Core Beliefs - Chapter 40 - Coming Back

Core Beliefs – Chapter 40 - Coming Back

Flash! That was what it was: a flash. No comprehension, no understanding, just a flash and then another. There was no sense of time, no sense of touch, smell, hearing, taste, or sight. No sense of being, just a flash.

A new flash, a different flash, then it was gone.

Matt had no awareness of his circumstances or that his body was being invaded cell by cell.

Ling had injected the nanobots into over two hundred locations, totaling over a billion micro-critters.

These artificial creatures were a concoction of molecules with no understanding beyond functioning as designed. That design required them to achieve equidistant spacing to migrate through cells into the nuclei without causing harm or damage.

Each molecule carried living DNA. Once injected, they began moving, and that movement proceeded at an atrociously slow pace.

They did not stop; therefore, the nanobots did not allow the DNA strain they carried to be released into the nuclei.

It was all a function of time. Only after the nanobots stopped and the molecule began to break apart did the new genetic string have the ability to detect the presence of other DNA.

It took three days before the first nanobot reached cells where it no longer felt pressured to migrate.

The beauty of the regenerative DNA molecule was that it first looked for a matching DNA sequence. The nature of the regenerative DNA was not to replace the existing DNA; it was to restore it. Each segment matched itself to the natural DNA in the cell.

If there were a difference not found in the natural DNA, it would splice in those elements. If the natural DNA had elements that the regenerative DNA did not, then they would be ignored. The miracle was that as the genes spliced, regeneration did not stop at the nuclear membrane. Instead of dividing like an embryo, the regenerative DNA restored the cell.

***

More flashes, but now they were different. They lasted longer, and patterns repeated.

Matt still had no consciousness. He was on the receiving end of brain cells, individually and sometimes collectively, firing their neurons as axon terminals and dendrites increased their activity.

On occasion, as the nanobots entered cells, they clashed with other nanobots. Thus, triggering neurons, and Matt would sense a flash. Even after the nanobots moved on, the cell remained active and would sporadically fire its neurons with no rhyme or reason. It was only after hundreds of cells were collectively active that they fired and reacted to each other, creating the different flashes, the ones that lasted longer.

The cerebral cortex was the outermost part of the brain and the part most damaged in the wreck. Though nanobots were injected into this area, they had a harder time finding a cell to stop in. Dead cells blocked the nanobot’s movement. It took longer for the regenerative DNA to find a path to living cells through the maze. Therefore, the part of the brain responsible for memory, cognition, and the analysis of sensory data was the last to begin responding. The same was true for the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe.

It happened suddenly. Not a flash, but an image. It was familiar. It was comforting. It was pleasurable. A new series of sensory inputs was transmitting signals, and finally, the cerebral cortex had enough active cells to respond. Matt still had no consciousness, but he reacted.

 Again, stronger this time, an image and new senses, emotions registered. Strong feelings, though Matt did not understand what the emotions were. The image faded, but a memory of it remained, powerfully gratifying and comforting—the image of a face. One that resonated. Emotion, love, and powerful, meaningful sensations flooded through his being. Matt seized onto the image and then suddenly said, “Ling.”

A connection was made, and a composite memory resurrected from those stored in dormant cells.

Ling had finished her third kiss and turned to look at Charlotte.

***

Every day, Ling and the staff identified more activity and realized the regions most damaged were beginning to respond. Ling and Mary discussed this, agreeing that dead tissue was present and could not regenerate. Ling thought about injecting new brain tissue, but Clarence argued against it, believing new generic tissue would be devoid of patterns and functions. Basically, it was a healthy, filling space, but not useful until the brain’s functions were restored.

There was that word again, “Restored,” Ling thought.

Ling witnessed restoration happen, hour by hour, painfully slow, and yet every hour brought new promise, and on occasion, a series of neurons would set off a chain reaction that would course through the entire brain.

***

It was Saturday, the 25th. The majority of the people who had helped so much had gone back to their lives. Clarence had returned to his lab at Cor-Digital, Doug and Ellie back to the silo, and Suchet had returned to Wichita with his family. His twin girls were quickly adopted by the Martin and Coblentz kids, who felt they were immediately accepted.

On their second day at school, two boys were making fun of Suchet’s girls when Elvin showed up and whipped them on the spot. He got in trouble and spent a week in detention, but with a huge smile, said it was worth it.

