Emily woke again, feeling herself hooked up to more lines than she thought possible. This wasn’t her first time in a hospital—and if she counted Daniel’s experiences in his past life with chronic health issues, it wasn’t her second, third, or even tenth. But this felt different. The fear crept in as she was wheeled toward what looked unmistakably like an operating theater, the sterile lights overhead too much like something out of a movie.

“What’s going on? Where am I?” she asked nervously, her voice shaking.

A person in a mask—ostensibly the surgeon—looked down at her with kind eyes. “It’s okay, sweetie. Be brave. You’ve got some internal bleeding and we need to operate.”

Emily groaned. "Well, great, just great, because this day couldn’t get any worse, could it?" She caught herself and muttered to herself. “Ugh - that bigger brother of mine. I’ve picked up some bad habits from him.”

“Where is he?” she thought for a brief moment before her consciousness faded in and out again. She vaguely remembered being prepped, being lifted onto the operating table. The room seemed to flicker—black and white, then color, in strange cycles.

“I guess I’ll have general anesthesia?” she murmured absentmindedly.

The surgeon chuckled. “Smart girl! Your parents are in the medical field, right? Your dad’s a doctor?”

“Yeah” Emily managed a faint smile, feeling her voice a little slower than usual. “Dad he’s awesome. He’s my rock. And Mom, she’s the heart. And my brother…”

The words drifted off as her mind grew hazy, her fear slipping away. She felt light, almost peaceful. Midazolam, she thought dreamily. Channeling Daniel’s memories, she murmured, “The next one will knock me out…”

The anesthesiologist’s voice cut through the fog. “Count down from ten, Emily.”

She didn’t make it past eight before the blackness swallowed her.

—

Sarah and Thomas sat in the hospital waiting room, the sterile walls amplifying their growing anxiety. The doctor's words echoed in Sarah's mind: “Her injuries are more severe than we initially thought. We’ll need to operate immediately.”

She stared blankly at the floor, her hands trembling. “Will she be okay?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Please, tell me she’ll be okay…”

Thomas wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He didn’t have an answer, struggling to say words he himself wasn’t sure of. “She’s such a kind, brilliant girl,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. “She’s one of a kind…”

He closed his eyes, thinking back to the day Emily first revealed her secret to them—the day she told them about Daniel. The fear of losing their little girl to something they couldn’t understand had consumed them at first, but as time passed, they had come to accept the strange, miraculous reality of her dual consciousness. And in doing so, they had found a new normal, a balance that gave Emily the freedom to be both herself and something more.

“Yes - she really is one of a kind,” Thomas said, his voice soft. “These last few months since she turned ten, it’s been like watching her blossom into something incredible.”

Sarah managed a small smile, despite the knot of fear tightening in her chest. “Yeah,” she said quietly, “especially when she channels Daniel. She never ceases to amaze me.”

Thomas nodded, still marveling at how their little girl could suddenly speak with the wisdom of someone far beyond her years. “It still catches me off guard,” he admitted. “A ten-year-old talking with the experience of someone from a different universe - it’s hard to keep up.”

The moment of lightness was shattered by a sudden crackle over the hospital’s PA system.

“Code Blue, Operating Room 3.”

Thomas and Sarah froze. Operating Room 3 was Emily’s.

Their eyes met, panic rising like a tidal wave within them. “Oh my God, no,” Thomas breathed, his voice cracking with terror. “Emily…”

Sarah’s grip tightened on his arm, her face pale, as tears welled in her eyes. “Please, no…” she sobbed, her voice breaking. “Don’t take her from us. Please…?”

They stood there, paralyzed, unable to move, helpless as the weight of the situation crashed down on them. A Code Blue meant Emily was in critical condition, her life hanging by a thread. All they could do was wait, hearts pounding in their chests, praying desperately that their daughter would pull through.

–

Emily felt the familiar tug—the warmth and calm of the dreamscape pulling her away from the pain and fear. When she opened her eyes, she found herself once again standing beside Daniel, the meadow around them eerily still, as it had been moments ago.

“Remember now, kiddo?” Daniel asked softly.

She looked up at him, brow furrowed. “Yes. I remember everything.” After a beat, her wide, concerned eyes locked with his. “What’s happening, Danny?” she asked quietly.

Daniel’s expression was gentle, but there was a seriousness in his eyes. “It’s not looking good, Shrimp.”

