Life Changer Read online

  The first foster family he lived with moved to Melrose, MA, north of Boston. When they wanted to move to Georgia, Robert was taken out of the home and placed with Joseph and Bertha Young in Medford. He had no recollection of his life before he was found on the highway. He was reserved, quiet, and shy.

  The Youngs had fostered children for many years. Bertha gave up long ago on adopting an infant or toddler. Every time she got attached to one, the child was returned to his family. They mostly took in older children now, sometimes as many as four at a time. Robert was the youngest, at the age of nine. The next year, two of the older children graduated from high school, and the other one went to live with one of his relatives.

  Joseph and Bertha took Robert into Boston on a Saturday. They walked the historic red line through the city seeing all the sites, including where the Boston Tea Party took place, and walked on the tall ship the USS Constitution. Robert enjoyed the day and all the history.

  That evening at dinner at the famous Oyster House, Joseph and Bertha asked his permission to adopt him. Robert was so happy. Finally, someone who really cared about him.

  The Youngs were in their fifties when they adopted Robert. He was ten. Joseph was very attentive to his new son, helping with his studies and taking him fishing when they had the time. Robert told him he wanted to be a brain surgeon when he grew up.

  Joseph helped Robert apply to med school at Harvard. He was accepted and given a scholarship that helped with the expenses. His second year there, Bertha had a stroke and died. Robert and his dad continued to be close until Joseph died from heart disease five years after Robert joined the practice at New Haven.

  A year after Robert started working with his team, a young college girl, Ava, came in with a head injury caused by a dirt bike accident. She had a severe concussion and remained in the hospital for several weeks. When she was conscious, she showed great affection toward Robert. It was common for head trauma patients to feel that way since their doctor was usually the one the patient remembered first and latched onto for help. But as she continued to recover, her parents encouraged a relationship. They believed that their daughter marrying a neurosurgeon would be perfect for both her and the family. She was impulsive and needed a steady hand. It would be so lucky if she didn’t have to worry about a career, if she could just do what she wanted, have children, live an easy life. And her mother thought how satisfying it would be, introducing her son-in-law, the doctor.

  Although Robert resisted, having been told many times not to get involved with patients, the relationship blossomed, and they dated while she was in therapy. The only loving woman Robert remembered in his life was his adoptive mother. He missed her affection and care for him. Naturally reserved, he’d never learned how to get beyond the awkwardness of early dates—the bond with Ava avoided all that, moving straight into emotional intimacy. He found it difficult to ignore the pleasure he got from his young patient’s affection; it was as if he were the most important person in her life.

  He thought about it, of course; he took his colleagues’ warnings seriously. But her feelings seemed genuine to him—he believed she could see how much he cared about helping people, not only her, and that this was something she both admired and shared. And she seemed fascinated by medicine and hospitals, by the buzz of life and death that was his world. Just holding her hand or kissing her could bring him peace. He believed this was true love and looked at engagement rings. She didn’t like diamonds. An opal, maybe? Sapphires?

  But once she returned to college, she seemed dissatisfied. She complained about minor problems and sometimes didn’t return his calls. At first, she said it was just the transition, but finally she admitted that there was more to it. She didn’t want to be tied down to a man who worked long hours and constantly had to cancel their plans to take care of a patient. Robert was surprised by her selfishness, though he tried seeing it from her point of view. Soon she broke it off, wanting to get back into the college scene, to be free. “This was a growth experience,” she said. “It was wonderful, but I’m somewhere else now.”

  Unfortunately, Robert had already lost his heart to her. He was stunned by how much he hurt, by what a fool he felt, and he found it difficult to get her out of his mind. The words and kisses that meant so much kept replaying in his head, and he’d have to tell himself again and again: it’s over. He was just starting out, learning life lessons every day. This lesson, so painfully learned, was don’t let a patient get into your life. Too embarrassed to take his problems to his mentor, Dr. John Meyer, he spent many hours with Maggie and Debbie, talking. His friends helped him work through his broken heart.

  Maggie was soft-spoken, kind, and showed great empathy toward him. As psychologists are taught, she let Robert do most of the talking. He told her he felt abandoned, thinking he had found his mate for life. How could she so easily just walk away?

  “Robert, I believe you know why she was so attracted to you. In her eyes, you saved her life. You’re a hero. Many of your patients are going to feel that way. Rescue fantasies are common among young women anyway, and traumas to the brain often leave the patient confused and disoriented. I’ve seen your bedside manner; you’re wonderful with each of your patients. Ava is young, impulsive; I’m sure she thought she was going to die. But she didn’t, and she recovered. You should be proud that you helped her get back to her normal life.”

  Debbie was more stoic, blunt, and to the point, seeming always to have a chip on her shoulder.

  “Robert, what were you thinking? I tried to warn you, you were getting too attached. And I knew it wouldn’t end well. We’re a team and we need to protect each other; it’s called trust. Just so you know, I know how you feel—rejected, like you’re not good enough. Get that out of your head. You’d be a catch. It’s her loss, not yours.”

  He agreed with both women and was grateful for their friendship and caring. Debbie was right, the most important people in his life now were his team, and they would look after each other.

