by admin » Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:02 am
CHAPTER 2: Watching From England as War Rages (1991)
Jared and Marie had been busy since they returned from their honeymoon. Jared had to tend to his department and solve the many problems that accumulated during his absence, and Marie had been invigorated by a new position in Jared's department. Jared actually made Marie a part-time investigator on one of his grants, and this allowed her to do some research in Jared's lab. She had been delighted to return to the laboratory and actually perform some experiments that she could not complete in Dr. Rook's department at Belford. This time, however, she adapted her research to the interests of Jared's-cancer and the spread of cancer cells to distant sites. Jared was also pleased with the arrangement, because he could keep track of Marie and keep her out of trouble. Not everyone in Jared's department, however, was pleased with the arrangement, and this would ultimately come back to haunt the McNichols when Dr. Masters, the President of the D. O. Madison Cancer Center, found out that Marie was working in Jared's lab.
Although Jared had been sick on and off, his illness did not progress to anything near what Marie had suffered. The doxycycline saved him from the most severe complications of the unknown illness, and he actually started to feel better by the end of eight weeks of continuous antibiotics. His signs and symptoms began to slowly subside, although he still had some problems, especially after flying long distances or being at high altitude for more than a day. The recurrences of illness would be a continuing problem for Jared, because he had to travel from Austin to England, which was just far enough to kick off a relapse of the unknown illness.
Watching the Gulf War from England
Jared had been made a visiting fellow of the British Society of Medicine, and he was to receive the Medal of the Society for his research on cancer. He had to travel to the Society's headquarters in London to receive his award as well as lecture around Great Britain. Jared was nominated for the award by his old friend and mentor at the Imperial Cancer Fund in London, Dr. Kenneth Hallman. Dr. Hallman had been an old-timer in the cancer research area. He was older than Jared by at least 20 years, and he was a very distinguished looking British academic with his tweed blazer and wavy white hair. He and Jared actually started a cancer research journal fifteen years~rior, and as the editors of the journal, they had been close colleagues ever since. As a visiting fellow of the Society, Jared must lecture and visit various research and medical institutions in England and Wales and then present a formal lecture to the Society in London.
The lecture tour took place just before war started in the Persian Gulf in January of 1991. Jared and Marie were closely following the build-up to the war (Operation Desert Shield) and the operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation (Operation Desert Storm) with personal interest. Jared's step-daughter Suzanne was serving with the 101st Airborne Division as a crew chief on a Blackhawk helicopter, and her regiment in the 101st was widely expected to be inserted deep into Iraq as ground forces attacked into Kuwait and Iraq. Suzanne had been deployed in the Saudi desert since September of 1990, and Jared occasionally received letters from her describing the boring nature of their deployment. Their main mission during Desert Shield was to be ready for an Iraqi attack on Saudi soil that never came. So they spent most of their time planning and maintaining their fleet of helicopters. Their mission was about to change in a dramatic way.
The British Society of Medicine
Jared and Marie had arrived at Heathrow, and they had to make their way to the historic British Society of Medicine headquarters. The Society owned a marvelous old building on Wimpole Street in downtown London. The very thought of staying on Wimpole Street stirred thoughts of Sherlock Holmes. Although historic, the building had been renovated and contained offices, meeting rooms, a reception room, a bar and tearoom and apartments upstairs for guests. The Society building was rich with history as were the other buildings on Wimpole Street. As a visiting fellow of the Society, Jared had been given one of the choice apartments upstairs for two weeks as a base of operations while lecturing and touring hospitals and research centers in England and Wales.
Tired from the long flight, Jared and Marie fell quickly asleep after their arrival at Wimpole Street. They actually slept until the morning, and they then decided to take in the local sights on foot. London was a marvelous place to explore but Marie tired quickly, so they stopped in a small tearoom for an afternoon tea. Finding their way back to the Society building, they decided to take a brief rest only to sleep until the next morning. After rising and then listening to complaints from Marie about the lack of room service at the Society, Jared and Marie showered kneeling in a tub with a European-style flexible hose and showerhead, dressed and prepared to go downstairs for breakfast. Since Jared was usually ready before Marie, he went down to the lobby area to inquire about breakfast and was told that it was served in the tearoom until nine. So Jared returned to the apartment upstairs to bring Marie down for breakfast. Unfortunately he found her still in the process of dressing at 8:45 AM. Jared tried to be diplomatic and hurry Marie along. "Aren't you ready yet?"
