The Rescue Mission
Chapter 7
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

Wednesday morning at the hospital

Dr. Thornton enters into Dr. Mitchell’s office. “Good morning, Sarah. Are you ready for the morning examination of Richard?”

“Good morning, Frank. Yes, I am ready. Looking at the charts from last night, it looks like everything is proceeding as planned. There have been no complications last night.”

“Yes, I saw them too. It does look good. Well let’s take him down to X-ray and MRI.”

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“Oh mom and dad, that is most gorgeous sunrise that I ever saw. Also, seeing those galaxies up close is breath taking. I have never seen so much color in my life.”

“Isn’t it gorgeous, Richard? Every day is a miracle up here in heaven.”

“I’ll say, mom. God sure knows how to make a universe.”

“How are you feeling son, since the surgeries?”

Richard pats around his body taking stock of himself, “I feel fine dad. I think the doctors did the best job possible. But first I need to learn how to walk again,” with a tear coming to my eye.

With a tear in her eye, “I know it hurts right now. But someday it will be better.”

We hug each other again. Kenny and Michael are not with us at this time. They are off somewhere else. They said they wanted to get into a game of football with some of their friends that made it up here. They said they will catch up with us when it is time for me to leave.

“Come on Richard, let’s take a walk through Flower Valley while we talk some more.”

“Sure, mom and dad, sounds like a beautiful place to visit.”

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The nurses wheel in Richard’s gurney to X-ray to begin the process. Laying him out with a sheet over him, they positioned the device above him and proceeded to take photos of his body in various positions.

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While walking through the fields of Flower Valley, Richard notices something, “Whoa, mom and dad. I feel little disoriented.”

“Is there something wrong, Richard?”

“I am not sure, I think I am still in the hospital, but they are turning me around in several different positions.” Then a series of lights flashes on a part of my body and disappears.

“I know what they are doing, Richard. They are doing X-rays this morning.”

“Is that what they are doing dad? I was wondering what was going on.”

“They will probably do the MRI next and several other tests as well.”

“How do you know this, dad?”

“Do you remember that time you were in the hospital when you tried to protect Brianna?”

“Yes, I do, mom.”

“They did the same thing to examine you to make sure there were no complications on the inside, especially with broken bones.”

“But that is when they discovered I was inter-sexual, mom.”

“I know, dear. It caught us with surprise as well. We did not know about it when you were born. If they did take such pictures, they kept it hidden from us. I guess they did not want to burden us with that discovery. But when it was discovered later we had to share the burden anyway.”

“We also talked about it with the Wilson’s when we went on our summer vacations.”

“You did talk to them about that, dad?”

“Yes, we did. They were concerned as well because their daughter was threatened as well.”

“I know what you mean, mom and dad. I know what you mean.”

“Come now, Richard, let’s enjoy this valley and the aromas of the flowers with the colors of the rainbow.”

“Sure mom, we can talk some more later.”

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Anna drives to the apartment complex to give the good news. She walks around back like before.

“Amber and Cobalt, I have some good news.”

Then all of the butterflies flutter down to her. Some land on her shoulders and head.

They whisper back.

“What is it, Anna?”

“You are allowed to come to the recovery room.”

“That’s great, Anna.”

Anna feels the excitement from the fairies.

“Okay, I need to enter the apartment and select which potted flower and anything else you will need while you are there.”

“Be by the door. We’ll unlock it for you, Anna.”

“Thank you, Tiger.”

Anna walks around to the front and up the stairs to the second floor. Once she gets there, the door opens for her. They change into fairies once she is inside and closes the door.

“Okay, which sets of flowers will do for you? Will you need some fruit and seeds as well?”

“We can eat the fruits in butterfly mode with no problems. We can’t bring the seeds, because we need to be in fairy form to eat them.”

“Yes that would cause a problem, Lavan.” Anna walks to the balcony.

“Let’s take these two flowering pots here. They will provide us with the best energy.”

“Okay, Bianca. Which fruits will do for you, Amber?”

“It will have to be the small fruits like the blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry and the like. Put them in a small bag. Then put the bag in the midst of the flowering bunch. How long do you think Richard will be in the hospital?”

“It depends on how fast he heals and is able to walk and use his arms again. It could be anywhere from two weeks or more. Brianna even thought of housing Richard at the Rescue Mission in Charleston.”

“Charleston? That is where Richard’s 3D System is built. We know that area very well. The Rescue Mission is on an island near the city.”

“Yes, it is, Tigress.”

“Okay, we’ll take enough fruit for one week. If he is there another week, you’ll need to bring in another bag of fruit for us.”

“Take this water bottle as well. We’ll use it to drink from and wash ourselves.”

“Don’t forget fairies, this situation Richard found is an international problem. We don’t know what will happen during the weeks ahead. We are even trying to plan to thwart this potential travesty or protect ourselves from this incident.”

“We’ll just take it day by day, Anna. That is all we can do.”

“Yes it is, Cobalt. Who will watch the apartment?”

“We will, Anna. We have done this before with no problems.”

“Okay, Traphel. Did Richard show you how to use a cell phone?”

“He did, Anna. It is still plugged in his bedroom. We’ll send messages to each other when needed.”

“Okay, that is good. Well, let’s load up what you need.” Anna bends down to pick up the two flower potted plants. She takes them to the table. She finds a sticky note pad and writes down a short message and tapes one to each pot. ‘Do not throw away. Flower belongs to Richard Moore.’

The fairies gather up a bunch of small fruit in the bowls and place them in a large mouth bag that is 6" x 6" with a draw string. Anna places it in one of the flowering pots. She puts the water bottle in the second pot and lays it on the side. It is the type found that is used by birds and hamsters in cages. Anna takes the potted plants out of the apartment and down to her car and places them on the floor of the car. The fairies change into butterflies before leaving the apartment and flutter down to her car. Anna walks back up to retrieve the second flowering pot with the bag of fruit. Once the door closes, Traphel and his fairies lock the apartment by pushing two buttons on the plate of the door. The bolts slide in and secure the apartment.

