At 5:30 the next morning, Nancy was startled awake by the loud ringing of the motel's antiquated telephone. Tom Barnett was on the other end of the line. He'd gotten a call from the hospital. The EEG was showing signs of normal activity in the young girl, Heidi Moore. They were expecting her to be fully conscious in an hour or so.

Nancy and Tom were walking into the hospital by six o'clock. She stayed with him as Tom tipped his hat to the visitor's desk attendant and breezed by without a word. The two talked as they marched down hallway after hallway.

Nancy: They know you?

Tom: Not really. Actually, they don't know me at all. I just look like I know what I'm doing.

Nancy: Do you?

Tom: Yeah, we're going to the Radiology Department to talk to Dr. Adams. He's the consulting doc on this kid's case. I want to hear what the experts think.

Nancy: How do you know this Dr. Adams?

Tom: Never met him.

Nancy: We're just walking in off the street to talk to him cold? How do you know he's even in today or on duty now?

Tom: Checked the schedule yesterday. Okay there he is at the film reading station. Play along with whatever I say, Nancy and remember, I'm making it up as I go so don't believe anything I say no matter how convincing it sounds.

Nancy: Just don't tell him I'm any kind of medical expert.

They approached Dr. Adams as he dictated his evaluation of another case. The doctor spoke quickly into his hand-held micro-cassette recorder. He turned and nodded toward Tom and Nancy, then wrapped up his official interpretation of the x-ray in front of him.

Tom: Good morning Dr. Adams, I'm Tom Barnett and this is Nancy McGill. I'm with the San Francisco Chronicle. We're here to talk to you about the irregularities you found in Heidi Moore's MRI.

Adams: Yes, that's a good word for it, irregularities. Do you know of another case similar to this? Is that why you're here?

Tom: At this point we can't tell. It sounds like something we covered about a year ago up in the city, but there was never a complete explanation.

Adams: I don't know how to explain it either, but I can show you what we got on the films. This workstation over here has a three-dimensional composite built from the MRI's data. The software allows us to visualize the brain and focus on selected areas as if we were inside the skull.

If you look here you can see the anomaly quite clearly. It appears in the region of the reticular formation. Note this rigid pattern display of intersecting straight lines. As you can see, it looks like a grid overlaid on the tissue. In fact, it is purely electrical in nature. There is no physical abnormality in the tissue. This grid is allowing brain activity only along its pathways. All other neural impulses are blocked by the grid. The result is that no useful communication is occurring within the brain's sensory centers.

Nancy: It's like the brain is short-circuited.

Adams: Yes, I suppose you could say that.

Tom: How could this happen?

Adams: We're hoping to be able to ask the patient that question, but I doubt that she'll remember much of what happened to her before she went into the sensory paralysis state. The shock to the brain would likely inhibit the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory.

Nancy: Can anything be done about the girl's condition?

Adams: It doesn't look like we'll have to do anything. We've run the diagnostic a few times and the grid is fading out on its own. We don't know if there will be any long-term damage or not, but the interference should be almost fully dissipated by now.

Tom: Thanks Dr. Adams, you've been a tremendous help. We'll be back in touch with you as soon as we can.

Adams: Please let me know if the other case is being written up. We may be able to collaborate on a study of our data.

Tom: Will do, doc. Thanks again.

Tom hurried Nancy toward the nearby elevators. They arrived on the fourth floor and Tom kept the pace up to a near jog as he headed toward the girl's room. But before they reached their destination, they came to the visitor waiting area. It was an open, common area with a few chairs and a matching sofa. There, Nancy saw Molly seated while looking out through the window over the low rooftops of Santa Cruz. Molly must have sensed someone looking at her and turned to see her sister standing with Tom Barnett at her side. Molly sprang to her feet and met Nancy for a long overdue hug in the middle of the waiting room. Neither sister had yet said one word. The silence somehow maintained their privacy for a few seconds.

Tom: All right already.

Nancy: You look great! How are you? It's great to see you!

Molly: You look good, too. I'm so glad you're here. Why are you here?

Nancy: Oh, I heard the news. I got worried about you. I wanted to see you.

Molly: Yeah, I figured it must be something like that. I'm okay, but I don't know how Heidi is doing. They won't tell us anything. One of the nurses called me this morning. She said there was some change in Heidi's status so Jeremy and I came over, but now they won't tell us what's going on.

Nancy: We talked to one of the radiologists working on her case...

