The following day, after a rough nights sleep, tossing and turning and thinking about both Allison and your mother, you received news from Doctor Saunders that your girlfriend had in fact woken up.
"When?" you inquired, this news making you both at the same time overjoyed, yet incredibly anxious. How would she take the news? Would she be alright? Would she even want to see me? All these questions and more raced through your head as you waited for him to reply.
"Several hours ago. But obviously Dr. Kerry had to run a few tests," Saunders explained, "Evaluate her to see that everything was okay and that the transplant took."
"And did it?" This was actually something you hadn't really thought about, the doctors having mentioned something the previous day about how the various brain connections were good and that Allison "should" have complete control over her body. But what if she didn't? What if she wound up a drooling vegetable that couldn't walk or move or even speak? What would happen then?
Thankfully this did not seem to be the case, as with a smile, Saunders happily replied, "As far as we can tell, yes. It's been a resounding success. Her motor skills, cognitive responses, hand-eye coordination are all fine. Better than fine even. They are exactly as they should be. We really couldn't have hoped for a better outcome."
This was a relief, all of this science stuff sounding so crazy and out there that really anything could have happened.
"And... how is she?"
"Well, I'm sure as you can imagine it was quite a shock for her after she first work up," he told you, "quite a shock" presumably being the understatement of the year. "It took us quite a while to calm her down, but after explaining the situation and letting her see her parents, we think that she has accepted it about as well as anyone can."
Tell that to my dad, you thought, this not necessarily being and indication that she was fine.
Almost as if reading your thoughts, Saunders continued on. "Admittedly though we won't really know the full extent of her mental condition until much later on. It's early days right now, but so far it seems promising. Our Miss. Lowry is one tough little cookie, and I really do think she'd going to pull through."
She was tough, you'll give her that. But whether or not she would pull through this basically nightmarish scenario, who could really tell...
"That's good news... I guess."
"Yes. In fact, she's asked to see you. That's why I'm here."
"Me? She wants to see me?" You weren't quite sure why, but you weren't entirely prepared for this. Perhaps because you were still not sure whether you were actually ready to see her.
"Yes. She's as much worried about you as you are about her. I think she wants to see if you're okay. That is, if you are ready now of course."
"I... I... I dunno," you told him, feeling your anxiety levels grow. Never having felt so nervous about any other meeting. "What do I say to her?"
"The same sort of things you usually would I'd imagine. She's still the same girl underneath, Tim," he assured you, letting out a soft little chuckle, "She hasn't changed who she is." He was however, not making fun. Saunders genuinely seeming like a kind and caring man who was sympathetic to your situation. "She may look different, and I can understand if seeing your mother again might make you nervous. So there's no pressure. You don't have to go if you don't want to."
The doctors words seemed to motivate you however. Motivate and give you confidence. If she was indeed the same girl, then what did you have to be afraid of? Your father loved your mom, not Allison, that was why it was so hard for him. Where as with you, you loved them both.
"No, I do. I do want to see her," you told him, taking a deep breath. "This time I'm ready."
"Alright then, follow me."
Following him out the door then after he assisted you out of the bed - not needing the wheelchair this time - you walked down a familiar set of corridors, towards the very same door that you'd stopped at the last time. Outside of which you found Allison's parents, Tony and Linda, who gave you a warm sympathetic smile.
"Hi there, Tim. It's so good to see that you're alright," Mrs. Lowry said, giving you a hug, while Mr. Lowry patted you gently on the back.
You'd known the two of them nearly as long as you'd known Allison. They were a warm and friend couple who'd always treated you as if you were one of their own. That is, with the possible exception of her father when you first met him. Being terrified of the way he used to glare at you for the first couple of weeks - presumably fearing you were a no good layabout who had come to steal away his daughter. He had soon mellowed though, and since then, every time you'd gone over to theirs to see Allison, you'd end up spending about a half hour beforehand having a conversation with him about car maintenance, gardening, or golf. Now though you were especially happy to see them. Seeing how, in a way, they were like a second family to you.
"Thanks, Mrs. Lowry," you said, breaking from the hug. Telling her then "I'm glad Allison is okay too... At least I, uh... you know what I mean."
"We do," she nodded, not even making a mention of the fact that you called her Mrs. Lowry instead of Linda. It having become a habit that you found hard to break. "This must be so difficult for you. For you and your family. We're so sorry about your mother. She was a wonderful woman."
Thanking them both, but not really wanting to dwell on that right now, you asked instead, "How's she doing? Dr. Saunder's said she was okay but..."
"She's as well as she can be I think," Mr. Lowry this time answered, wrapping an arm around his wife. "You know Allison, she's strong. A fighter. But this is going to take time."
After a few more minutes of questions, as well as some idle chit chat on both sides, Mrs. Lowry then told you, "Anyway, we don't want you to keep her waiting," directing you towards the door, behind which your girlfriend/mother now lay.
Nodding your head then and taking a moment to look back at Doctor Saunders who was waiting patiently behind, you took another deep breath, preparing yourself for what you were about to face, before heading inside. Pushing open the door and stepping inside, you found a hospital room much like your own. Only in this one, instead of a fairly skinny, 17 year old scruffy haired boy laying on the bed, there sat a blond haired, 40 year old housewife and mother, staring up at you with expectant eyes. The sight of her face causing your to momentarily stop directly in your tracks, as every single fiber of your being screamed at you that this was her...this was your mother. When deep down you knew it wasn't true.
This was Allison.
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