Chapter 7 - Slipping Away
The beautiful breakthrough under the bed was heartbreakingly short-lived. The very next morning, Mark woke up screaming, clutching his head in absolute agony. The severe migraine was a devastating side effect of his brain trauma. The immense pressure in his skull seemed to have violently erased the fragile progress from the night before. He was aggressive, entirely confused, and slipping into a deep, unreachable depression.
Dr. Evans pulled Sarah into the hallway, his face grim. "Mrs. Davis, I have to be completely honest with you. The psychological stress of trying to force these memories to the surface is taking a massive physical toll on his brain. We are seeing dangerous, life-threatening spikes in his intracranial pressure. If this continues, he could suffer a massive, fatal stroke."
Sarah felt the linoleum floor drop out from beneath her feet. The air left her lungs. "What are you saying?"
"I’m saying we need to stop all stimulation," the doctor said, his voice laced with profound pity. "We need to transfer him to a specialized, long-term memory care facility in upstate New York. He needs absolute peace. He needs to live purely in the present, not be constantly tortured by a past he cannot physically reach. For his own survival, Sarah... you have to let him go."
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Sarah walked like a zombie out to the hospital courtyard. She collapsed onto a cold stone bench and wept bitterly into her hands. She had fought so valiantly, but she couldn't let her selfish desire to have her husband back be the very thing that killed him. True love sometimes meant making the ultimate sacrifice. For Emily’s sake, and for Mark's survival, she made the most agonizing decision of her life.
They were going to pack up their motel room and go back home to Ohio. Forever. Alone.