Tom: Yeah, they wouldn't tell us anything either. Did you say Jeremy came over with you?

Molly: Yeah, he's downstairs getting some coffee. Probably giving them hell for not having a cappuccino machine.

Nancy: Is anyone in with your friend now?

Molly: Two or three doctors are in there with a couple nurses. Heidi's mom is flying in from Denver right now. She should be here late this morning.

Tom: Why don't I go see if the doctors will talk to me. I'll be right back.

Molly: I hope he can find out something. It was so creepy, Nancy. Heidi was just sitting there, looking at her computer screen. She wouldn't move. I thought she was dead, at first, but then I noticed I could see her breathing. I shook her and she didn't even blink. I only left her alone for ten or fifteen minutes. What could have happened to her?

Jeremy: Here we are...

Jeremy had returned with two hot cups of coffee and was already standing behind Nancy before either of the sisters heard him approach. It was as if he had materialized out of thin air. The surprise of his nearby voice startled Nancy enough that she nearly launched the coffee cups across the room as she spun around. Jeremy calmly lowered his hands to avoid the accident as if he knew where Nancy's arm was going to travel before it began on its wild arcing course.

Jeremy: Whoaa! I'm sorry. I frightened you, didn't I?

Nancy: Oh no, I was always jump like that when I'm thoroughly relaxed.

Jeremy: Do I detect a note of that wonderful McGill sarcasm? Could you possibly be the source of Molly's competitive, sibling rivalry-driven personality? Are you the legendary Nancy I've heard so much about?

Molly: Nancy, this is Jeremy Jones.

Jeremy: It's great to finally meet you. I wish the circumstances were happier ones.

Nancy: Glad to meet you, too, Jeremy. I've heard a lot about you.

Jeremy: Good things, I hope, Nancy. People can sometimes be so cruel toward that which they do not understand. Don't you agree?

Nancy: not sure I follow your meaning.

Molly: Jeremy, can we not play games now? He's always doing this to people, especially new people.

Jeremy: Of course, you're right, Molly. Let's focus on worrying about Heidi. Will she make it or won't she make it? I do hope so. It would be awful if she didn't. I'd never get over losing her. Everyone will feel they've let her down somehow. There would be a service here in Santa Cruz wouldn't there? It should be held at her favorite place on campus, up on the lawn by the sculpture at Porter College. What should we all wear? Is black strictly required or just recommended?

Tom: Looks like your concern may be premature, Jeremy. The doctors told me Heidi regained consciousness a few minutes ago. They've given her some sedatives to keep her relaxed as she continues to improve, but they expect her to make a full recovery.

Molly: Oh, thank god. That's great news. Can I see her?

Tom: No, it looks like she'll be sleeping for a few more hours now.

Jeremy: Did they talk to her? Was she able to say what happened?

Tom: Heidi told them the last thing she remembers is doing some homework. She said she must have fallen asleep because she had some horrible nightmares. Next thing she knew, she was waking up here.

Jeremy: The important thing is that she's going to be all right.

Listen Molly, I have to get going. Can you catch a ride with Nancy and Mr. Barnett?

Molly: Well, yeah, I guess so. Do you have to leave?

Jeremy: I was supposed to help Zeke with some stuff last night, but because of all this...

Nancy: We'll take care of her, Jeremy. Don't worry.

Jeremy: Thanks Nancy. Mr. Barnett, good to see you again. Call me later Molly.

The others just watched silently as Jeremy strode out of the waiting area and down the hall. A nurse held the door so he could catch the elevator and Jeremy was gone. When he reached the parking lot, Jeremy opened his cell phone and pressed a single speed-dial key.

Jeremy: Hey Zeke, it's me. Everything looks cool with Heidi. She's coming out of it and doesn't remember anything. She told them something about nightmares though. Any idea what that could be?

Zeke: Zilch.

Jeremy: Me either. I'll see ya in a few minutes. We've got work to do.

Jeremy clicked off the line as he reached his Porsche convertible. The keys were waiting for him in the ignition where he always left them. Extreme self-confidence was the only anti-theft device Jeremy Jones ever used and it hadn't failed him yet.



ISYS Idea System, Inc. designed and implemented the Spike Webb (tm) site, including all content and artwork.

Copyright © 1995 ISYS Idea Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in
any form or medium without express written permission of ISYS Idea Systems, Inc. is prohibited.
Spike Webb and the Spike Webb logo are trademarks of ISYS Idea Systems, Inc.