“ and the road to Avalon, lost forever in the mists of the Summer Sea.”
With this Johann's cup went crashing to the ground, I dropped the book as well. Life had begun to move in slow motion, we were both in shock as we looked up to see Connor's eyes open and the words coming out of his mouth, barely audible.
“Get the medics,” Johann said in a single breath. I rushed from the room, wasting no time. It was almost noon, they weren't here so they must have been at Jeanine's waiting to eat lunch. I ran as fast as my legs could take, not slowing down as they began to burn.
I couldn't even talk as I arrived, finding half the recon teams on the porch with the medics, Jesse, JoAnne and Jeanine. They gasped as they saw me, fearing for the worst. I grabbed Coffey by her collar half dragging her back with me, unable to even speak.
Jeanine, Jesse and Maddow were behind running wildly trying to keep up. They were yelling at me to stop, but I couldn't. I wouldn't let myself. My legs began to give from the strain as we approached the doctor's house, but Coffey pulled me along. It was her turn to drag me now.
We rushed into the room, Johann spitting out orders at break neck speed.
“Coffey, grab the scans from last night.”
“Maddow, I need you to test reflexes, now.”
“Jeanine, dear. Help me move him upright.”
“Jesse get me some water, JoAnne be a dear and find some carmex in my bathroom.”
“Liz darling, I need you over here where he can see you.” He said “I have no idea if he is registering this, but if he can see I want it to be your beautiful face, dear.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked
“Patience dear, we need the others to get back with the things I asked for.” He said, “When you left, I walked around and eventually his eyes followed me to the other side. He is making an incredible breakthrough and we are going to help facilitate it.”
“Sir, I've got the images.” Coffey said short of breath. Maddow was right behind her.
“Good now help me get this gown off.” He said, for a moment I imagined him as he had been when he was younger and the most distinguished trauma surgeon within a thousand miles. His body had slowed with age, but his intellect was still formidable.
“Yes, sir,” they said starting to remove his gown, careful not to pull out IV’s or monitors.
“Not all the way,” Jeanine said. “After all, there are children present.”
“I've never seen someone with this kind of musculature in a vegetative state.” Maddow pondered as they set him up for the tests.
“Well, young man.” Johann said matter-of-factly, “The two of you have been like his personal trainers since he arrived, helping to stave off sever muscle loss. We just may be able to restore function in a reasonable time frame if we are lucky.”
“We don't need luck.” Jesse said as he came back, JoAnne squeezing his hand. “Connor never gave up before and he won't now.”
“You've got to manage your expectations, honey.” Jeanine said smiling at them. “These things can take a substantial amount of time, I know. I've read almost all of Johann's medical journals.”
“She's knows more than I do now.” He laughed as he finished hooking up the EKG. “The water and lip balm please.”
With that Johann smeared the Carmex on his lips and the inside of his gums. He then slowly poured the water in his mouth. Connor couldn't swallow on his own so Johann would drain it with the little vacuum hoses that dentists use.
“We're ready, sir.” Coffey said. “Just tell us what to do.”
“The two of you are going to make extraordinary physicians someday,” he said, before giving more orders. They beamed with pride, obviously this was not just a passing compliment. “This is going to get complicated, so please every try and keep quiet. Liz darling, continue reading where we left off.”
I quickly found our place and carried on, placing my trust in Dr. Brier's hands.
“And now,” He said softly to his medics, “Coffey, I need you to capture the images the exact moment Maddow stimulates the nerves. With Liz reading we will be able to see if he is capable of functioning on multiple levels.”
I continued reading, while Johann would point to the next reflex spot hoping that Connor would react. It was a slow process, only a few good images at a time. We were making no progress until nearly an hour later as Maddow tapped his knee and the monitor lit up with activity. His brain function was sparkling like a fireworks display and his knee jerked ever so slightly. It was the first time in months I had seen him move.
The whole time, his eyes remained open, only blinking occasionally. Johann explained this was an involuntary reaction, but when he finally responded his eyes darted from the ceiling toward me. In that moment, I could see through him, his eyes conveying everything that he could not.
It would be a long process. It had already taken a substantial toll on me, through all of the agonizing weeks and months when despair had so cruelly beaten me down. At moments when I wanted nothing more than to walk a mile into the woods and put the barrel of a gun into my mouth, because I could not bear the pain any longer. I had prayed every night for god to spare him, finally Connor had come back to me.
Chapter 23