Once Anna puts the second flowering potted plant in and the bag of fruit inside the car, the butterflies fly in quickly and hide among the flowers. One of the pots contain petunias of several different colors. The other is a selection of three different flowers.

Anna drives to the hospital to get there before 9 AM. Once she parks in the parking lot, she gets out puts the pots on the ground. She locks her car up and put the keys into her purse and slings it onto her shoulder. She kneels down to pick up the plants and walks to the main entrance.

Security checks the plants out and sees nothing to get his attention. He calls Dr. Thornton to verify the message from Anna. Dr. Thornton tells him it is okay to allow her through. Anna walks to the waiting room and places the pots on the floor.

~~~000~~~

“Well that’s it, Sarah. Now it is time for the pictures to develop so that we can see what is going on. The technicians said they will have them ready in about a half hour.”

“That’s fine, Frank. I need to grab a cup of coffee. Do you need anything to drink?”

“Yes, please. But make mine an orange juice. That’s a better pick me up than coffee.”

“You can say that again Frank. Coffee is quite addicting. I should lay off it.”

“You will need to wean yourself off of it a little bit each day. Don’t do it cold turkey, or you will get headaches like crazy.”

“I have tried it before several times. But, I just would just go back on it again.”

“Well, just be persistent about it. The reward will come later.”

“I’ve even read that coffee is good for you.”

“I’ve read that report too, Sarah. I guess coffee reacts differently with different people. For me, coffee made to me too irritable after it wears off.”

They both go to the cafeteria to buy their drinks. While sitting down
again and chatting away for the next half hour or so. Frank’s cell phone begins beeping.

Picking it up and responding to the call, he chats with the technician and smiles at Sarah. “Well it looks like they have the results ready. Shall we go?”

“Let’s go and see.”

They both get up and walk back to Frank’s office. The technician arrives with the results at the same time they get there. The technician takes out the negatives puts them on the light boards for them to see.

Looking at the X-rays, they can see the stress fractures in multiple locations on the body.

“Do you see anything out of the ordinary, Sarah?”

“Not really Frank. I don’t see any shadows indicating any bleeding at this time or other possible problems. It looks we did a good job on stopping those bleeders. Let’s take a look at the MRI.”

The technician takes out the DVD and puts it into the DVD player and displays the images on the monitor. He also takes out the prints and hands them to Frank.

Laying them out in a sequence on the table, Frank also sequence the images on the computer monitor. Hopefully to get a sense of the 3-dimensions involved. “You know Sarah, I wish there was a way to compile these images into a composite 3D to get a better a look. Sometimes these slices are difficult to comprehend sometimes.”

“Perhaps there is a way. Maybe we can feed it through Richard’s 3D System.”

“That’s a good idea. But do we know where one is set-up?”

“There is one in Richard’s room. I requested that it be set up there to monitor him as a back-up to your system. We can view it in there; once it is compiled, will then save it as a video this time.”

“That is an excellent idea, Sarah. Sam, let’s take this down to Richard’s room. Get one of the network techs to display these images.”

“Yes sir, Mr. Thornton.” Sam collects the X-rays and MRI images and the DVD’s and they all head down to Richard’s room. Sam contacts the network tech to meet them at Richard’s room and explains what they are trying to achieve on his hospital cell phone.

They all walk into the room. The network tech shows up ten seconds later.

“Hello, Richard, we need to use your 3D-video system. We want to see if it can display your MRI exam.”

Then the heart rate just increases on the heart monitor. Then it goes back to normal.

“Thank you, Richard,” giggles Sarah.

“Why did you talk to Richard? He can’t hear you, can he?”

“Yes he can, Derek. It is possible he can hear us. Did you see that heart rate increase and go back down? That did not happen by it self. It has been known to happen. We’ve had some patients who have come out of comas or in deep sleeps and tell us what we’re talking about or doing. There is a world out there that we cannot see or hear, but they can see and hear us. Does that mean there is a heaven? Maybe, maybe not, but it does give hope that life does not end when the body dies here.”

“Okay, that’s a fair enough answer for now. Here, let me boot up the system and see if we can put these images together.” Derek takes the DVD and puts it into the server in the closet. “There is a feed from there to the monitors at the nurse’s station. But I can bring up the menu here in 3D.” He brings out the holo-transmitters and puts them in the four corners of the room. Then he takes out the gloves and puts them on. He points in space to bring up the virtual keyboard. He types up some commands on the five-line display and hits enter. The tech brings up the 3D-menu in the room and uses the 3D gloves to select the option to play the DVD. Adjusting for the scale to make the body image bigger, Richard’s MRI image appears above himself in the bed.

"Can you slide the image over here and away from his bed?"

"Sure, if you just wait a few moments." Derek then grabs the image with the 3D gloves and moves the MRI image away from the bed. The doctors can now move around the image and check closely for any details missed. Or they can rotate the body any direction for a better angle.

“This is amazing, Sarah. We can finally see details that were hidden by the naked eye.”

”Yes it is, Frank. I can see where we put the sutures to stop the bleeding. Derek, could you remove some layers of the image to see underneath? For example can you remove the skin and the muscle layer to reveal the organs or bones?”

“I will try. It might not be set up to do so. But I will take a look.”

Derek goes through the virtual menu and looks at the options available. Let’s see if I remember right…. we coded certain body part features, perhaps that is the answer. ’I think I got it. If you remember we coded the various different body parts. If I go to this menu provided by the MRI manufacturer on the DVD…go to Options…there it is…pointing to “Body”…select Properties, right point that….There is the list Mr. Thornton….select “muscle” to be off….and …poof… the muscles are gone!” he says with a smile.

“That is great Derek, thank you very much. Now we can peel away the layers to reveal the bone structure or any other detail. This is better than using the X-rays in some ways.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But with X-rays Sarah, it is relative easy to use it for a first time look. If we had a patient come in with a metal object we do not want them to come near an MRI. The magnets would rip it out once it is turned on.”

“I agree, Frank. But this is an excellent opportunity to add this to the tools in diagnosis.”

“I agree with that most heartedly. Well, back to the first question. Do we see anything that we might have missed?”

“I see some blood pooling in some places. This could be blood we might have missed when cleaning it up.”

“You are probably right. We could not get to every nook and cranny to remove the blood. But it appears most of it is removed, Sarah.”

“Derek, remove everything but leave the skeleton feature on.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few moments later all that remains is the skeleton.

“Fortunately with some of the cracked bone; none are protruding. He is fortunate to be wearing that metal corset.”

“I agree, Frank.”

“The one thing I do notice is the shape of the rib cage. It is a bit round at the top, or barrel shaped. It does not taper too quickly to the bottom.”

“Yes, I do see that. But there is something else I see, Frank. If I remember my studies, I am looking at a slightly female skeleton frame for the lower half.”

“You’re right, Sarah. I do see it. He has slightly wide hips and small feet and hands for starters. If it was not for the barrel chest and his excellent muscular conditioning, I would not have guessed it.”

“Derek, bring up the organ groups one at a time by themselves and turn them in a slow spinning style to reveal all sides. I want to make some comparison notes for his folder. Also print out a picture of each as well for the record.”

“Yes, Dr. Mitchell.”

“I think I know where you are going with this Sarah. You want a base in case there is an issue or problem later.”

“Yes, Frank. I do not get this opportunity too often. Besides this is a unique case to get Richard documented because he is inter-sex. I am also looking for something that might give me a clue on why he is inter-sexed.”

“Perhaps we need to do a DNA detail study along with a complete endocrine study to see which way the hormones are tipping.”

“That’s a good idea. But I am intrigued as to why both organs developed at the same time. I am guessing it is environmental on his mother.”

“It is possible that his mother was wishing for a daughter after having two sons.”

“That could very well be true. The mind is a potent motivator in certain outcomes. But she could have been taking a pill of some type or a prescription that would help in tipping the balance.”

“Well, from what I have seen so far I think we can set some times for some visiting. I will go and place the order for the DNA test and endocrine study.”

“We had a DNA study done a few years ago. This was done after the discovery on the sealed medical records. We discussed with the university on what to do guarantee Richard’s ownership to his patent.”

“Did you bring that with you when you came down?”

“Yes, I did. I can print out the images and the report from the DVD.”

“Good, then I will just order the endocrine study. Is there any other test you can think of, Sarah?”

“Not right now; perhaps after the endocrine study. We should order another complete blood test at least. I do know we can’t use a sonigram on his womb.”

“Why not? That is the standard tool to look at their progress.”

“Not this time, Frank. The babies he his carrying are very sensitive to sound. If you intend to use it, you’ll need a long quartz crystal between the rod and his skin.”

“Why use the quartz crystal?”

“I rented a portable sonigram to check his first pair several years ago. The babies immediately kicked Richard’s womb that they are being hurt by the sound waves. The quartz crystal acted as a buffer. Not only that, the images came in more clearer than before.”

“More clearer? We’ll have to try that. Okay, we won’t use a sonigram on him.”

“We’ll let’s order another complete blood and endocrine test on him.”

“I agree. We need to see if any indicators are leveling off or not. Derek, we are done here. Thank you for your help.”

Derek pushes a button to eject the DVD. The 3D image disappears when he does that. “You’re welcome sir, here is the MRI DVD.” Derek hands back the DVD and the newly created video to Frank.

“We’ll call you again if we need your help again. Oh, and will you please go a make second copy of these disks for Sarah.” Frank hands the disks back to Derek.

“Sure, I can do that. It will be done in about 15 to 30 minutes. I will have them delivered to your office when they are done.”

Derek touches the menu corner to make it disappear. He takes the gloves off and lays them on the server in the closet.

They all leave Richard’s room, and start walking back to their offices.

“Frank, remember yesterday. We asked the Wilsons and Anna to be here at 9 AM. It is now about 5 till 9 now.”

“The Wilsons and Anna should be in the front lobby by now.”

“Okay, let’s walk down there and see if they are there.”