This was actually a rather standard question in the morning for Jared to ask, because Marie was not a 'morning person' and had to be pushed a bit to get ready in a timely manner. Marie resented being rushed, especially in the morning, and she snapped back atJared. "I'm not ready, and I'm warning you, don't push me this morning!" Jared laughed and told Marie, "They have a TV on in the tearoom, and they even have CNN." Marie replied, "You just want to watch the TV to find out what your stepdaugher is doing." Jared smiled, "That did cross my mind. You know, everyone is predicting that today will be the start of the ground offensive, and you know what that means." Marie responded, "Yes, I know what it means, and if you have to go watch it on TV, go ahead, but come back for me in 10 minutes." Jared replied, "O.K., you made your point. I'll wait for you right here. You know that they close the kitchen in 15 minutes." Marie did not like to be rushed. "Stop pushing me!" Jared just shrugged his shoulders. Marie was definitely not a morning person. If he went down to watch CNN, Marie would likely miss breakfast, and he would hear about it for the remainder of the day.
As it turned out, Jared and Marie just made it to the end of breakfast in the Society's tearoom. Some of the other guests had finished eating and had been watching a TV that was set up in tearoom in anticipation of the beginning of the ground offensive of the Gulf War. The rest of the patrons were only interested in hearing about the I" Armored Division, one of the British contributions to the war effort, and they didn't particularly like the extensive coverage of the American Forces, but that's CNN. If the British stations had nonstop coverage of the war, the TV would have been tuned to the BBC or Sky News. Marie said, Jared, you know, there is something very unreal about watching the war live on CNN." She continued, "It's almost as if we are watching a movie." Jared responded, "Only in this movie people are actually getting killed." Marie paused, "I have a gut feeling that there is something unseen going on. It's so surrealistic .... " Jared finally said, "But this is the real deal." Marie said sarcastically, "I know what you mean." Jared continued, "It's weird seeing the live antiaircraft artillery tracers going up at our planes." He paused and turned to Marie, "I hope Suzanne is all right. You know, her unit will probably be the first to go into Iraq. They have a long history of being dropped behind the lines before the real action starts. Look at what happened just before D-Day."
That comment raised the interest of the local patrons. Marie was trying to change the subject because she knew that Jared was worried. "Suzanne seemed bored in her last letter." Jared saw that Marie was trying to change the subject, "A continual diet of MREs and poor sanitation in the middle of miles and miles of nothing but sand has got to be a major downer." Marie added quickly, "I know, and to be honest, I couldn't stand being out in the dust and sand without a shower for three months. I wish she were homef -- ar away from all this." Jared asked, "What did you mean by unseen dangers." Marie, "I don't know. But what if the Iraqi Republican Guard just lays down its weapons and does nothing." Jared replied, "I doubt if that's going to happen." Marie continued, "It's almost as if they know something we don't." Jared replied, "Our guys will be ready for anything that the Iraqis can throw at them. I wouldn't worry about that, but there will be casualties .... just like any other war."
Marie and Jared watched TV in the tearoom for what seemed like minutes but in reality it was just 30 seconds or so when Marie turned to Jared and said, "Remember, Saddam said he would use all of his weapons, and that this will be the Mother of All Battles. He also said he would take the war to America." Jared smirked, "A lot of that is pure bullshit, but in a way you're right. It will only be a battle with conventional weapons if things go well for the Iraqis. And it won't go well for them, you can bet on that. It's going to be one-sided, and that's when it could be dangerous if the Iraqis start using their unconventional weapons." Marie added, "Which is why I think there will be something unseen in these battles. Those SCUD attacks-could there be chemical and biological weapons loaded on those monsters?" Jared replied, "That's certainly possible, and even the commentators have been talking about this for weeks now. They even trained the reporters to put on gas masks. Sooner or later we're going to find out." Marie asked, "But how much later?" Jared replied, "People will be getting sick. If it's chemical weapons, they will be sick very quickly. If it's biological weapons, then we won't know for some time after exposure." There was a pause and then Jared continued, "And it is pretty common knowledge that Iraq has a huge chemical and biological weapons arsenal." Marie added, "Not to mention the fact that Saddam has the right personality to actually go through with the use of chemicals and biologicals!" Jared replied, "For Suzanne's sake, I sure hope not! But they have a history of using at least chemicals." Marie said emphatically, "If they use biologicals, they are insane!" Jared responded, "I agree, but no one ever made the case that Sad dam was sane." Marie continued, "They can't control it. There is no way to contain a biological agent!" Jared said, "If they use it-that is the question."
