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Part 22
"Is Kim okay, Doctor?" Harm didn't miss the hint of concern in the learned man's voice.
"Kim is continuing to show improvements, Commander Rabb," Grant immediately moved to calm Harm, "The latest CT scans have shown marked improvement in the state of the bruising and areas of damage. However, like you said, we cannot be sure that Kim won't come out of this with significant deficits. I'm not saying we should borrow trouble, but I must prepare you for anything. From what we can say about the areas of Kim's brain sustain that have sustained damage, there is the distinct possibility that Kim's memory may be affected. But let me say this; if it does turn out that Kim's memory is impaired, she has got one factor very much on her side; she is still young. In the brain of a young person, the neural pathways have much more plasticity. We've even seen synaptic pathways reorganize themselves, to re-route around damaged areas. As a person gets older, all of their neural pathways do still have plasticity, but it is much more difficult to provide them with the rehabilitation necessary for them to recover functioning to the same level. New nerve cells can be formed, but evidence has only been observed in some areas of the brain. When we see such patients, they usually only recover to a certain degree, depending on the damage that was sustained. After the first year or so, we see any improvement tail off and eventually cease altogether. But in a young person, the brain is still developing, still evolving. There is real hope, because new pathways can be formed, connections rerouted and the child's intellectual development can continue, unfettered."
"So there is hope for Kim in the long-run, if she shows signs of even major deficits?" Harm asked, "How about if she has lost portions of her memory? Are you saying that these could come back?" Harm asked.
"Most likely not," Colonel Grant shook his head, "It all depends on which memory processes are affected. If she has lost long term memories, it is possible that the memories of her past won't come back. But memory is a very complex thing, it is not as cut and dry as the movies like to portray. I couldn't help but hear you mention that you're concerned that Kim might not remember you, Ma'am…You two have a relatively young relationship? I never would have guessed; Kim looks just like you, Major."
"That is partly the problem, you see, Colonel…" Harm explained.
"Coincidentally, I bear a remarkable resemblance to Kim's Mother," Mac attempted to explain, as succinctly as she possible, "My first meeting with Kim was a little awkward, but slowly and carefully, we introduced both myself and our relationship to Kim and we were really starting to go places. Now, if Kim has sustained memory damage, it could be very difficult and very confusing for her. We may need to put some safeguards in place, so that Kim doesn't suffer any setbacks in her condition because of this…"
"I can see how difficult this may be…You're concerned that your daughter will first assume that Mac is her Mother and that the two of you are still together?"
"Something like that…Back together," Harm nodded, "and that all the progress we've made getting her to bond with Mac, these last months, will also be for naught."
"I think that we should probably wait to see exactly what we are dealing with. As I said, the term 'memory problems' could describe any number of memory processes and may not involve the time period that the three of you spent bonding and building your new family unit. I understand how upsetting and worrying this all has to be for you, but try not to borrow trouble until we know for sure if there are any."
But despite the Colonel's reassurances, Harm and Mac continued to worry about what the future would hold for them.
Mac walked back into the PICU, a few hours later, after going back home and to Harm's house to gather fresh clothes for both of them. Harm had been very nervous and clingy since their talk with Colonel Grant, earlier and Mac wondered whether he was just taking some time in coming to terms with what they'd been told, or if he could sense something. She'd had some similar experiences herself in the past, days when she just knew something was going to happen, before it actually did. Mac shooed the thought away, she had to stay positive and rational; Harm would have no use for a basket case.
Harm was leaning over in his chair beside his little girl, his face buried in the edge of Kim's bed. The shaking of his shoulders told Mac that he was losing his hold on control, but was trying to do so quietly.
"Harm, honey…" Mac put the travel bags down and crossed to his side, squatting down so that she got a better look at his face.
Silent tears of despair were rolling down his face, which was scarlet from the tips of his nose and ears, right down to the skin disappearing under the v-neck of his sweater, with the effort of keeping everything inside, under wraps.
"Aw, sweetie…"
"I've failed her…She could end up bedridden for the rest of her life and it would all be my fault…My poor baby girl…"
Mac pulled Harm to herself, but both of them jumped apart when they heard a mumbled sound from further up on the bed.
"Daa…deee…"
"Kim!" Harm's voice was whispered and reverent, "Baby, can you hear me?"
The silence of the next few seconds seemed deafening, the two of them sat frozen, tensely anticipating an answer, pleading for it.
"Daddy…"
"Yeah, baby…Daddy's right here…Mac and Daddy are right here. Don't you worry, we'll stay right here with you, until you're able to wake up."
Kim grumbled and moaned some more for a few minutes and Harm and Mac took turns reassuring her that she was safe, until she drifted back into a peaceful sleep. After that, Mac briefly went to go and inform the nurse, who in turn called Kim's Doctor.
Colonel Grant was not on duty until the next morning, but Colonel Redgrave made it to Kim's bedside within twenty minutes, even though he had to cross from another building and ascend four floors.
"Kim has been talking?" he asked, immediately checking on Kim's vitals and examining her, quickly.
"She said 'Daddy,'" Harm told him, "Twice…I know that doesn't seem much, but didn't Colonel Grant say something about actual words being better than the garbled sounds she was uttering before?"
"Yes…Can you tell me, did she seem disoriented, or was she calm and understanding of what was around her?"
"Well, she really sounded confused, more than anything…Mac?"
"Yes, she was definitely confused. She didn't seem able to open her eyes at all, didn't seem to know what was going on around her. She seemed quite distressed…Is that bad?"
"Not in terms of her recovery…It is normal and would follow the normal route that other patients recovering from a traumatic brain injury do. I'll need to ask Colonel Grant to perform the GCS exam again, before I can confirm anything, but it seems like Kim is improving, judging by the way she'd now score on the best verbal response part of the exam."
"So you think this is a definite improvement…Do you think she could wake up, sometime soon?"
"It is still too early to say conclusively, of course, but it certainly seems to be more likely…"
Harm took another look at his daughter. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, once again, so at least he knew she hadn't been in any pain, just a state of confusion. She was a fighter, she always had been, from the day she had been born, for she had become such a well-adjusted, sociable kid, despite the fact that she'd had no mother-figure in her life, since before she could remember and her Father had been distant and otherwise occupied, at best. There was no way she could possibly come out of this a shadow of her former self! Harm just could not bring himself to comprehend the possibility. She'd already been through so much, on her short life.
"I'm going to let Colonel Grant know about Kim's latest progress, but I'm afraid he's out of the country at a medical conference, until early tomorrow morning. I'll request that he stops by, before rounds if he can."
"Thank you, Colonel," Harm and Mac both thanked him, before he stepped out of the room to give the nurses instructions.
Once the nurses had been in to adjust Kim's medication, as per Colonel Redgrave's orders, they were left in peace again. Harm and Mac curled up together on the fold-out bed that had been placed beside Kim's bed, early on. Neither intended on getting any sleep, not so long as there was a chance that Kim could wake up disoriented again, but they should at least rest. They'd be no use to Kim if they were burnt out.
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