In the hospital hallway, Grandpa clutched Mom's hand and refused to leave her side for even a second.
The medical exam dragged on for two full hours. When the attending doctor finally stepped out, his face was grim. "Mr. Garrick, your daughter has soft tissue contusions, fractures in all ten fingers, and a mild concussion. She also has old injuries all over her body, plus severe malnutrition..."
Grandpa's eyes swam with heartache. His grip on Mom's hand trembled slightly.
"But oddly enough, her prefrontal cortex nerve activity has been extremely active lately," the doctor continued. "It looks like she's been getting consistent positive stimulation. If this stimulation keeps up, there's actually a chance her condition could improve."
Grandpa snapped his head up so fast his neck popped a