Another guest at the tearoom heard the McNichols discussing the war and interjected half-joking, "I don't know why you Yanks got us into this bloody thing! Haven't you got enough oil?" Jared replied, "Apparently not!" Marie smiled, "Let's never underestimate the barbarism and stupidity of man." Jared continued half-heartedly, "It's about Kuwait not oil. Ask BP!" The guest was not convinced. He shook his head and smiled when Jared mentioned British Petroleum, and he turned to watch the scene on TV as he said, "Lord help us understand this bloody conflict." Jared just shrugged, and they finished their breakfast without making another comment.
The train to the Northeast
One of the responsibilities of a visiting fellow of the British Society of Medicine was to travel to various institutions and lecture about current research or treatment. Of high priority were institutions that were usually out of the mainstream for most academic visitors. In this way, they will benefit from having a British Society of Medicine Fellow travel to their locations, rather than their having to travel to London. Thus the information gets disseminated to more professionals who could not have made the trip. At the end of the visit a major presentation was usually scheduled at the Society building in London. This was also an award ceremony where the Fellow received the Medal of the Society. Since Jared was a cancer researcher, his responsibility was to deliver research seminars at various universities and hospitals that work on cancer.
The first part of the trip was to visit institutions in the Northeast, so Jared and Marie must find their way from Wimpole Street to North Euston Station and catch a train North. Jared wanted to go via the Underground to North Euston Station, but Marie wanted him to order a cab instead. Although Jared argued that a cab would take much longer than the Tube, Marie was afraid of the Underground and the crowds. She was still unsure of herself and her strength after her long illness.
The night before terrorists had set up a remote car mortar near Wimpole Street to lob mortar shells at government buildings in the area. It was a VW bus converted to hold six homemade mortar tubes that were pre-aimed and controlled remotely or by a timer. The terrorists simply drove the 'special' van to a prearranged location, parked, opened the top and set a timer or pushed a button from a block away. The mortar shells from such homemade devices made a lot of noise but usually did not cause much damage. Their intended purpose was for the most part psychological. In this respect, it probably had the opposite of the desired effect. Londoners were not easily scared, because the older residents still remembered and talked about the Blitz during World War II when the German Luftwaffe pounded London on a daily basis and caused considerable damage to residential areas. If anything, the minor attacks and bomb scares just increased the resolve of the British, who assumed that Saddam had enlisted the IRA to do the Iraqis bidding in the United Kingdom. Of course, they were right, and in London there was little sympathy for the IRA or the Iraqis.
From Wimpole Street to Euston Station to Reading
Jared was up early and down in the tearoom watching CNN for news of the war in the Arabian Gulf or what we usually call the Persian Gulf. The news was good but sketchy, and the ground war would likely be over in days not weeks. Although there was little specific news of the 101st Airborne Division, what news there was indicated that they were far from most of the intense ground action. While the U. S. Marines and Arab mechanized armies were racing North towards Kuwait City, the main thrusts of the coalition armored units after they rolled over the Iraqi infantry units at the border were headed towards the Republican Guard divisions in Southern Iraq, the most dangerous forces that the coalition would face. The 101st was being used as a blocking force along with the natural barrier of the Euphrates River, preventing Iraqi armored units from escaping to the north. With most of the bridges down on the Euphrates, the only escape would be East to Basra. But before they made it to Basra, they would be encircled and trapped. However, a ceasefire in less than a week's ground action would ultimately save the Iraqi Army from total destruction.
While the war in Iraq and Kuwait raged, Jared and Marie arrived by cab at North Euston Station to make arrangements for their trip to the Northeast. As they were in line to purchase their tickets, a uniform policeman, a Bobby with a bright orange vest on, ran up to the line, pointed and yelled, "Everyone move to the gates! Straight on now! Step lively! Move on to the gates!" At the same time the ticket office windows slammed shut, and there was no explanation. Bobbies with police dogs were running around sniffing passenger luggage, and Jared and Marie joined the crowd from the ticket office now moving to the gates. Along the way Marie spotted a piece of luggage without a passenger, and she yelled to a policeman, "I think you're looking in the wrong place!" She pointed to the luggage, "Who does this belong to?" The policeman replied, "Thank you young lady, now move on!" The dogs were almost immediately on the bag. Marie asked, "What are we going to do?" Jared replied, "We're going to get the hell out of here and go where they tell us!" The police were directing passengers onto a platform where a train was loading.
