Carl took a couple of steps forward and stood next to the Egely nurse at the foot of the bed.
The sight of the silent Uffe holding his sister’s hand, face resting against her cheek, was very touching. At that moment he seemed like a lost puppy who, after restless searching, had finally found his way back to the warmth and security of the other puppies in the litter.
Then Uffe moved his face slightly back, stared intently at Merete again, laid his lips against her cheek and kissed her.
Carl saw Merete’s body tremble slightly under the sheet, and how the display of her heart rhythm rose slightly on the ECG apparatus. He glanced at the next instrument. Yes, her pulse had also increased a bit. Then she uttered a deep sigh and opened her eyes. This time Uffe’s face shielded her from the light, and the first thing she saw was her brother, who sat there smiling at her.
Carl could feel his own eyes opening wide as Merete’s expression became more and more conscious. Her lips opened. Then they quivered. But there was a tension between the two siblings that simply wouldn’t allow contact. This became apparent as Uffe’s face grew darker and darker, as if he were holding his breath. Then he began rocking back and forth as whimpers formed in his throat. He opened his mouth; he seemed confused and under strain. He squeezed his eyes shut and let go of his sister’s hand as he raised his hands to his throat. No words came out, but it was clear that he was thinking them.
Then he let all the air out of his body and seemed about to fall back in his chair, having failed in what he wanted to accomplish. But then the sounds in his throat started up again, and this time they were not as guttural.
“Mmmmmmmmm,” he said, panting hard with the effort. Then came “Mmmmmeme.” Merete was now staring hard at her brother. There was no doubt that she knew who was sitting in front of her. Tears filled her eyes.
Carl gasped. The nurse standing next to him put her hands up to her mouth.
“Mmmmeerete” finally burst out of Uffe after an enormous effort.
Even Uffe was shocked by the outpouring of sound. He was breathing hard, and for a moment his mouth fell open as the woman standing next to Carl began to sob and her hand sought his shoulder.
Then Uffe again reached for Merete’s hand.
He gripped it hard and kissed it. He was shaking all over, as if he’d just been pulled out of a hole in the ice.
All of a sudden Merete tipped back her head, her eyes wide and body tensed; and the fingers of her free hand curled into her palm as if in a cramp. Even Uffe recognized this change as something ominous, and the Egely nurse immediately pulled the cord to summon help.
A deep, dark moan issued from Merete’s lips, and then her whole body relaxed. Her eyes were still open, and she was looking at her brother. Another hollow sound came from her, almost as if she were breathing onto a cold windowpane. Now she was smiling. She seemed almost amused by the sounds she was making.
Behind them the door opened, and the nurse rushed in followed by a young doctor with a concerned expression. They stopped in front of the bed to watch Merete, who looked relaxed as she held her brother’s hand.
The doctor and nurse glanced inquiringly at all the instruments but apparently found nothing alarming, so they turned to the Egely nurse. They were just about to ask her a question when sound came out of Merete’s mouth again.
Uffe placed his ear close to his sister’s lips, but everyone in the room could hear it.
“Thank you, Uffe,” she said quietly, and looked up at Carl.
And Carl felt the pressure in his chest slowly fade.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A big thanks to Hanne Adler-Olsen, Henning Kure, Elsebeth W?hrens, Soren Schou, Freddy Milton, Eddie Kiran, Hanne Petersen, Micha Schmalstieg, and Karsten D. D. for their invaluable and thorough critiques. Thanks to Gitte and Peter Q. Rannes and the Danish Center for Writers and Translators at Hald for providing the peace and quiet I needed during crucial periods while writing this book. Thanks to Peter H. Olsen and Jorn Pedersen for inspiration. Thanks to Jorgen N. Larsen for research, to Michael Needergaard for factual information about the effects of pressure chambers, and my thanks to K. Olsen and Police Commissioner Leif Christensen for correcting issues in the book related to police matters. Finally, a big thanks to my Danish editor, Anne Christine Andersen, for an exceptional collaboration.
Jussi Adler-Olsen
