Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More (2 page)

Jordan listened intently as the student spoke, allowing for an intentional pause as she considered the student’s question. The students watched her holographic image as she walked from one end of her office to the other and then back again. Finally, she stopped and looked at her watch. “We only have a minute or two left in this session, so let me try to answer your question in the time we have.” Jordan spread her hands and inhaled deeply. “Yes, there is hope. I stand before you—a paraplegic.”

A barrage of inquires flooded the control panel of Jordan’s monitor just as the two-minute warning appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Jordan grimaced as she realized they were out of time. “I’m afraid class is over. Perhaps we can resume this discussion at the beginning of tomorrow’s session?”

As soon as her class had ended, Jordan powered down her computer and headed home. Her announcement had caused such a stir among the students that several of them sent urgent emails begging her to continue the dialogue. Fortunately for Jordan, she was able to put off responding to the inquiries simply by turning off her computer. Normally, she would feel guilty for dismissing students that way; however, she did promise to review her case in detail in the next session.

She pulled into the driveway of her home and dragged her weary body into the house.

Jordan’s roommate, Kale Simmons, was stretched out on the couch watching a three-dimensional football game on the holographic projector. Jordan dropped her briefcase on the floor, then collapsed next to her friend and snuggled into his shoulder. “Damn, it’s cold out there. It’s hard to believe spring is just a month away.”

Kale turned his head and kissed Jordan’s forehead. “Rough day?”

“Long day. After spending the entire morning working on the new implant, I covered spinal cord injuries in my kinesiology class.”

Kale glanced at her before looking back at the ball game. “Don’t tell me. They found out about your injury.”

Jordan grimaced. “I kind of told them about it with only two minutes left before the end of class.”

Kale looked at her. “You’re kidding, right? Damn, woman. They must have mobbed you after class.”

“Mobbed is an understatement. They filled my inbox in a matter of seconds.” Jordan dropped her face into her hands. “You’d think I’d have learned by now not to divulge that particular piece of information without adequate time to discuss it.”

Kale rubbed Jordan’s back. “You can’t blame them, you know. If I were a rookie in that class, I would have followed you home and forced you to tell me the details.”

Jordan smiled. “Pray tell, just what do you mean by force?”

Kale grabbed Jordan by the waist and pulled her onto his lap so that she rested across his legs with her head on his shoulder. He ran his free hand across her cheek. “First, I would turn on my irresistible charm.”

Jordan chuckled. “It wouldn’t work, and you know it.”

Kale grinned. “Well, then I’d resort to bribing you.”

Jordan’s eyebrows arched. “What makes you think you have anything to bribe me with? If I didn’t feel for your sorry ass, you’d be living on the street.”

Kale clutched at his heart. “Ouch. That hurt.”

Jordan punched him lightly in the chest. “You know I’m just kidding. I kind of like having you here.”

Kale grabbed Jordan’s chin. “What you like is my cooking.”

Jordan patted her stomach. “Now that you mention it,” she teased.

“Why, you little imp.” Kale began to tickle her.

Jordan squirmed with all her might, trying to escape the attack. “Okay! I give. You win.”

Jordan settled back into his embrace. Once again, Kale trailed his fingertips across her cheek. “Now, if I could only get you to fall for me, I’d be all set.”

Jordan reached up and cupped Kale’s face between her hands. “Sweetheart, I love you dearly, but we’ve had this discussion before. You are just not what I need in my life.”

Kale smiled. “Not even for my spinach soufflé?”

“Kale,” Jordan warned.

“I know, I know. You can’t fault a guy for trying. So, ask me about my day.”

“Okay. How was your day?”

“Wonderful. We had a breakthrough.”

Jordan climbed off Kale’s lap and sat on the coffee table in front of him. “Are you serious? Tell me about it.”

“We finally have proof that electrical impulses can actually stimulate cell growth in the spinal columns of rats.”

Jordan placed her hand on Kale’s knee. “That’s wonderful news,” she said excitedly. “Are you sure? Are the results conclusive? Are you ready to test it on human subjects?”

“Whoa, slow down, partner. What we know is that by using a continuous wave electrical impulse in the area of the injury, we were able to simultaneously activate thousands of genes. The first genes to activate were those that promote cell growth, similar to the type that repair skin wounds in humans.”

Jordan began to speak but Kale interrupted her. “Before you say anything, you have to realize our testing is just in the preliminary stages. It may take years before we know if we can repair a complete spinal cord injury. The results are encouraging, but they’re preliminary.”

Jordan’s shoulders slumped, but to lighten the mood, she forced a smile. “I know, I know. I’m a scientist, too. I know how long the research and development period can be. It’s just that I’ve been living with this for sixteen years, and it wears thin after a while.”

Kale sat up straight. “What? Sixteen years? Wow. You’re getting old, my friend.”

Jordan slugged him in the shoulder. “I’m only thirty-two. You talk like I’m ninety-eight.”

“And what a beautiful thirty-two you are. Are you sure I can’t convert you to men?”

Jordan laughed. “Not a chance, Kale. Not a chance.”

“What if I grew my hair really long and wore falsies?” he teased.

Jordan pretended to consider it, but then shook her head. “If you would consider changing your equipment, I might think about it.”

Kale crossed his legs. “I don’t think so.”

Jordan grinned. “Then, I guess you’re out of luck.”

Kale opened his arms. “Oh, well. Come here and watch the game with me.”

Jordan allowed herself to be wrapped in Kale’s arms as they lay entwined together on the couch. Soon, Jordan had fallen asleep. Kale worked his arms under her knees and then carried her to her bedroom, placing her gently on the bed. He rolled Jordan onto her side and lifted her shirttail, exposing her back. He paused for a moment, tracing the long scar that ran nearly the entire length of her spine. Kale reached inside her trousers and pulled out a small wire with a round access port on the end. He plugged this into the cord of a solar power receptacle. Then he pulled Jordan’s shirt back down.