Chris had developed flu symptoms, and Charlotte took him home to recuperate.

Marcus dropped by the facility regularly, asking if Ling needed anything. Melissa Kyle was always available; after all, they still occupied several of her labs.

Mary Poplar had gone back to Houston with the nurses.

One of the assistants from Wheatley went home, but the other, Bernadette, stayed on, telling Ling that this was the most meaningful and exciting adventure of her life and she would not leave, even if Ling told her to go.

Joe and Cynthia stayed at Matt’s house. They came in daily, relieving Ling so she could get some sleep. Karl Conrad, the HR director for Myoplex, had taken a large office with a bathroom and converted it into a sleeping space for Ling and Bernadette.

On occasion, Bernadette would get out, drive to a nearby mall, and walk around. Ling, on the other hand, was determined to be at Matt’s side every minute possible.

She still, on occasion, would give him a tender and full kiss. The Imager would still show neurons firing and new combinations forming.

One afternoon, Joe and Cynthia were sitting with Matt. Ling was sleeping.

Cynthia came to Ling, gently but firmly shook her, and said, “I think you need to come.”

Ling sprang up and rushed ahead to the room. Joe was there holding Matt. His right hand pressed on Matt’s right leg, and his left hand held Matt’s right arm. The Imager was registering strong activity on the voluntary motor lobes, and the brain stem was more active than Ling could remember.

Ling eased over to Joe. “Let me hold his arm, and you hold his leg.” As soon as Ling took the arm, she could feel the muscles trying to move. It was erratic, but it was definitely a motor response to instructions from the brain. Ling started guiding the arm up and down, bending at the elbow. She flexed her fingers manually, closing and opening them. Ling encountered resistance each way. When she stopped, the fingers continued to open and close for several seconds.

Ling told Joe not to hold the leg tight and to guide it up and down.

When Joe flexed it, there was a violent reaction: Matt snapped the leg straight, triggering a spasm that affected most of his body.

“His knee,” Ling cursed, “it’s not healed. We have to get him painkillers.”

She called Bernadette and told her what she needed. They had a virtual pharmacy, and Bernadette was back quickly with the drug and a syringe.

Joe held the leg, and Ling placed three shots about the joint. Within 30 seconds, the spasm started to diminish. Within two minutes, it had ceased.

Ling stepped to the other side of Matt’s bed. They had partially restrained the left arm because of the IV lines. She examined his shoulder. Seeing the bruising and from the X-rays, she knew any attempt to move the joint would also cause pain.

She placed two injections into the area and told Bernadette that they would have to watch and would probably repeat the process every twelve hours. Bernadette logged it on the charts and made notes in the computer record.

Ling turned to Joe. “This is very good. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing more movement. I want to put limited restraints on him, just so he can’t hurt himself. He will still be able to move and flex, and we will start physical therapy to help the process. Somewhere inside his head, Matthew is learning his body all over again.”

“Why isn’t he awake and talking?” Joe asked.

Ling sat down and explained which parts of the brain were damaged the most and how they were coming back, but slower than other areas.

She returned to her room and quickly slipped into a deep sleep.

***

Marcus and his wife, Eloise, showed up that evening. It delighted Ling to see Eloise. They brought Ling and Bernadette a magnificent dinner from an exclusive restaurant, along with a surprise that made her day. An RN, a registered nurse, and an LPN, a licensed professional nurse. The RN was Steve Adley, a younger man, and Ling was very glad to get someone who could help move Matt properly. The LPN was older. Her name was Polly Borden, and as Ling sat and talked with both of them, she learned they had strong backgrounds and work experience.

Marcus made it clear that the two were on the job at the discretion of Dr. Chang, “And her word is final on all matters.”

Ling handed Marcus a sheet of paper; they were going to need more of the painkiller. He said it would be there in the morning.

“How do you get this medicine?” Ling asked. It had bothered her that every pharmaceutical they needed seemed to mysteriously show up.

“We bought a pharmacy about three blocks from here,” Marcus said, “and I have very good relations with a local doctor. You write out what you need, and he writes the prescription. They fill it, and you get it.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Ling asked.

“I cannot begin to do what you do.” He added as an afterthought, “When you get a chance, I would like you to talk with Ellie.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes, she is fine. It’s just after seeing this and watching you and the medical team that she expressed a desire to become a doctor. I thought a talk with you might help her a great deal.”

