Core Beliefs - Chapter 39 - Desperate Measures

Core Beliefs – Chapter 39 - Desperate Measures

On Sunday, October 19, Ling and her medical staff moved Matt into the surgery suite. They had removed the Imager from Matt’s head. The scars and scabs from injuries caused by the accident did not make for a photogenic moment.

A technician finished the calibration check of the new laser-guided surgical robot. It would identify the precise position for the micro-needles. The needles also served as drills to penetrate the skull.

Matt lay prepped and ready.

Ling stood by Matt. Her stomach tightened as she gazed at his face. For love, Ling would risk it all. To have him back, she would go to the edge of sanity. If Ling had to, she’d battle God. She had only one purpose in life. Restore the man she loved.

The medical team would record the surgery, and outside the family, friends, and the balance of the support people would watch it live on monitors.

Those observing saw Mary Poplar step to Ling and whisper something in her ear. Ling’s smile was evident even through her mask. After a deep breath, Ling started issuing commands and began explaining each step as she proceeded. Hour after hour she continued in a methodical, precise manner.

Each quadrant was checked as it was completed. Matt’s condition remained stable, and the medical staff performed with the grace and precision of a professional dance group, every move coordinated and executed to perfection.

Five and a half hours later, they completed the last procedure. Matt’s head was covered with tiny polka dots, the marks left by the needle insertions.

Ling glanced around at her staff. “Well done. I am so proud of each of you. Thank you for everything you have done during the last week and a half. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I do know that Matthew has more hope now than we would have ever dreamed possible ten days ago.”

She stared into the camera. “Now it is time to watch and wait.”

***

Ling advised that Matt could have visitors. They would have to wear scrubs and masks, and she would appreciate it if they limited it to three at a time. She also said they should talk to him.

“Tell him anything and everything. Most of all, let him know how you feel about him,” Ling said.

Joe and Cynthia were the first. They sat with Matt for almost four hours. Charley, Doug, and Ellie were next, and so on, switching off about every four hours.

***

Marcus and Suchet sat in the cafeteria chatting. Marcus asked Suchet about his family. Suchet said they were in New Delhi, and he missed them very much. He, however, was determined to continue the research in Wichita, and he would not leave until he knew the outcome of Matthew’s surgery.

***

The following day, Marcus again asked Suchet to join him for a cup of coffee.

“I would like to bring your family here to be with you,” Marcus said.

Suchet stuttered in surprise; not sure he’d heard Marcus correctly. Marcus repeated his desire to bring the family from India.

“Suchet, I have already had our corporate lawyers research this, and we have a way to expedite getting them documents. I want to offer you a consulting position with Cor-Digital, and that would clear the way for immigration to grant visas. Our attorneys know the ins and outs, and if you would like, your family could be here by Saturday night. We would handle all expenses. You could move into the Elsberry house.”

“I have never met people who care the way you do.” Suchet wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Your generosity humbles me. I do not deserve such goodness.” A stifled sniff punctuated his words. “I would forever be in your debt if you could do this.”

Suchet stared at Marcus, still in disbelief. “This, you would really do for me?”

“I gladly offer this because I know Matt would want me to.”

Suchet pulled his phone and called his wife, waking her from a sleep, and explained what Marcus had proposed.

Even though Suchet was a top researcher and educator, what one earns in India is still not much. She asked many questions, and Suchet reassured her repeatedly that he would trust his life with these people.

Marcus sat across from him nodding and smiling.

Eventually, she agreed and said they would start packing in the morning. She woke the children, identical twin girls, fourteen years old, and Suchet had a chance to talk with each of them.

***

Suchet was emotionally renewed, and it carried over to his physical presence, always smiling and encouraging. More than ever, he believed that he was here for a purpose and that good was coming.

Wednesday morning dawned bright, hard, and cold outside. Inside, low lights cast a glow throughout Matt’s room. Over the last two days, Ling had noticed sporadic bursts of activity in Matt’s brain. The burst would last anywhere from two to five seconds, sometimes almost a minute.

She sat next to Matt again, holding his hand, talking to him, telling him how much he meant to her, that she loved him totally and completely, and that she would always love him.

She couldn’t help herself. She rose, bent over, and kissed him. Not a gentle little peck, but a firm kiss, squeezing his lips with hers. It was almost as if she was willing life back into him. Ling felt pressure from Matt’s fingers but feared it was her imagination. Her lips and his were still touching. There it was again, and this time, she was sure. His fingers had moved.

Ling snatched a glance at the monitor. Unmistakable in the frontal lobe, a marked flare of activity.

There was no doubt as her heart thumped faster. She whispered to Matt about her love and her need for his return. Her hand held his hand, occasionally giving it a loving squeeze.

Mary Poplar stepped through the door. “Look,” Ling pointed to the monitor.

Mary studied the screen as the activity flashed in the frontal lobe and then diminished.

“He moved!” Ling said.

Mary peered again at the monitor. It had returned to its relatively inactive state.

“It might have just been a spasm,” Mary said.

“Watch and tell me what you see?” Once again, Ling leaned over Matt and silently said, ‘With all my heart,’ kissing him again hard and meaningfully on the lips.

Mary watched the monitor, flicking a sneaked peek back at Ling.

Mary was startled as the monitor flashed; the right frontal lobe flared with activity, then flashed to the left; the parietal lobe was also showing more activity.

She turned to Ling just in time to see Matt’s hand twitch and, for a moment, grip.

Ling broke the kiss and stared at Mary. Her eyes begged for confirmation. “Did you see it? Tell me you saw something, please. I have to know.”

