The sun shone brightly through the window of the hospital room, casting a warm, golden glow over the space. The rays of light danced across the floor, illuminating the beige tiles and the sparse, yet elegant furniture that dotted the room. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and the soft, steady beeping of machines that monitored Jonah's vital signs.
Selena sat in the chair, reading a novel aloud to Jonah, who lay motionless in his bed, his face pale and drawn. Her voice was soft and soothing, a gentle melody that filled the room, providing a sense of comfort and tranquility.
Claire sat nearby, gently soothing Rose, who was playing with a toy, her bright blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. This was their new life; they would meet up here for breakfast. Selena would start her shift, do her rounds in the ward, and come back. She had no life; it was like everything was dedicated to her career and Jonah.
Claire had her worries and stressors; she did not notice how gaunt Selena had gotten. She noticed months after Rose's birth, when she collapsed after getting out of her chair, the extent of her friend's burnout.
Selena made her swear not to tell her parents or to report it to anyone outside. That was the reason why she had fallen was because it had been some time since she slept at home. At the time, she thought it was a reasonable excuse, that she was pulling the same long hours that Gunn was.
That was until she insisted on accompanying her back to her apartment. The plants were dead, and if one knew Selena, they knew that her plants were always a reflection of her heart. Healthy hydroponics meant a happy Selena. Dead racks, like what happened in her room in boarding school after the kidnapping and Molly's death, meant Selena was profoundly depressed.
So she started to force Selena to drive home with them every night. She started spending the whole day with Jonah and Rose in the hospital room. If she were there, she could at least force food into Selena.
Selena would hole up in the room with her comatose brother and either socialize, read aloud, or work on her paperwork for her patients. She even had a small table that she used as a desk in the room. Jonah's unused wardrobe was full of the best snacks and processed crap that Eun Ho would never let her, Jonah, or Rose touch.
She snickered as Selena paused and crammed another Twinkie in her mouth. To outsiders, it would look ridiculous; it was ridiculous to her, even as an insider, to see her cram calories. She would unwrap them and put them in a large bowl, and eat them as if they were grapes. Claire had gotten used to the feelings she had about it, which were a jealous resentment.
If only she could eat like that and know tomorrow's lottery numbers? That was probably every person's wish. Well, next to a sex life. In which she wondered. She swore something had happened between her and Liam. Something huge, because they never talked or went out of their way to talk to each other.
"Did she hit it and quit it? Or are Jonah's threats still that scary? Or was it something stupid and childish between those numbskulls preventing her from being happy for the first time in years? Either way, she was fated to be with one of those idiots." Claire thought. She did not see much of Jonah's "Friends". They stopped by when they could.
"Pfffhhhttttt. Baba." Rose said with a grunt as she grabbed for her toy. She was developing well for her age. She smoothed her brown hair lovingly as her wet smile widening as she held the small toy. Two bottom teeth had erupted from her gums recently.
The years had been a blur for Selena, with school and her schedule keeping her busy. She decided to push ahead in school as her social life was a mess after the crash. Michael and Jakob pulled away from the group after healing and went overseas. Liam was busy with school and avoided her since that night. It was hurtful, but she focused her hurt as a tool.
She finally graduated and was doing a postgraduate program and her internship program at the same time. Her mind was always focused on finding new ways to help people like Jonah. Romance or figuring it out was a secondary goal to her. She figured he would probably enquire about collaborating after she released her paper.
As she read, Selena's mind wandered to her research on RNA and Stem Cells, her thoughts consumed by the endless possibilities of this groundbreaking technology.
She had been working tirelessly to develop a new treatment, one that could repair Jonah's damaged spinal cord and regenerate new tissue, giving him a second chance at life.
She had programmed Stem Cells to target specific areas of damage. The RNA was the most important piece of the puzzle, and she was hopeful that it would work; her heart was filled with a sense of sadness and purpose.
Just then, Rose's nanny, Nina, arrived, and Claire handed her over, saying, "Thanks, Nina. We'll be here for a bit longer." As Nina left with Rose, Selena and Claire chatted quietly about Selena's work, their voices soft.
Selena mentioned her research on RNA and Stem Cells and how she planned to use them to help Jonah recover when he woke up, her eyes shining with excitement and hope. She was already testing on animals. Healing just took time, and research took funding. Getting the money wasn't a problem; her family was very wealthy.
Selena had set up a money-raising website like those available in the future, and made her donations a small transaction, and advertising revenue. She hired those vetted by James who could not do physical work. Hiring War Veterans and underemployed disabled employees attracted the attention of the press. This made it a huge hit.
Waiting on the results from the animal trials was frustrating as hell. But at least the dog in the lab would make great press and help move her on to human trials. The good boy would be walking soon. He was going to get put down by his owner; the poor thing was coming home with her afterward.
The research was already done in her database, and she stole a future paper written by that asshole, Dr. Christopher Jackson "Jack," authored that got Liam's attention to develop A.A in the future. Her schedule was packed, between here, the lab, and school, she didn't have much of a social life. She saw friends here.
Just then, Rose's nanny, Nina, arrived, and Claire handed her over, saying, "Thanks, Nina. We'll be here for a bit longer."
As Nina left with Rose, Selena and Claire chatted quietly about Selena's work. Selena mentioned her research on neuro implants and how she planned to use them to wake Jonah up.
"I've been working on a new design," Selena explained. "One that can regenerate his spinal cord and repair other neural tissue."
Claire's eyes lit up with hope. "Do you think it will work?" She had been watching for the past couple of years, and they had to go through a lot of work to get this done. It was a joint effort between Jonathan, Liam, and Selena.
