"How are you holding up?" he asked.
"I'd be doing a lot better if they'd just tell me how she is," Maggie replied.
"Jessie told me what happened between Jordan and Hollinbeck. Apparently, he planned to kill Jessie and to hold Jordan hostage so she could help him make the device functional. After that was accomplished, he was going to kill her as well."
"That son of a bitch. Good thing for him that he's already dead, because if I ever got my hands on him—"
"Anyway, he pointed the gun at Jessie, but Jordan grabbed his arm and forced it upward. The gunshot we heard was him discharging the weapon while they struggled with it. The next thing Jessie remembered is them falling out the window. She saved Jessie. I don't know how I'll ever repay her."
Maggie took Chuck's face between her palms. "She will not expect repayment, Chuck. She loves Jessie."
"And Jessie loves her. She loves both of you, in fact. We're lucky the two of you came into our lives."
Their attention was suddenly diverted to Julie as she entered the waiting room. Maggie immediately went to her.
Julie took Maggie by the shoulders.
"Okay, here's what I know at this point. She did not lose the baby. It appears Hollinbeck's body absorbed most of the impact. Thank God she was only two months along. She did, however, break her back again."
"Oh, my God," Maggie said as she began to cry.
"Her spinal column has not been severed, but it has been damaged. We have the tangle of electrode wires we left in her spine to thank for that. Without the added strength those wire provided, the damage to her spinal cord would have been much worse. In just the hour or so that she's been here, some of the feelings in her legs has returned, but she is unable to move even her toes. She is being fitted for a body cast right now, to immobilize her spine. Once the swelling has subsided, we'll do more tests to determine how permanent the injuries are."
"Can I see her?" Maggie asked.
"Yes. As soon as her cast is set, she'll be moved to a room. I'll ask the nurses to move a cot into her room for you if you want to stay with her for the next few days. She should be able to go home within a week."
"Yes, please. I'd like that," Maggie said.
Julie turned to Chuck. "How is Jessie?" she asked.
"Jessie is physically okay, but she's feeing pretty guilty about all of this."
"Well, if I know Jordan, she'll set the record straight with Jessie as soon as she's well enough for visitors. How are you holding up?" she asked Chuck.
"I'm okay. Just worried about Jordan."
"Well, I'm here to tell you, she's one lucky lady. We all saw her and Hollinbeck hit the ground with her directly on top of him. Her impact injuries were relatively minor compared to what they would have been if his body hadn't absorbed most of it. She has a tough road ahead of her… I won't sugar coat it, but she's been there before and I have confidence that she'll bounce back quickly."
"Spare no cost in treating her, Julie. I will cover whatever it takes."
Julie nodded. "Okay. I should get back to her." Julie turned to go, then looked back at Chuck. "Could I interest you in dinner once we have Jordan settled in a room?"
Chuck smiled. "That would be nice."
"All right. I'll call your cell phone as soon as she's resting comfortably."
She approached Maggie, who was standing by the window staring out over the city. "Are you ready to see her?"
"Yes, please," Maggie said as she followed Julie out of the waiting room.
Maggie sat by Jordan's bedside holding her hand. "You scared the shit out of me, Jordan," she said.
"Julie said the baby is okay," Jordan replied.
"Yes. Apparently, Hollinbeck absorbed most of the impact for both of you. Thank God you fell directly on top of him," Maggie said.
"She also said I've injured my spine again."
Maggie lifted her hand and brought it to her lips. She kissed the knuckles and closed her eyes in an attempt to hold back her tears.
Jordan squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry to put you through this, Mags."
"I'm just glad you're going to be okay."
"I'll most likely be confined to a wheelchair again."
"For a while, anyway," Maggie said. "Jordan, you have technology on your side. The wheelchair will only be temporary."
"Yes, but it will be several months before I'm healed enough to accept a new implant, and besides, Jessie goes first."
"What about re-implanting the old device back into you? Julie said the injury was in the same location as the last one."