“It would be my pleasure; I think that young lady could pick her profession and be at the top in short order.”

With that, Marcus and Eloise left, and Ling took the two nurses into the facility. She guided room by room, explaining the labs and the equipment. They were stunned in each area and completely amazed by the surgery.

“I don’t know what Marcus told you, but I want it clearly understood that all this, everything you see and two plus billion dollars in assets, is for one purpose.”

She led them into Matt’s room, “To give this man his life back.” She looked them squarely in the face. “As far as I am concerned, this is the most important man in the world!” She paced and tempered her words in a way that left no doubt.

Ling explained about the equipment in Matt’s room, including the Imager. Both of the nurses stared at it, impressed. The LPN Polly asked, “Why haven’t I ever seen this equipment before?”

“This is the first of its kind. Someday it will revolutionize the neurological profession, but for right now, it has one job, and you are looking at him.”

“This is one incredibly lucky dude,” the RN, Steve Adley, said.

“That’s enough for now,” Ling politely said. “Let’s look over the schedules and make sure we all have our duties.”

The next two days had increased activity and more muscle movement. Ling was increasingly excited and hopeful as she watched more dormant cells erupt to life. This was particularly true in the cerebral cortex. Her only concern was that the hemispheres were indicating an unusual development. Normally, the surface of the lobe with its multitude of folds was where the majority of the activity should take place. Matt’s cerebral lobe showed neuron activity in dense, three-dimensional clumps, penetrating deep into the brain mass. The overall effect was interesting, but Ling could not figure out what was happening and felt somewhat concerned about the deviation.

On Wednesday, the 29th, everything tripped along as usual. Ling slumbered, having a strange dream. Matt was calling. She woke and, without thinking, threw a robe on and walked straight to his room. She went to his side and gazed at the monitor. The levels were down across the board.

“Polly,” Ling asked the LPN, “anything out of the ordinary?”

“Much higher readings just a couple of minutes ago, including a large display of activity over the entire brain, but it only lasted fifteen or twenty seconds and then dropped back down.”

Ling bent to Matt’s ear and whispered intently into it, “Please, my love, I miss you so much, I love you so much, please come back to me.”

She bent over his lips and kissed him again, wanting to convey all her feelings.

Was it her imagination? Did she really hear Matt’s voice? Their lips were still touching. His hadn’t moved, but she was sure she had heard something.

“Look!” Polly pointed to the monitor.

They’re radiating from the center of the brain, reaching into all the various lobes, was an extraordinary firestorm of neurons firing. Ling had never seen a fraction of this before.

She grasped Matt’s hands. “What is it, my love?

She felt a squeeze, and then again in her head, a voice whispered, “Ling.” It repeated, and the Imager continued to sparkle and flash like the Fourth of July.

She turned to the nurse. “Did you hear anything?”

Polly shook her head.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped. Many parts of Matt’s brain went quiet except for a small area in the heart of the cerebral cortex. It was centered between the hemispheres, literally glowing as neurons continuously communicated.

Then a flash in the corner of the left hemisphere, followed by another flash, and suddenly a string of activity between the central cerebral cortex and the remote location, followed by communication to an adjacent area. The process repeated. Ling watched, mystified, as the freakish activity proceeded.

An hour later, she felt the need to involve others. She called Clarence and asked if he could come over. He said he would be there in thirty minutes. She hoped his knowledge of the nanobots would shine some light on this.

She wished Suchet could be there, but knew he was in Wichita. She called Marcus and asked him to pass along a message to Suchet. Did he know how she could reach him?

“Do you have internet access?” Marcus asked.

“Outside the labs but not inside.”

“We will have that fixed. I will be there soon,” and hung up.

Ling had visions of giant wheels being set in motion and of things miraculously appearing just when she needed them. There was comfort within, and she knew these people would not fail.

Before Clarence arrived, Haley Berringer, the inventory control manager at Myoplex, walked in with several people. They started stringing high-speed internet cable and, in 20 minutes, had a computer up and running with an internet connection. Haley said he would have another computer ready to go in a few minutes.

Clarence walked in and worriedly asked, “Dr. Chang, what’s the matter?”

Ling pointed to the monitor and said, “This started late this morning.”

Clarence watched, fascinated by the activity.

“Would anything about the nanobots cause this?” Ling asked.

Clarence thought and responded, “Dr. Chang, I cannot think of any aspect of the nanobots that would lead to a response like this, but remember, this is the first time this has ever been done.”