~~~000~~~

“I hope and pray the doctors come back with some good news.”

“I hope so too, Brianna. We have to trust in the doctor’s skill and pray that they make the right decisions.”

They walk into the waiting room and see Anna sitting there patiently.

Anna stands up to greet them. “Good morning, everybody.”

“Hello Anna. I take it that the doctors have not come down yet?”

“No they haven’t, Larry. I just got here about 5 minutes ago. So how is everybody doing?”

“We are doing fine, just taking it one day at a time.”

Looking down the hallway, Brianna sees the doctors approaching, “Look everybody, they’re here.”

Everyone turns around and greet each other.

“Good morning. We just finished going over the results this morning. It looks promising. We have come up with the time slots for visiting Richard. It will be 10 AM to 11 AM, 2 PM to 3 PM and from 6 PM to 7 PM. Only two people will be allowed at a time. Of course cards are welcomed. I think we should keep the flower arrangements small for table tops. I don’t think the hospital attendants will take it too kindly by having those huge arrangements on pedestals and easels.”

“I should think so, Frank. The nurses and the doctors will need the room if there is an emergency at the time.”

“That’s sound reasonable. I think we will have no problems with that.” Everybody assented to it by smiling and nodded their heads up and down.

“Good. I guess you four will be the first ones today. I will go and inform Mr. Bryson of the schedule and the current situation.”

“What is the current situation with Richard right now?”

“Well Mr. Wilson, everything is stable right now. The surgeries are holding fine. He is still in a body cast type for his legs and arms. But the cast pieces are removable if we have to operate for some reason. Nothing has changed since yesterday.”