"That's a good idea, love, but we can't do that until we're sure the new implant works. The old one may need additional reverse engineering if we run into unexpected issues. We won't be able to do that if it's back inside my body. Once the new device is operational and Jessie is on her feet, I'll feel comfortable doing that."
"I understand. We need to find a gynecologist who has experience with paraplegic pregnancies since you'll be in a wheelchair until after the baby is born."
* * *
Seven months later…
Jordan wheeled her chair through the lab and stopped at the table on which testing was being carried out on two rats with prototypes of the new device implanted over complete SCI's. She smiled as she watched them wobble across the table with halting, jerky movements.
"Why are their movements so irregular?" Jason asked. "It's almost as though something is interrupting the flow of electricity to the implant."
"Well, both rats are having the same issue, so I would guess the problem lies in the device, not in the rats," Wendell said.
"I know what the problem is," Jordan said.
"Please enlighten us," Jason said.
"Before I elaborate, set up a camera and record their movements for the next twenty minutes or so. We'll need a baseline for comparison after the issue is fixed."
"Okay, Jord, spill it. What's causing this?" Jackson said.
"Significant digits," Jordan said.
"Significant digits?" Carrie repeated.
"Yes. The problem is in your algorithm. As you know, the algorithm supplies current alternately to each side of the injury. I'm willing to bet the code that controls the timing for current delivery has a different number of decimal points on one side of the injury compared to the other. The unequal number of significant digits is causing a slight pause between impulses, causing the jerky movements."
Carrie immediately called up the algorithm and searched through each line of code. "Well, I'll be damned. She's right. Look, four significant digits on the electrodes implanted on one side of the injury and five on the other. Let me fix that right now." Carrie typed a few changes into the code and saved the algorithm. "Okay. I'm ready to load it into the device as soon as we have enough baseline video."
Moments later, the new algorithm was loaded and the rats were once again released on one end of the table and enticed to make their way across the length of the field by food staged at the opposite end. Both rats exited the gate and walked toward the food with steady, event gaits.
"Whoa! That's awesome," Jackson said. "How did you know?"
"Like I said, I've seen it before. The same thing happened when we were testing the original device."
"Well, you just saved us a shit-load of time debugging the problem. Now all that's left is the battery pack. The last thing we need to do is figure out how to teach the body to kinetically charge it," Jackson said.
"You leave that to me," Jason said. "I have some ideas that take advantage of synapse activity and the energy produced during that process. I should be ready to test it in about two weeks."
"That's good news, Jason," Jordan said. "I knew I had faith in this team for a reason. I… ah. What the hell was that?" Jordan said as she grasped the side of her bulging abdomen.
"Is the baby coming?" Carrie asked.
Jackson and Jason immediately backed up several feet.
"Not on my watch," Jackson said. "To quote Gone With The
Wind… I don't know nothing about birthing no babies."
"I'm with him," Jason said.
"Ahhhh," Jordan said again. "Okay, something is definitely happening here."
"Where's Julie when you need her?" Tom said.
"Oh for crying out loud," Wendell said. "She's in labor. It's not contagious, you know. Tom, call Maggie. Carrie, please call an ambulance. Jordan, take deep, even breaths. This is your first baby, so it will probably take a while."
"Do you have experience in this kind of thing, Wendell?" Jordan asked.
"I spent twenty-five years as an ER doc, what do you think?" Wendell replied.
CHAPTER 43
"Okay, Jess, while I work with Christopher, I'd like you to show Will how to control the horse with his hands and voice," Maggie said. "Please stay in the ring today. We'll take him out to the north pasture after he has built up a little confidence."
"Sure thing, Maggie," Jessie replied as she maneuvered her horse close to Will.
"All right, young man," Maggie said to Christopher, "Let's get you onto this horse."