Marcus arrived, pleased to see the computers in place, and went to one and typed in a web address. A screen popped up and asked for a passcode. Marcus pulled a notebook from his coat pocket and typed in a set of letters and numbers. He hit enter, and a page appeared.

Marcus typed in, “Dr. Kumar, are you there?”

A few seconds later, the response came, “Yes, we are here—me, Doug, and Ellie.”

“Is there any way we can send him a data feed of the Imager?” Ling asked Marcus.

Marcus scratched his head and walked out of the room.

He was back with Haley. “We need to send the Imager data to this internet site,” pointing to the computer, “and I want an audio/video feed from the people in the room, too.”

“I can handle the data feed,” Haley said, “but the A/V is out of my expertise. Let’s get Ruben from Inter-Mol. He’s the best.”

Marcus called Inter-Mol while Haley went to grab more equipment.

Ling sat down at the computer and typed in a message to Suchet: “We have an event happening that has me baffled, and I would much appreciate your input. I understand that we are working to get a data feed to you and an A/V feed from this room.” She hit send.

Thirty seconds later, she had a reply: “We are also rigging for audio/video feed.”

Time passed, and Haley came rushing back in carrying several components and apologized, “I had to run around and steal some of this off of other people’s computers.” He was busy making connections when Marcus strode in. “Ruben will be here in forty minutes. He has to go shopping.”

An hour later, a camera was in the room, and a monitor showed the control room in the silo.

Suchet announced, “We have a good data feed.”

“Good to see you and hear you again,” Ling said.

Marcus interrupted, “I want it understood that what is discussed in this room is strictly confidential, and anything you may see in the data or the live A/V feeds remains here.”

There was quick agreement, and Ling took over explaining the activity leading up to the start of the ongoing event.

Focusing their attention on their respective monitors, they noted the activity growing stronger and more pronounced as the flares extended.

For over an hour, they watched intently, almost afraid to blink for fear they might miss something.

“Defrestrragucture!” Doug and Ellie spoke simultaneously.

“What?” blurted from several people in the room.

“One at a time, please,” Ling asked.

They could see Ellie and Doug looking at each other, and Ellie nodded for Doug to go ahead.

“What we believe is that Uncle Matt is in the process of defragging his brain.”

Ellie jumped in. “He is reordering information and structuring it. You can see patterns where it is being accessed, evaluated, and then moved to a new location.”

“I also see a lot of linking where the data is cross-checked to other areas,” Doug added.

Ling and the others stood stunned, facing the monitors and watching. Now that they had the key, it was plainly visible.

“This is an orderly and controlled sequence,” Suchet excitedly said. “There is a consciousness behind this overseeing the process!”

“We are talking about a human being!” Ling snapped. “Not a computer.”

“I’m not a doctor,” Marcus spoke calmly and quietly, “but if I’m not mistaken, Matt has long journeyed into uncharted territory.”

“When we talked about regenerative DNA,” Clarence said, “we never thought about restructuring the brain, but evidently Mr. Lehman has taken that upon himself to do.

“This was never in our hands to decide. The only question is if Matt does return to consciousness, will he still be Mr. Lehman or someone or something different?”

The thought sent shivers through the assembled group and, most of all, Ling as she wondered for a moment if the man who came back might no longer love her. It hit hard. Fearfully, she turned away from the monitor and hung her head.

Marcus stepped beside her, whispered in her ear, “If there is anything or anyone he will remember, it will be you. Do not worry about things you do not know. We all have to wait and let time reveal the answer.”

She smiled at him. They continued to watch the monitor as the neuron activity accelerated.

Ling finally said, “Okay, we can continue to sit here fascinated, but this is still my patient and the man I love.

“I, like each of you, am overwhelmed with what we have seen and experienced, but now I have to take care of my patient and need to ask if you will let us perform the medical duties necessary for his welfare.”

Slowly, the room cleared until only Marcus, Bernadette, and Ling remained.

“We will turn the video off,” Suchet said, “but would it be possible to continue the data feed from the Imager?”

Marcus looked at Ling, and she nodded.

The screen went blank, and Marcus left.

They changed the IVs, cleaned and redressed wounds, and administered the pain medication. They also took care of other necessary housekeeping tasks, changing Matt his bedding and gown.

Bernadette politely asked, “Do you want to get some rest or spend some time here alone?”