Marie and Jared were told by a Bobby to immediately board the train. Before they boarded, however, police dogs got a good chance to check out their luggage. Marie asked a policeman, "What if we don't have our tickets?" The Bobby said, "Don't worry, young lady. Just board the train, and please mind the gap!" Jared said to Marie, "He means, watch your step, Babe, and don't get your clothes caught between the platform and the train! Let's get on!" Marie to Jared, "You're actually liking this, aren't you?" Jared replied, "This is fun, don't you think? Marie replied, "No, I don't think this is fun!" Jared pushed Marie onto the train, "Where is your sense of adventure?" Marie said as she was pushed onto the train, "I don't like this! Where's my bag?" Jared said, "Let me get my bag on, and then I'll get yours." Marie replied, 'jared, my bag! 1 don't like this one bit!" Jared answered as he lifted Marie's bag onto the train, "I know, 1 know!" Marie asked, "Where are we going?" Jared replied, "I have absolutely no idea." Marie angry, "You mean, you just pushed me onto a train, and you have no idea where it's going!" Jared said, "That's right! But 1 do know that they must have a good reason to put us on this train." A passenger then turned to Jared, "Bomb scare!" Marie squealed, "I knew it! That bag in the station!" Jared ignoring Marie asked, "Do you know where this train is headed?" Passenger to Jared, "To Reading, 1 suspect. That's where this train usually goes at this time of the day." Jared turned to Marie, "Well, you just heard it, we're likely going to Reading." Marie asked, "But we aren't going to the Gray Laboratories?" Jared replied, "Right now we are apparently on our way to Reading!" Marie asked, "What do we do? We don't even have tickets, and we don't have a place to stay in Reading!" Jared laughed, "We'll work something out." Marie continued, "I don't like this!" Marie was mad at Jared for taking the events of the day so lightly.
Jared and Marie moved forward to another car, found two seats, and Jared found some space for their luggage. Most of the other passengers in the coach did not have luggage, which made it a bit easier. Some of the male passengers had to stand, because there were not enough seats for everyone. Jared thought about giving up his seat, but Marie wouldn't hear of it. She did not want to sit next to a stranger on this very stressful day. Jared started talking to one of the passengers, "Do you have any idea of the train schedules?" The passenger replied in a Welch accent, "No, but 1 know this train." Jared asked, "Can we go North on this line?" The passenger shook his head, "I think not. 1 expect that we will see Reading before anything else." Jared turned to Marie, "I don't think that this will help us that much if we can't get a train to the Northeast." Marie asked, "Why don't we just go to the coast?" Jared replied, "Well, we can do that, but 1 expect that we will be missed." Marie continued, "Who will miss us? We were to have the weekend off, weren't we?" Jared replied, "You're right. We probably won't be missed until Monday before my lecture ... And 1 would guess that we could call them and tell them what happened." Jared asked the passenger, "Would you have a map?" The passenger smiled at Jared, "I do, but it's not a very good map." He then removed an old British Rail map from his case and handed it to Jared. Jared looked at the map and studied it for some time. On the back was an old intercity train schedule. Jared finally turned to Marie and asked, "It doesn't look like we can go to where we should be going without returning to London, and I don't think that we want to do that."
Jared smiled and said, "Let's see. How would you like to go to Wales?" Marie became excited and immediately said, "Yes!" Jared continued, "That didn't take long, did it? From Reading, we can go to L1yandidno on the sea." Marie excited, "How did you know that 1 wanted to go to Wales for the weekend?" Jared answered, "I obviously didn't, but we might as well enjoy ourselves. It's probably safer in L1yandidno than anywhere in England." The passenger smiled and nodded his head. He was Welch, however, and Jared considered that he favored this idea anyway. Jared handed the map back to the passenger and thanked him. The McNichols then settled down to enjoy the scenery for the remainder of the trip.
The countryside whipped by very quickly. Rural England was so different from what Jared and Marie were used to that they never seemed to tire of watching out the coach windows. To the other passengers, however, the view was probably boring. The only highlight for them was the teacart that came by occasionally to offer hot tea and biscuits or what we would call cookies. They also had small sandwiches, and Marie was adamant about having some sort of a sandwich with her tea. They decided to do both, and they shared their meal with cups of hot tea. Marie was finally calming down from the ordeal of the bomb scare at Euston Station.