Selena's work was experimental, and she had to get permission to do it after she developed her treatment plan. She had shown work, her study on animals, and was allowed to perform it with the head of Neurology in the Lower Neurology Ward. Jonah was her first human trial patient.
Selena nodded. "I do. I've seen some promising results in my trials. And I think it's worth a shot. I think he should be waking up soon. I know that you are anxious."
Claire's eyes watered, "Selena, I know that you are burning the candle at both ends to fix it. I just wish he would wake up."
Selena set her book down with a plop. She leaned over; she swore she just saw movement. "Hey ass hat, wake up. Come on, Jo." Jonah's hand jerked. Claire gasped.
Selena's eyes shone with tears as she gazed at Jonah, her heart filled with a sense of wonder and awe.
She had been working tirelessly to develop a treatment that would help him recover from his injuries, and it seemed that her efforts were finally paying off.
"Jonah, Wake up! Come on, buddy!" Selena said, rubbing his sternum.
"I saw that. Holy shit, come on, baby, wake up." Claire begged.
As she watched Jonah's eyelashes flicker, Selena's mind raced with thoughts of the scans she had been studying. It had worked for his brain so far; the scans showed that they were indeed repairing the tissue.
"Hey, C'mon," she said, her breathing heavy from the effort. She rubbed his sternum again. It was a painful stimulus.
Selena's eyes scanned the monitors, her gaze drinking in the data that streamed across the screens as it changed. Her breath hitched. She had been poring over the scans for hours, analyzing every detail, every nuance. And what she saw filled her with a sense of hope and optimism.
I have been looking at the scans, she thought, her mind racing with the implications. And he seems so close. So close to waking up, to regaining consciousness. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she felt a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over her.
Just then, they noticed a change in Jonah. His eyelids flickered, and he took a deep breath.
"Did you see that?" Claire whispered, her eyes shining with tears.
"Jonah. Open your eyes." Selena said, emotionally. If almost like she said "open sesame," his damn eyes opened. She stopped breathing. Excitement filled her from head to toe. She had done it, she thought, a sense of wonder and awe filling her heart.
Selena's eyes met Jonah's, and she smiled, her heart filled with a sense of joy and hope. "Welcome back, Jonah," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Claire erupted in excitement; she jumped up and down. She quickly shouted out the door. "Doctor Jovanovich, it's happening!"
The nurse rushed in, followed by the doctor, and they quickly assessed Jonah's condition.
"It happened, it worked. A new hope," Jovanovich, now on duty, whispered to himself. He shot a look at the young doctor in front of him. She beamed. All the hard work was a testimony to her love for her family.
"He's conscious." The MRIs had shown repair from the experimental procedure done. This was unbelievable. A young researcher had done this in under a year. He was going to be part of medical history.
The application of Stem Cells in this matter and the repair instructions that were harvested from the patient's liver and the child's umbilical cord. The operation was a resounding success as the treatments continued, all were done through the man's eye sockets with needles. It was practically science fiction-level medical care.
Selena and Claire watched, tearfully, as Jonah slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, confused, and looked around the room.
The staff erupted into cheers and applause, and Selena and Claire hugged each other, crying tears of joy.
Jonah's gaze locked onto Selena, and he smiled weakly. "Selena?" he whispered.
Selena rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers. "I'm here, Jonah. I'm here."
As Jonah's eyes drifted shut again, Selena and Claire held each other, overwhelmed with emotion.
"He's going to be okay," Selena assured, her voice shaking. It worked. She felt vindicated, and she was going to start to get the attention.
Attention kept eyes on her various causes for the planet and her ViewYou channel. She knew it would take a lot to change the planet. She had already stopped so much from happening, as the visions happened pretty quickly.
As Jonah lay in a coma, Selena's mind was racing with thoughts of her brother's future, as well as the future of the planet. She had always been passionate about environmental issues and had dedicated herself to developing innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to her medical work, Selena had secretly worked on a revolutionary solar technology that could change the game. She developed a brand-new line of solar-powered vehicles. Dubbed "Sol", which boasted impressive advances in efficiency and affordability.
With A.A's help, it was not hard to do; the little bugger could not talk to her or communicate anymore. It was too intuitive and seemed to be able to collaborate with her without her needing to actually access the interface most of the time. She just wished that they could still communicate. In these A.A's, she swore she allowed a toggle-on option and guidance to help it flourish. Teaching them was as easy as learning the coding, which she had.
The Sol vehicles were capable of running for three hours on a single charge, and the batteries could be easily charged at home. But what was even more remarkable was that the vehicles were cheap to manufacture, making them accessible to the average consumer. And, as an added bonus, the manufacturing process was based in the USA, creating a surge of new jobs and stimulating the local economy.
Selena's vision went beyond just creating a profitable business. She was determined to bring manufacturing jobs back to the country, to prevent the devastating effects of outsourcing and globalization. She believed that by creating well-paying jobs and stimulating local economies, she could help prevent the rise of brutal fascism and the Second Great Depression.
But Selena's ambitions didn't stop there. She had also established a scholarship program for students pursuing ecological sciences and green technology. She offered generous incentives for US-based manufacturing and worked tirelessly to promote sustainable practices and reduce waste.
As she sat beside Jonah's hospital bed, Selena felt a sense of pride and purpose. She knew that her work was making a difference and that she was leaving a lasting legacy for her brother, her family, and the planet.
Jonah fell asleep again. He probably needed just a little more time. "Don't worry, this happened with the primates. He'll be just fine."