Ibrahim.

I've never been one of the good guys. You know, the ones that are supportive and smiley and respectful all the time. Never got straight A's, or played sports, or took a girl to Prom. In fact, during high school, I was the kind of guy that stood by his motorcycle, wearing a dark leather jacket, and talked big to impress all the girls.

Still, I had a good mother, and if there's one thing she taught me, it's that a child is a gift you're supposed to protect. And I've always believed that. Always lived by it, too – Janine wasn't the only one who paid for that school. She wasn't the only one who worried about her lost little girl for two years. She wasn't the only one searching for a determined young woman alone in Russia.

And now, she isn't the only one who's hoping for some sort of miracle.

"…what I'm hoping you all understand is that we're in uncharted waters." The doctor says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "That Ms. Hathaway's short-term memory is improving is clearly a good sign, but we have no way of knowing what will happen. There are three ways for this to go. The first, and most ideal, is that Ms. Hathaway's memory will slowly start improving until she can recall her past fully and function normally. The second option is that Ms. Hathaway will stop forgetting events daily, but never remember her past before the accident. And lastly, Ms. Hathaway's short-term memory could merely expand into letting her live normally for, say, a week, before restarting itself."

We all exchange looks of dismay.

The doctor sighs. "Now, I'd like you all to remain optimistic. Either one of these options would be better than what Ms. Hathaway is currently living. I don't expect a regression, which means we can only go forward from here."

Janine nods politely. "Thank you, Dr. Stevens."

"I'll be around if you need me, ma'am." He replies, vanishing into the dark sterility of the adjacent hallway.

There's a moment of silence.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starved. Anyone want a sandwich?" The Ozera kid offers, trying to be funny, I guess. There are murmurs of assent. "Okay, then. Back in a few."

"I'll go with you." Belikov offers, following fire boy outside.

"I should go check on Rose." Vasilisa mutters, heading towards my daughter's room.

Adrian takes out a phone. "I'll call Deirdre."

I turn to Janine. "Looks like we're useless, around here."

She gives me a half-broken smile. "Come on. Ozera will need help with the food."

Answers = COMING SOON