“Another issue we noticed is that he has a slightly barrel chest with a little tapering. This is because he is used to wearing a corset already.”

“We’ll let you be for now. We need to get to our offices; we have other duties that require our attention for now. Oh … and before we forget; Richard is moved into room 410 on the fourth floor.”

“Thank you doctors, see you later today or tomorrow.”

Doctors Thornton and Mitchell turn around and head back to the elevators.

“We had our breakfast already, Anna. We can get some flowers and some cards while we are waiting for the first bedside visit.”

“That’s fine Helen. I already had mine as well. I will join you in
selecting a card for Richard. I brought some flowers from Richard’s balcony garden.”

“They look great, Anna. I didn’t know Richard had a green thumb.”

“I think he picked it up from his mom.”

“I remember that now. His mom made sure of that back at the old house. I remember seeing that on some days then.” Larry picks up both potted plants and carries them as they all walk toward to the gift shop in the hospital to purchase some get well cards and some more flowers for Richard.

~~~000~~~

Well, it’s time to give Mr. Bryson an update on Richard.
Sarah dials the phone number ….Ring…Ring…Ring…

“Good morning, this is Secure-Sys, Cheryl speaking. How can I help you?”

“Good morning Cheryl, I am Dr. Sarah Mitchell. I would like to speak to Mr. Bryson.”

“Yes, Sarah, Mr. Bryson is in, let me connect you with Linda.”

“Thank you.”

Click. “Good morning, Dr. Mitchell. This is Linda, Mr. Bryson’s secretary. I will connect you in.”

“Thank you, Linda.” Click.

“Good morning, Dr. Mitchell. How is Richard doing this morning?”

“Good morning Mr. Bryson. Richard is doing fine. The results from this morning examination look promising. So far no complications have developed. We have been given the okay for bedside visitors. We would like to keep it to two at a time for now. The hours of visitation will be from 10 to 11 AM, 2 to 3 PM and 6 to 7 PM. When he is more stable we will increase the hours and the number of visitors. We do not want to tax his energy too much. He still has a long way to go. He will be unconscious today and tonight. Hopefully we will be able to bring him around tomorrow morning and take the next step for his recovery. He has a mouth piece placed there for the airway and for drinking liquids. We are keeping it there just in case. We want to see if he can speak through the mouth piece without moving his jaw. Moreover it will help us determine how the larynx is healing. I suspect it might be still be raw, we are hoping that he might be able to whisper through the vocal chords. It can be done with practice.”

“That is good to hear. Hopefully he will be conscious enough and be able to participate in the meeting tomorrow afternoon.”

“That is our hope too. It will help us gauge how his progress is coming along. If you will excuse me, I need to get back to my duties.”

“Thank you doctor, I will announce the hours to the company for those who want to come by and visit. I know some will want to bring flowers and cards, is that okay?”

“Yes it is. But I think it might be best to have the flower arrangements be suited for vases or small stands for table tops. I do not think the hospital will take kindly to arrangements that are on easels or pedestals on the floor. We need to have room to access the bed and be able to do any emergency work that needs to be performed.”

“I understand that. I will put a memo out with those stipulations, thank you. I will be by tomorrow at least if I can’t make it today. See you then. Oh, Sarah, I have a couple more questions. What is the security situation there? How is he monitored?”

“Do you think he might be endangered still at this point?”

“It is possible. But I was thinking of putting him in a room with the 3D System that he created. That way everything can be monitored and recorded.”

“That is not a problem. In fact we already have Richard in a room with that equipment. So, don’t worry about it.”

“Well, that is good to hear. I just want to make sure he is taken care of.”

“I assure you our patient will be well taken care of. See you on Thursday then.” Click.

Then a knock on the door of Sarah’s office sounded out.

“Come in.”

“Here is the copy of the MRI DVD and the 3D-animations you requested.” He brings in the copies and puts them down on Sarah’s desk.

“Thank you.”

“Your welcome,” then the delivery aide leaves the room.

Well that call went well. Let me take a closer look at the MRI DVD again and the video that Derek created of his individual organs. Let’s see…put in the organ video….hit play…ah… here it comes. This is incredible to be able to see this detail.

~~~000~~~

Going up to the fourth floor, the Wilson’s and Anna step out of the elevator and walk toward the nurse’s station.

“Which way is room 410?”

“Room 410 is down the hall on the right. Were you told only two at a time for five minutes each?”

“Yes, we were.”

“That’s good. If you like, we have a waiting area over there or you can sit on one of the aisle sofas down the hallway, your choice.”

“Thank you nurse….why don’t you and your mom go in first; we can wait outside until you’re done.”

“Thanks, dad. It is only for five minutes anyway," she smiles as she walks down the hallway.

Larry, Anna, Brianna and her mom walk into Richard’s room. They put the flowers on the table. Brianna still has her flowers and card in her hands. Larry and Anna walk out of the room and sit on the sofas in the hallway.

“Oh mom, look at him. He is in a body type cast like they said. His face is all bandaged up like a mummy….I…I…,” then a tear comes down the face.

Mom puts an arm around her, “Be strong, my dear. Remember we had to be strong for you when you were in the hospital.”

“I know, mom. But it has been 10 years or so since we last saw him.”
“Dear, go and put your card and flowers over there on the table in the corner of the room.”

“Yes, mom,” walking over and putting them on the table she turns around and walks back to Richard’s bed. “Do you think he can hear us?”

“It is a good possibility. But remember they have him sedated for today and tonight. They are hoping to bring him around tomorrow.”

“Hello, Richard, long time, no see; it’s me, Brianna.”

Just then the heart rate increases on the heart monitor.

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“Mom, dad… I think I hear a familiar voice and a name in my head.”

“Whom does it sound like dear?”

“It sounds like Brianna. I think she is visiting me in the hospital. Is there a way I can get a closer look?”

“Yes, there is. There is a window portal nearby that allows us to see what is happening down there on earth or anywhere else in the multi-verses.”

