Michael is awake

Abbey and Sharon's bodies twitched for the first time. Some minutes later, they regained consciousness. Looking around, they saw that they were back by Michael's side in his room. They were greeted by Collin Smith, Michael's father. "Did it work? Did you find Michael?" asked Collin. Sharon and Abbey could barely respond before Michael's body twitched on its own. Collin was taken aback by this and could barely contain himself. Suddenly, Michael's eyes started to blink and everyone in the room was in awe.

Not long after blinking his eyes for the first time in almost five months, Michael suddenly opened his eyes. At first, everything was a blur to him. He couldn't make out anyone in the room, but as seconds passed, the blur cleared and he could see his father standing in front of him. He was followed by his aunt and a stranger he had met in his dream. Trying to talk for the first time, his voice was chaotic and his throat was sore.

He heard his father's comforting voice saying, "Take it easy, son. Don't force it. It's been a while." Michael could barely speak, but he managed to say, "Okay, Dad. I'm thirsty." Collin could barely contain his joy as he realized his son remembered him. It meant that there was no memory loss or brain damage. He called to one of his trusted aides and yelled, "Go fetch the doctor!"

He reached out to Abbey, saying, "Thank you very much for helping my son. If there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. If it is within my power, I will do it. My family and I owe you a great debt." Abbey, feeling overwhelmed, didn't say much. He just glanced at Sharon for a split second before saying, "I will collect my payment now."

Sharon was surprised to hear Abbey talking about payment so soon. She took a glance at him before turning her focus to Michael. She held onto Michael tightly for a while before releasing her grip on him to ask him some questions. "Michael, do you remember where you were before?" Michael paused for some time to gather his thoughts before saying, "I don't really know. It felt like a dream to me. All I remember is being in a scary place or room."

After some time, some people came to rescue me. Pausing again, as if he remembered something or someone, he said with an excited tone, "Yes, I remember now. I saw you and this man standing in front of me," pointing to Abbey now. "Both of you were in my dreams. You both saved me from that mysterious person who was trying to trap me," Michael concluded.

There was a smile on Sharon's face because Michael seemed to have remembered what happened in his mind. Collin, on the other hand, was shocked and surprised. He could barely understand what Michael was talking about and immediately asked, "What bad man? And who was trying to trap you?" before saying, "It was just a dream, don't pay any attention to it." But Michael was adamant about it and said to his father, "No, it was more than just a dream. The bad man didn't want me to go. He said I was responsible for the death of someone and that I would remain there forever."

Collin looked confused and turned his attention to Sharon. She immediately nodded to him and said, "We will discuss this later. For now, let's give the boy some breathing space." Collin didn't press the issue any further, as he sensed there was more to the story. Michael's eyes were fixed on Abbey for a while. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words because he barely understood what had happened in his dreams. Instead, he politely asked Abbey, "Mister, you saved me from the bad person. Can I be your friend?" With a smile on his face, Abbey could only reply, "When you get better, your auntie can bring you to find me."

Meanwhile, some doctors came around under the order of Collin Smith. There were four in total, both young and old, and they all looked like professionals in their respective fields. Once they entered the room and saw Michael chatting, they were amazed. The expression on their faces was evident for all to see. Never in their wildest thoughts did they imagine that Michael would be up and about again. Not long ago, one of the doctors even pronounced Michael brain dead, while the other said he would be in a vegetative state forever. Now, seeing Michael up and about, greatly confused them.

Managing to compose themselves, they began carrying out tests on Michael at the request of Collin, Michael's father. After many rounds of testing, they all came to the same conclusion: "Michael has recovered and is now very much okay." Collin once again leaped for joy when he heard the news. "My son is okay," he replied, feeling overjoyed. He then started kissing his son's forehead uncontrollably, while thanking his lucky stars.

One of the doctors, an elderly gentleman, spoke with the utmost respect to Collin. "We know about our earlier diagnosis of your son," he said. "If I may be so bold, may I ask what you did to help him recover fully?" The doctor explained that this information was for medical purposes and could help others with similar cases.

Collin Smith was surprised by the doctor's response, but he could not say anything because he barely understood what had happened. Instead, he just pointed at Abbey, saying, "He helped my son recover, that is all I know."

Turning their attention to Abbey, the elderly doctor asked, "Are you a fellow practitioner?" Abbey, not knowing what to say since this was the first time someone had asked if he was a doctor, felt awkward. In the end, he just said, "No, I am not a practitioner like you. I deal with alternative medicine." Nearly all the doctors present raised an eyebrow, looking down on Abbey. Most alternative medicine practitioners they knew were charlatans, imposters, cheats, or quacks.

But still, they could not ignore the evidence right before their eyes. "Would you mind explaining what exactly you did to make the boy recover so rapidly?" asked one of the younger doctors. Abbey was stunned by the question. How could he possibly explain that he went into the boy's consciousness to set him free from the person holding him captive? Won't these doctors think he was crazy or perhaps a fraud? "As I said, it is an alternative form of medicine, which I cannot divulge to you all. But if you have similar cases, I would be happy to share my expertise."

But still, they could not ignore the evidence right before their eyes. "Please, do you mind explaining what exactly you did to make the boy recover so rapidly?" asked one of the younger doctors. Abbey was stunned by his question. How could he possibly explain that he had entered the boy's consciousness to set him free from the person holding him captive? Wouldn't these doctors think he was crazy, or worse, a fraud? "Like I said, it is an alternative to medicine, which I can't disclose with all of you. But if you have similar cases, I would be happy to share my expertise."

Not all of the doctors were satisfied with Abbey's explanation, but they declined to press the issue any further. Instead, they focused their efforts on Michael, trying to learn as much as possible. On the other hand, Sharon was not interested and couldn't be bothered. She was more intrigued by Abbey now.

After some time, feeling left out, Abbey made a gesture to both Sharon and Collin, indicating that he would be leaving soon. Collin immediately understood and instructed his personal aide to transfer two million dollars to Abbey, thanking him for his services. Abbey was surprised to receive such a large sum for saving the boy. He thought Collin should be paying more and immediately asked, "Is two million the value of your son's life?"

Collin felt offended by Abbey's lack of appreciation. He thought for a while before replying, "Is two million not enough for you? Am I not being generous enough by offering two million dollars? How much do you want me to pay for the life of my son? Don't you know that there is no true value for life? Money can never be compared to life," he concluded.

Sharon, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke with a bit of disdain. "Abbey, do you really want to extort more money from Michael's father because you saved his son? I guess I was wrong about you," she concluded, shaking her head in disappointment.

Abbey could feel the disdain coming from Sharon. "I never thought you could be so caring or have such feelings," he said, feeling her disappointment. He did a double take and added, "I didn't say you should pay me more money, I was just asking why you chose to pay me two million."

Sharon was surprised again by Abbey's reply. She immediately asked, "Are you saying they should have paid you less?"

Abbey gritted his teeth and replied, "Yes, because of what happened while we were in their minds, I would have settled for less."

There was a smile on Sharon's face as her opinion of Abbey shifted again. She could feel her heart beating faster after him. On the other hand, Abbey was chastising himself for falling for a charming face. Why else would he have declined to extort more money from Collin?