Chapter 3

A couple of weeks went by and Lisa and Emily’s relationship was fast becoming more than just employer and employee. Emily overcame her reluctance and implemented Lisa’s very unorthodox treatment of Gene’s continued deep coma. At first they had taken turns, but as Emily became more comfortable, she had stopped asking Lisa to take over. In just the last couple of days, she had moved on from hand jobs and had now included oral in his treatment.

Although she had had several boyfriends in the past, oral sex had never been part of her lovemaking. With her last boyfriend, in fact, it had been his insistence on her “giving him head” that eventually led to their breakup. Emily wasn’t exactly sure why, but this didn’t bother her. Maybe it was that she knew he was clean, or that she was in complete control of the situation, or maybe it was thrill of taking his impressive erection as far as she could into her mouth.

One day, after their workout, Lisa and Emily were sitting in the kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee; when Lisa said matter of factly, “You passed your thirty day evaluation.” Without thinking Emily replied, “How do you know; I haven’t heard anything?”

“Because I’m the one who passed you; they never really had any say in the matter.”

After getting themselves a second cup, there was a long period of silence. To Emily, Lisa seemed a little preoccupied.

“Emily, I have a problem; it’s rather serious, and you are the only one who can help me.”

“Lisa you know I’d do anything for you; just ask.”

“Emily, I’m sick. I mean really sick; in fact, I’m dying.”

“Oh Lisa, what’s wrong? How can I help?”

“I’ve been diagnosed with ALS. In fact, a very nasty variant form of ALS. Respiratory Onset ALS only accounts for 3% of all the cases of the disease and is more commonly found in males; I guess I’m just lucky. I’ve known about it for several months. At first I couldn’t believe it. There were no symptoms, just the blood test results. I thought it was a mistake, but a second test came back positive for the disease. My doctor said that the symptoms would start showing themselves in the very near future and once they did, their progression would be quick. The median survival rate is less than a year and a half. I’ve begun to show signs of the disease, and before it incapacitates me I want to get my life in order.”

“Oh Lisa, I’m so sorry for you; how can I help?”

“Please, let me explain everything before you agree. I’m going to be asking a lot of you.

“First, there’s Gene to consider. I want you to continue being his caregiver for as long as he lives.

“Second, and probably the most important, is our financial situation. Because we never had any kids and we were both only children without any living parents to consider, we never had wills made. If a married person dies without a will, all of their assets go to their spouse. That was fine with us because we only had each other. Our present health situations now create a major problem. For me it’s no big deal; I’m still capable of making a will and leaving my money to whomever I want. Gene, however, can’t do that in his present condition. If he dies first, again, no big deal, all his assets go to me and become part of my estate. But if I die first my assets are transferred to my beneficiaries. But then, if Gene dies without ever regaining consciousness, he’ll have no will, and everything he owns will go to the state. I figure Gene’s estate, including all of his cash, stocks and bonds and the two houses, is somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred and fifty million dollars. I can’t let that happen; Gene worked too hard and lived such a danger-filled life to see everything go to the State of Arizona. That’s where you come in.”

“Me ... Lisa, I’m just his caregiver, I’ve only known him for less than two months.”

“I know; but I picked you for a very specific reason. You look enough like me to be my sister. We are about the same height, the same weight, and are the same age, give or take a few months.”

“But you don’t have any sisters; you told me you were an only child.”

“I’m not asking you to be my sister; she said quietly, “I’m asking you to be me.”

“What are you talking about; I don’t understand?”

“I want us to trade identities. You will become Lisa Paldino and I will become Emily Harris. I’ve been planning this since I first got Gene into that long-term care facility, that’s when I was first diagnosed with this dreaded disease and realized what would happen if I died first.”

“That will never work. You’ve already been diagnosed, you’re in the system.”

“So, as long as I don’t go to the same doctor, who’s going to know? I’ve already done a lot of the research. I’ve lived in the desert all my life; I’d really like to live out the rest of my life overlooking the Pacific. I found a long-term care facility that sits on a bluff on the Oregon Coast. I’ll move to Brandon, using your driver’s license and insurance card, and I’ll get into the system there. Once I’m diagnosed with ALS, I’ll arrange to move into the assisted-living portion of the facility. When I can no longer take care of myself, I’ll be moved into the long-term care section. I’ll make arrangements to have my body cremated when the end comes, and have my ashes scattered along the coast, if that’s OK with you.”