To Llyandidno, Wales
Jared and Marie were amazed that no one asked them for their tickets when they arrived in Reading. It seemed that everyone that had been pushed onto the Reading train was given a free ride by British Rail. At Reading Jared went to the ticket booth and bought two round trip tickets to Llyandidno, Wales. As it turned out, a train for Wales and L1yandidno was on the tracks waiting to leave from Reading. Jared signaled to Marie, "Get your stuff, and let's get out to the tracks! Our train leaves in five minutes!" Marie stated indignantly, "I can't make it in five minutes!" Jared said, "Yes you can!" Marie insisted, "No, I can't!" Jared replied, "You're impossible! Give me your bag. You can make it. Get your ass moving." Marie was mad, but with a little coaching they made the train. As they ran out on the platform Marie said, 'Jared, just get on the train!" Jared replied, "I will, just as soon as I find our car." At the same moment the Conductor blew his whistle indicating that the train was pulling out, and passengers had to board immediately. Marie yelled to Jared, "What do we do now?" Jared was not frazzled, "O.K., get in this car, and we'll sort it out later!" Marie said, "I can't make it!" Jared insisted, "Yes you can!" He threw the luggage onto the train, while Marie was helped onto the train by another passenger. Jared jumped onto the train just as it moved and began pulling out of the station. He smiled to Marie, "See, we made it!" Marie was not convinced, "So what are we going to do about accommodations, Mr. Smartass?" Jared smiled back, "We'll just have to wait and see." Marie said, "I hate this! Couldn't we have just made some arrangements at the train station?" Jared replied, "What, and miss the only train for the next three hours? 1 don't think so. We'll go to the station booking place, and they will find us a room." Marie was angry, "Why do you always do this? 1 hate not knowing where we are going to stay." Jared calmly said, "It will all work out. You'll see. I do this all the time. Trust me." Marie stuck out her tongue at Jared.
Jared showed his tickets to another passenger who told him that he was in the wrong coach. Of course, Jared knew this, but he asked for directions anyway. It seemed that they were only one coach off, so they just had to move forward to the next car and find their seats. Marie said, "I'm having a hard time with this, and dammnit Jared you know it!" Jared replied, "I know, but look at it as an adventure in traveling." Marie spit back, "I hate traveling with you!" Jared smiled, "Sure you do. Now shut-up and enjoy the view." This time Jared was right. They moved forward with some difficulty and rather quickly found their seats and settled in for the lovely trip to Wales. As the countryside rolled by, they had a chance to relax and actually enjoy the view.
They were on a local train that made all the stops. After what must have been over an hour and a half or so, they finally arrived at Llyandidno Station, and Marie was upset all over again. They didn't have any accommodations. Jared told Marie to calm down and let him find the visitors' booth at the train station. Once the booth was found, a young lady was very quick in finding a first class hotel for the night. She called, found a room, and Jared made the arrangements and paid the booking fee. After a short cab ride, they arrived at the Palace Hotel, a famous old Victorian style hotel located almost right in front of the even more famous Llyandidno Pier. In fact, from their room on the third floor, they had a marvelous view of the pier and the sea. Marie was now very happy to be out of London, especially when Jared turned on the TV only to find out that London was having a spate of bombing emergencies at many of the London railway stations. Marie did not want to hear about the bombings, and they would later find out from the BBe that it was likely her direction to the Bobby that located a bomb in Euston Station that fateful day when they were pushed onto a train to Reading.
An unintended weekend in Wales
Llyandidno was marvelous in the winter because of the lack of crowds. In the summer the popular seaside resort was usually full of vacationers. But the winters were relatively free of most visitors, except for some on the weekends. Marie hated crowds, and a brisk walk on the Llyandidno Pier with Jared, even in the cold Welch winter weather, was a nice way to get away from the ever-present crowds in London. The pier itself was a Victorian style marvel with its intricate ironwork and lovely lampposts. There were little shops on the pier, but they were closed for the winter. There was even a Ferris wheel. Marie and Jared marveled at the stoic Welchmen who didn't mind the cold wind at all. To them it was probably a very fine afternoon indeed, but to the couple from the scorching Texas Hill Country, it was anything but mild. They were obviously from overseas and not used to such cold weather, but they enjoyed the scenery with the dull blue-gray waves breaking against the old pier. Jared loved the old pier and said to Marie, "This is great! I really enjoy walking by the sea, but 1 can't understand how this could be considered a resort." Marie responded, "It must be grand during the summer, with all of the shops open." Jared looked at Marie with a question on his face. He was raised near the Southern Californian coast where warm, white sands and clear, blue waters invited visitors to relax and bask on the beach. Jared wondered how visitors could enjoy the stony, bleak and cold beach, even in summer. But this was Europe, and good beaches were hard to find in the northern latitudes.
