people here. You can wish or hope or pray or whatever you do best. Visit him, one or two people at a time. Patients whoâve come out of a coma have reported they were aware of loved ones and friends in the room and that gave them more strength to come out. Timeâs the only thing we have on our side right now. And Derekâs natural strength.â
Noel nodded, and said, âHas deep brain stimulation been considered?â
Kyra squinted at him, but said nothing.
âItâs the wrong kind of injury,â said Pierce. âNo one Iâve consulted thinks DBS would be of any value here.â
Noel glanced at his watch. âWeâve taken enough of your time, Dr. Pierce. Thank you.â They shook hands with Pierce and left the building.
Back in the car Jason said, âThanks for asking those questions. Now I know more about Derekâs condition.â He smiled ruefully. âNot that it helps.â
âBut Jase, Lindaâs a nurse. She mustâve asked questions like that.â
âI think she has. I just havenât asked what sheâs learned.â
âWhy not?â
âI thinkâI was afraid of what sheâd tell me.â He paused. âAnd of watching her tell me. With Pierce, it all came out moreâobjectively? And it looked like he thought he was talking to a professional.â
âI guess,â said Noel as he drove into the line leading to the ferry booth. Jason passed Noel a plastic card. âWhatâs this?â
âA fare card. They subtract money thatâs credited on it.â
Kyra couldnât believe that Jason hadnât talked with Linda about all this. Kyra would have wanted to know everything, the tiniest detail.
â¢Â  â¢Â  â¢
âHere they are,â Linda announced as the back door opened. Kyra, Noel and Jason added their shoes to the sprawling pile. Jason pulled on slippers. Noel wiggled his sock-clad toes. Kyra took in the sun slanting across the wooden cabinets, the dinner preparations, Linda bending over a pasta pot on the stove.
âI see a beer there,â Jason noted. âYou two like a drink before dinner?â He looked at Kyra, Noel. âCould be gin and tonic, scotchââ
âGin and tonic would be terrific,â Noel said.
âYou got juice or a pop?â Kyra asked.
Jason got down glasses, found mixings, cut limes, clinked in ice, poured and handed. They thanked him.
âWhere are the kids?â Jason asked Linda over the sound of water coming to the boil.
âShaneâs in his room. Donât know about Tim and Alana.â
Jason invited them into the living room.
Another pleasant light-filled room. Kyra sank into an overstuffed sofa, thinking, I like this house. Electronic beeps and whizzes emanated from around a corner.
âSounds like theyâre at the video games,â Jason explained, half apologetically.
Noel raised his glass to Jason and Kyra. âCheers.â He sipped, and walked to the window. The woodlot trees began about sixty meters away. A hill rose beyond them, the land cleared. âAre those sheep up there?â
Jason looked out. âAlpacas. Their wool brings more than sheepâs wool and they crop the grass to no-never-mind the same.â Kyra got up to see.
âSupperâs ready!â Linda called. âShane!â
âComing,â Tim yelled, over whizzes and beeps.
âShane. Now!â
Jason strode to the foot of the stairs. âShane!â He gave Noel and Kyra an exasperated look. Upstairs a door opened.
Tim and Alana appeared and they all entered the kitchen. âSit anywhere.â Linda cocked her chin at the long refectory table. Tim and Jason slid into what probably were their accustomed places. Two more placemats looked used; Noel, Kyra and Alana took places in front of crisply folded napkins. Shane arrived and sat, his face a cipher.
Linda placed a steaming bowl of penne on a
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