Chapter 42：Baby Steps (1/2)
”I feel alive! So, this is what it means to have a body.” Jyorta muttered, clenching his hands, feeling the sense of touch. It was a wonder; the world around him was huge and finally, he could take in its grandeur, through his own eyes.
'I am Jyorta Bone and at the same time Vadlamani Kaushik, each having different personalities. I must ensure to not mix up the two, making my real persona arise only when necessary. Until then, I will eat, think, talk, and behave like Jyorta.' Jyorta thought, relishing in the thinking experience. He no longer needed to mask his thoughts under a pile of useless memories, directly engaging in thinking behaviour without restraint. After all, the brain, the eyes, and even the soul, all were his from here on.
”I seem to have grown a bit as compared to before.” Propping his body to a seated position, Jyorta observed his figure. Quite tall as compared to before, having a lean body frame, and traces of hair growth in pubic regions; it made him conclude that the time he spent in a vegetative state was longer than he had expected.
'I need to check the date.' Scanning around the room, Jyorta was unable to find anything that could help him find the date—calendar. He rubbed his eyes, gazing at the life support machine next to him, sparking his interest.
As an engineer, any sophisticated instrument was irresistible to him. He wanted to pick up a screwdriver and dismantle the machine right away, understanding its mysteries based on his accumulated knowledge.
The door opened as the nurse, Wenina Marble entered, accompanied by a doctor. They noticed Jyorta gazing at the life support machine with a heated gaze, a trace of drool leaking out his mouth. With a chuckle, the doctor interrupted him.
”How are you feeling?” He had asked a question but, it seemed as if he wasn't expecting an answer. He used his psychic energy, making it seep into Jyorta's body, inspecting his condition.
'Is he using his psychic energy to gain a firsthand comprehension of my body? Strange, I can't even seem to sense it.' Jyorta thought. They only reason he could suspect it was because of the similar actions taken by the doctor. Hancent did it whenever he used his psychic energy.
”Hmm, you are perfectly alright. Moreover, your brain activity seems normal. We'll monitor you for a week, and if no problem arises, you can be discharged.” The doctor said, nodding at the nurse before he exited the room.
The nurse looked at Jyorta, ”Your family has been notified of your awakening. They'll be here soon.”
”Thank you, sister.” Jyorta flashed an awkward smile at her, feeling unable to carry a conversation.
”Just doing my job.” The nurse waved her hands, ”We'll begin your rehabilitation session at dawn tomorrow. It would be for the best if you can rest until then. After being in a coma for so long, your body needs time to get back to normal.”
The nurse pulled the bedsheet covering him; the figure of Jyorta wearing naught but boxers came into view. She then began to massage his legs, infusing her psychic energy into his muscles to loosen them up.
”W-Wait, I can do it on my own,” Jyorta shouted, face flushed red while his voice stammered. He waved his hands, trying to break her hold.
”Oh, it is fine. I'm used to it by now. I've been taking care of you for the past two months.” The nurse replied with a wink, using her psychic energy to stop Jyorta's hands. ”Moreover, I changed your underwear every day. There's nothing I haven't seen yet.”
”B-But, it is embarrassing for me,” Jyorta said, covering his face with his hands. He turned silent, not daring to speak for 30 minutes, until the nurse was done with her work. The nurse draped the bedsheet over him, covering his lower half. Only then did Jyorta reveal his face, not willing to make eye contact with her.
A couple of minutes later, the door opened, and in came Hancent, tears streaming down his eyes. The moment he spotted the seated Jyorta, he pulled him into a hug. ”Finally, you're awake.”
”Dad,” Jyorta muttered. A part of him found the word familiar while the other part felt alienated to use that word to address Hancent.
'This is a strange feeling.' He thought, laughing at his fate. It was only the ego of the individual named 'Jyorta' had he crushed. His psyche, behavioural traits, memories, and emotional quotient still existed, having become a part of Kaushik. The part of him corresponding to Jyorta addressed Hancent as Dad in his subconscious while his self associated Hancent as a father character.
'He's not my father, but he's the father of Jyorta.' He thought. His actions though, were different. Since he was making use of Jyorta's persona, all his actions, words, and emotions were in line with the individual 'Jyorta'.
”It's good that you are awake. Your sister is still on a mission, so it would take her a couple of days to arrive.” Hancent said, patting his shoulder. He then turned to the nurse, ”If there aren't any more health issues, I would like to discharge him today.”
”Sorry sir, we still plan to observe him for a week before giving the go-ahead for a discharge. In the meantime, we will nurse him back to full health. Also, since he would be shifted over to the general ward, you can visit him anytime.” The nurse replied, pulling out a piece of paper that the doctor had handed to her.