Ling looked at her. “Both.”

They shuffled the small recliner over next to Matt’s bed and positioned it so Ling could look directly at Matt’s face and hold his hand.

“I’ll check in later,” Bernadette said.

Ling glanced at the headgear for the Imager and then the screen, then back to Matt’s closed eyes.

“Dear Sir, a penny for your thoughts?” She drifted into sleep and had a dream again of Matt calling to her. It was comforting, and she felt his presence. Though asleep, she smiled and rested. She stayed in the recliner through the night and woke in the morning to find Steve, the RN, changing the feeding bag and taking Matt’s vitals.

He noticed her stir. “Good morning.”

“What time is it?” Ling asked.

“9:30,” said Steve.

“I should have been up hours ago!” Ling complained.

“Someone put a do-not-disturb sign on the door.”

Ling thought about scolding Bernadette but realized she had slept for almost twelve hours. She recognized stiffness in her body but, for a change, felt well-rested.

She looked at Matt and glanced at the Imager monitor. She saw something substantially different going on. The dominant activity centers were now the frontal lobe and the basal ganglia. The brain stem was also active, yet Matt was not visibly moving. She squeezed his hand and was startled when he squeezed back. She looked at his hand and squeezed again. Matt again responded.

She looked at Steve. “Did you see this?”

Steve watched as she squeezed, and Matt responded.

“That’s not all that’s going on,” he said.

Ling, now alert, rocked out of the recliner and stood next to the bed.

Steve pointed to the left shoulder. “This is amazing. If I didn’t know better, I would say he is deliberately manipulating muscles and blood flow.”

Ling walked around to Steve, who pointed to the area around the left shoulder and chest. She saw muscle contractions and a pronounced redness in the bruised areas.

There were also signs that the ball and socket of the shoulder were properly aligned, as well as the vertebrae in his neck. She quickly went to the right leg and saw similar activity.

The neurons on the monitor were firing in a precise pattern, and she realized that as Matt had been reordering his memory the previous day, today, he was healing his body.

She looked longingly at him, took his hand, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, “But my love, when are you going to wake up?”

She heard it in her head, clear and strong. She also saw on the monitor as a huge pulse exploded in the Cerebral Cortex.

“Soon!”

She staggered, and Steve rushed to her to keep her from collapsing.

She looked at Steve, tears in her eyes and her lips trembling. “Please don’t think that I’m crazy. He just spoke to me!”

“Let’s sit down,” he said.

She could tell Steve was perplexed as he helped her to the recliner.

“I’ll be back in a second.” He hurried from the room.

 Less than a minute later, Bernadette stepped through the door and crossed to Ling, placed her hand on her forehead, then checked her pulse.

Ling didn’t object and sat quietly while Bernadette finished.

When done, she took Ling’s hands and knelt in front of her. “Okay, tell me what happened.”

“I heard him speak to me; in my head, it was clear, and it was him. I did not imagine this!”

“What did he say?” asked Bernadette.

“He said, ‘soon.’”

“Why do you think he said soon?” Bernadette was polite, and her eyes were kind as she asked.

“I asked him when he was going to wake up.”

“I believe you,” Bernadette smiled. “There is a supreme connection between you two, and if he is going to reach out to anyone, it is going to be you.”

Ling hugged her and thanked her. Steve still seemed a bit mystified but realized the job had been weird beyond anything he ever imagined, and he thought to himself that he liked it.

“You need food and to clean up,” Bernadette said. “Joe and Cynthia will be here soon.”

Ling protested, but Bernadette insisted.

She found cereal, milk, and some bagels with cream cheese and strawberry jam in the cafeteria. There was a microwave, and she heated some water for tea. She was just getting up to go shower when Joe and Cynthia strolled in.

Joe wrapped her in a bear hug that picked her off the ground and popped a couple of vertebrae in her back. It felt exquisite.

“You can do that anytime,” she said. “I really needed that!” She realized she was smiling and felt a load had been lifted.

“How are you doing?” Cynthia asked.

“I think a lot better now. I’m not sure how much you have kept up with, but the last two days have been more than amazing. Probably beyond what anyone would even be able to concoct for a sci-fi novel. The important thing is that Matt continues to increase brain activity, and there are many signs that he is becoming more conscious of his body and his surroundings. I will gladly tell you everything, but if you don’t mind, I really do need to clean up.”