Man Refuses To Stop Squeezing Heart

James Gantry stood for forty-eight hours with his hand inside a crewman's chest. The senior pulse-kneader refused to let an electronic pump touch the patient during a routine valve clear.

"Machines have no swing," Gantry said.

He believes automated rhythm causes moral flatness.

Throughout the long shift, Gantry hand-squeezed the heart of fuel-handler Aaron Cole. He stood on a low metal step to ease the strain on his own back, sipping warm broth through a rubber tube. Gantry varied his grip to match his own thoughts, speeding up during shipboard announcements and slowing down during his lunch.

Cole remained awake.

"It felt like a heavy cat was walking on my ribs," Cole said. "But James has a beautiful touch."

Cole survived the repair.

But the treatment left a deep physical link between the two crewmen. Cole now suffers sudden chest tightness whenever Gantry gets angry at the kitchen staff or climbs a ladder. To prevent a sudden drop in blood flow, Cole must now spend his days carrying Gantry's heavy tools and walking at his exact pace.