After a brisk walk to the end of the pier and then along the beach, Marie regained her appetite, and Jared and Marie decided to try the dining room at the hotel. They were not disappointed. They arrived at high tea, and they decided to visit the tearoom. There they spent a lovely time enjoying the British scones and clotted cream and finger sandwiches. Marie rewarded the hostess with ample praise, "I love your scones. And the clotted cream is just delicious." The Hostess said to Marie, "We make them fresh here at the hotel each day. I will tell the pastry chef that you approve." Jared also responded, "I would say that she more than just approves-she loves them." Marie and Jared relaxed in comfortable chairs in the cozy tearoom. The decor was not quite as old as the outer appearance of the hotel, and it was tasteful and very comfortable. The pictures on the wall were of scenes from late in the nineteenth century to early in the twentieth century. Jared strained to look at the pictures while Marie was enjoying her tea with milk-quite British but they both completely enjoyed the custom. In fact, visiting various tearooms at high tea became some of the most memorable times during their visit to the U.K.
After almost an hour relaxing and enjoying their small sandwiches and scones with tea in the tearoom, Jared took Marie back to their room, whereupon he almost immediately turned on CNN to find out what was happening in the war. They were fortunate that they chose the Palace Hotel, because it was probably one of the only hotels in Llyandidno to offer TV in its rooms and CNN to its guests. Unfortunately, there was not much on CNN about the war beyond what was on TV the previous morning, so Jared turned it off. The Pentagon was managing the news again, and they were only letting out some news that they wanted the people to hear. The BBC was not much better but it was a different slant from CNN. Unfortunately, the BBC World News only appeared at certain times during the day, a problem that would be later rectified. The war news was agitating Marie, so it was just as well that Jared turned it off for the evening. They were both quite tired from the ordeals of the day, especially Marie. They both fell asleep knowing that they were quite safe and sound in their warm bed in Wales.
The following day Jared was up early to watch CN , but there was no report on the 101st Airborne. After breakfast Jared contacted the porter about a rental car, and they checked out of the hotel and were driven by cab to a car rental lot. Jared finally chose an English Ford for the weekend. After a discussion with the clerk as to the best routes of travel, Jared studied the map and they were off. Fortunately, Jared had some experience driving on English and Scottish roads and was quite used to the large lorries that passed ever so close on the 'wrong' side of the car. In Scotland and Wales the stonewalls that often border the back roads presented a real challenge when a lorry came bearing down from the opposite direction. This usually scared Marie who was not used to passing so close to stonewalls on the left that almost took the side mirror off each time a lorry passed on the right. The main 'A' roads, however, were quite manageable and without much traffic.
Marie and Jared drove to Conway Castle, built during the time of Bonnie Prince Charles. The castle was a beautiful structure with high walls and towers. It seemed incredulous that they could be enjoying a trip to Wales, running through ancient castles while half way around the world their step-daughter was in command of a Blackhawk helicopter deployed in the stark desert near the Euphrates River. Jared and Marie tried not to think about the ongoing battle for Southern Iraq. There was not much they could do about it, even if they knew more about what was really going on in Iraq.
Their next stop was Snowdonia, considered one of the most beautiful places in Wales. Their trip took them to a picturesque valley with snow-rimmed mountains on both sides. They decided to stop at a small village just off the main road. Jared spotted a shop selling hand-made sweaters, and they decided to take a look. Naturally, Marie found a heavy wool hand-made sweater that just fit her. It was probably made for a large child, but Marie was so petite that she could wear child sizes. The price was right, so Jared purchased the sweater, and Marie insisted on wearing it during the rest of the trip in Wales. They almost felt guilty about the good time they were having sightseeing in Wales when their stepdaughter was likely in combat in Southern Iraq. Jared admitted that he was frustrated that he could do nothing but watch CNN, so they decided that they had to go on and not focus on the war. There was nothing that they could do about it, even if they wanted to do something.
Back to London and another bomb scare
Because of the train debacle, Jared missed his lecture at the Gray Laboratories, so the next stop on his schedule was Kent. His contact suggested that they return to London, because there was no way to go directly to Kent by rail from Wales. To get to Kent Jared and Marie must return to Euston Station, pick up the Underground to Victoria Station and catch a train South. The first part of the journey came off without a problem. After a lovely trip to Reading where they changed trains and then to Euston Station, Jared and Marie departed for Victoria Station via the Underground. Marie was mad at Jared for not taking a cab to Victoria Station, but Jared convinced her that the fastest route was by the Tube, and they were much less likely to miss their train.
There was a good reason why Marie hated the Underground. It was crowded and stuffy, even in the winter, and Marie hated to be in crowded places with people that she didn't know. Jared and Marie struggled with their bags. The natives seemed unfriendly, but in reality they all had places to go and probably not enough time to get there. Only the tourists took the time to look around and talk to one another. They were a mark, and one scruffy young lad tried to get into Marie's purse and steal her wallet. She yanked it away from him, and Jared gave him a stem look. He just shrugged and likely moved on to the next possibility. Jared would have jumped him, but then he would have had to leave Marie and the luggage alone. He decided that it wasn't worth it. The rest of the patrons seemed so used to the crime, noise and crowds that they were barely awake.