With a wave of his hand, the scene shifted. Emily gasped as images of the operating room appeared around them, translucent but vivid. She saw herself lying on the table, surrounded by frantic doctors. Alarms blared, and the heart monitor flatlined.

“They’re trying to save you,” Daniel murmured, his voice calm but tinged with sadness.

Emily’s gaze stayed fixed on the scene—on her small body as the doctors worked frantically to stop the bleeding, shouting instructions. She could see the blood pooling, life ebbing away.

“Am I bleeding out,” she whispered. Her voice was calm, but inside, her heart ached. “Am I dying?”

Daniel nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’re fighting, but your heart... it’s stopping. They don’t know why.”

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He gently took Emily’s hands. She noticed his were translucent too. “Are you dying too, Danny?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Hmm? I don’t know. We’re bonded, Emily. If you go, perhaps I’d go too?” he replied with a rueful smile. “Maybe I’d be reborn in my own body? Maybe I’d be bonded to another soul?”

A moment passed in stillness, neither sure what to say, nervous but resigned to their fate - then Emily felt a jolt of energy pulse between them. Startled, she glanced at Daniel, only to see his eyes glowing, his expression hardening into something fierce—almost vengeful.

“But that won’t be today, kid,” he growled, his voice low but resolute. “I don’t care what it takes. You’re not going. Not on my watch.”

Emily’s eyes widened as Daniel turned to face her, his gaze intense and unwavering. She had never seen him like this before.

“Emily,” he said firmly, “you’re not dying today. But - I’m going to take over for a second. I’m going to have to do something a teensy bit crazy.”

Emily shook her head, her heart pounding with fear, not just for herself, but for Daniel. “No, Danny you can’t. You said if I go, you may go too? What if this makes it worse and takes us both out?”

Daniel’s glowing eyes softened, but his resolve stayed firm. “No, Emily,” he said, his voice steady and low, “if I do what I’m planning, you’re not going anywhere.”

Emily blinked, her heart pounding. She could feel the energy buzzing in the air between them, her body almost instinctively aware that something far bigger was at play. “Danny, what’s going on with the dreamscape? What’s that buzzing energy I feel?” she asked cautiously, her voice trembling.

Daniel hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking down to their clasped hands. When he looked back up at her, there was something raw in his expression—a mix of determination and fear.

“I haven’t told you about this because, well, I didn’t think I’d need to. And honestly, it’s not easy to explain. But,” he took a deep breath, “I can transfer my essence. My life energy. It’s what makes me, me.”

Emily froze, trying to process what he was saying. “Wait, what? Your essence? Life energy?” she asked, her voice rising slightly. “What do you mean, Danny? How does that even work?”

Daniel chuckled softly, though the sound lacked humor. “I don’t know how to explain it, Em. It’s not something I ever fully understood. It’s just something I learned I can do a while back. It’s like giving someone a piece of your soul, I guess. In this case, my soul.”

He looked nervously at his feet, then at Emily's hands within his, he looked up at her in the eyes and took a deep breath as though preparing himself for something.

Emily sensed there was more, something about this new ability he wasn’t telling her - something perhaps dangerous. She opened her mouth to protest, but Daniel cut her off, his voice gentle but firm. “Trust me, Shrimp. I know it could have consequences - it will have some consequences, but I’m not letting my kid sister die today.”

Emily felt tears sting her eyes as the weight of his words sank in but before she could argue further, she felt a surge of warmth flood into her, starting from where their hands were clasped.

It wasn’t painful, but it was intense, like fire and light coursing through her veins, igniting something deep within her. She gasped, eyes wide, as the world around them seemed to pulse with energy. A low hum enveloped her, like a powerful engine beginning to start up slowly. Electricity, invisible but present, nevertheless began crackling as both her and Daniel’s veins in their arms lit up golden.

“You, Sarah, Thomas - you gave me a second chance.” he growled as he visibly flickered in and out. “You’re my family whether you like it or not. And you’re not going anywhere, not now, not on my watch God damnit!” his voice rising to a crescendo.

A pulse of pure energy blasted off from within him touching everything around it. Emily felt the warmth, the essence of Danny’s life force - no, she felt her brother’s very soul - the raw unbridled power, the care he felt for her and her parents - and it was beautiful - harmonizing with hers. The dreamscape brightened, the wind picked up, and the sun began brightening.

