Beckon

Miriam frowned. “What time is it?”

“Nine thirty. Tuesday morning.”

“Tuesday… Where are we?”

“In Wyoming. Do you remember coming to Wyoming?”

“Wyoming?” Miriam sat up, and her gaze traced a path around the bedroom. George could see her piecing the memories together, working things out in her mind. “Did… did we drive here?”

George laughed. “Yes, we did. I found someone who was able to help you with your condition. Well… actually, he found us. They’ve got some kind of drug here. The local Indians originally discovered it.” George struggled for the words to explain it to her. “I think it’s making you better.”

Miriam turned back to George and clutched his arm. “I had dreams about you. I feel like I haven’t seen you in years. Only for a few seconds here and there. It was like I would catch a glimpse of you passing me on the street, and I would try to stay with you—hold on to you—but then… something kept dragging me away. And each time I felt like I was never going to see you again.”

Her eyes moistened, and George pulled her close. “I missed you too, sweetheart,” he said, fighting back his own tears. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

George soaked in the warmth of his wife’s embrace, feeling her arms around him and the flesh of her cheek against his, afraid that at any moment she might slip away from him. That she would suddenly pull away and become a stranger again. He breathed in her scent, felt her heart beating against his chest, and he wanted to freeze the moment to keep her here with him forever. Seeing her like this made the thought of losing her again that much more intense. She had been away so long.

The longer George held on to Miriam, the greater his resolve grew. He would do anything to keep from losing her again.

Anything.

George heard a knock at the door and found Thomas Vale in the hallway.

“Mind if I stop in?” he said. “Dwight said she seemed to be responding favorably. I wanted to see for myself.”

George led him into the bedroom.

Miriam peered at Vale for a moment. “I remember you, I think. Have we met?”

Vale smiled. “In a manner of speaking, yes. How are you feeling?”

Miriam shrugged. “Actually, I feel great.”

“Wonderful.”

Henderson returned with a clipboard and took Miriam’s vitals. Vale motioned for George to come out into the hallway.

“At this point, you’re probably the best person to gauge her progress,” Vale said in a hushed tone. “I think Dwight will be wanting to get your assessment of her recovery. Her memories and personality.”

“She seems almost completely recovered.” George was shaking his head. “Like her old self. I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s incredible.”

Vale nodded. “The perilium will continue to take effect throughout the day. We’ll keep her under close observation for another twenty-four hours or so. But Dwight seems to think she’ll be completely restored within a day or two.”

George felt giddy. “You’ve given me my wife back. I’d forgotten how much I missed her.”

“I know you’re going to want to stay with her all day, but she’ll need a few more hours of rest. In the meantime, there’s something else we need to discuss.”

Vale led him downstairs and along the hallway to his office. A row of windows lined one of the walls behind an enormous desk. Outside, the morning sun lit up the countryside. To the right of the desk was a bookcase stacked with thick, weathered tomes and newer books on a variety of topics. Thomas Vale appeared to be an avid reader. George wasn’t surprised.

Vale took a seat behind the desk and motioned for George to sit in one of the chairs opposite him. George assumed they were here to discuss the details of payment for his wife’s cure. He was filled with a new hope at seeing Miriam’s progress. The perilium certainly seemed to have lived up to its miraculous billing, though George wasn’t ready to sign anything just yet. He needed to verify that the effects were permanent.

Vale rubbed his chin as if trying to choose his words with care. “I think we can both agree that your wife’s condition this morning is better than it’s been in several months, wouldn’t you say?”

George nodded. “She seemed perfectly healthy to me.”

“She’s responding very well. However, you recall Dr. Henderson’s initial discussions with you over the phone. This is not a one-time treatment.”

George did recall that Henderson had indicated the treatment would require an ongoing regimen. “He mentioned that Miriam would need to remain in Beckon for a while.”

“Yes, she’ll need to remain here.”

George frowned. “For how long?”

Vale gazed at George for a moment, tapping his fingertips lightly together. “Indefinitely, I’m afraid.”

George blinked and leaned forward. “Indefinitely? You mean she can’t go home again?”

“Understand, we can’t just call this in to your local pharmacy,” Vale said. “The only person who knows exactly how perilium is made is Nun’dahbi. It can’t be synthesized, and there are limits to how much she can produce and how quickly she can produce it.”

“That’s why you targeted me,” George grunted. “You need funding to keep making more of this stuff.”

“Everything has a cost. Perilium is an extremely difficult formula to produce. The organic components are indigenous to the caves here and aren’t easily harvested. It’s just not something we can replicate on a large scale.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because you might not have agreed to the procedure,” Vale said.

“No, I wouldn’t have agreed.” George rubbed his forehead. He knew this was too good to be true. “So you lied to get me here.”

“We didn’t lie to you, George,” Vale said. “We simply didn’t tell you everything.”

George’s shock was quickly turning to anger and he stood, shaking his head. “Well, I’m not going to let you get away with this. This… this is—”

“What?” Vale’s countenance darkened, and he stood to face George. His yellow-green eyes turned fierce. “This is what, George? Your wife was dying a slow and protracted death. And now we’ve given her back to you. We’ve given you the chance at a normal life together. You tell me, where is the evil in that?”

“I don’t believe this.” George felt his anger wavering, and he sat down again. Vale was right—what other choice did he have? “What happens if she stops taking it?”

Vale’s gaze beat a trail across the room, and for the first time, George saw hesitation on his face. “The effects would… diminish.”

“Diminish? Meaning what? Her dementia will return?”

Vale sat down. “As we explained, perilium affects the body’s immune system. But its influence is evident only as long as it remains active in her system.”

George tried to process this new information, fluctuating between anger and despair. But he knew he had few options. “So how long does the effect last? How long before she’ll need another dose?”

“Two or three days, perhaps.” Vale shrugged. “It depends. Everyone responds differently. Dr. Henderson will continue to monitor her progress and administer another dose when her symptoms reappear.”

“So… then what? You expect us to just move here? To Beckon?”

“You must understand that we choose our candidates with a great deal of care.”

“Candidates?”

“Yes, George.” Vale’s eyes grew a little colder. “Your wife’s condition along with your assets and skills made you an ideal candidate to join our community.”