Cooper jumped, almost losing his glasses. Turning he breathed a sigh of relief to see the welcomed figure of Jeanie standing by a table He took in a deep breath, and put a hand over his heart. "Jesus!" he whispered, then said aloud, "Jeanie! It's good to see you're feeling better now. You scared me half out of my wits! I didn't know anyone else was in the room."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Cooper. I was in the supply room and didn't know you were here, either. I didn't mean to frighten you. Here, let me get you a chair."
She found one nearby, but Cooper protested. "Thanks, but I'm alright. Don't worry, young lady, I'm not as fragile as you might believe! I am thankful you care a lot about me, though.....I don't know what I'd do without you, as a matter of fact. Did you set up these supplies just this morning?"
"Yes. I knew you'd be pleased! I....I couldn't stay at the dorm any longer. I've been so restless, and so worried about Mike. Dr. Horton mentioned something about his condition improving a bit, but when I awoke, he was still asleep, and I didn't wish to disturb him to ask how things were. Mike....is he....?"
"I'm happy to tell you, Jeanie, we pulled him through! He's going to be fine!"
Jeanie stared in disbelief. "But he was....how...what happened? What did you do to help him?"
"It's a long story, Jeanie, but Mike did most of the work himself!"
"You mean...he is conscious? He can do everything....I mean, he's NORMAL now?"
"Yeah. As soon as you're finished here, you can go see for yourself. I'm sure Dr. Horton wouldn't mind."
"OH!" Jeanie sighed. She felt like jumping with joy! Mike's full recovery was unbelievable to her. It seemed like she was always hugging her boss, but she grabbed Cooper and squeezed him hard! She didn't want to let go. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
Dr. Cooper felt a twinge of pride in himself, then silently reprimanded himself for this. He hadn't done much to bring about Mike's recovery, but then again, perhaps because of his and Larry's quick action with the CPR treatment, his brain had stayed functioning long enough for the boy to accomplish the rest. Cooper's mind and emotions were so confused, his brain felt like it was caught in a whirlwind. But Cooper was not so out of things he did not enjoy the girl's attentions. He felt a familiar stirring within, and knew he had better untangle himself from her strong embrace soon. He needed to keep his thoughts on the present puzzle of R.M.T.P. and the last thing he needed at the moment was a romantic entanglement with someone less than half his age; a woman who should remain a daughter's image in his mind. He gently pushed free of her touch, but kept her close to him, and she became nervous,