The snow descended in darkness that came too soon. A chilling wind lashed roads unusually congested with those eager to return home before conditions worsened. Hannah was one of them, driving with one hand and pecking away at her phone with another, quietly checking on her son in the seat next to hers. He gazed out, enraptured by the glowing lights of passing cars, reflecting on his exciting progress at school over the past few days.
A timid smile crept across his face as he thought about sharing the fantastic news with his mother. He wanted to tell her about his newfound success, but he was hesitant, knowing it was exactly what she wanted to hear. Ari wanted to avoid inadvertently increasing pressure surrounding his latest achievements, reflecting on the possibility it would cease without warning. Setting a new expectation for her would mean calamity if he didn't meet it over and over again. He figured he would keep it secret for a while longer. Still, as the students and teachers of the school paid more attention to him, he wondered how long it would be before his secret blossomed on its own.
Hannah happily secured the first available parking space she could find. She exited the vehicle with purpose, walking across the sprawling lot that swallowed a massive hospital at its center. Her heels clicked confidently along the frosty ground, and with Ari's hand in hers, they stepped inside, headed for the elevator to reach a floor near the top.
Few of the hospital's patients would realize that in a different wing of the building, an entirely different world lurked inside—one of luxurious makings that separated itself from the rest in many ways. It was a realm of innovation, where the walls were adorned with glossy posters proudly showcasing the latest cutting-edge medical advancements. The patients there were the privileged recipients of exceptional care. It wasn't overbooked or understaffed, and everyone who walked by did so with an unyielding grin.
It was a trip he made far too often to count that became a significant part of his life. While most people would scoff at the idea of a visit to any hospital, Ari embraced it, finding comfort in a place that eventually became a second home. The Nuvo Institute of Medical Research transformed memories of struggle, drowning them out with every moment of light and love. His enduring perseverance met the same cherishing faces that warmed the monotony of endless follow-up appointments and routine exams. Every return was a delightful reunion full of hope and enriched connections.
"Ari Emerson," a melodic voice rang out.
Ari scurried to a doorway, where the inviting smile of a graceful nurse instantly brightened the room. When she glanced at his mother, Hannah cheerfully waved them on, signaling with a flowing hand to proceed without her. Too preoccupied with a call from work, she rambled away while Ari was ushered through the doors by a voice that convinced him of an adventure beyond the waiting area.
He gazed upward, lying motionless on a metallic bed as it gently rolled into a cylindrical machine. Even though its mechanical humming was loud, he could still hear the upbeat voices of the technicians, who carefully monitored him from the other side of the glass. Their kind faces and soft tones soothed an otherwise cold process–anything to get his mind off the tight space he occupied while they reviewed the results and sent them to his physician.
In another room, Ari found himself in a brightly lit space with a sterile smell. He sat near a man who whimsically shared intriguing Rorschach images, inquiring how each made him feel. After a series of engaging tests, he posed a variety of intriguing questions, each thoughtfully guiding the conversation forward. By the end, the most paramount questions were asked, all of which Ari dismissed, even though the opposite was true.
"How are you feeling today?" the doctor inquired warmly. "Any thoughts weighing on your mind?"
Psychological evaluations were a requirement given the extent of damage caused distantly in his purview. They were always given by the ones who wore the biggest smiles with dull tones that didn't pair. To Ari, those well-versed in the complexities of the mind were surprisingly out of touch with the emotional state of others. To them, the brain was a simplistic design, a chemical give and take. They looked at Ari differently. Not as a whole person but as a captivating case study, an enigma to dissect. This shift in perception was noticed by Ari. He followed their thoughts with more insight than he let on until. Eventually, he was the one observing them, quietly evaluating the evaluators.
As Ari stepped through the final door, a resplendent smile spread across his face upon seeing his favorite person, Dr. Simmons. This remarkable physician had been by his side through every twist and turn since his surgery, lighting up the gloomiest moments and genuinely becoming part of the family. Dr. Simmons wasn't just his doctor; he had grown into an adored father figure.
"Hey there, champ! How's it going?" Dr. Simmons beamed, sharing a warm half-hug while an assiduous nurse quietly checked Ari's vitals. "I heard you put on an incredible concert!"
Ari excitedly narrated every vibrant detail of the night he claimed musical success, eagerly celebrating his achievement while the doctor reviewed the nurse's notes. When the nurse left, Ari was so enthralled by the exhilarating news that he didn't even realize anyone had left the room.
"They said they've never heard anything like it before!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining zealously.
Dr. Simmons listened to Ari's comments with the same skepticism as any other adult who flooded developing kids with reassurance. Simmons perceived Ari's glowing review with a grain of salt, his features wide and overpronounced to match the elation of his voice. He took Ari's enthusiastic praise with a grain of salt, translating a recount of colorful grandiosity while looking for medical clues.
"I'm doing well in school, too," blurted Ari, leaping from one topic to the next as if it were the most exciting thing to ever happen.
"My grades are up, and my teachers seem impressed. I keep doing better without even trying."
"Take another breath for me," he requested, listening to the sharpened rhythm of his thumping heart quicken.
Ari's exuberance bubbled over as he shared the news. While he spoke, his breathing became slight, making it increasingly difficult for the doctor to keep up with the winding path of the recent stories he had last heard, which were updated weeks earlier. As soon as the doctor lifted the stethoscope from Ari's chest, he animated to life, kicking his feet from the edge of the exam room bed with an enthusiasm he couldn't suppress.
