overpay them, or order them to leave and then fear they would, but to care about them and let them care about her.
“I’ll have to see it to believe it,” Marnie muttered. “I’ve worked with Jenna for over five years, and all I can say for her is she respects the work I do, she pays me exceedingly well, and she doesn’t throw things at me like she does at Jake.” Being an honest person, Marnie added, “Of course, he pushes her buttons. She’s fired him so many times and he’s never left. Just shows up at the office the next day same as usual.”
“She needs him in her life, and by firing him she’s testing him to see if he’d leave her.” Dr. Andrews was so definite on this shocking point that Marnie, leaning forward with her mouth open, just had to ask.
“What makes you say that?”
“She’s in love with him and isn’t aware of it.”
Marnie knew that Jake wasn’t aware of it, either. She kept to herself the knowledge of all the hours Jake had spent with Jenna’s comatose body and how lovingly he’d taken care of her. After all, it was his business, and over the years Marnie had learned one very important lesson. The best way to lose a job was to gossip about the boss.
“Tell me again how you planned the switchover today.” Marnie was still confused.
“When I arrived at Lucy’s a few nights after the debacle of trying to extricate Jenna from Lucy and instead ending up with Jake, I explained to them that when Jake received the tape it proved that neither Lucy nor John had contacted you and Jake about Jenna’s situation. Something obviously had happened to them, but what about me? My genetic background was one of longevity on the male side and since I was only forty in 1963 it was quite plausible for me to be still alive in 2006.”
“But how did you know it would work?”
“Quite simple. The next Saturday at noon Lucy and John and I went to the bench and the exchange happened without a hitch, and that’s when I knew.”
“What did you know?” demanded Marnie, still at a loss.
“That I’d be alive and here to help you. You see, my dear, I sent myself a tape so I would be sure to appear at the right time.” He didn’t bother to explain about the files he’d kept all these years.
“Well, in that case, why didn’t you send yourself the tape to stop the whole situation from ever happening?”
“How could I? If it never happened, I would never have known about it, right?”
“Okay, I can see that, but then when you realized something could go wrong with Jenna coming back, which it did, why didn’t you appear then?”
“I could have, but I honestly didn’t even know if the tape would work. It wasn’t until Jake came through that we realized it had worked.”
“Okay, now I understand, but I’m still not too sure of how you’re so certain that our switch tomorrow will work.”
“Because tomorrow is the exact day forty-three years ago that Lucy and John said goodbye to Jenna and Jake. I was there.”
“So what you’re saying is, it worked.” Marnie’s voice was rising in excitement.
“Yes, my dear. It worked brilliantly.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dr. Andrews proved to be right. When they settled Jake solidly on the bench, strapping him down, he was limp for a few moments. Then the flinching started, first in his hands and then in his feet. Next his spine straightened and his head moved. Quite suddenly his eyes opened wide and he had reoccupied his body fully. It took a little while longer before he became conscious, but as soon as he was, he started to bark orders.
“Quick, help me out of this rig.” He was weak and needed Dr. Andrews’ support to make it over to his chair. He looked all around and spotted Jenna by the gate.
“Bring Jenna here now. Did you prick her finger?” His voice shook from his throat being dry.
“I’ll do it right now, Jake,” answered Marnie, who had run over to Jenna and taken her finger and felt a spurt of mean satisfaction when she
“I’ll have to see it to believe it,” Marnie muttered. “I’ve worked with Jenna for over five years, and all I can say for her is she respects the work I do, she pays me exceedingly well, and she doesn’t throw things at me like she does at Jake.” Being an honest person, Marnie added, “Of course, he pushes her buttons. She’s fired him so many times and he’s never left. Just shows up at the office the next day same as usual.”
“She needs him in her life, and by firing him she’s testing him to see if he’d leave her.” Dr. Andrews was so definite on this shocking point that Marnie, leaning forward with her mouth open, just had to ask.
“What makes you say that?”
“She’s in love with him and isn’t aware of it.”
Marnie knew that Jake wasn’t aware of it, either. She kept to herself the knowledge of all the hours Jake had spent with Jenna’s comatose body and how lovingly he’d taken care of her. After all, it was his business, and over the years Marnie had learned one very important lesson. The best way to lose a job was to gossip about the boss.
“Tell me again how you planned the switchover today.” Marnie was still confused.
“When I arrived at Lucy’s a few nights after the debacle of trying to extricate Jenna from Lucy and instead ending up with Jake, I explained to them that when Jake received the tape it proved that neither Lucy nor John had contacted you and Jake about Jenna’s situation. Something obviously had happened to them, but what about me? My genetic background was one of longevity on the male side and since I was only forty in 1963 it was quite plausible for me to be still alive in 2006.”
“But how did you know it would work?”
“Quite simple. The next Saturday at noon Lucy and John and I went to the bench and the exchange happened without a hitch, and that’s when I knew.”
“What did you know?” demanded Marnie, still at a loss.
“That I’d be alive and here to help you. You see, my dear, I sent myself a tape so I would be sure to appear at the right time.” He didn’t bother to explain about the files he’d kept all these years.
“Well, in that case, why didn’t you send yourself the tape to stop the whole situation from ever happening?”
“How could I? If it never happened, I would never have known about it, right?”
“Okay, I can see that, but then when you realized something could go wrong with Jenna coming back, which it did, why didn’t you appear then?”
“I could have, but I honestly didn’t even know if the tape would work. It wasn’t until Jake came through that we realized it had worked.”
“Okay, now I understand, but I’m still not too sure of how you’re so certain that our switch tomorrow will work.”
“Because tomorrow is the exact day forty-three years ago that Lucy and John said goodbye to Jenna and Jake. I was there.”
“So what you’re saying is, it worked.” Marnie’s voice was rising in excitement.
“Yes, my dear. It worked brilliantly.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dr. Andrews proved to be right. When they settled Jake solidly on the bench, strapping him down, he was limp for a few moments. Then the flinching started, first in his hands and then in his feet. Next his spine straightened and his head moved. Quite suddenly his eyes opened wide and he had reoccupied his body fully. It took a little while longer before he became conscious, but as soon as he was, he started to bark orders.
“Quick, help me out of this rig.” He was weak and needed Dr. Andrews’ support to make it over to his chair. He looked all around and spotted Jenna by the gate.
“Bring Jenna here now. Did you prick her finger?” His voice shook from his throat being dry.
“I’ll do it right now, Jake,” answered Marnie, who had run over to Jenna and taken her finger and felt a spurt of mean satisfaction when she
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