ANOTHER SIGN

Gia felt a twinge of hope ignite in her chest, causing her to gasp for air. This slight, almost imperceptible movement caused her eyes to widen in surprise and an intense wave of emotion; to her, it felt like a monumental tremor.

As Gia stared closely, the room appeared to hold its breath, trapped in a precarious moment. The tiniest trace of life appeared on Deep's previously lifeless hand—a little twitch, a soft quiver of his fingers, as if reacting to the feelings that poured out of Gia's tear that had landed upon his hand.

Gia saw the signal as weak as a thousand affirmations, but it was a flicker in the middle of a silent sea. It was a whisper, a modest consolation that perhaps, even in his coma-induced state, Deep's consciousness was trying to make the connection between his dreaming mind and the outside world.

Gia was full of hope; it was a radiant bloom that filled the gloomy room. For a brief instant, the tiny movement in Deep's palm turned into a lighthouse—a sign of life in the silence, a possibility of communication between his unconscious state and the world where Gia stood, desperately hoping he would become conscious again.

Gia muttered, her voice trembling with a mix of desperation and hope. "Deep, if you can hear me, if you are there, please give me a sign."Just anything."

A silent moment elapsed between them, the space engulfed in expectation, and then another tear made its way down Gia's cheek, falling again on Deep's hand. This time, in reaction to Gia's tear, a subtle, nearly imperceptible movement passed through Deep's fingers—a light twitch, a light squeeze, as though recognizing Gia's feelings.

Gia's eyes were filled with tears, a ray of hope piercing through the doubt. Staring at Deep, she felt her heart expand with appreciation for the meek reply. Even though he was unable to open his eyes or speak, the little movement of his fingers served as a whispered consolation that made her determination stronger.

"I'll take that as a sign, Deep," Gia whispered, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips. "Thank you."

With a lingering touch on Deep's hand, Gia gathered her resoluteness, bolstered by the subtle gesture, preparing herself to face the imminent meeting with the General—a silent promise to seek justice and uncover the truth, driven by the fragile yet unwavering support she had just received from her comatose friend. But first, everyone needed to hear the good news that Deep was showing some signs.

She rushed out of the hospital room, her heart pounding with an amalgamation of hope and disbelief. She hurried to the place where Deep's parents and her sister were waiting, their faces etched with worry and anticipation.

With trembling hands and teary eyes, she spoke. “He moved. He reacted. I saw it. I saw his fingers move.” Words rolled out of her mouth with her lips spread to the furthest corners of her mouth as she relayed the stirring moment she had witnessed at Deep's bedside.

“You mean that? Did you. Did you see it well? Are you sure of what you saw?” Deep’s mother asked, in deep apprehension, glee, and hope, to mold up in her heart just everyone.

“Yes. I saw it. Wait, let me call the doctor.” Gia said as she ran to the doctor’s office. She budged in without even knocking. “Doc, I saw Deep’s hand move.” She said, almost rapturing out with glee and unconcealable hope.

“Really? Lets go. I need to check on him.” The doctor said this and sprung to her feet.

The short journey to Deep’s room was covered in a split second through running. Getting to the door, Grace, Mr. and Mrs. Azzua, and Simon were already waiting and eager to witness the mind-boggling change.

The doctor went in first, with everyone following suit. The doctor checked the vitals while everyone’s heart throbbed in the rib cages with hope and joy, anxiously waiting for the doctor to substantiate what Gia had seen.

Finally, the long wait was brought to an end when the doctor finished checking him. He stood up, looking at their pregnant hopes as they awaited the good news. “So, doctor, explain the improvement to us.” Deep’s father spoke.

The doctor cleared his voice gently, cautious of causing any alarm.”Um, I am sorry, but the vitals are still the same. It does not show any form of improvement.”

All faces frowned, snapping at Gia after a while, who, in return, was gawking at the doctor with a questioning expression. “Doc, I saw him move his fingers a while ago. Are you saying that my eyes deceived me?” She asked.

“Oh, not at all. I may be right. He may have moved, and that happens quite often in comatose patients. It is what we call a shift in brain activity that sometimes results in physical responses.” The doctor explained it as briefly and with as few words as possible.

“So doesn’t it imply anything, doc?” Grace asked.

The doctor looked at Deep for a minute before facing his relatives again. “Aah, I wouldn’t blatantly say that it absolutely doesn’t. It is a sign that he is still with us. But I wouldn’t emphasize it too much. All I can say is that from now on, you can try talking to him, but only about things that would not alarm him. It is a good therapy, and sometimes we get a lot of responses from comatose patients after their relatives or people close to them talk to them in their sleep. And again, in case you speak and he does not show any sign, don’t assume that he is with us or that he is not hearing. Sometimes the brain chooses what to react to. So, Gia, you keep on talking to him about the beautiful memories, and we will keep observing him. It is also always good to report any unusual things that you notice. Sometimes we, the doctors, might miss some things because we are not with the patient 24/7.” The doctor explained. They all nodded, meaning that they had understood. “Now if you excuse me, I will leave you with him, but don’t surround him too much, and don’t also talk too much.”

“Okay, doc,” Gia responded, and the doctor walked out, while they were all left wishing and hoping that what Gia saw was a sign that they could hold on to.