At Axel’s request, a scan was done on Alice’s brain.
The news was not good.
They found that both the frontal and temporal lobes showed signs of lesions. It was likely a side effect of long-term damage to her brain from the Bitter Night.
Her body had stopped healing almost altogether now. The surgery was finally finished, but the end result was impossible to guess. The surgeon was brutally honest with Axel and told him there was a very strong chance that she might never wake up again.
For three days, Axel waited by her bedside. He sat beside her in a chair all night. He held her hand and talked to her.
Axel dipped the rag into the warm water and rang it out as much as possible. Then, gently stroking her cheeks, he washed Alice’s face. Next, he moved down to her neck and shoulders, wiping away the sweat and humming to her as he did so.
He paused, catching the scent of the soap in the water. It was a fruit smell, berries, he guessed.
