“I'm sorry, Mrs. Lindstrom, I'm afraid I need you to step out of the room for a moment.. We're going to do the EEG right now. It'll take about twenty minutes. I'll come get you when we're done and you can come back in and sit with your son.”

“Alright, Doctor, thank you. You be good for the doctor, Bobby.”

'...mom...?'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

'...my head hurts...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

...

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“...a transverse fracture of cee one. Hypertonic reflexes in all extremities indicate severe spinal cord damage. CT scans show massive damage to the parietal and temporal lobes, with inclusion of skull splinters and fragments in the occipital lobe. EEG shows acutely abnormal brain activity, as would be expected in a case with such massive trauma. There is massive cerebral swelling with vascular strangulation despite attempts at surgical relief and a decadron drip. The patient remains intubated and on complete life support. The overall prognosis is grim. The patient is currently listed in extremely critical con....”

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

...

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“...obby? Bobby? It's me, son. Can you hear me?”

'...mom..?'

“Can you hear me, Bobby?”

“You might ask him to squeeze your fingers if he can hear you, Mrs. Linsdstrom. He won't be able to make any sound with the breathing tube in.”

“Bobby? Honey, squeeze my fingers if you can hear me. Squeeze my fingers”

'...can't feel m'hands...'

“Squeeze my fingers, dear. Come on sweetie, I know you can do it.”

'...what happened? ...where am I? ...why can't I move? ...hurts... so much pain... ...so sleepy...'

“Is he awake?”

“It's really hard to tell in cases like this. He might be. But we have no way of knowing.”

“He's not squeezing my fingers.”

“The x-rays said it was possible he won't be able to, but he's young and sometimes the swelling makes x-rays hard to read. He could be asleep or...”

'...not 'sleep... ...not yet... ...wanna sleep... ...hurts...'

“... he's not able to move. Paralyzed, you mean.”

“That's a possibility. We'll know more in the morning...”

“If he makes it that long, you mean.”

'...don't get testy mom...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

...

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

'...why do I always wake up to that beep...?'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

'...hate that fucking sound...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

'...wish it would go away...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

'...leave me in peace...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

…

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“After three months, with out improvement, there's very little chance of any significant change in cases like this.”

'...yeah, kinda what I though...'

“Do you know if Bobby can even hear us? If he's aware at all?”

'...wish I wasn't...'

“The EEG's indicate some brain functions that could mean he's conscious. Our latest PET scan shows that the hearing centers light up with sound. The language centers also light up. But with as much brain damage as he's suffered, we just don't know if he's aware, or if he can actually understand us. He's had so much damage, he's completely paralyzed. He can't breathe on his own. He can't see, even if he could open his eyes. We, literally, have no way to communicate with him, assuming he's capable of understanding us.”

'...tell me about it...'

“I want you to do everything you can, Doctor.”

“We have done everything we can, Mrs. Lindstrom. Bobby is essentially stable. What healing he needed to survive has been done. He doesn't require hospitalization, although he does require round-the-clock care. He needs to be suctioned, tube fed, turned, cleaned - all of the things needed to ”

'...oh great... ...I'm gonna be a burden to someone...'

“It's time for you to think about finding an extended care facility.”

'...wish dad was here... ...he'd tell them to pull the plug... ...this is no way to live... ...can't even call it life...'

“I'll find a place. I've already called around some.”

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

…

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“Rise and shine, Bobby! Bath time!”

'...like I need to sleep... ...like I rise... ...like I shine...'

“This might be cold.”

'...water the garden... ...make the vegetable grow...'

“Is the water too chilly?”

'...does a vegetable care how cold the rain is...? ...if I could feel anything, and move, and communicate and do something besides be a vegetable, I might be able to answer that question...'

“Drying time!”

'...just do it and get it over with... ...cheerfulness isn't my thing...'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

…

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

“Oh my god, what the hell?”

'...DAD...?'

“Steven, what are you doing here?”

“I'm the father, Linda. Remember?”

'...boo rah, dad...! ...you tell her...'

“I thought you were in Afghanistan.”

“What, you didn't think I'd find out?”

'...yeah, what about that...? ...how long...?'

“I didn't tell the Red Cross because I knew what you'd try to do.”

“You think keeping our son like a potted plant is what HE wanted?”

'...hey, the plant can hear you... ...besides, I'm a vegetable... ...not a house plant... ...but I like what you're saying...'

“I did what I thought was best for him.”

“You call THIS, 'best'? As usual, Linda, you didn't think of anyone but yourself.”

'...ouch... ...harsh... ...not that I disagree... ...no wonder you guys divorced...'

“He's alive. That's what counts. He's aware. I can feel it.”

'...yeah, but you can't hear shit, mom... ...told you a lot to let me die... ...and yet, here I am...'

“Then feel this, Linda.”

“What is this, Steven? A letter?”

“Bobby wrote me six months ago when I was in the field - read it.”

“Oh, this is really convenient. He told you he didn't want to be kept alive? Really, Steven? Is that how low you'll stoop?”

“It's what he wanted. I told him about some of the guys who got hurt. How they end up mangled or brain damaged by IED's. He wrote that letter back. He did not want to be kept alive in this state.”

'...wow, you got that letter..!'

“He could get better.”

“After five months with no signs of improvement? Even if he's aware, he can't communicate at all. There's too much damage. I can talk to doctors, too, you know. What the hell kind of life do you call THIS?”

“I'll fight you on this.”

'...shut up, mom... ...dad knows what he's doing... ...he always listened to me...'

"Bobby?"

'Just shut the fuck up and let me die...'

"Bobby! I can hear you!"

“Linda, I can hear him, too. But he's not talking. It's like telepathy.”

"I can see that."

'Mom, just let me die.'

"But, Bobby, you're alive, alert, you can talk, you..."

'Are never going to get better. Don't leave me like this. It's horrible."

"Doctor, our boy is talking to us!"

'Did mom go running off to try to save me?'

"Yes, son, she did."

'You know what to do, right, Dad?'

"I do, son, and I will."

'Thanks, Dad.'

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

…

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“You can't DO this! He TALKED! We both heard him!”

"But I was the only one who listended to him. I have the court order. The appeals have been denied. You're out of legal maneuvers.”

'...finally...'

“You're going to kill him! Your own son!”

“I'm setting him free, Linda. He knows this. He's trapped in there. He said he'd never want to be kept alive like that. The courts saw it his way. This isn't about me. It's about Bobby and his wishes.”

'...just shut up, mom... ...let me go... ...I want to be free... ...I've been fighting for that inside for three years... ...just let me be free...'

“Doctor? Do what you have to do.”

"Yes, sir."

“Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...”

“Beep.......... Beep........... Beep................... Beep...”

'...thanks, dad... ...love you both...'

“Beep................ Beep............. Beep.................... Beep......................................................Beep”

“Goodby, son. I... WE love you.”

'...free at last...'

“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”