"So you're studying more," said Simmons. "That's wonderful!"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you," said Ari, bursting with innocent energy as he eagerly observed how his updates affected his favorite person outside his home. "I'm not studying for school, but almost every time I guess an answer in class or on homework, I get it right."
Simmons heard what he said, but even Ari could sense the difference between how he perceived the same highlighted update. His doctor understood that how he played music and engaged with his schoolwork was renewed with a surge of passion, but he couldn't quite reach how spectacular things were going. Ari, with all his splendorous excitement, wasn't precisely portraying how unique his situation was, in part because of the limits his maturity held him to.
"Wow!" said Dr. Simmons, correcting his reaction to align it with Ari's expectations.
Only then would he let up on his efforts, leaving the cavalier physician to his professional duties. Then he could focus on what mattered most – Relieving him of his troubling migraines so the practice could explore the consequential effects of the procedure that saved his life. Indeed, there had to be other complications lurking in a mind so abundant with color and vibrance. If he could only see past his wandering focus, maybe he, too, would be less interested in his academic success and more concerned about the destructive woes that crept through every corner of his likely future.
"If you got every answer correct without cracking a book, you must have gotten really lucky then," said Simmons, gliding a pen-sized flashlight from right to left as Ari's eyes followed its trail.
There was a truth to the boy's excitement that he didn't fully understand. He wasn't just improving in most of his classes; his performance had skyrocketed. The results weren't merely remarkable; they were incredible. Although Ari couldn't grasp the full significance of this change, he could feel it—a persistent, otherworldly phenomenon coursing through him.
"One of my teachers thinks I'm cheating in class, but I'm not," declared Ari, nervously shredding the protective paper beneath him as he drifted to some distant thought.
"He said there was no way for me to know what I do without help."
Suddenly, the doctor's chair spun around theatrically. In an unexpected twist, he brought an intense gaze to Ari with a grave look on his face. But it wasn't Ari's words that unsettled him; it was a shocking revelation on the computer screen—a collection of brain scans that left the doctor visibly astounded. Whatever it was caused his jaw to lower, rendering him unable to speak. Though Ari didn't fully grasp the significance of the doctor's disturbed look, he couldn't miss the contrived smile that followed. It was the same kind his mother used whenever she pretended everything was okay when it obviously wasn't.
A sudden knock at the door startled Simmons, breaking his intense focus. As the door opened, a man leaned in, and for the briefest moment, they both shared a somber look. But when their eyes shifted to Ari, that look vanished. For the first time, Ari felt like an outsider in the presence of his caring physician. He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his wandering thoughts as he observed the interaction.
"Hang tight for just a minute, Ari," Simmons said reassuringly before stepping away from the computer and exiting the room.
Once the door clicked shut, Ari couldn't resist glancing at the screen that had so captivated his doctor. Instead of clear images, there were abstract shapes that didn't immediately resemble a brain. Numbers flanked either side of an overview featuring his name, but their meanings remained a mystery to him. Although he didn't understand his own brain scans, he didn't need to. Simmons' reaction said it all.
Ari's mind drifted back to his days at school, and he began to wonder if there was a link between Simmons' excitement and his recent academic performance. His thoughts began to scatter, though; a gentle throb of a developing migraine started at the fringe of his awareness. Although faint at first, he began to hear distant voices and soon recognized one as Simmons'. What started as soft whispers gradually gained clarity. They were just whispers, but the longer he focused, the louder they grew until the faint sound became loud enough to decipher.
"I'm not sure what you want me to do!" one shouted.
"This was your idea! It's up to you to sort it out!" shouted the other.
Their tones thickened before erupting into a controlled argument. One hushed the other as tensions peaked, and their conversation became a soft murmur. Ari leaned in closer, straining to catch their words.
"Who do you think I should call?"
"Everyone!"
As his headache escalated, his eavesdropping came to an abrupt halt, blurring his vision. The moment he released his focus, the pain faded, a curious connection he almost made—until the door swung open. The doctor entered, beaming with a warm smile. Taking his seat, he started tapping away at the keyboard, making everything on the screen disappear instantly; then, he spun around, looking guiltless and worry-free.
"Nothing to be alarmed about," he assured Ari with conviction. "Everything looks good on my end."
Ari navigated a practiced smile, searching his doctor's eyes for hints to ease his growing anxiety. The doctor returned him to his mother while she was still finishing what sounded like an important phone call, and as they walked away with a quickened pace, he gazed back at his doctor for a moment. The tall man was grinning and waving gleefully, leaving Ari disquieted with a feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Thoughts about the unusual evening swirled in his mind during the car ride home. Upon returning, he realized he couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous had occurred. It was an intriguing puzzle he couldn't entirely solve, but deep down, he sensed it was important and worth exploring.
But moments later, he found himself happily sketching at his desk, letting his thoughts flow freely as he brushed aside the puzzling event. In the cozy warmth of his bedroom, he nestled by the window and took in the scene outside, noticing a white van parked quietly in the growing darkness of his neighborhood. Curiously, he spotted two men sitting in the front, and it struck him that the vehicle was a familiar sight. It was the same one he'd seen many times before, and he wondered why they were parked just outside his home every time. He didn't know why, but when he inspected its appearance, a foreboding feeling overcame him.