CHAPTER TEN

Two months of relative stability followed. The fits continued to happen, but not as many, or as regularly. Despite this reprieve, though, Gale failed to progress with the sign language, so another system of communication called the Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, was added in. This involved pointing at pictures by way of communicating what was wanted or needed. Tantrums became a frequent occurrence as Gale struggled to make herself understood. Except when she was with Glitch, that is – understanding what she wanted came naturally to him. The physiotherapists at the hospital also provided a gait trainer – this is like a bigger version of a baby walker – to see if they could get Gale closer to walking.

One month later, and Gale was not making much consistent progress with the PECS or the gait trainer. To make matters worse, the frequency of her fits began to escalate again. Another trip to the hospital ensued. Her medications were increased, a new one was added, and she underwent another brain scan. This revealed that the inflammation had spread, but thankfully it was still contained within the right half of the brain.

Ten days later, a third medication was added, and the dosage ratios of the other two were altered. A dietician introduced an experimental alteration – she was placed on a diet consisting (for the time being) solely of exact amounts of a special type of milk at prescribed times. (Glitch: "No corn with butter?" No. "No apples?" No. With increasing distress: "No mug-glug?" No.) Later that week they noticed Gale beginning to slump to the left when sitting up. Someone had to watch her twenty six hours a day – both for her own safety, and to stop her putting things in her mouth thus upsetting the diet. As time passed she began to instinctively search for more and more things to put in her mouth so this got harder and harder. By this time Cain had taken on DG's royal duties almost full time.

Unfortunately, despite all these measures, the regime still didn't seem to be working. Gale's fits continued to escalate, into upwards of twenty notable ones a day. It got to the point where some part or other of her left side was involuntarily moving almost all of the time. On top of this there came a day when she rebelled against drinking the prescribed milk, thus rendering the special diet useless. It was subsequently stopped. From that point on DG, Glitch and Gale spent most of their time in the hospital. The situation was becoming dire – Gale now couldn't sit without support, couldn't hold anything in her hands, had very little control over her arms (besides raising them and waving them around), and not a lot of neck control besides lifting her head for short periods and turning to the source of a sound. It soon also became apparent that she was losing her depth perception.

-/-/-/-/-

It wasn't unusual during Gale's nap times for Glitch and DG to take walks together through Central City. This was their way of stepping back from the enormity of what was going on. Although it was hard to leave her they knew she was in good hands, and they needed breathing space to remain sane. Certain conversations between the two of them etched themselves into DG's memory. When she opened up to him he rarely said much in response, but his presence was comfortable, and he was an extremely good listener. DG particularly remembered one time when Glitch had asked her what she found hardest.

"Aside from actually losing her? Well," she had replied, "Probably the hardest thing is being scared I'm losing sight of her. I mean, I don't want to start seeing her as a machine instead of as my daughter."

"Because you're a mechanic?" he had asked.

"Maybe," she pondered. "When I see something not working right I just have keep working on it until I fix it." She looked up at him. "What if she's never right?"

He looked down at her sympathetically with hooded eyes. "You cope with me not being right."

DG thought about this and gave the merest hint of a smile. Her demeanour suddenly changed. "You know what else? I feel angry. Angry at Jeb." She seemed shocked at her own admission. Glitch remained silent – an invitation to elaborate. "I love him. But he doesn't know Gale exists. When he comes back and she's all better –" another half-smile, "– he'll never understand what she went through. He should be here with us. Not – not fighting someone else's battles endangering himself somewhere far away. Are we so boring and unimportant back here?"

Glitch tipped his head to the side and stared thoughtfully into space, as a little smile played on his face. Then he turned to DG. "Do you remember when Raw told Cain that Jeb was alive?" DG glanced at him and nodded. "He said to Cain: 'He lives to honour you. Honour you. Honour you. Honour you…'"

"…You're glitching."

"Oh. Well…Jeb tried to honour him by leading the resistance."

"Yeah…"

"What if he's doing this to try and honour you?"

"But I don't want any of that!" DG sank down onto a street bench. "I thought he'd changed. I thought he had a heart. I thought I gave him a heart." She sighed. "I guess I was wrong."

"Maybe not…" Glitch countered gently. "Maybe adventuring's just part of who he is. That doesn't make him heartless." He paused, "We should love people for who they are, not for who we hoped they would become."