Her Name Is Genesis

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Doctor O'Neill was shocked; not only was Leo letting someone in his room, but he was also allowing her to touch him. He could see his son smiling for the first time in eight years, he had a great smile and his eyes sparkled at every word Amira offered. O'Neill just couldn't believe the sight. He wondered if someone had told Amira about his son.

"Ahem!" O'Neill cleared his throat, making both Amira and Leo jump.

"Dad?" Leo asked.

"What?" Amira asked.

"Leo, you recognize me?" O'Neill asked, confused. Leo had been absent-minded and had not shown signs of recognition.

"What happened to you?" Leo asked with a concerned expression.

"What do you mean Leo?" The doctor asked.

"Why are you... um...old?''Leo asked.

Leo was speaking, he was not speaking like a child, he was making coherent sentences and that pleased O'Neill. The doctor could not help but remember that Amira and Leo were not the only ones affected by the coma phenomenon. Many other children had fallen into a coma at the same time and no one could understand it. He had read many articles but the one characteristic they all shared was the lack of response and growth. Although the children had grown in size, they were stuck with childlike behavior and delayed developmental syndromes. If Leo was indeed like Amira, he had to get them out of there before people started talking. It was not that he did not want the other kids to get better. O'Neill simply wanted the children to be safe and not a science project. O'Neill knew that if people knew about them they would never have a normal life. In his eyes, the children deserved a childhood.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Amira asked, pulling him back to reality.

"Yes Dear, I am sorry I was distracted" he answered.

"Leo was asking when we could go home, well..." Amira trailed off.

"Leo, you can come home tomorrow morning. I will be off and I can take you home.

Amira looked away from the doctor; the time with him had been great, but now she had to face the fact that she did not have a family. She was uncertain of her future. With no family or friends, she did not know what would happen to her. Amira could not remember anything about her life; all that she could remember was a cryptic poetic line. Amira could not help the sob that escaped her; she did not want to cry, but her body had a mind of its own.

"Amira, are you okay?" Leo asked, visibly worried.

"Y-Yes." Amira stuttered.

"Why are you crying, is something hurting?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes, no. I don't know," Amira answered.

Nothing had prepared O'Neill for her response. He knew that Amira was hurting and it was an emotional pain. He did not know how to reassure her. O'Neill had yet to figure out how he was going to get Amira out of the hospital without turning her over to child protective services. Amira was an orphan unless her parents came to claim her. What if her parents died, or perhaps she escaped kidnappers? Either way, there was nothing O'Neil could do to help Amira at the moment.

Amira knew that the doctor was conflicted, she understood that she did not fit the picture-perfect family they probably had. All Amira wanted was to be loved, to be claimed by someone, to matter to at least one person.

"Can we take Amira home?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," O'Neill answered truthfully.

"You don't have to, I will be okay, I promise Leo." Amira tried to put Leo at ease.

"Amira, can you remember anything?" O'Neill asked.

"No, nothing." She frowned.

The next day, O'Neill picked Leo up and took him home where he had a full staff waiting to take care of his son. Although it seemed like Leo was like Amira and he had the right developmental advancement, he wanted to make sure he was well instructed. O'Neill hired tutors and staff for him to be taken care of at all times of the day. He did not want to leave Leo alone, but his job required him to.