Elise was beginning to despair as two weeks turned into three. Still, Seeiah, Nate, and Eddie were true to their word. Seeiah and Nate brought her food and company on several occasions, and neither would accept any money to pay for what they would bring her. Eddie used his own talents to create a video montage of Brodi's friends talking to him and spliced that with footage of some of Brodi's best races, interviews, and even a birthday party or two. Eddie would come in with his laptop every day and play it in the background while sitting with Elise.

Elise was so deeply hanging on to the idea that all of this was somehow helping Brodi that when Rahzel and Atomika approached her again about leaving the hospital, she agreed to leave for 24 hours as long as someone was staying with Brodi. And stay away she did, although she didn't go to her own room in the lodge as promised. She went, instead, to Brodi's room. She lit his incense, showered in his shower, and finally, surrounded by the scent and energy of Brodi, she fell asleep in his bed. She fell into a deep sleep, and woke to Brodi standing by her bed smiling at her. She sat up in alarm.

"Brodi? Honey, what are you doing?"

"I'm glad you're here. You needed the rest."

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have left the hospital. Rahzel is there, he would have called me if you'd asked him when you woke up."

"You don't always know who to trust. I'm glad I trust you. You'll know what to do."

"Do about what? Sweetie, what are you talking about?"

Suddenly there was a shrill sound, and Elise woke with a start as she realized her cell phone alarm going off. She grabbed her purse from the foot of the bed and threw her phone across the room.

"Brodi?"

She looked around, puzzled, then started crying as she realized it had just been a dream. She felt a mixture of sadness and relief. During the dream, she was so alarmed that Brodi was out of the hospital that it didn't occur to her sleeping mind that he wouldn't have been able to walk so soon even if he'd woken up, so she was relieved that he was still safe in the hospital. However, the fact that it was a dream meant that he hadn't woken up yet, and that brought a crushing sadness. Just as suddenly as she had begun crying, she stopped crying and got dressed. Promise or no promise, she was going back to that hospital and God help anyone who tried to get her to leave again.

It was with this attitude that she charged back into the hospital. She had her hand on the door handle of Brodi's room when she heard someone calling her name. Annoyed, she whirled around into the face of Doctor Adams.

"Miss Riggs, may I speak to you a moment?"

"Doctor Adams, of course. Can I just step inside to check on Brodi for a moment? I went home for a few hours. I'm sure he's fine, or my friends would have called me, but I'd like to…"

"That's what I'd like to talk to you about, actually. Would you mind following me to a consultation room?"

That's what I'd like to talk to you about. That was the second time in two days Elise had heard that phrase, and the first time hadn't ended so well. Elise felt her heart in her throat, but she nodded anyway and followed the doctor down the hall to one of the consultation rooms. It was a small, simple room, meant to be cozy or so Elise supposed. Right now it felt more claustrophobic than anything else. A few chairs were arranged around a small square coffee table, and Elise chose the one closest to the door. The good doctor sat down opposite her and pulled out his PDA.

"Do you have any news on Brodi's condition?"

The doctor looked at her sorrowfully and Elise suddenly got a chill before he even spoke.