her. “That’s just the ones on file. There’s no way to account for the ones that didn’t see doctors, or any healings that happened in private homes. We could be missing a significant group of people that are wandering around, not knowing what happened to them.”

  “And then there are the crimes,” Kieran said. “Some of these people have cracked.”

  Annaliese nodded. “I’m looking into that, but not getting far.” She paused. “What’s the progress on this bill for funding the research? Things are escalating. It’s my suspicion that we’ll have another die-off of the dementia patients starting next week and if I’m right, and there will be more incidents like the ones with Kalea and Sidney trying to stop others trying to kill people.”

  “Which there have been,” Kieran added.

  “Then we need to act sooner rather than later, and can’t afford to dilly dally with go rounds in committee meetings. I’m starting to feel a sense of urgency, and I don’t think it’s paranoia from Dad’s condition.”

  Kieran leaned back. “I don’t either, and I do see your point. If you’re right, then all the miracle healings are dead within two weeks, and we’re left with a group of people that had what they’re calling ‘secondary healings’ running around, and not all of them are worried about it. There’s no organization. Plus, there were two more attempted murders today from people that were affected by this.”

  Annaliese raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  Kieran nodded. “A man tried to stab his boss in Boston, and a woman fired a gun in a mall in Albuquerque.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “They’re both dead.”

  “Nobody was there to stop them?”

  “Nobody like Kalea or Sidney were there; just armed security guards that were forced to fire on the assailants, and wouldn’t you know that both got a kill shot, although they claimed that’s not what they were aiming for.”

  “Geeze,” Annaliese gasped under her breath. “Kieran, this is bad. Is there any way to fast track this funding bill? I don’t think we can wait any longer.”

  “I’m pulling every string I’ve got to pull.” He patted her hand. “Why don’t we take the advice you gave Kalea and Sidney? Why don’t we take the weekend off and head someplace fun? The jet is available and we can go anywhere we want. How about The Grand Canyon? I know you love it, and I’ll bet the weather is perfect right now. We can pack a bag, sleep on the jet, and be there by sunrise. I can call the lodge now to get a suite set up.” He hugged her again. “We could both use a break. Your office is closed, Avery is with your parents, Kalea is with her parents, and nothing is going to happen with that bill until Tuesday. What do you say?”

  Annaliese glanced at her computer on the cushion beside her, which had already gone into hibernate mode. “You’re right. Everybody else is taking time off. Why not us? Maybe a break is just what we need to come back and save the world.”

  He smiled and stood, offering his hand to help her up. “I think you’ll be glad you did this.”

  She swiped the last tears from her eyes and kissed him. “I know I will be. Maybe this will get us ready for whatever comes next.”

  Chapter 23

  “There’s clearly a need for additional resources so we can research the origin and effect of this phenomenon,” Avery clicked off the last slide and raised the lights in the chamber with the Science and Space subcommittee Tuesday morning. “It was by sheer accident that we were able to pinpoint the information I just presented to you. The fact that these transmissions began to ping our satellite systems the day that our first ‘miracle healings’ were reported is an alarming coincidence that also warrants further attention. That’s why I propose that our research be a joint venture with the medical community. Thank you, gentlemen. This concludes my presentation.” Avery picked up his computer and took a seat next to Kieran in the audience. Kieran had to recuse himself from the hearing since his brother-in-law was testifying.

  “Thank you, Mr. Kerner,” Senator Claire Timberland, the stern senator from North Carolina and vice-chair of the committee, said. “I’ll open the subcommittee to questions.”

  The sub-committee was silent for a moment, flipping through pages of the bill on their computers. Finally, Senator Meekin from Georgia spoke up. “Mr. Kerner, you said you didn’t know the origin of the signals surrounding our satellite system.”

  Avery stood and approached the podium. “No, Senator. We don’t have enough long-range equipment functional in orbit to zoom in on anything closer than Saturn, and the point of origin extends beyond the Jovan system.”

  “And yet, you were able to determine that these waves are being transmitted back to Earth, presumably affecting human beings that were subject or witness to these ‘miracle healings?’”

  “The only thing we’ve been able to determine is that the signals bear a striking resemblance to brain wave patterns. As you saw in my presentation, several doctors that have been working on these ‘miracle healing’ cases were able to tentatively match the scans of patients affected by that phenomenon.”

  “So you’re speculating at a causal relationship with no hard data to back it up?” Senator Timberland asked.

  Avery took a sip of water to collect his thoughts. He couldn’t mention what Annaliese told him about Sidney making a definite match, since that wasn’t considered a scientifically valid fact. “That’s why we’re asking for the funding, Senator. So we can gather more data to take it from tentative to confirmed. What we know is that there are what appear to be brainwaves routing through our satellites, and it’s interfering with our systems. It’s a negligible effect now, slowing the systems by fractions of a second. The problem is that it seems to be growing, which means the effect could compound if it gets any stronger.”

  “Plus, there’s the fact that where there are brainwaves, it usually means that somebody or something is thinking,” Senator Braykin from Utah said.

  Everybody laughed. Avery forced a laugh, running his hand through his hair to hide the fact that his laugh was strained. “That’s why we want to bring in the medical community. To see if that’s true.”

  “Does the Space Exploration Society believe this is evidence of extraterrestrial life?” A few laughs rose from the committee, but Senator Braykin silenced them with a glare. “This is a valid question. Do you believe its evidence of extraterrestrial life?”

  “The Society isn’t speculating on anything other than the fact that this is happening,” Avery said. “Again, that’s why we’re asking for funding. There’s something that looks like brainwaves routing through our systems, and when it started, strange things began to happen earthside. That’s too big a coincidence to ignore. It needs further research, and since it crosses over into medical science, where we have no expertise or authority, we’re asking for funding and help from the ones that can give us a better idea of what’s going on up there.”

  “And down here,” Senator Timberland said. She snapped her computer case closed. “There’s another possibility. It’s possible that terrorist forces in the Communis
t or Middle East Sectors have developed a new weapon, and they’re using it against us.”

  Avery expected more laughter to break out but when the room remained silent, his stomach knotted. Senator Braykin turned to Avery, peering at him over silver-rimmed glasses. “Mr. Kerner, has the Society checked to see if the point of origin could possibly be from the Eastern portions of the world?”

  “We traced what looks like a carrier wave coming from deep space, beyond the Jovan system. Like I said, our functioning equipment up there can only go to Saturn’s orbit.”

  “What about the possibility that this wave is coming from Earth, and is being made to look like it has a deep space origin?”

  “I doubt that’s possible. From what we’ve been able to determine, the signals come into the system from a point further out than Saturn, and directly down to Earth from the satellites. I doubt anybody on Earth could mask it to look like it was coming from somewhere it isn’t. You can’t fool triangulation.”

  “Is it possible in theory?” Senator Timberland asked.

  “Anything’s possible, but that’s not probable,” Avery said, perhaps more sharply than he should have. He noticed all the senators were glaring at him. “Senators, all we know is that something is happening up there, and it seems to be having an effect on people down here. I’m here to ask you for the tools to find out more. If you want the Society to look into the possibility that it’s a weapon, we can add that to our list of working theories.” His mouth went dry. Galen Eckenrod, his supervisor, wouldn’t like this. Then again, he told Avery to do whatever it took to get this funding.