For the next two hours, Jessie and Maggie worked with their new students, focusing on balance and control. Both boys had spinal injuries. Will had a complete thoracic injury, immobilizing him from the waist down, while Christopher's partial injury was in the cervical region, effectively making him a quadriplegic, but with limited control over his arms and hands.
Maggie stanchion the horse and used the special lift she had designed, to raise Christopher to a level high enough to move him into the saddle. She then strapped his legs, arms and chest into the leather cradle. She placed the reins into his hands. "Okay, big guy, are you ready to ride?" she asked the boy.
A wide grin appeared on Christopher's face. "I'm more than ready," he said enthusiastically.
"All righty then, let's go."
Maggie mounted her own horse, then reached for the tether on the harness of Christopher's horse. She led him around the paddock several times while instructing him on how to use the reins to dictate the direction the horse would go in. Finally, she brought his horse to a halt near the fence, then rode her own horse into the middle of the arena.
"Okay, Chris. You're on your own, bud. Tap the horse's side like I showed you, then steer him slowly around the periphery of the ring using the reins. When you get back to where you are now, we'll reverse direction and circle the other way. If you can manage this, you'll graduate to the open plain. Are you up for the challenge?"
"Try to stop me," Chris said.
Maggie watched Chris guide his horse around the ring, while spot-checking Jessie and Will in the next ring. She smiled as Jessie encouraged the young boy to push himself out of his comfort zone.
"Come on, Will. You can do it," Jessie said. "You're not going to fall out of the saddle, so don't be afraid to push yourself. Use your voice. That's it. Good job. Now pull back on the reins to stop him. Fantastic!"
Over the next hour, both boys ran their horses through a routine designed to teach them control over the animals' movements, while their mothers watched from the porch. Every so often, Maggie would glance over at them when they clapped and offered encouragement to their sons. At the end of the hour, she led the boys back to the barn, one at a time and helped them dismount and settle back into their chairs. Jessie was the last one to dismount.
"Race you to the house," Will challenged Jessie.
"You're on, squirt," Jessie said as they two of them took off, leaving Maggie to push Christopher behind them.
"What do you think of this guy, Kathy?" Maggie said as she pushed Christopher over to his mother.
"I'm amazed, and very impressed," Kathy said. "Maggie, I can't tell how good this has been for Chris."
"Well, I've enjoyed every minute of it. Give me five, dude," Maggie said to the boy as she put her hand near his. "Will we see you again next week?"
"You bet," Chris said.
Will rolled his chair over to Maggie. "Can we go see the new foals in the north pasture next week?" he asked.
"That's the plan, Stan. I think both you and Chris are ready for a ride across the plains," Maggie said.
Both boys cheered.
"All right then. We'll see you next week."
Maggie draped her arm across Jessie's shoulder as they watched the boys leave. "What do you say we go unsaddle the horses then have ourselves some lemonade?"
* * *
Maggie took two glasses from the cupboard and put them on the table, then reached for the refrigerator door just as her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the number.
"Hmmm. I wonder who this is." She pressed the answer button and raised the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Maggie, this is Tom at the lab."
"Tom? Is Jordan all right?"
"Actually, she's in labor."
"What? Oh, my God. Where is she?"
"The ambulance just took her to the hospital."
"Okay. I'm on my way. Thanks for calling, Tom."
Maggie hung up the phone and looked at Jessie. "The lemonade will have to wait. We're having a baby!"
Maggie pushed Jessie down the porch ramp and helped her into the car. She pushed the Bluetooth feature on her dash and called Chuck.
"Charles Malone," he said when he answered the phone.
"Chuck, this is Maggie. I'm on my way to meet Jordan at the hospital. Jessie's with me. You're about to be an uncle."
"Holy shit. I'll be waiting for you in the parking garage."
As soon as Maggie hung up with Chuck, she dialed Gina and Sam.
"Hey Maggie, how are you, darling?" Sam said.
"I'm about to become a mom. The ambulance just took Jordan from the lab. She's in labor."