She could feel it—redundant pathways, normally unused by her biological processes, flickering to life. She could feel that pain that had once consumed her began to dull, replaced by a strange, pulsing vitality. With each pulse she relieved old - memories of her as a child with her parents, memories of learning how to walk, her mother pushing her on the swings, growing up, her merge with Daniel, meeting Lily and Lucy, adapting to having a dual consciousness, and the moment she revealed her dual identity to her parents.

Then she visited a memory she wasn’t supposed to visit - one of Daniel’s personal memories. A promise, a vow he had made to her alone in the dreamscape. She saw him sitting by the dreamscape stream they had created, talking out loud to the universe.

“Maybe that’s why I’m here,” he had mused aloud in this memory. “To make sure nothing happens to you. That you get a chance to stay the sweet, sassy girl you are. To help you through every challenge life throws your way, Well, kid, you’ve got it. As long as I live, you’ll have your grouchy, overly analytical, overprotective big bro watching your back.”

Her tears were flowing freely now as she understood, truly understood the depth of her brother’s affection for her. “You big, dumb idiot,” she sobbed quietly, her voice catching in her throat. “You never told me that you’d made that promise” she quietly sobbed to herself “Another secret?”

Wiping her tears, on instinct, she looked up at the threads that symbolized her and Daniel - and noticed her flickering thread stabilizing, getting brighter. Daniel’s momentarily dimmed before glowing even brighter and forming a protective network of tendrils around hers.

“Danny…” Emily’s voice trembled, barely audible over the crackling energy surrounding them. “What are we doing? What are you doing?”

“I already told you, Em,” Daniel gasped, his voice strained hunched for a moment, the glow in his veins pulsing erratically. “I’m transferring a piece of myself to you. Permanently. This is more than just saving you—it’s changing us. I can feel it—we’re evolving.”

Emily’s body froze, rooted to the spot as the warmth coursed through her. Her mind raced, a storm of worry and fear. “Danny, are you hurting yourself? Tell me the truth!” she demanded, her voice cracking as she stared at him, trying to decipher the flickering edges of his form.

At that moment, she saw it—Daniel’s entire figure shimmered like static on a TV screen. His hands shrank briefly, becoming smaller, almost childlike. His face blurred, shadows flickering across it, his features softening into something younger, almost unrecognizable. His frame compressed for a split second before snapping back.

“Danny!” Emily cried, her voice tinged with panic. “You’re what’s happening to you?”

Daniel grunted, his breaths ragged, his voice faltering as it briefly pitched higher—lighter, younger—before stabilizing. He forced himself upright, his legs trembling as he met her gaze. “I’m fine,” he insisted, though his tone betrayed his exhaustion. “I don’t know why it looks like this, but I know this will help you. It has to.” He took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing steel into his voice. “So stop fighting me, Shrimp. Let’s do this together.”

Emily’s heart ached as she watched him, every instinct screaming within her, but Daniel’s eyes, glowing and resolute, pinned her in place, his will wrapping around her like a protective shield.

“Imagine your injuries, Em…” whispered Danny as he shimmered. “Imagine everyone of them healing, your body is the product of billions of years of evolution, you have redundant pathways, when one road is blocked, there are a dozen more to drive on - wake them up”

Emily focused - on her ribs, her heart, her bruises, her bleeding. She glanced at the Cherry blossom tree as it began slowly waving, returning to life. The dreamscape grew brighter, more vivid, Emily heard a chirp of a bird, one, two, three and realized it was her heart she was hearing.

The dreamscape flickered, and suddenly, they weren’t in the meadow anymore. They were back in the operating room, hovering above her body again. The doctors were still working frantically, but there was a shift—a chance.

Emily felt herself merging with Daniel, their energies entwining. She could feel his strength, his will to keep her alive, pushing her forward. Together, they focused on her heart, willing it to beat again.

“Come on, kid,” Daniel urged, his voice echoing in her mind. “We’re not done yet.” She felt another pulse of pure energy transfer between Danny and her.

Emily closed her eyes, reaching deep within herself, drawing on the energy Daniel had given her. She felt the warmth surge, felt the connection between them solidify. And then, like a spark starting a flame, her heart jolted back to life.

The monitor beeped. Once. Twice. Then steady.