The London Underground, once the most modern subway system in the world, was showing its age and was not a baggage friendly place. The tunnels and stairs were narrow and old in many stations, and the platforms were relatively small by modern standards. The addition of new lines was not especially well thought out, probably because they were afterthoughts, and the tunnel connections between the various lines were often quite crude affairs. The trains themselves were old but serviceable, and there was not much room for baggage, except on the special Express cars to Heathrow Airport, making them a bit awkward for inter-city travelers trying to get from one rail station to another. For the most part, however, they were quite reliable for moving around London, and they were much faster than surface transport. Jared preferred the Tube to the overcrowded, slow-moving streets, but Marie did not like the rocking on some sections of old Underground track and the packing in of passengers on some lines, even during non-rush hour periods. Jared had been studying his map of the Underground. He and Marie were the only ones in sight that did not know where to get off. Jared said to Marie as the Underground made its way toward Victoria Station, "We are just about there-only one more stop and then to Victoria." Unbeknownst to Jared and Marie, the bombers had already planted a device in the Victoria Station. This time it would cause a fatality.
Arriving at Victoria Station
Marie and Jared had finally made it to Victoria Station in order to catch their train to Kent. Entering Victoria Station was like taking a trip back in time. Except for the modern shops, ticket booths and signs, Victoria Station was like a picture from the past. Looking up at the old Victorian style roof and ironworks, one could actually get a feel for how this grand station might have looked in the nineteenth century with steam engines pulling old coaches into the station. Now most of the trains were electric and much cleaner and quieter, except for the diesel trains on the intercity routes. During the day when commuters were not overwhelming the old station, it was quite comfortable with all the shops and restaurants, except that there were few places to sit down and wait for trains. With tickets in hand Marie and Jared waited under the big board that flashed the destinations, track numbers and times of various trains. The clickity-clack of the old schedule board was constantly heard as each letter and number flipped over and over until they stopped and a new destination, track number and time appeared. Each row then moved up one as each train departed.
There was something quite reassuring about the large schedule board. It seemed odd compared to the all-electronic airports where such mechanical boards had long since disappeared in favor of multiple TV monitors. One could also find train schedules on TV monitors at every station, but there was something about the big schedule board that attracted customers. Perhaps because it was so easy to see the various trains and their destinations, and also it probably reminded passengers of a change on the board by its clickity-clack sound. Marie spotted their train first and shook Jared into consciousness. She said, "Our train is on track eight. 1 want to board now." Jared to Marie, "You can't go until it flashes 'boarding'." As he said this the cards in the 'boarding' part of the sign began flipping and finally stopped at 'now boarding.' Jared finally responded, "O.K., You're right. Let's go!"
They grabbed their black, wheeled baggage and headed for track eight where a mass of train riders had converged. Marie said, "I hate this!" But Jared didn't bother to answer. The gates opened, and the riders converged on the gate. The McNichols finally moved slowly to the front of the line as passengers passed through the gate. Jared handed the tickets to the man at the gate who punched holes in them, and they made their way out to the platform to find their coach. To make Marie feel better Jared had purchased 1st class tickets, so they had to find the 1st class coach. Once inside their coach they found that there was much more space for their baggage and the chairs were more roomy and comfortable than in 2nd class. They finally relaxed while Jared read the London Times. After a few minutes, a whistle sounded, and they were off. Later that day they would find out that they missed the fatal Victoria Station bomb by about 15 minutes. Their luck was holding.
To Kent and beyond
Jared had to lecture in Kent and at other sites in Southern England before returning to London to give the evening Society Lecture at Wimpole Street in downtown London. It was their good fortune that they had been invited to stay with Dr. Kenneth Hallman and his wife, Janet, who was a practicing hematologist at one of the Kent hospitals. Their home was on a lovely estate in Eastern Kentshire amongst rolling hills, woods and farmland. Professor Hallman picked up the McNichols at the rail station, and they had a nice ride through the countryside to the Hallman's estate. As they arrived, they were pleasantly surprised. The house was a lovely old mansion on a hill with ample space and beautiful views of the English countryside. By the time Jared and Marie were picked up at the train station by Kenneth, they were completely exhausted from their near miss at Victoria and the rigors of travel from Wales. Thus the McNichols both took an afternoon nap, and later they found Kenneth walking about his berry bushes in the garden. Jared joined Kenneth for a long walk, and by five in the afternoon they were finally ready for dinner, which was a delightful event indeed.
