Author's POV]
The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway seemed to hum with a mocking intensity as the clock ticked past the third hour of surgery. Jay sat motionless, her hand locked in Mamma Serina's, her eyes fixed on the silver line where the operating room doors met.
Finally, the light above the door shifted from red to green.
The lead surgeon stepped out, pulling his mask down. He looked exhausted, his brow damp with sweat. The entire Watson family rose as one—a wall of power and desperation. Pappa Keizer stepped forward, his presence demanding the "Data" immediately.
"He's stable," the surgeon began, and the collective breath of the family left them in a ragged wave of relief. "We've stopped the hemorrhage and relieved the pressure. Physically, he is out of danger. The 'System' has survived."
But then, the surgeon's expression clouded, his voice dropping into a more clinical, cautious tone.
The Glitch in the Data
"However," the surgeon continued, looking directly at Jay. "The trauma was severe. We have placed him in a medically induced coma to allow the brain to reset. It will take approximately three days for the sedative to clear enough for him to wake up."
And then?" Keigan asked, his voice sharp with technical precision. "What's the recovery projection?"
The surgeon sighed. "That's the variable we can't calculate. When there is trauma to the temporal lobe, the 'Hard Drive' can be affected. We can't guarantee his memory. When he wakes up, he might not know the year, the empire... or the people in this room."
[Jay's POV: The Heart's Firewall]The relief I felt moments ago evaporated, replaced by a cold, numbing dread. My knees felt weak. Memory? Keifer was the man who remembered every detail of our life. He remembered the exact percentage of my favorite tea blend, the exact coordinate of our first kiss, the $1,000\%$ devotion he promised me every morning.If he woke up and I was a stranger to him... if the "Constant" was deleted...
No," I whispered, shaking my head. "The connection is too deep. He won't forget."
I looked over at Bridget, who was still standing by the far wall. She looked devastated. If Keifer forgot everything, he would forget her redemption, too. He would only remember her as the girl from his past—or not at all.