SWNOVELS Chapter 2239
The sun was already high in the sky when Wayne finally woke up, a rare occurrence given his severe sleep disorder that had him rising like clockwork at 6:30 every morning for the past few months. But today was different; Wayne had slept soundly until 10 a.m. The monitors hooked up to him showed a man at peace, his vital signs stable and normal-a stark contrast to the tumultuous nightmare-riddled sleep he usually experienced.
Penn, who had camped out in his office for a quick shut-eye, had checked on Wayne a couple of times and found him resting so peacefully that he knew his decision to come clean to Wayne about Ayden's condition had been the right one.
Time flew by quickly. Wayne's farewell to the vision of "Ayden" didn't mean he would never see him again. Ayden still appeared now and then, but he was no longer the bruised and battered soul Wayne had grown accustomed to. Instead, he was bright and cheerful, and each time he appeared, Wayne would remind him that he wasn't real, and shortly after, Ayden would vanish.
In the following months, Wayne's memory recovery was nearly complete, and the other Wayne, the apparition that used to visit frequently, became a rare sight, showing up only once in a while.
Regrettably, Wayne hadn't been able to make it back to his family for the new year. Another spring passed, and early summer was upon them. The school year was ending, and soon Cory and Ivy would be on their summer break.
Lost in his thoughts, Wayne was startled by the enthusiastic entrance of Penn into his room. Wayne was looking much better than before.d2
"Did you sleep well?" Penn inquired.
Wayne nodded, "I've been doing quite well recently."
"Good, keep it up," Penn said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Wayne, I'm thinking of discontinuing your physical therapy."
Wayne was taken aback, "Why stop when it's going so well?" Clearly, he was getting better and better.
"Not just the physical therapy, but the hypnotherapy will stop too, and we'll consider reducing your medication once the new assessment report is in," Penn explained with a gentle gaze. "You won't have daily therapy after you go home. I want to see how well you can maintain your condition with just the medication."
Wayne processed this for a moment, "You think I'm ready to be discharged?"
"Let's stop everything that needs to be stopped this month, and then we'll assess," Penn nodded, "You've almost been here for a year; if you can't be discharged soon, I'm afraid your wife might come after me.' "Has she visited recently? Does she know my current condition?" Wayne asked.
"Of course, she knows!"
Wayne nodded in agreement, "Then let's do as you suggest. The other 'Wayne' hasn't appeared in over a month, and I haven't seen 'Ayden' this month either. I want to see if stopping the therapy will bring them back."
"I doubt they will," Penn said lightly but with certainty.
"Why's that?" Wayne inquired.
"When I left the house this morning, I consulted the tarot cards," Penn looked at Wayne and chuckled at his own absurdity.
Wayne shook his head, unable to contain a smile, "Even though I didn't consult any tarot cards... funnily enough, I share your feeling. I've been away from my family for too long. It's time to go home."