All three fly over to the window portal near the entrance to Flower Valley.

“There it is, just next to the gate. Just place your hand on that crystal ball. It will then tune into your body. Then we can see and hear what is going on the screen above. If we were to put our hand on it, we would have to think of the person’s name and where he or she might be. It then tunes in and allows us to see and hear what is going on. It’s how we knew what was happening to you.”

“Thanks dad, let’s take a look,” I then place my hand on the crystal ball. The blank screen becomes a scene in a hospital from looking above.

All three take a look

“Look, mom and dad, it is the Wilson family and Anna. They are visiting me in the hospital.”

“That is a great son. But how did they find you?”

“I think a police detective from the city where they are living now tracked me down. Anna told me so just before I was beaten up; let us listen in on what they are talking about.”

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“Look mom, the heart rate increased. I think he can hear us.”

“Yes I do Brianna; that is a good sign. Keep talking.”

“Yes, mom,” with a cheery voice and smile, “I am sorry to meet you this way after all these years.”

Then a heart rate goes back down too normal. Then Brianna smiles again.

“But it is good to see you again. I tried to find you after our families split apart. I did not know where you were, what you were doing, etc. The first news I got about you is when your family died in the plane crash in the mountains. I am sorry we could not attend the funeral; my dad could not get off from work. It was not until you made the news with your invention at the university that gave us the biggest lead in finding you. That invention of yours has helped a lot of people around the world; including me. I will tell you about it someday when I am ready. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Brianna then reaches over and touches his arm.

Just then the heart rate increases a little higher on the heart monitor.

Brianna smiles again, “Well, you just have to calm down now. At least I can touch your arm. Your hands are all wrapped up from surgery.”

Then the heart rate goes back down too normal almost. Then Brianna smiles again. “That’s better. Look my five minutes are just about up, I will be back later.”

Brianna and mom leave the room.

“So, how did it go in there?”

“He can hear us, dad. His heart rate went up when I talked to him and when I touched his arm.”

“That’s good to know, Brianna. So, Anna, ready to go in?”

“Yes, let’s go in.”

Larry and Anna walk into the room. Then they stand next to Richard’s bed.

“Hello, Richard. It is good to see you again.”

Then the heart rate increases on the heart monitor.

Larry smiles when he looks at the response on the monitor.

She smiles, “We have a lot to discuss tomorrow when they bring you around. We will save that until then. But I do want to say that we were able to get that recording to Mr. Bryson. He is always impressed with your work.”

Then the heart rate goes back down to normal.

“Yes, in time, those four men will be arrested and be put in jail. I have some things to do today. I need to get ready for tomorrow’s meeting. But, I will see you later at the 6 PM time slot this evening.”

Then Larry leaves with Anna without saying a word.

Meeting out in the waiting room area, Brianna speaks up. “Dad, did you say anything to him in there?”

“I did not, my dear.”

“Why? Mom you did the same thing, why didn’t you both talk to
him?”

Mom looks at dad, “Tell her honey, when you explain it, I think she will understand then.”

“Yes, Helen. Brianna, the reason we didn’t speak up is that if he heard our voices, then he could be shocked and scared back to the night we last saw him. Do you remember that night?”

“Yes I do, mom and dad. I remember I cried a lot when you told us we could not see the Moore’s anymore. I remember Karen and I trying to explain it to you both and to the Moore’s on why Richard was dressed up. I pleaded to not break us up. Even Richard was crying when his parents took him away.” Another tear comes to my eye. Taking out a tissue from my purse I dabbed my eyes.

“Now you understand why we didn’t speak up in there.”

“Then seeing or hearing you both will cause him to remember that night. Then his heart will race with fear like a bad nightmare.”

“That’s right Brianna. We are going have to take it slow. You are going to have to tell him what has happened since then, to fill in the blanks as it were.”

“I understand mom and dad….hmm…. I am glad I have you for my parents. You are the best.”

“You’re welcome, Brianna.” Then all three hug each other.

“Ahem… Don’t I have a word in this?”

“Oh we’re sorry Anna. I guess we got caught up in the moment. You said you had some things you need to do today?”

“Yes, I did. I need to check in with the local AG and police department today to see where we stand before we have our meeting
tomorrow.”

“Bye Anna we’ll see you later,” they all said.

~~~000~~~

Anna drives out of the hospital and heads toward to the police station. Arriving there, she parks her car and goes into the front entrance.

“Good morning, I am Anna Dawson, attorney representing Richard Moore. I was wondering if Detective Torres is in this morning.”

“I will call his desk to see if he is there, if you will wait please.”

“Yes, I can wait, thank you.”

Dialing the number…Ring….Ring….Ring…

“Hello. Detective Torres? Yes….Anna Dawson, Richard Moore’s attorney is here to see you for the 10 AM meeting . . . Yes….Okay…Thank you.”

“Ms. Dawson. He will be right down. He will be here in a few moments.”

“Thank you.”

Detective Torres arrives in the lobby. “Good morning, Ms. Dawson. Please to meet you again. Come this way to a conference room and we will get started.”

“Good morning, Detective Torres. Thank you for making time this morning.”

“Not a problem, Ms. Dawson,” Dan leads Anna to a conference room off the main hallway on the first floor.

“I think this room will do. Please take a seat. We need to go over some notes. I understand that you will be meeting Stephen later today after you leave from here.”

“Yes, I am. I just want to get my notes ready for tomorrow afternoon’s meeting. I know you will be meeting with Mr. Bryson tomorrow morning, then the meeting at the hospital in the afternoon.”

“Yes, that is right. So, did you see Richard this morning?”

“Yes, I did. Right now everything is fine. There have been no complications from the surgeries at this time. How is it going on your side of the investigation?”

“That is good news. Right now we are following up on the leads that Richard provided for us. I am impressed on how Richard was able to track down Brent’s associates; the names involved in this conspiracy are quite deep.”

“Did you say a conspiracy, Dan? Is there a chance that this conspiracy can be stopped?”

“It is hard to say. We do not know the details of their intentions if they were to succeed. It will be a tough battle to stay one step ahead of them. But if we act fast enough we might be able to catch them before they start running to hide. There might be a few that we might miss. But at least we have a way of tracking them with the software program that Richard provided for us. We’ll give more details at tomorrow afternoon’s meeting.”

“I have a question now. What if they learn to stay away from the
internet to communicate? How about phone conversations and ‘texting’ or even hand to hand messages, can you track that way?”

“Well if they try texting they are going through an internet connection so that can be followed. Right now there is no method of tracking phone conversations efficiently. It is very time consuming. I am going to take another look at Richard’s program and see if it can track phone messages, if it does, then it’s all the better. Of course, if they resort to hand to hand messages, that is going to involve some real ground work to figure out their network.”

“Well I wish you the best in getting the evidence.”

“Thank you Anna, that recording that Richard provided is the best start in investigation. Also we did find another piece of info that puts the four men in question at the scene. That will be revealed at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Well, I won’t ask for it now. I can wait. Well, it is time for me to go. Oh, here are the visiting hours for Richard’s room. I typed them up for you Dan.” Anna hands a page to him.

“Thanks Anna, I will make sure it gets posted for the Captain. That way he can have a contingency plan ready if Richard gets threatened again. We’ll discuss that tomorrow as well.”

Getting up from the chair they shake hands. “Well, I need to get going. Thanks for the meeting.”

“You’re welcome, see you tomorrow.”

