The Subconscious Trials

*Riley's POV*

I was feeling pretty anxious about Luke's meeting with Kendra's dad, so I decided to keep myself busy by going through Kendra's latest brain scans.

As I was sipping on my coffee, I was shocked to see something unusual in her new scans. I quickly compared them to her old ones and my suspicions were confirmed.

Without wasting any time, I called Luke. He picked up after the second ring and was already in the building with Kendra's dad.

I told him to come over right away because I had something important to show him.

When Luke arrived, he was out of breath and worried about Kendra. I reassured him that she was okay and then proceeded to show him the brain scans.

He was amazed and needed some reassurance that they were indeed Kendra's scans.

After confirming it, he asked me to run the scans again to be sure.

I knew how important this was to him, so l didn't hesitate to prepare Kendra for a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We used fMRI to track her memory-related cortical activity during the trials.

We waited patiently for Kendra to return from the MRI room, feeling the tension in the air. Mr. Evans persistently asked Luke what was going on, but Luke remained tight-lipped until he was absolutely certain of the situation.

———

"Riley, is it true?" Luke asked anxiously, his eyes filled with worry.

Luke had asked me to review the scans since he couldn't bring himself to do so. I pulled up the new scans on the big screen, wanting Luke to see for himself.

As he examined the images, Luke dropped to his knees and tears began to flow down his face. I hurried to his side, and Mr. Evans joined me.

Together, we lifted Luke up and settled him into a chair, giving him a moment to compose himself.

"What's happening, Luke? She's my daughter, you have to tell me!" Mr. Evans demanded, shaking Luke's shoulders.

Luke looked up at him, tears still streaming down his face. He cleared his throat and wiped away his tears with his hands.

"Mr. Evans," he began before his voice cracked.

"What's going on, son? Tell me," Mr. Evans urged with a pained expression.

Luke turned to me, his eyes pleading for help. Still in shock, he was unable to speak.

"Mr. Evans, her scans show that her neural connections are reestablishing. Her amyloid precursor protein metabolism has normalized, and her brain is no longer flooded by amyloid beta proteins. The trials have also stimulated her neural pathways, reversing the shrinkage," I explained.

But my scientific explanation seemed to confuse Mr. Evans, as his face contorted in confusion.

Luke rose from his seat, appearing noticeably more composed.

"Dad," he said softly, capturing Mr. Evans's attention.

Approaching Mr. Evans, Luke placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before delivering the news. "Her brain is healing at an astonishing rate. Although it was believed to be scientifically impossible to reverse brain shrinkage, her brain has nearly returned to its average size. There are no longer any signs of Alzheimer's."

Mr. Evans's stance wavered, prompting Luke to guide him to a nearby chair.

"How is this possible?" Mr. Evans questioned, clearly struggling to comprehend the remarkable development.

Luke elaborated, "The trials have acted as a neural stimulant to the Limbic system, and the high doses of a new medication derived from Memantine, a drug used to prevent Alzheimer's symptoms, have successfully reversed the disease's effects on her brain." I retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Mr. Evans.

Mr. Evans eagerly drank the water before inquiring,

"Can we wake her up now?"

"Not yet. Kendra needs more time to fully recover. We must continue administering her medication and conducting follow-up scans to monitor her brain to make sure there is no more formation of amyloid beta protein clusters. Keeping her in the trials during this process will further stimulate her neural pathways," Luke explained, striving for clarity.

Mr. Evans nodded in understanding, expressing his gratitude for the explanation.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, son. I was afraid of losing her. I shouldn't have questioned your intentions. I know you deeply care for her," he admitted sincerely.

Luke knelt down, gently wiping a stray tear from Mr. Evans's cheek. "I understand you were only acting in her best interest," he reassured with a smile.

Mr. Evans nodded, and they both rose to their feet. He then embraced Luke in a heartfelt hug, and I discreetly looked away to give them their moment.

"During the trials, Kendra is able to dream. We have the ability to influence the settings in the trials and alter what she perceives," Luke explained.

"I have an idea," Luke turned his attention to me.

"Riley, I want to create the illusion that she is dreaming so that she can see her dad," he instructed.

"I can make that happen," I replied.

Luke nodded in agreement and then turned back to Mr. Evans with a smile.

"Are you ready to reunite with your daughter?"

An: Did you guys like Riley's POV?

What did you think about the science part? I've never written about science before, let alone put it out for everyone to see. I'm not a scientist but I did do a lot of research and I hope everything was medically correct. If anyone has any suggestions or constructive criticism I would love to hear it.

XO~ KC