Hey everyone! This is my first post on Steemit :). I am an aspiring writer looking to get some feedback/constructive criticism on my pieces so I will be posting a few of my short stories on here over the next few weeks. I sincerely hope you have as much fun reading them as I had writing them!

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Olivia was seven-years-old and hiding behind a corn shock. She giggled as she heard the “ready or not, here I come” taunt from not very far away. Hide and Seek was Olivia’s favorite game—she always chose the best hiding spots and it would take ages before she was every found. She stuck her head a little to the left to scan her surroundings and noticed the boy jump from stalk to stalk yelling gotchya! and tackling those whom he found playfully.

As she heard his voice get closer and closer, Olivia panicked and doubted the spot she had so meticulously chosen. She scanned the area in front of her and ran to the nearest piled cubes of hay in the form of a short pyramid and crouched behind it. The smell of the rural farm, a strange mix of cows and manure, was pungent as it snaked its way into Olivia’s nostrils but she found comfort in the nostalgia of running through these marigold fields every summer when she visited her grandmother. Preoccupied for only a moment, it was all it took for Fitzgerald, the seeker, to sneak around the haystack and shout gotchya! while teasingly tackling Olivia to defeat. Olivia screamed from the shock and burst out in laughter. She managed to turn around to face Fitz but was blinded by the glaring sun in her eyes.

“Fitz?”

“She’s been in this coma since the stroke. After her husband died two years ago, Olivia’s visited us twice: once for pneumonia and later for a femoral neck fracture. Her health was declining much more rapidly than what was normal, probably due to her husband of 52 year’s passing. Whenever she was admitted, she would always strike conversation with the nurses and you could tell just how lonely she was by the tone of her voice and—.” Dr. Monroe paused when she saw a hand from the CEO of Axon Inc. rise and cut her off.

“Dr. Monroe, that’s all well and good and we all feel sorry for her, I’m sure, but if you could speak more about the technology, we – and our lunches—would be very grateful.” Bruce Matheson said with a short chuckle and nods of agreement from the rest of the corporate group who were standing next to Olivia’s bed, looking down on her.

Dr. Monroe forced a thin smile. “Of course.” She took a step closer to Olivia and pointed to the wires attached from the NET (Neuro Enhancement Treatment) machine to two stickers that were placed on each side of Olivia’s temples. “The work is in progress as we speak. The delicately placed memories are transferred from the motherboard into her mind. The stroke attacked her prefrontal lobe which makes her unfortunate situation useful in this trial run.”

“Yes, Livvy. I’m right here. Don’t worry, really. The presentation isn’t even that long and if you get mixed up, I got you covered. Just do like we practiced: read the slides and I’ll add in the extra details.” Fitzgerald nudged Olivia’s shoulder as they both waited patiently for their professor to introduce the project they had been working on for the past two weeks. Olivia could feel her heart racing and completely stopping all at the same time, however impossible that might sound. Her face remained blushed even though she desperately wanted to seem like she had this situation handled and she could feel the slight shake in her hand to her pen when she aimlessly scribbled on the margin of her notebook. There was a dense ball of tension forming at the base of her throat and despite all the sips of water she drank, it didn’t seem to go away.

Her professor introduced their project briefly as Fitzgerald and Olivia walked to the front of the classroom to set up. Olivia tried not to look out to the 30 students sitting bored at their desk for fear that she would crumble with anxiety.

“You got this, right?” Fitzgerald whispered as he squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“Each time she is hooked into transmission with NET, we monitor the way her brain responds. To put it simply for you, with each memory, spots in her prefrontal lobe that were originally dismantled by the stroke light up, which tells us the neurological pathways in her brain temporarily reconnect for as long as NET is connected. Right now, as all the memories are flowing into her brain,” the doctor traces her finger down the white wires and touches a spot next to the patches on her temples, “Olivia is experiencing each one as if they actually happened. And if you take a look to your right, gentlemen, you’ll see her brain monitor and the lit-up portions here and here,” She pointed to Olivia’s prefrontal lobe and amygdala, “each being her memory and emotion processing, respectively.”

The men in suits all nodded in fascination as they crowded around the monitor to each get a better look. Dr. Monroe turned around and watched as Olivia’s chest dove in waves of breaths, completely vulnerable to her surroundings.

“I do.” Olivia said as she gazed into Fitzgerald’s eyes and smiled. Bells tolled and streamers filled the air just after the ordained minister’s declaration of husband and wife. Fitzgerald and Olivia leaned in for the binding kiss that was ever so lovely and sweet.

“I love you.” Fitzgerald murmured into the kiss.

This moment was the one she had been waiting for ever since she was a little girl. She and Fitz had been best friends since they were a few months old and growing up together created a special bond between the two of them envied by all that knew them. When they announced their engagement to their friends and family, there were a mix of ‘I knew it’s’ and ‘it’s about time!’ amidst all the obvious congratulatory comments. Olivia loved Fitzgerald and couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone else.

“I’m happy to see the investments we’ve made actually work as effectively as I’m seeing it now. Tell me though, Dr. Monroe, what happens if this patient here wakes up?” Mr. Matheson asked.

“Well Olivia is in a coma and has been in this state for the last three months. Her brain is well enough for basic living functions such as breathing but it is uncertain if she will ever awaken and even if she does, with the discombobulation that is her brain right now she won’t be able to remember anything, short term or long.” Dr. Monroe frowned sadly as she looked down at Olivia. “Her entire life, up to her stroke, vanished. No memories. No emotional connection. Nothing…”

“I love you, little Anastasia.” Little Anastasia was born in the early hours of the morning after hours of hard labor. All the pain, screaming and moments of doubt were worth every second to see the angel in her arms now. Never would she had dreamed her life would have been as perfect as it was now. It was almost surreal.

They were worried when the third year came and passed and the doctor continued to say no luck. She was starting to think they would have to consider other options like adoption, but a few months after taking a break from all the scheduled doctor visits and ovulation calendars, Olivia speculated she was pregnant after a series of morning sicknesses. A dozen or so tests later and a doctor’s confirmation and they were on their way to having their first child together.

“She has your nose, you know.” Olivia spoke softly as she caressed her daughter’s cheek, taking in every ounce of emotion she could.

“And your hair.” Fitz chuckled as he brushed back Anastasia’s jet black hair away from her face. “Who would have thought a baby can have so much hair once they’re born!” Fitz placed his hand over Olivia’s and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for agreeing to naming her Anastasia. It means the world.”

Olivia nuzzled against his arm and nodded. “Of course. Your mom would have loved to be here.”

“Dr. Monroe, your work here is impeccable. Seeing the future of humanity develop right in front of our eyes and open so many opportunities for those who have run out of options is inspiring, to say the least. We at Axon Inc. are excited to see the direction this is heading it. Who knows, maybe one day this can be an everyday household experience people can choose to use when they want to escape their mundane lives?” Mr. Matheson nodded seriously at the machine that he was still admiring.

“I hope, for your sake Mr. Matheson, that what we’re creating will remain with ethical and positive associations and anything less is a hindrance on a human being’s life.” This was the first time Dr. Monroe ever raised her voice to Bruce Matheson, the CEO of the largest Pharma companies in the world but she couldn’t hold it back any longer.

-End