~~~000~~~

Once the room is empty, the butterflies fly out from the potted flowers. They flutter to Richard and land on him in various locations. With their fore feet, they touch his skin to see if there is a response.

After a second attempt they see a muscle twitch on his fingers, jaw, arms and legs. They even checked his stomach area. They sense he is okay there. They also sense the two new ones in the womb are fine as well.

Once they did the initial touching, they start using their own healing abilities to heal Richard. Little glows of light appear around their feet as they touch Richard. Once they feel weak, they flutter back to the flowers to drink some nectar and sip some fruit in the bag. They flutter to the water bottle to drink some water as well. Once their strength is restored, they flutter back to Richard and do it again.

After some time, they hear the door handle ‘click’. They flutter back to the flowers to hide. They see Brianna and Helen walking in to talk to Richard again.

~~~000~~~

“So Richard, let’s see what I can talk about now. I was able to graduate tops in high school and in college. It was a lot of fun. I now work on an island near Charleston, SC. The place is called The Rescue Mission. It is basically a half-way house for abused women and their children. The place is a former resort hotel….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom and Dad, she is holding back something.”

“I know honey. She will tell it someday when she is ready to tell it.”

“Okay mom. I can wait for it.”

“Brianna sure can talk a lot, Richard.”

“I know dad, she has an outgoing personality sometimes. But during our time in elementary school, she was shunned by most girls. She is almost as smart as I am. In fact, the last year we were together in school we were among the top five students at the school, grade wise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It is gorgeous out there Richard with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I will show it to you one day when you are more mobile. It is great. When I went to college I was able to get a Masters Degree in Child Pediatrics….”

“Oh look at the time, Richard. I’m rambling on and on. I am supposed to be here for five minutes at a time.” Smiling again, “Well I need a break for lunch. I will see you later this afternoon.” She touches Richard’s arm again. The heart rate increases on the monitor. With a cheerful smile, “That should keep you charged up until I come back.” Giggling as she leaves the room. Just before she leaves the room, she stops by the flowers. She sees the butterflies in there. “I was told Richard has given birth to fairies. I find that a bit hard to believe right now. I will have to wait until Richard is awake and see if he is telling the truth. Even though with my imagination, I can imagine you are fairies with your colorful wings. They are very beautiful. Well, take care of Richard.” She turns and walks out of the room.

“Well you’ve been in there long enough. It is time for our lunch break.”

“Yes, mom I’m ready. I am thirsty also. I have done of lot of talking in there.”

“I know. But how are you doing?”

“Well mom, I’m hanging in there. It is not the same; I do miss the feedback and banter from Richard. Seeing his heart rate increase from time to time does let me know he is listening to me. But he has yet to speak to me. I guess I am being impatient about this.”

“Yes dear, you will just have to wait until tomorrow. Come let’s get down to the cafeteria; I need a bite as well. Dad is sitting in the waiting room area reading a magazine.”

~~~000~~~

Once Brianna leaves the room, the butterflies come fluttering out and land on Richard in various locations and touch his skin. They whisper to him soothing words.

Once they feel low on energy, they flutter back to the flowers to drink some nectar and take a sip from a fruit inside the bag. Then they take a sip of water from the bottle before going back to Richard and continue their healing efforts.