  Debbie and Lisa had had an on-again, off-again relationship over the past four years. Lisa struggled with whether she was straight or lesbian. It was hard on Debbie, never knowing what the next week would bring. But Debbie loved her and each time when Lisa came running to her unhappy or heartbroken, she let her come back. Sometimes there was concern, sister helping sister. Other times, Debbie would test Lisa to see if she truly enjoyed their sexual acts. Every time, Lisa was as involved in their intimacy as Debbie. She loved being touched; she responded to any sign of affection or desire. Many times, Debbie felt distressed by Lisa’s neediness. I’m not selfish—I’m being so nice to her; why is she treating me like a love object? she thought. But none of that mattered; every time, she welcomed Lisa back to her home, to her bed. Debbie was in love with Lisa, and nothing was going to change that. She hoped that someday Lisa would realize she was as deeply in love with Debbie. All Debbie could do was be patient.

  One of the men Lisa had dated was named Lenny Jones. He owned a plumbing company and won most of the bids on the hospital expansion projects. Lisa first met him in the cafeteria one day. They ended up talking for some time, and he invited her to dinner. She hid their seeing each other from Debbie for a while, but finally, Lisa confessed she liked being with him.

  Debbie had to admit she liked Lenny. He was older and seemed to somehow ground Lisa, who was always looking for something but never able to find it. Debbie could tell he was fond of Lisa, and on more than one occasion he stated he’d like to have a family. Lenny knew the two ladies were intimate, but somehow it didn’t matter that much to him. He liked being with Lisa, even if she was undecided where she wanted to go in her life romantically.

  Even Curtis returned and tried to woo Lisa back. At one point, Debbie was ready to throw in the towel and let Lisa ruin her life. But she knew Curtis was a bad person, and he would truly destroy Lisa. It took everything Debbie had to talk Lisa out of going back to him. Even Lenny had a hard time understanding what was going on.

  During the time that Lisa was involved with men, Debbie dated other women. She went to the local gay bars and she met some online. But the relationships went nowhere; she wasn’t sure why. She had even reached out to Micky a couple of times, leaving messages. Micky returned one call, but the conversation was short because she had to attend a meeting at a conference. It was obvious to Debbie that Micky no longer had any interest in being with her.

  Debbie wasn’t much for self-analysis. She decided she was content living her life single or sharing a bed with Lisa when she returned home. Debbie’s work was what kept her going. She was especially fond of Robert. He was so gentle with his patients and genuinely cared for each one of them. She took note of his kindness even with the patients Debbie found exasperating. She looked forward to going to work every day.

  Lisa finally decided to move in with Lenny right before he took a job in Rhode Island. Debbie handled the conversation very straightforwardly. If Lisa left, she could not come back to Debbie—enough was enough. Lisa left tearful but left nevertheless.

  For weeks, he was gone and returned only for a day or two, with weeks in between. Lisa hated being alone all the time and wanted to be with Debbie. She realized how much Debbie meant to her. Debbie tried to be angry and refuse to let her come back, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t shut the door on Lisa. Debbie remembered how confused she felt before she met Micky. Now the roles were reversed; Debbie was the older one helping Lisa understand her feelings. After many tears shed, arguments, and lovemaking, Lisa moved back in with Debbie. She promised she’d never leave for a man again.

  As more and more young people moved to New Haven, a women’s center was added to the hospital. Dr. Linda Nelson was hired to head the fertility clinic and the department for pregnancies at
risk. The women’s center, like the neurology department, became very well known across the area.

  A young couple came to visit Linda. Virginia Anderson Legotti and her husband, Franco, had only been married for four months. The doctor was a little amused at their impatience when they told her they had tried and tried to get pregnant. Once married, they wanted to start a family immediately because their best friends, Ric and Margarita Santini, were pregnant, and they wanted their families to grow up together. After learning more details—Gini had never had regular periods, sometimes went months without one, and had never taken birth control pills—Linda started her on fertility medication.

  Within a few months, Franco was assigned overseas to China, and Gini was going with him. Linda told her to keep taking the pills, and if she got pregnant, to come back to the States. The couple had no luck, and on their return nearly a year later, they started the in-vitro process. Gini immediately sloughed off the embryos. After a few months, when Franco returned from China, three more were implanted with the same result. Linda suggested they try a surrogate.

  Much to Dr. Nelson’s surprise, Gini showed up for an appointment with another man, Ric Santini, a few years later. She was pregnant with twins. Linda was concerned about the pregnancy since Gini had recently been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, and the girl twin didn’t seem to be developing at the same rate as the boy. Trouble brewed when Franco returned to find out his best friend, Ric, had stolen his life, putting Linda right in the middle when he demanded a paternity test, certain the babies were his.