"Oh my! Gina and I will be there as soon as we can. Congratulations, sweetie. We'll see you soon."
“One more call,” Maggie said as she dialed Florida. “Mom… Dad, you’re about to become grandparents. I’m on my way to the hospital right now. Jordan is in labor.”
“How wonderful, Margaret! Gary, Jordan is in labor,” Maggie heard her mother shout to her father.
“Call us as soon as the little one has arrived,” Sharon said. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”
“I will Mom… I mean, Grandma. Talk to you soon.”
* * *
Maggie arrived at the hospital just as Jordan was being wheeled to the operating room.
"Maggie. Thank God you made it," Jordan said as another contraction tore through her abdomen. "Ahhh."
"And you are?" a nurse asked Maggie.
"I'm Maggie Downs, her wife."
"Come with me," the nurse said.
"Where am I going?"
"We need to get you suited up and scrubbed before you can go into the OR."
Maggie squeezed Jordan's hand and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you there, love."
* * *
Maggie stood to the side and talked to the doctor as the scrub nurse prepared Jordan for surgery. "Doctor Cross, isn't the baby a bit early? I mean, her C-section isn't scheduled for another two weeks."
"Two weeks is nothing to worry about, Maggie. I'm more concerned about the contractions. Jordan isn't able to push, so to minimize the stress on the baby, we need to do the C-section right away."
Maggie looked at Jordan, worry evident on her face.
"Don't look so glum. She'll be fine. This will be over in no time. The spinal should take effect in a few minutes, then we'll get started. I will warn you though that C-sections are pretty gruesome to watch."
"I've birthed countless foals. It can't be much different than that."
"We're ready, Dr. Cross," the nurse said.
Dr. Cross winked at Maggie. "Let's go have a baby," he said.
Maggie held Jordan's hand throughout the entire surgery, relaying to her each step in the delivery process. Finally, Dr. Cross reached into the incision with the scalpel and cut the uterus.
"Suction," he said as the excess blood and amniotic fluid were remove
d.
Dr. Cross reached into the opening of Jordan's uterus and guided the baby's head out. The attending nurse immediately began to suction out the infant's mouth.
"It looks like the baby has lots of brown hair," Maggie said.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Jordan asked.
Just as the words left Jordan's mouth, Dr. Cross pulled the baby the rest of the way out of the opening. "You have a son, ladies," he said, holding the child high enough for Jordan to see.
"We have a son? Maggie, we have a son." Jordan's voice shook with emotion as she looked into Maggie's eyes.
"We have a son," Maggie said. "I love you so much right now, my heart's about to burst."
"Maggie, do you want to cut the cord?" the doctor asked.
"Yes. Yes, I do." She kissed Jordan once more then accepted the scissors from the nurse. When the cord was cut, the little boy was carried to the scale where he was weighed, measured and bathed. Finally, swathed in a warm, soft blanket, the nurse handed him to Maggie who carried him over to Jordan and placed his head close enough for Jordan to kiss him.
"Hey little man," Jordan said tenderly. "I'm your mamma, well, one of them at least."
Maggie looked at him for several long moments, then kissed him on the cheek. "Kale Charles Downs-Lewis. Welcome to the world, little dude," she said.
"Kale Charles. I like that. Thank you, Maggie," Jordan said.
"It seems only fitting to name him after the two men who made all this possible. Do you want to hold him?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Jordan joked.
Maggie placed Kale in Jordan's arms then draped her arm across the pillow above Jordan's head. "He looks like you," she said.
"I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse," Jordan remarked.
"Oh, it's a blessing, all right. You're a beautiful woman, Jordan, even all sweaty and bloated after giving birth."
Jordan's eyebrows rose high on her forehead. "Sheesh, do I really look that bad?" she asked.
"You are more beautiful than I've ever seen you, my love." Maggie kissed the top of her head.
"Okay, ladies. Just a few more stitches and we'll have you on your way to your room," Dr. Cross said.
All My Tomorrows Page 32