“Lisa, you’re crazy, how do you think you can get away with this? What will you use for money; I certainly don’t have that kind of money.”

“Emily, of course you do, or will; you’ll have my money. You will make the deposit needed to guarantee the payments. I think a two hundred thousand dollar deposit should do it. You’ll still have plenty of funds available. The money to cover the costs of Gene’s care comes from a trust that was set up by the courts. I had that done soon after we got back from Panama. Every month your employer sends a bill to the trustee who pays it. He also sends me a monthly stipend to cover the incidentals, the medical supplies, and fifty percent of the housing costs for the house he’s living in.”

“Lisa, I don’t know what to say. How would I pull this off? What happens when I meet one of your friends? And what happens when Gene wakes up; how can I possibly convince him that I’m you?”

“Emily, relax. We will have to educate you; we still have some time. Don’t make a decision right now. Please keep an open mind about this. The first thing we’re going to do is move. It’s nearly the time when those that can, go elsewhere to escape the brutal heat of the summer season. We’ll move to my house in Sedona. You’ll love it.”

It was a very long night for Emily. What had she gotten herself into? Two or three times during the night she got out of bed and entered Gene’s room to check on his condition. Seated in one of the easy chairs, in the ambient light of the monitors she could just barely see his ruggedly handsome face.

Could she allow herself to ‘die’? What would be the consequences of her ‘death’? She had no close friends other than those from the service; and they were scattered all over the country. She really didn’t know any of the kids that she had gone to nursing school with. She had been ten years older than they were and had witnessed far too many of the horrors this world could heap on the weak, to involve herself in their self-centered lives. What Lisa was offering her was a chance to be born again; this time into a world of wealth, and the security that came with it. All she had to do was take up the challenge to attain it.

‘Gene, are you ever going to wake up; and if you do, will you remember anything from before? Could you love me like you did Lisa ... and are you the type of man that I could love in return?’ It was going to be a ‘crap shoot’, but wasn’t all life?

She awoke the next morning still sitting in the comfortable chair in Gene’s room. Sometime during the night she had made her decision.

Two weeks later all the arrangements were complete. A half hour after it arrived, a private ambulance left the North Phoenix house, proceeded by a Mercedes SUV and followed by a Honda Civic. For the next two hours the caravan traveled north on Route 17, climbing into the high country of northern Arizona. After exiting the Interstate, they traveled another twenty minutes along the two-lane state highway. Emily was driving the last car, struggling to keep her eyes on the road in the midst of the landscape.

The red rock mountains lined the narrow valley as the road snaked its way further north. There were scenic overlook parking areas, hiking trailheads, and the ever-present high desert landscape. The road dipped into a ravine and, after a sharp turn, climbed back out until, at the crest of the next hill Emily’s senses were overwhelmed by the majestic grandeur of the Bell Rock formation and Court House Rock in the distance. The redness of the rock stood in sharp contrast to the clear blue Arizona sky and the bleak brownish grey of the desert floor. Soon after passing Bell Rock, Lisa’s SUV made a right turn and the others followed.

As they weaved their way through a pleasant neighborhood, Emily couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment that came over her. This was not what she had expected based upon the living conditions at the Phoenix house. They turned once again, this time on to Cougar Drive. Each house they passed was a little bigger than the last, until they came to the end of the road, which morphed into a driveway for the most gorgeous house she had ever seen. It was built in the shape of a wide letter V; it was multi leveled, the outside and the roof colored in contrasting shades of beige to blend into the desert landscape. The property, that she could see, was meticulously landscaped and was surrounded by short desert trees that shielded the house completely from the other houses that bordered the large lot.

Lisa pulled into the large two-car garage and Emily did the same. They entered from the garage and walked through the laundry room and kitchen into the great room at the center of the house. While Lisa went to the front door to let the two EMTs into the house, Emily’s attention was focused on the large wall of glass at the back of the house. On the other side of the glass was a large concrete patio, outdoor furniture including several lounge chairs, a table, a large umbrella, and four cushioned chairs. Beyond that glistened a very large and inviting pool, with a circular spa, whose water spilled over into the pool. But the most spectacular sight was the view of the Bell and Courthouse Rock formations less than a mile away.