  Chapter 2—Life Changer

  Virginia (Gini) Legotti first appeared in Dr. Young’s and Debbie’s lives when she was brought from Boston in an ambulance, with a severe head trauma. She was nearly seven months pregnant when she was hit by a motorcycle and thrown into a metal park bench. Robert had treated many with the same condition (brain matter loss, with damage to the lower left and right lobes) and knew Mrs. Legotti’s prognosis was grim. He had told Franco Legotti, her estranged husband, that Gini would never have a meaningful life again. She would live only in a bed hooked up to machines, and Franco would have to make all the decisions for her as her legal guardian. He strongly suggested Franco consider taking her off life support. But Franco couldn’t kill his wife, the woman he loved more than anything in his life. He had neglected her and lost her affection, allowing his once best friend, Riccardo (Ric) Santini, to win over Gini and steal her love.

  The loss of the babies and seeing the woman he loved so dearly barely hanging on to life made Franco avoid Dr. Young for a day before making the final decision. After the memorial service for the babies in the hospital chapel, he met with the doctor in his office.

  He took a deep breath. “I can’t give you permission to let her die.” He lowered his head and closed his eyes. “I just can’t end someone’s life.”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. There’s good news. Virginia is showing some improvement. She’s trying to breathe on her own. That’s a good sign she has brain function. I’m very encouraged.”

  Franco looked up at the doctor. “So she’s going to be okay?”

  “It depends on how you define okay. She has severe brain trauma and will probably never walk or talk. It’s way too early to know, but the fact that she’s fighting to live is a strong positive.”

  Franco let out a long, slow breath. Thank God, he didn’t have to make that decision. Thank God, she was going to live. But what did that mean for all of them going forward?

  It had been over three weeks. Franco worked out of their condo in Boston. Business was picking up in Peru, and thankfully, he had finally cleared up the mess in China. The government fined his company a hefty fine, but there would be no criminal action taken against Franco for one of his workers being injured on the job. Luca, his overseas manager, put the finishing details on closing the office and getting Legotti Engineering out of China. The San Francisco office was also closed, and Mario, his stateside office manager, was running the office in NYC. Franco had made several trips back and forth. It was time for him to go back and live in his apartment in New York. Soon he would be going to Peru on a regular basis.

  He still couldn’t be with Gini for very long, and he dreaded visiting her. The swelling had gone down in her face, but she lay lifeless on the bed. Most of the tubes and wires were gone, and she was breathing on her own. But she wasn’t the Gini he had known most of his life. Her mouth was open with saliva trickling out, her head cocked strangely, and her hands pulled awkwardly to her chest. She had no hair, and her skull was odd-shaped in the back. She no longer was dressed in fashionable clothes, super high heels, with beautifully styled hair, and her flashing blue eyes looking at him; that was all gone, never to return. Dr. Young told him she would probably live the rest of her life as he saw her. Sure, her hair would grow back and the skull would be reshaped, but there would be no more smiles with deep dimples in her cheeks, no more spirited talks.

  She wouldn’t want to live like this, would she? All that energy, drive, and spirit confined to a bed, not able to even talk? He should have ended her life when he had the chance. Dr. Young had tried to convince him that would be the best for Gini, but he couldn’t hear the words; he was too much in shock. The thought of killing someone just for convenience sickened him, especially since it was his wife. But now he saw it wasn’t about convenience; it was about Gini. The humane thing would have been to let her go, take her away from all her pain, her struggle, her nothingness. But it was too late; she would remain this very disabled person forever.

  A couple of days later, Ric was coming out of Gini’s room when Franco walked up to sign in. When the two men saw each other, they embraced.

  “Good to see you, man,” Ric said.

  They stood face-to-face for a few long seconds. “Want to go for a cup of coffee?” Franco asked.

  “Sure.”

  Debbie and Lisa were at the nurses station, watching.

  “It’s amazing how close they are,” Lisa said. “They almost act more like family than friends.”

  “It is interesting,” Debbie said, looking back at her patient charts.

  Lisa picked up her personal tablet and did a search for Franco Legotti. “He’s an engineer.”

  “Who is?”

  “Mr. Legotti. He owns his own company and digs water wells around the world in underprivileged countries. Says he worked in China; now he’s in Central and South America.” She giggled a little. “I always thought him a bit square, but that braid, the man bun, and dragon tat on his neck seem out of place.”

  “I think he has a bit of street savvy in him.” Debbie put one chart back and grabbed another. “He looks tough but has a tender heart that has been broken. Losing his wife and children has scarred him deeply.”

  “He was the father?”

  “I don’t know; I just guessed so since he had pictures of the babies after the memorial. I saw a glimpse of the little boy, and he looked like Mr. Legotti. Never did hear officially, though. Doesn’t matter now since they are gone.”

  “Nope, doesn’t matter.” Lisa looked up Ric. “Oh my gosh. Mr. Santini owns a company called Greystone Entertainment.”

  “Well, that fits him perfect. Like I said, a pretty boy. A wedding planner.”

  “No, not weddings. His company manages political, charity events, and the like. Also, he’s working with a wealthy man in Florida to promote the two resorts the Florida man is building. If only we knew the story behind the three of them. How they know each other and why they are so close. I’ll bet Mr. Santini’s parents were special and taught him all the social graces.”

  Debbie looked over at her. Lisa had a sweet, dreamy look on her face—probably in a make-believe world. She had a weakness for romance novels. Debbie didn’t know why Lisa was so enchanted with Ric.