Chapter 4 - Hospital

The next afternoon at the university hospital

Norman, Leo, and a surprising number of other students, sat waiting and gossiping in the small waiting room of the university hospital. There was a brisk traffic from the student cafeteria and back, while every now and then someone went to get coffee or snacks. The nurses had given up trying to keep things quiet and, like the students, were simply waiting for the head doctor to return.

In the middle of a discussion about soccer rules, which was complicated by the fact that most of the participants came from different parallel worlds with different sets of rules, the large automatic door to the back of the lounge swung open dramatically. Doctor Ferguson stepped inside. She stopped in surprise and looked at the expectant crowd: "Mrs. Jones obviously has a lot of friends. Well then, her condition is stable."

"Dead, it's a stable condition!" could be heard from the crowd.

The doctor rolled her eyes in annoyance: "How funny... I've never heard that one before. At least not this week. Back to the subject. The patient's condition is stable, but she's not dead. The DNA test has clearly shown that she is not a clone. Her brain has virtually no neuronal connections. Only the most vital functions run through it. Her body is physically in perfect condition. Too perfect. None of the normal wear and tear and minimal injuries to joints, tendons or muscles. The cause appears to be a greatly excessive charge of vital energy. A human would not normally have been able to hold so much. It would have pierced her aura and killed her. Assuming she had invented some method of absorbing that much life energy. Now we come to the critical part: Her aura is strong. But incomplete. Part of it has clearly been removed. Her life energy is slowly but inexorably seeping out through the rest. We have used healing magic, but as she has no wounds, it simply fizzles out. We can't replenish her supply directly. If we can't repair the aura, she has at most four to five weeks to live. "

Norman leaned over to Leo and tried to be as quiet as possible: "I thought you couldn't heal aura injuries. That's why vampires are supposed to be so deadly."

Leo looked at him blankly: "You can't either."

Norman suppressed a curse with difficulty.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ferguson continued: "The wound in the solar plexus is interesting. It was caused by a double-edged stabbing weapon. Not an immediately fatal or, with prompt magical treatment, really serious injury. Whatever disturbed the aura somehow made the life energy... active. It pounces on any injury. The wound was healed immediately. So was the laceration on the back of his head caused by a fall. And also a small cut that we inflicted on her earlier on a trial basis. We are currently concentrating our investigations on establishing how she could have lived at all without using her brain and what has changed."

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The group leaving the clinic was dejected and quite quiet. Leo held Norman back at the exit: "Wait. I need to talk to the doctor for a minute." He hurriedly followed her just as she opened the automatic door again with a wall button.

"Doctor Ferguson? Can I have a word with you?"

"What is it?"

"Have you read Sam's student file yet?"

"There is no medical record and her subjects are not relevant to the diagnosis."

"She's an angel."

"It's really sweet how everyone worries about her..."

Norman took him by the arm to carefully pull him away: "I'm sure they're doing their best here..."

"No! If only someone would take that seriously! She was a real angel! A seraphim in the service of the archangel Eli. She could somehow extend wings. I never saw it, but she once told me. She had magical healing powers. She could recognize lies. She was very special! Maybe that explains her aura."

The doctor looked at him in some astonishment and then turned to the reception desk, where she rudely shooed the nurse on duty away from the computer and logged in with her own key card and password. But not without first insisting that everyone turn around. She clicked through a menu with the mouse, entered the name and called up the student file, which Norman already knew . She read the entries silently.

"Good, you're right. However, I've never met an angel in my entire life. I don't know what that means for the physical condition. We'll have to call in a magician."