Jared had not seen Kenneth for about one year, and they had much research and journal news to catch up on. They were also bound by a mutual dislike of the egomaniacs in their field, such as Drs. Isaac Geldter and Amy Krappner and their ilk, and somehow the conversation eventually turned to this pair as Kenneth jokingly asked how they were doing. Jared and Kenneth had great delight in mocking their importance in the grand scheme of things, but the conversation finally turned to more serious topics, including the war and the bombings in London.
The following morning as Janet was off to the hospital, Jared, Marie and Kenneth made the rounds at the estate. Although it was a cold morning, it was a rare almost clear winter day in Kent. Usually there were high clouds that gave England and most of Europe that gray winter appearance, which can last for months on end with the only interruption an occasional winter storm. Kenneth was very pleased at the lay of the land, and it was clear that he was enjoying his recent retirement and the blessing of not having to fight the commuters going off to London each day. From this lovely location, it was quite a trip by car, train and then Underground to reach his former office. Marie and Jared enjoyed their weekend in the countryside in Kent, and on the following day Jared had to travel to Kent to deliver one of his lectures. The McNichols were beginning to feel quite at home in England, and the Hallmans had done a marvelous job in making them feel comfortable.
Return to The British Society of Medicine
Jared and Marie had to return to the Society building on Wimpole Street, London, because it was time for Jared's lecture and award ceremony. This time Marie was lucky, as Kenneth and Janet were to bring them by auto to the Society. Because of the shortage of car parks in central London, Kenneth had to make prior arrangements for the car. At least in 1991 he could bring a car into central London without paying a nasty fee. However, just arriving in central London was only part of the problem, since they had to find a place to leave the car. All of this had been arranged in advance by the Society, and the Hallmans and McNichols were grateful that they didn't have to take the train and then the Underground to get to the Society headquarters.
That evening was the lecture and the award presentation. Since he was a close friend, Kenneth would be presenting the award to Jared on behalf of the Society. The lecture on Jared's recent research on the molecular mechanisms of homing of metastatic cancer cells to various organs in the body was presented after a course of sherry, a very civilized custom that Jared thoroughly enjoyed. But Marie who didn't drink at all just used the occasion to visit with Janet and the other participants. After the lecture, question period and award ceremony, everyone retired to the bar for a refreshment and toast to the Queen before heading home or departing for a late evening meal.
At the reception after the lecture the conversation turned to a British pathologist, Stephen Paget, who in the mid 19th century proposed the 'soil and seed hypothesis' that certain cancers ('seeds') spread to particular sites ('soil') based on their properties and the properties of the organ site. Jared had used this theory to show how correct Dr. Paget was by demonstrating that malignant tumor cells express particular molecules on their surfaces that allowed them to home to, invade and survive and grow at particular organ sites, explaining in molecular terms why certain blood-borne cancers metastasized preferentially to certain predictable distant sites in the body. Everyone seemed to be satisfied with the festivities, and the Hallmans and the McNichols retired to a private meal with the officers of the Society in a special room reserved for the occasion.
After a delicious meal of English Grill, the conversation turned on many subjects until the final Port toast to the Queen. The McNichols were lucky, since they and a few senior members of the Society had only to go upstairs to their accommodations after the festivities were over. Before taking their leave for the evening, Jared, Kenneth and Marie had their pictures taken in front of a large portrait of the Queen. It was only after their return to Texas that Jared and Marie noticed how similar Marie looked to the Queen, almost like a close relative.
On their way home to Texas
The following day Jared and Marie were making their way to Heathrow Airport when they learned of the ceasefire in Iraq. They were quite relieved, especially Jared, who had thought about Suzanne and her brothers in arms in the 101st almost every waking hour during the trip. It had been difficult not knowing what was happening on the ground in Iraq and Kuwait, a situation that would be rectified in future wars when reporters would be imbedded in combat units. For now they were relieved to know it was over, and the casualties were extremely light for an operation of this magnitude. It was only years later that the real truth finally surfaced and the delayed casualties would pile up to become one of the most costly conflicts in U. S. history. No one would know this, however, because the truth would be kept hidden from the American people.
As they boarded their plane for the trip directly to Houston from London, Jared and Marie reflected on their recent experiences. Even with the bomb scares, homemade mortars and changes in itineraries, they had a marvelous time indeed. And they would find out that Suzanne was safe, at least for the moment. The long trip home was uneventful but tiring. The McNichols were happy to finally see Yin and Yang, who ran around the living room again and again in celebration of their return to Queenswood.