The Lobotomist's Wife(28)

“Okay, Doctor.” Penelope blushed, smiling at Edward as she seemed to struggle to hide her fear. “But I’m scared of surgery.”

“I understand.” He sat on the edge of her bed and looked directly at her. Ruth had come to know the comfort of looking into Edward’s eyes. His presence was like a salve, a perfect counterpoint to Robert’s endless energy. “Penelope, can I tell you a secret?” He leaned in toward her slightly and she nodded, seemingly entranced. “Dr. Apter and I have been practicing for many months now. This is a simple procedure that they have been doing in Europe with great success, and we have brought it here. Just for people like you! It is really easy to do, even though it sounds scary. And we are more than ready to use it to help you. Will you let us help you?”

Penelope gazed at Edward as he smiled at her reassuringly. Then she turned her gaze questioningly back to Ruth.

“I wouldn’t recommend this for you if I didn’t know you were in the best hands.”

“I’m scared.”

“I know you are, but, I promise, you will be just fine. More than fine, you will be better than ever! Can you trust me?” Ruth took Penelope’s hand.

The women looked at each other.

“All right.” Penelope nodded tentatively. “If you think it will cure me, and he will do it”—she pointed at Edward—“I’ll do it.”

Ruth walked down the hall of the ladies’ wing as quickly as possible. She was panic-stricken but had to appear undisturbed. The echoes of Penelope’s screams were frightening enough; any sign of fear from her might create chaos among the other patients in the ward.

“What happened?” she asked in a sharp whisper to Nurse Riley, who was standing watch at Penelope’s door.

“I’m sorry we had to call for you, Mrs. Apter. She needs an enema before her surgery, but she won’t let me near her. The doctor is supposed to be here to administer the rectal anesthesia in ten minutes. This should have been completed an hour ago but . . .”

“It’s all right, I’ll sort it out.” Ruth looked into the room at Penelope. She was facedown on her bed, both arms pinned in place by nurses. Still, she kicked wildly and thrashed her head from side to side, screaming, “Keep that dirty thing away from me! I won’t do it! You can’t make me!”

“Let’s give Penny a moment to pull herself together, shall we?” Ruth sounded much calmer than she felt. The nurses hesitated but slowly released Penelope from their grasp as Ruth rushed to her side and wrapped the woman tightly in her arms.

“Shhhh, shhhh. It’s okay, Penny. You are okay.”

“They wanted to disembowel me!”

“No, they didn’t, honey. They just need to evacuate you down there before the surgery. Remember, we talked about this? That is where they put the medicine so you can sleep.”

“No! I won’t do it. I can’t do it. It isn’t clean. I have to be clean. If I’m not clean, I will get sick. I can’t get sick. I won’t get sick.”

“I know you are frightened right now.” Ruth looked out the window to steady her own fear. The leaves on the trees were beginning to turn into the reds and yellows of autumn, and it made her feel calm in spite of the anxiety and near chaos in the room. “Remember this is going to be so wonderful for you!” If this was a success, it would mean they could treat psychiatric disorders in just a matter of hours; fix people who would otherwise be relegated to life in a psychiatric hospital, with a small surgery on the frontal lobe. Penelope would likely be cured and go home in just a few weeks.

But what if it didn’t work? As long as Penelope supported having the surgery, Ruth felt confident, but to see the terror in her eyes now, irrational as it might be, opened the door to all of her own worst fears. If the surgery went badly, Penelope might not improve—she might lose control over her motor functions or her ability to speak. She might bleed to death on the operating table.

There were institutions who treated their patients like rats in a laboratory, who saw their inmates as expendable. Emeraldine was not one of those places. Emeraldine Hospital put patient well-being first, always. What would it mean, then, if something happened to Penelope and Ruth had allowed it?

“Mrs. Apter.” Nurse Riley touched her tentatively on her shoulder. “Dr. Apter and the anesthesiologist are here.”

“No! No!” Penelope wailed. “Don’t let them in! Please don’t let them in!”

“Penny.” Ruth took Penelope’s face in both of her hands, looking right into her green eyes, puffy and bloodshot from so much crying. “You are going to be okay. Do you hear me? You will be fine. You are going to do this, and when you wake up, I will be right here beside you smiling about how well you did. And you will tell me how you already feel so much better.” Ruth had to believe what she was saying was true; the wheels were set in motion now and nothing could stop them.

“Okay.” Penelope took a big, jumpy breath.

“Mrs. Apter.” The anesthesiologist stuck his head into the room. “Sometimes it helps if we start with a little nitrous oxide.”

“What a terrific idea! Penny, this nice doctor is going to give you something to breathe that will make you feel wonderfully happy. It only lasts for a short time, but I think it will be just what you need to relax before they begin.” As she spoke, the doctor and two nurses held Penelope down and quickly placed a mask over her face, and Ruth watched her body ease onto the bed.