Page 110 of Private Exhibit
I have no idea, Crawford replied, sounding just as shocked as Andy felt.Let's keep going. We'll need to see the extent of it.
Andy followed again. They traveled throughout Devon's entire body, giving everything a quick survey. All the way down to Devon's fingers and toes and back, not a single nerve was whole.
Crawford stopped.Alright. We need to pull out and discuss a game plan.
You don't sound hopeful.
Crawford didn't answer.Let's go check on Devon, and then take this outside.
Andy's entire being tensed.Oh gods. He knew it. There was no hope.
Don't give up yet, Crawford murmured.
Andy shook his head. He'd never give up. But he couldn't help thinking it was already far too late.
They drifted back up to Devon's mind, pulling away from the boy's physicality.
Devon?Crawford asked.We're going to pull out for a few minutes to give your mind a rest. But we're not physically going anywhere. We'll be right beside you the whole time.
Alright, Devon answered, his voice tight with worry.Andy?
I'm right here, baby. We'll be right back, I promise.
Devon didn't respond, but Andy felt his thoughts all the same.
One way or another, the boy wanted it to be over.
Chapter 38
ANDY SWAYED dizzily as he came back to himself.
“Easy,” Crawford murmured, catching him by the shoulder. “Give it a moment.”
Andy let go of Devon with one hand and rubbed his eyes. “Holy shit. That was…insane.” He waited for his eyes to focus, then stared at Crawford and shook his head. “How the hells do you do this over and over again?” he asked, feeling a newfound respect for Crawford's methods. They hadn't done anything beyond an exam, but the process completely blew his mind. It still wasn't what Andy would consider medicine, but it certainly also wasn't magic. It was far more intense than he could have imagined.
“It takes some getting used to,” Crawford admitted. “But it also gets easier with practice. Now.” Crawford paused and gave him a direct look. “Are you ready for the next phase?”
Andy clasped Devon's hand, knowing he was holding on too tight, but he couldn't bear even the thought of letting go. “What's that?”
“Obviously, we need to get his heart started. But we don't want to focus on that to the exclusion of everything else.”
“He can't stay on bypass forever,” Andy argued.
“Precisely. But if we focus only on the nerves leading to his heart, and meanwhile, another organ fails, then working on the heart will be moot.”
Andy shivered.Oh gods.
“So,” Crawford went on, “when we go back in, I'm going to have to give you a crash course in telepathic cell regeneration. We're going to have to work in tandem, prioritizing and targeting all the most vital routes to get those repaired, then regroup and see if that's enough for him to survive. The rest—motor functions, sensory input, and the like—can wait until we're sure he's going to live.”
Andy felt dizzy all over again. The whole thing sounded so daunting. “But it's possible? I mean, you've regenerated whole limbs, right? So…”
“Oddly enough, this is going to be more complicated and delicate than regenerating a limb. That involves nerves, yes, but it's also primarily bones and muscles and skin. With Devon, we're talking about hisentirenervous system. Miles and miles of repairs that need to be done. It won't be done in just a few hours. We're potentially talking days. Maybe weeks, depending on how receptive he is to the process.”
Weeks?“Fucking hells,” Andy spat. “He doesn't have weeks!”
“Which is why we're going to divide and conquer but also take it one step at a time.” Crawford paused. “Are you ready?”
Andy took a deep breath, held it, then gave a nod. The sooner they got started, the better.