Kale leaned in to kiss Jordan on the head. “Sleep well, honey.”

* * *

Jordan loved horses. Her favorite was a mustang, Sally, a gift from her parents. On this particular day, Jordan planned to take Sally on an all-day ride across the rolling hills of the family farm. After several sprints across the wide plains, Jordan carefully led Sally through the dense forest. The light was fading; Jordan had gotten a late start, and she’d ridden for a long time. She was careful to steer Sally away from fallen tree branches. Within moments, they had cleared the forest and emerged at the edge of the open pasture between the trees and Jordan’s home.

A broad smile spread across Jordan’s face. She leaned down and rubbed the horse’s neck. “Okay, girl, are you ready?” She jabbed her heels into the horse’s side.

Sally erupted into a full gallop across the north pasture. Jordan felt the liquid fire of adrenaline racing through her veins. A rush of heat washed over her, and she surrendered herself to the momentum and speed as she became one with the horse. Jordan felt like she was flying as the horse rapidly closed the distance between the forest and her house.

Suddenly, Jordan felt a violent jerk. Her body snapped backward and then abruptly forward. Sally was no longer beneath her. The impact was terrible. All of the air was knocked from Jordan’s lungs, and her mouth and nose filled with blood. Jordan struggled to breathe. She forced herself to calm down and willed her muscles to relax, hoping to stop the painful contractions in her stomach. Soon, her breathing returned to normal.

Jordan closed her eyes. There was a thunderous pounding in her ears. She remained face down in the grass as the twilight descended around her. She could feel warm blood flowing from her nose, but curiously, she felt no pain.

Some time later, Jordan opened her eyes and realized that night had fallen. The reddish-gold glow in the distant sky had been replaced by utter darkness. A chill had set in, and the night air cooled her skin. She was shivering. Now, Jordan felt pain. As she awkwardly lifted her head, she fought against the terrible ache in her neck and looked around her. It was too dark to see.

The skin on Jordan’s face felt tight. As she reached up to brush the sensation away, she discovered a large swelling on her cheek. She winced at the awkward and uncoordinated movements of her hand.

What happened to me? Where am I?

Suddenly, Jordan heard a sound. She tried to control her ragged breathing as she fought to distinguish the familiar sounds of crickets and critters from the unusual noise that had caught her attention. She listened carefully as the noise returned. “Sally? Sally! Where are you girl?” The noise was louder this time. Jordan lifted her head and caught a small movement to her right. “Sally?”

Jordan braced her hands on the ground and tried to push herself up, but she was only able to lift her shoulders before she fell back. “Oh, my God!” she said as a wave of pain rushed through her head.

Desperately worried about her horse, Jordan rested her forearms on the ground and lifted her upper body off the grass. With all her strength, she dragged herself to the fallen animal. She reached out to touch Sally, who released a long, painful whinny, and then stopped breathing. Jordan froze.

“No!”

“Jordan! Jordan, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

Jordan sat up abruptly, panic-stricken and disoriented. She was bathed in sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead. It took several moments for her to focus on the person in front of her.

“Kale?”

Kale sat on the edge of Jordan’s bed and cupped the side of her face with his palm. “You had the dream again, didn’t you?”

Jordan nodded. Tears spilled onto her cheeks.

Kale opened his arms. He held Jordan close and rocked her. “You know, you really should see someone about these dreams. They seem to be coming more and more frequently. How long have you been having them now?”

Jordan lowered herself back onto the pillow and reached for Kale’s hand. “I had them all the time when I was a kid. They started right after the accident, and they continued pretty regularly right up until I left for college. They’ve only come back since I’ve been home again—since Mom and Dad died and left the house to me.”

Kale grinned to lighten the mood. “Maybe it’s the house. Maybe there’s a ghost calling to you.”

“Get out of here!” Jordan said. She pushed hard on Kale’s shoulder. He threw himself backward, eyes wide, pretending to flail. Jordan tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. “There’s nothing wrong with this house. It’s a great house. I grew up here.”

“No, nothing’s wrong with the house,” Kale agreed. “You’re right, it’s great. It just seems odd that the nightmares only happen here.”

“I’m sure it’s because this is where the accident happened. It’s a hard memory to shake.” Jordan was interrupted by the sound of the oven timer. “Oh, goody, it sounds like dinner’s ready. I’m starved.”

“Oui, Mademoiselle. Allow me to escort you to your table,” Kale said in a poorly faked French accent.

Jordan took his hand. “Oui, oui, Monsieur.” As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, she felt a tug at her back. “Oops, Forgot to unplug. Do you mind?”

Kale unplugged the solar charger and tucked the wire back into Jordan’s pants.

“Merci. Now, garçon, to my table.” Jordan braced her feet on the floor. As she pushed off the bed into a standing position, her knees gave out. She fell back onto the bed. “Goddamn it! That’s the second time it’s happened this week.”

Kale climbed onto the bed behind her. “Bend forward,” he instructed. He pulled the waistband of her pants down to reveal a small, oval-shaped bulge. It was under the skin and just above Jordan’s right buttock. He placed his palm over the device. After several long seconds, Kale pulled her waistband back up and climbed off the bed. “It seems to be working. I can feel the vibration.”

“It must have a short in it or something.”

“Maybe,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that the device is a prototype. I’m actually surprised it’s worked for this long. Come on. Let’s see if you can stand now.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, and, in one swift movement, they stood up. “How does that feel? Do you think you can walk on your own?”

Jordan took a few tentative steps. Then she walked across the room and back again. The worried look on Kale’s face was touching. She reached for his arm. “It seems to be okay. Now be a gentleman and escort this lady to dinner.”