Chapter 82: Precious Loss
Yuri walks along the halls of the hospital. She looks upon the results of the serum Jacob gave to her, as well as a few other conclusive findings on what he's been able to learn. It's been dubbed with the name 'Thalassactin', a basic chemical base that he was able to figure out after analyzing Merrick's tears. Yuri can only imagine that Jacob made a strung-together name out of the words 'Thalassa', the Greek word for 'From the sea', with the hormone 'Prolactin' that is found in tears.
Almost literally named after a mermaid's tears.
So far since Jacob has developed it for careful use and investigation, Thalassactin has been approved as a treatment drug for mild diseases. Thing is though, it's not a medicine that works for everybody -- Jacob has found out that if it's injected into someone who has particular allergies, or if the patient has been predisposed to blood diseases or Bloodtypes B-, O+, and A- have been noted to be unresponsive to Thalassactin. No negative reactions have been reported, but Thalassactin has had no effects on those patients. But that's just the base compound; Jacob has been able to figure out how to tweak the substance to get around a few of the many similar obstacles this chemical seems to set up. He theorizes that the reason why Thalassactin is so particular about what it effects is because it comes from Merrick originally -- just like with bloodtypes, maybe with different merfolk tears or even tears of different emotions may yield different results.
Of course, the idea that this potent vaccine came from the tears of a merman being tortured and put under forensic analysis would just about put a dent in Jacob's career, as well as the off-chance that another obsessive maniac like Nigel would devote time and resources to hunting down mermaids in the name of discovery. And it's not like Jacob or anyone would be willing to just go up to a merfolk, and ask them to just donate their tears -- they brought it up in passing with Belinda and Syrinx separately, and both of them found the suggestion rather personal and invasive.
So, Jacob will just have to continue his research with what he's got.
"Yuri!"
Yuri gasps as she looks up from the papers, as she sees Merrick trotting over to her. "Oh no." She mutters, 'Figured he'd find out... God, get me through this." She thought with fear.
"Yuri!" Merrick comes to her, panting and looking at her, showing emotion for the first time in days. Yuri trembles as he stands there, "I-Is it true??" He whimpered, "A-Adam's awake??"
"..." Yuri sighed, "Y-Yes, Merrick. Adam is awake... He emerged from his coma a few days ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Merrick wept, "I trusted you to tell me if anything happens! Where is he??" He said, clearly trying all he can to compose himself, "I need to see him again!"
"Merrick, wait!" He pushes past her, in a hurry to confirm this for himself, to look into Adam's deep, brown eyes. "Stop!!" She grabs onto Merrick's wrist, and tugs him back.
"What? What?!" Merrick stops as she asked, "Adam is alive! I need to talk to him, please! I need him, Yuri!"
"Merrick, just hear me out, sit down, please." Merrick pants as he shudders with intense feeling, gently pulling from her, "Merrick... I need you to listen to me. Because I have news that's... It's not easy to say, Merrick just let me say it."
Merrick's breathing stays rough and harsh for several seconds, before he stops pulling himself from Yuri's grasp. Yuri takes Merrick to an empty lodging room for over-night stays of the staff. She sits Merrick down on one of the cots, and takes up a chair for herself.
"Alright, Merrick... First off, let me start by saying I am sorry for not calling you when Adam woke up from his coma." She said, her insides squirming with suspense, "I know I should have told you the instant he started to talk, you had every right to know."
"So why DIDN'T you tell me?"
"... Honestly..." She continued, "I was really, really scared to tell you about him, because, and I only waited for as long as three days because I wanted to make sure it was certain, and cemented..."
"Just tell me already, Yuri," Merrick pleaded, "What are you so afraid of??"
Yuri takes a deep breath, "Merrick... Adam has been diagnosed with amnesia."
"What..." Merrick stares at her with bewilderment, "Is that a human sickness? What does it mean?"
"Amnesia," She continued, trembling head-to-foot, "Is a condition where the human brain has been damaged to a point where the patient does not retain their memories."
"What..." Merrick's insides take a dive as he looks at her with horror, "What are you saying..."
~~~
"Nhhnnn..." Adam whines, his head pounding with low pain. Luther sits next to his bedside as he shuffles through the many photographs.
"And here..." Luther said as he brought one up, for his dreary son to look upon, "This... This is where we took you to Big Bear when you were a kid..." Adam groans as he peers at a photograph with a snowy landscape, of that with two adults and a little boy.
"Mmnhhh..."
"Luther, just stop..." Donna said lowly. Any minute now...
"How about this one, y-your school picture, Adam." Luther said as he takes another picture, when you caught a manta ray on the docks, re-remember??" He says, showing him a picture of Adam himself, and the entire staff of the Fish House with him, "I-It took 5 of your coworkers to bring it in...!"
"Kay..." Adam tries to think, furrowing his brow, before grunting in pain, "My head..."
"Luther, please..." Donna's lip trembled. It's no use, hearing Adam whine.
"T-This one was recent!" Luther shuffled through the pictures, "This is where you proposed to Merrick... I-I-I took a picture right when you got down on one knee."
"Luther, just stop it, please." Donna sniffled.
"If I can just..."
"W-Wait..." Adam moaned, "Who... Who are you...?" Luther looks at him.
"Adam... You remember me, don't you? At least from 10 minutes ago..."
"Who... What're you doing here..." Adam asked weakly, "I'm in the hospital... That much... I know..."
Donna covered her eyes, and weeping as she strides out of the room.
"Adam..." Luther shook, trembling, "Adam, I'm your Dad... You..." Luther takes hard, deep breaths, "You've met me about 5 times now... I'm your Father, Adam, don't you remember the last few days at all??"
"I... You're... My Father?" Adam asked, "I... I really don't know anything..." He closes his eyes, "My head hurts..."
~~~
"Merrick..." Yuri's own eyes begin to water as her voice shakes, "Adam has no memories anymore..."
"Yuri, no, no no no no," Merrick gets up as he walks about the room, "Tha-That's not possible, memories are apart of the soul, they-they can't just be erased just like that!"
"Merrick, I'm sorry, I'm telling you," She gets up out of her seat, "Please, listen to me," Merrick turns to her, his eyes glued to hers, "Adam doesn't remember anything... He doesn't know where he lives, what he did to work, he doesn't even know who his parents are... He doesn't know anything."
"No..." Merrick's eyes flood with his emotions, walking backward, "Nooo, no..."
"Merrick, I'm so sorry..."
"But he and I... Aquata Cove, we met in a cave." His breaths become shaky, "Adam sang to me many times, he took me to his home, he saved me from dying in the Blood of the Earth, after I broke his heart!" Merrick's voice volume becomes unstable, "He took LIGHTENING into his own body for me!!"