“In both hemispheres of the frontal lobe,” Mary said, “and in the parietal lobe. It was a definite response and not a random act. He knows it’s you, and he is responding.”

Ling collapsed in her chair, mentally and physically exhausted. She stared at Mary, tears tracing her cheeks.

“I have always had hope,” Ling said. “I always reached for the bright side, but until this minute, I’m not sure I really believed.”

“I don’t think you were alone,” Mary walked to her and knelt, “but the reality is we have voluntary movement in response to a sensory input. I recommend you kiss him often and tell him what’s in your heart.”

Ling sat with Matt for another hour before Chris and Charlotte came in. She wanted to be professional and told them that they had experienced voluntary movement in response to stimuli.

Charlotte asked, “What kind of stimuli? Should we continue it?”

Ling’s color darkened. “I don’t think so. It was a kiss.”

Mary sat on the little bed in the corner, laughing, unable to help herself. “A kiss? You call that a kiss? I thought you were trying to suck his face off.”

It was the first good chuckle Ling had had in weeks, and she lost it, making pucker faces at Mary and laughing until her ribs ached. Her face was flushed, and she was making so much noise that several others came running to check on the situation.

The clamor continued, and Chris spotted Matt’s hand twitch again, Chris’s eyes flipping to the monitor. “Hey,” he said, “Did it look anything like this?” pointing to the monitor.

Again, the two brain areas were engaged in a flurry of activity, and Ling spotted new parts engaging as well. The temporal lobe and the limbic lobes were added to the display, and, for the first time, flashes of neurons communicating through the cerebral cortex were observed.

“He’s coming back,” Mary quietly said.

Ling, Chris, and Charlotte watched as more activity occurred. It was painfully slow, but within another hour, a new base level of activity had been established at least three times higher than the level from twelve hours before.

Ling didn’t want to leave, but Chris was adamant. “The others need to hear about this, and you need to be the one to tell them. Ling, I feel in my heart that he will only get better. I will go and gather the troops and give you a few more minutes, okay?”

Charlotte watched as Ling again walked to Matt, held his hand, leaned over, and once more kissed him. Not as hard as before, but with more meaning than ever before. The Imager reflected the accelerated activity level, and Ling swore she felt his lips move. Then his hand squeezed again and held.

It was the most powerful thirty seconds she had experienced in her life. She was content for the moment and realized that doubts were being washed from her mind.

As Matt loosened his grip, Ling rose and turned towards Charlotte. A new joy filled Ling’s face. A twinkle gleamed in her eyes, and a smile that drove the darkness away. Charlotte, on the other hand, leaned against the wall, dissolved into a blubbering mess, tears streaming, and reached out with her right hand to Ling.

“It’s alright,” Ling rushed to her.

“I know I’m so happy, really I am. I just can’t help it; I don’t know what’s the matter with me?”

“It’s what happens when you care with all your heart, and that’s not a bad thing,” Ling said.

They held each other for a ten-count. “You need to go and tell the others,” Charlotte blubbered, “I’m okay, really I am.”

***

Ling strode into the cafeteria, surprised by the size of the crowd. She saw Mary Poplar standing towards the back and quickly motioned for her to come to the front.

“Dr. Poplar has been my mainstay in so many ways for so many years.” Ling addressed the group. “I want to have her tell you about the most recent developments with Matthew.”

Ling had two reasons for doing this. One was that she knew Mary would give an accurate and professional report, and the other was that she was not sure she could get through it without breaking down like Charlotte.

“At the start of this morning’s watch,” Mary spoke, “we had no significant neuron activity above the typical levels seen for the last several days. Approximately an hour ago, Dr. Chang determined that external stimulation might be beneficial. As you know, this entire effort has been extreme and experimental in its attempts to restore Mr. Lehman.

“Once again, Dr. Chang,” Mary grinned, “was prepared to try something totally outside the professional lexicon of medical practice.”

Ling knew it was coming and was powerless to stop it.

“Dr. Chang,” Mary continued, “who shall henceforth be known as Dr. Sugar Lips, planted a big wet one on Mr. Lehman’s lips and literally tried to suck his face off. It was a kiss I will never be able to wipe from my mind!”

She was almost shouting and having entirely too much fun. “As a result, there was an immediate and pronounced increase in brain activity. This was accompanied by voluntary movement of the right hand as it squeezed Dr. Chang’s hand.

Ling blushed red. She glanced about looking for somewhere to hide as laughs erupted all around her and frequent looks were directed her way.

“This process,” Mary continued, “was repeated two times, and the results were verified independently by Mr. and Mrs. Martin.

“The optimal point is that we have voluntary movement in response to stimuli and communication in several of Mr. Lehman’s lobes.”

All remained quiet. Mary finally said in a softer, sincere voice, “People, he is coming back!”

The eruption from the crowd was deafening, with clapping and cheering. Hugs everywhere. Joe and Cynthia rushed over and wrapped their arms around Ling, thanking her profusely.

When things calmed, Ling found a chair and stood on it. “I have something to say.” The room became very quiet, and all eyes turned her way. “What Mary described to you is factually accurate.” She blushed and continued, “The important thing to remember is this is just the first baby step in the process. I have every hope and belief that we will have Matthew back with us, but no one knows how long this process may take.

“I ask you to remember that you have accomplished miracles that will change the world. To reach this point is a wondrous and exciting achievement, but we must remember that there is still work to do and miracles to make.”

She stepped down with a new sense of determination forming within her. Ling realized it would help her through any setbacks. This was destiny, and she had to do her part.