Once in awhile they see a muscle twitch or feel his pulse from a nearby blood vessel. This tells them they are succeeding in helping Richard to heal faster.

~~~000~~~

Arriving at the courthouse, Anna walks into the main lobby. Looking for the marquee, she determines which floor and office where Stephen Russell is located. Stepping into the elevator, she goes up to the fifth floor to room #512. Opening the door…

“Hello, I am Anna Dawson. I have a 2 PM meeting with Mr. Russell.”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Dawson. If you will just hold a moment, I will page him.”

“Thank you.”

Click….”Stephen, Anna Dawson is here for the 2 PM meeting.”

“Thank you Karen, she can come in now.” Click.

“You can go through the doors to his office now.”

“Thank you, Ms. Walker.” Walking to the doors she opens them up and enters into the office.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Dawson. What can I do for you?”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Russell. I am an attorney; I represent Richard Moore and his estate. He is currently employed at Secure-Sys, Inc.” They shake hands and Anna sits in chair near the desk. Stephen sits back down in his own chair.

“Ah…Richard Moore, the young gentleman who is beaten up and is in the hospital right now.”

“Yes he is. I understand there is going to be meeting tomorrow afternoon at the hospital. I just want to get my notes together before we proceed. I understand from Mr. Torres that Richard might have uncovered a possible conspiracy of some sort involving some employees at the company.”

"That is true. Right now it is still in the investigation stage of the game."

"You don't need to tell me the details right now. I am just concerned about Richard now. Is it possible that you can add me to your team as a sub-chair, but only in the capacity of protecting Richard's rights?"

Thinking about that for a few moments, "You know, that is not a bad idea. That way you can make sure the defense doesn't try anything to take Richard's rights away. Speaking of which, I was informed of the dual gender nature of Richard. Have you taken any steps in this regard?"

Smiling, "Yes we have. First of all we discovered his dual nature when his parents and brothers were killed in a small plane crash while Richard was in college. We contacted the university for advice on how to proceed. They said we need physical proof that Richard is the same person if something happens to one of his gender organs. We did a complete DNA profile on him. Multiple X-Rays and MRI’s were added to the file already. This dual nature was discovered when he was 8 or so, but the parents decided to hide it from him until he got older. They figured that since the female part has not turned on yet, it was best to keep silent about it. They wanted to protect him from any possible harassment from the other kids while growing up. So, where we stand right now is for the right circumstance to initiate that legal sequence for the records to show that Richard Moore still owns the royalties from his invention. If he were to lose his male organs, his female name will be Rachel."

"Excellent Anna. That is good work that you have done. I was thinking of adding a twist to the charges on the four men. I was thinking of murder in the 2nd degree at most."

"It could work. I have a question though. Right now the defense has no knowledge of the dual nature. It would seem that will be revealed sooner or later. Can we hide that from them? What if it gives them an edge in challenging Richard's credibility?"

"Well, we have the recordings for one thing of the attack itself. There is also another piece of evidence. The four men were recorded by the apartment complex security system. The manager was able to release us a copy on a court order signed by the judge. The system is the 3D-video system that she bought from Richard. The recording shows them putting on the masks when they got out of the car and picking up their bats in hand. We also discovered how they were able to get into the apartment without going to the manager's office. They have an electronic device that allows them to have entry into the room. The cameras were able to record the licence plate number. The car does belong to Brent Morgan."

"I was wondering how they got in. Well at least we have that going for us as convictions go. What about the conspiracy that Brent is involved with? What is to be done there?"

"Well, right now, we are waiting for tomorrow morning to discuss that. From what I have seen so far, the list of accomplices is very extensive. The involvement does add years to Brent and his three friends that is for sure."

"What are you figuring to be the jail time for them?"

"Well at least 10 years for the assault on Richard. But the conspiracy issue is another problem altogether. We would like to snare them in the act. Because right now, we have no evidence of tampering."

"Can you at least give me an idea what this conspiracy is? Is there a way to catch them?"

"Well, the conspiracy involves computer hacking of the servers located at various city and county offices here in Jacksonville. At tomorrow's meeting we hope to get more information on what this is about. Is it for ransom to return control, we don't know? As far as catching them, Richard did provide us a software program to track them down anywhere."

"Richard did that? Again I am amazed at his intelligence. It would seem someone or a group of people are trying to impose their version of the world to come and they want it now. Or at least get a head start on it. It would probably mean there will be a lot of people who will not like this if this future world changes their current one. I hope it does not cause bloodshed if it gets far."

"I hope so too, Anna. But, I can guarantee one thing, it is a quest for power and control."

"Kind of like the modern age for bullying and to make it legal in their own eyes at the expense of others."

"Precisely Anna. That is why this action must be stopped. If Richard's programs can accomplish this without shedding blood, then that is a good thing."

"I do not know if you have forgotten. Richard's 3D-video program is already changing the world. It has convicted more felons than ever. Crime in general has gone down. But I bet it means they are chomping at the bit on how to beat it without getting caught. And now Richard has come up with a way to protect that idea. What we are witnessing really is a clash of futures. Which one will win out? Another thought came to my mind. It seems that this David is slaying the Goliath on another level."

"That’s an interesting observation, Anna. When the 3D-video program was created, I thought it came from a research company associated at the university. I did not realize that it was Richard who designed it in the first place. But, I do agree Anna, this program has been the best tool created for surveillance."

"Here is an interesting question, Stephen. What is the future if Richard's programs become the norm?"

"It would probably mean one step closer to something like Star Trek with those holodecks on the show. It is like what happened with Buck Rogers during the 1950's and the early sci-fi TV shows. Now those ideas have become real in our time."

“Yes, they have. Well, I need to get going and drive back to my hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

Anna and Stephen both stand up and shake hands with each other.

“See you tomorrow afternoon, Co-chair Counselor Anna Dawson.”

Stephen escorts Anna back out to the front. Anna exits the AG’s office.

“Karen, will you please add Anna Dawson to our team. She will co-chair with us and look after Richard’s personal rights.”

Karen smiles, “Yes, Stephen. I’ll write up the documents and have her added to your team.”

~~~000~~~

The rest of the day proceeded smoothly for us. Mom, dad and I decide to come by for the 6 PM visiting hour. We get there at five minutes till.

When we get up there on the fourth floor by 6 PM, dad stays outside and waits for us to come out. Mom and I walk inside into the room. Just as soon as we walk inside, we see butterflies fluttering from Richard back to the flower pots.

“Those butterflies are beautiful, mom.”

“Yes, they are, Brianna. Apparently Richard has a liking for butterflies. We have to be careful around them because their wings are fragile.”

“Yes, mom.”

I walk up to Richard and stand next to his bed. “Good evening, Richard. How are you doing?”

She sees the heart rate increase on the monitors, then it goes back to normal.

“Well, at least I’m glad you are happy to see me.” She smiles at him. “I hear you will be awake tomorrow. But I won’t get a chance to talk to you until tomorrow afternoon. That’s okay, that can wait until then.”

