Days passed, and neither Harrison nor Lili knew when each one began and when the next ended. Food came and went barely touched, and Dr. Hayden began to worry as Harrison and Lili's behaviors became lethargic. Eventually, the lack of nutrients overwhelmed Lili's system, causing her to pass out one day in the middle of her cell. Three lab coats rushed in and hooked her up to an IV. Dr. Hayden personally monitored the pieces of his experiment wasting away day and night from that afternoon on.
After about thirty-six hours, Lili came to and began gaining strength until she could finally wander her cell again. Kate went to Hayden with a solution about four days later; "maybe they miss interacting with each other?" Dr. Hayden looked up, eyes bloodshot, his head fuzzy. "You think so?" he grumbled. "I can arrange an interaction for tomorrow afternoon," Kate suggested. Hayden thought, the gears of his tired mind slowly grinding on. "No... let's do it now, I'm tired of watching this," Hayden replied firmly. "As you wish," Kate said and she swept out the door.
Harrison was staring into the whiteness of his ceiling, lost in the void. The door opened, but Harrison didn't move his gaze. Kate stepped tentatively into the room, concern draining her of any other thought. "I've got a surprise for you..." Kate began. She paused for a few seconds, but Harrison gave no sign that he even knew she was in the room. "You've gotta get up if you want to see Lili," she whispered; Harrison bolted upright and stared at Kate in disbelief. "Hurry up, she'll be waiting for you," Kate said, with the first smile that had crossed her lips in a week.
Lili huddled into the far corner of the dim room once again, this time out of fatigue rather than fear. The door opened slowly, Harrison appeared alone, tentatively picking his way across the room towards her. Lili noticed he had lost considerable weight and color since their last encounter. She rose slowly, taking steps gingerly towards Harrison. Her world began to spin as she got closer, and within seconds she fell again into darkness, the last thing she remembered was Harrison's arms catching her.
She woke up to the smell of sun-dried grass. She breathed in deeply, the sun warming her entire body as she lay in a pleasant stupor for what felt like hours. Lili finally rolled onto her left side and opened her eyes to miles and miles of grass and flowers. She reached her hand out and plucked a small purple bloom and brought it to her nose, her senses were focused finally. She slowly stood up taking in the gorgeousness of her surroundings and noticed a stream gurgling nearby, feeding all of the flowers that dipped their delicate roots into its clear, cold embrace.
A small wooden house was barely visible to Lili from where she stood. Tiptoeing through the flowers, her bare toes gently squishing into the wet earth below. The house sat on the edge of a small lake from which the stream sprang forth. Lili made her way onto the porch, the sun-stained wooden boards felt springy beneath her feet as she made her way to a chipped robin's egg blue door. She moved to turn the brass doorknob, but the door opened before she could reach it and Harrison stepped out, gripping her into a tight hug. He smelled of the grass, and the flowers, and of home.
Small feet slapped across wooden floorboards right before two pairs of small arms wrapped themselves around Harrison and Lili. Startled, Lili back up to see who the little intruders were. Like windows to the past, a boy and a girl around four and six years old grinned back with a mixture of Harrison's soft features and Lili's piercing eyes.
The boy grabbed Harrison's hand and ran to the porch railing, while the girl tugged Lili to the railing as well. The four of them looked out on the beauty of the world that surrounded them. Sighing, Lili dropped her hand from the railing and caught Harrison's, she squeezed tightly three times. Smiling, she looked at Harrison who was grinning from ear to ear. Lili looked back out at the landscape and slowly closed her eyes.
Lili woke up, grasping for breath, Harrison's face blanched with worry. He brushed the hair that clung to her face away as Lili reached up and grabbed his hand and faintly squeezed three times. Her eyes found his, "save me," she whispered before her eyes rolled up into her head and her body began to seize. Hayden burst into the room with two other labcoats and bags of medical equipment. Hayden pulled at Harrison to get better access to Lili, but Harrison wouldn't let go of her.
