Chapter 2 - The Intrusion of Authority
Dr. Aris stepped into the quiet room, followed closely by Richard Cole, who crossed his arms with an expression of deep irritation.
"Mia, we performed the apnea test yesterday," Dr. Aris said gently, taking the penlight from his coat pocket. "The somatosensory evoked potentials showed no cortical response. Heart rate variability can occur due to autonomic reflex arcs from the spinal cord. It doesn't indicate higher brain function."
"Watch the screen, doctor," Mia insisted, nodding toward Emma, who was now holding Daniel’s limp hand between both of her own.
"Speak to him again, sweetheart," Mia whispered to the child.
Emma looked up, her large brown eyes innocent. "Danny, can we go to the park when you get up? Mommy said I can have ice cream."
The monitor beeped faster. The digital display registered a steady rise in pulse. More importantly, the intracranial pressure monitor—a thin wire implanted in Daniel’s skull—showed a brief, slight drop, a sign often associated with changes in cerebral blood flow.
Richard scuffed his shoe against the tile floor. "This is absurd. You’re letting a toddler’s babbling delay a medical decree. My brother is gone. The doctors made that clear three days ago. Bringing a child into an ICU at night is a breach of hospital protocol anyway."
He turned his cold glare toward Sarah, who stood frozen near the window. "Sarah, take your daughter and leave. You’ve been given far too much freedom here. My brother’s condition is a private family matter."
"Mr. Cole," Sarah said, her voice shaking slightly, but remaining firm. "Emma spent every evening with Daniel before the accident. He loved her like his own family. She isn't hurting him."
"She’s wasting everyone's time!" Richard snapped, his voice rising. "I am Daniel’s legal next of kin until the board certifies his incapacity. Dr. Aris, I want the final paper signed before morning. We have an empire to manage, and I will not have it dismantled while we wait for miracles."
Dr. Aris looked at the monitor, then at Emma, and finally at Daniel’s motionless face. He held his penlight over Daniel’s left eye and raised the eyelid. The pupil was fixed and dilated. He checked the corneal reflex with a swab of cotton. No flinch.
"The physical exams still show brainstem unresponsiveness, Mr. Cole," Dr. Aris admitted quietly to Richard. "However... autonomic synchronization like this, triggered specifically by a familiar voice, is rare. Protocol dictates we perform a secondary fMRI scan before signing off on a brain-death declaration if new physiological changes occur."
"A secondary scan?" Richard’s face flushed red. "That will delay everything by forty-eight hours!"
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"It is standard medical ethics," Dr. Aris replied firmly. "We scan him tomorrow morning at eight."
Richard stared at Sarah and Emma with unadulterated venom. "Fine. But she doesn't stay here overnight. Get them out."