Brianna talks some more of herself growing up since she last saw Richard. After five minutes of talking, Brianna and mom walk out of the room. Soon they see two men standing there. The two men give a long look at Brianna and give a smile before walking into the room.

“Brrr . . . who are those two men, dad?”

“They are from the company where Richard works at.”

“Did you just get a chill, Brianna?”

“No mom, those two men looked at me too long with lustful eyes. I have a feeling they are trouble.”

Then the door opens, the two men walk out and two more men walk inside the room. The first two men walk toward the nurse’s station to wait for the other two come back out.

Before Brianna could say something, they hear a ‘beep, beep . . . ‘ sound repeating from the nurse’s station. About five nurses come walking down the hallway very fast. They push the door open and get in quickly. The second pair of men come out laughing.

One of the nurses yells out loud, “Get out of the room now. I do not know how, but I think you have been here long enough.”

“Yes, nurse. We were just finishing here. We will leave now.”

They continue laughing as they walk toward the first pair of men and walk to the elevators to leave the hospital.

Brianna and her parents got wide eyed and wondered what happened in there. Once Richard is stabilized, the nurses come out and return to their duties.

“What happened in there?”

“They whispered something to Richard to cause his heart to race very fast. I need to let Mr. Bryson know about this. Richard is fine for now. He is breathing a lot easier now.”

Brianna and her parents look at each other. “I bet it was those four men who beat up Richard, mom.”

“We don’t know for sure right now, my dear. But we have seen the same arrogance as with those who attacked you, Brianna.”

“I am surprised Richard got beaten up in the first place. It is just like what happened when he was eight.”

Then we see Anna Dawson come walking down the hallway.

“Did I miss something?”

“You did, Anna. There were four men here from the company where Richard works at. I believe they whispered something to him. Richard’s heart raced very high that caused the nurses come down here to calm him down.”

“Hmm . . . it could be the same four who beat him up.”

“I thought that too, Anna.”

“What I’m curious about, is that Richard could have easily defeated all four of them with no problems. He has had the training for it.”

“What? What are you trying to tell us?”

“He currently owns the Shaolin Brown sash with the third degree. He has been training to earn the black sash and the ten degrees that follows.”

“Richard is a martial artist? I didn’t know that.”

“His father had him join a Shaolin dojo near Charlotte, NC. He got up to the purple sash with the third degree by the time he graduated from high school. He does know how to defend himself now, Brianna.”

“I wish I had learned some of that.”

“That’s not all, Brianna. Josh and his gang found Richard again while he was in college. Richard was able to defeat all four of them again with no problems.”

“Josh and his gang? I sure have missed a lot about Richard.”

“There is a video on the internet when Richard graduated.”

“What happened then?”

“An assassin was hired to kill Richard right during his Salutatorian speech.”

“I’ll have to watch that.”

“I can show it to you right now, if you like.”

“Yes, please let me see it.”

They all sit down on the couches and the chairs in the waiting room area. Anna takes out her laptop and connects to the internet. She goes to You Tube to find it. Once she types in the keywords and presses ‘enter’, they see millions of hits for the video.

“Everybody who was there, recorded it on their cell phones and posted it on the internet. It went viral immediately. There are a million hits for the video. This is the best one that recorded it.”

Anna plays the video. It shows the entire ceremonies from the beginning until the fight on the stage. Once the fight is over, the ceremonies resume. Brianna sees some ladies giving a close hug to Richard and slipping something into his hand.

“What did the ladies pass to Richard, Anna?”

“What would you do if you saw that?”

“I would pass my phone number or email for further contact.”

“That’s right, Brianna. Richard collected about twenty names. He never did call them back or write to them.”

Brianna giggles, “So, he still has a heart of gold.”

“Yes he does, Brianna.” Anna smiles back. Mom and dad smile as well.

“So why did Richard not defend himself this time?”

“There are some very good reasons, Larry. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to hear them. Those four men are involved in a very big conspiracy that not only involves the company, but various agencies in Jacksonville and I believe the world.”

“Oh my. What have we stumbled upon here?”

“It is a lot, Helen. Right now you are doing the right thing by being here to help Richard recover.”

“If this situation is big as you say it is, are we safe from any threats?”

“Right now you are. You don’t know what is going on. To keep you safe as much as possible, you need to be told very little of what is going on. I don’t know how long it will take before what is known now, becomes common knowledge. What do you know so far about Richard?”

“Well, he created that 3D System at NC State, he used it to catch the arsonists who torched his parent’s house. That system was installed in my dorm room before I had my attack. It was used to convict the four students who did it. I really don’t know much more about him, except for the time we lived next to each other.”

“Well, that information is okay, Brianna. It is common knowledge now. I could tell you some more, but it would be better off if Richard told you what happened during those years.”

The three of look at each other and nod our heads up and down. “I guess we’ll have to wait until then.”

Anna walks into the room to talk to Richard privately.

“Hello, Richard.”

She sees the heart monitor increase and decrease quickly.

“Well, I will be representing you to protect your rights during the up and coming trial. I will be teamed with the local AG here. You will be wakened up tomorrow morning to see if you can communicate. I want you calm right now, Richard.”

She sees the heart monitor stay normal.

“I don’t know what those four men said, Richard. But I will find out eventually. I think they came here to do some gloating.”

She sees the heart monitor go up and back down.

“I thought so. Anyway, I will find out eventually. Well, you have a good night’s sleep.” Anna turns around and faces the flowers and whispers to the butterflies. “You have a good night’s sleep as well. You need your rest as well.”

Then Amber whispers quietly. “We will, Anna.”

Anna leaves the room. Then the Wilsons and Anna walk down the hallway to get back to their room at the apartment and the hotel room.

The butterflies fly out from the flowers and flutter toward Richard. They rest on him where they can. They fall asleep and soon their heart beats are in rhythm with each other and Richard’s heart as well.