Jim said, "Please anything you can do to help!"
The doctor caution him and said "First and foremost you should know that what I'm about to suggest is experimental and was only just approved by the F.D.A. (Food and Drug Administration) for human trials. It is also classified top secret by the U.S. Government. There is a mountain of paperwork involved and everyone in the room will need to sign an N.D.A. (non-disclosure agreement)." The Doctor continued saying "Once you all sign the N.D.A. I can go into more detail on the nature of the treatment.
Jim asked if the treatment was dangerous. The Doctor went on to explain "As with anything experimental there is some risk. However ever if the treatment fails it wouldn't really cause your wife any additional medical problems."
Jim thought for a few minutes and asked the kids what they thought? They both replied in earnest that we should give it a try!
Jim told the Doctor "Let's do this!"
The Doctor excused himself and said he would be right back with the necessary paperwork. While they waited the kids ran over to their father then gave him a big hug. Jim looked at Melissa and saw she had a few tears running down her face and she joined the rest in a group hug.
The Doctor returned quickly with several people in tow, they appeared to be administrative employees and the Doctor wasn't lying when he said there was a mountain of paperwork. Jim was almost frustrated after filling out paperwork for the next half hour and then everyone signed their N.D.A. and then it was all over.
Doctor McCoy then went into great detail about this experimental treatment, and this took another half hour. The reader's digest version was that Argent Technologies in cooperation with U.S. Dept. Of Defense had created the worlds first Nanotech or Nanites if you prefer. Specifically, these were microscopic robots that were controlled by an Artificial Intelligence or A.I. for short. There were several different types of Nanites -- Command: that directed the creation and job functions of the rest. Interface: Nanites the communicated directly with the A.I. and the patient providing vital information on the patient's status. Diagnostic: Nanites that collected data on all aspects of the patient's health and any potential health problems and symptoms. Workers: Nanites that provided repairs and specific treatment as needed. Finally, Factory: Nanites with the sole function of using the bodies waste materials to create any of the other Nanites as needed.
The Doctor explained further that once the Nanites completed their designated functions that they shut down and were discharged from the body through the usual waste processes performed by the body. The exception being Command, Interface, and Factory Nanites as their function was continuous. In addition, unless there was some unexpected problem with the Nanites, once injected in the patient they would remain in the body until the end of the patient's life and that could be extended for a yet to be determined amount of time. In the event there was problem a shut done code would be sent to the Nanites and they would then become inert and be flushed from the body. This was only after every attempt was made to correct the problem through the interface with the Nanites. All information was passed to and from the Nanites through the A.I. and then sent to central monitoring station here at the facility. Central monitoring was manned 24/7 and all relevant info was forwarded to the attending physician which in this case was Doctor McCoy.
Jim asked, "When they would administer the Nanites?"
The Doctor replied "We'll monitor your wife for 24 hours and by then the blood work should be back by then. Barring any unforeseen circumstances then we should be able to go forward sometime tomorrow."
Jim thanked the Doctor for everything he is doing and said if he needed anything at all to aid in his wife's treatment that all he had to do was ask.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing while they all kept vigil over Abbi. Around noon a young man in a kitchen uniform appeared and pushed a cart in the room and said lunch is served! He then excused himself and stepped out. Jim looked at Melissa and said, "Did you do this?" She just nodded with a big smile and I thanked her. I hadn't realized that I was hungry. But then I remember we hadn't even eaten breakfast.
We all grabbed a plate and dug in. I was impressed everything was very good, while not being overly fancy. The menu consisted several different kinds of cold sandwiches, chef salad, and soup. While being a simple meal everything was quite delicious. We settled in for the afternoon and I felt very good about how things were going and much better with a full belly!
As the afternoon passed into early evening, I awoke realizing at some point I must have nodded off. I looked around and noticed the kids were snuggled up together and fast asleep on one the couches in the room. I looked over at Melissa and she was looking at me with a smile and a sparkle in her eye and said she thought I looked very cute when I was asleep. I blushed furiously and smiled back.
Melissa then revealed that supper would be arriving shortly. In just a few minutes another kitchen attendant showed up with a cart of food and then promptly left the room. We spent the next half hour or so feeding on a gourmet meal and the food was excellent.
Melissa said "Once everyone is done eating, I will take you all, across the hall where we have been assigned a large suite that was designed to accommodate the families of any patients being treated at this facility. These are fully functional residences you'll be able to do all the things you would normally do at home, i.e., bathe, sleep, relax, eat, etc. There is maid service daily and they can take any laundry you might have. There is also a wide variety of amenities available in the rooms and on this campus. Including video games consoles for the kids, a wide variety of movies, and a just about every card / board game known to man. On the campus there is a fully equipped gym, a library, and movie theatre." She added that many employees lived on or near the campus and spent many long hours working on various projects to explain why such amenities were available at a place of business and at no charge to anyone authorized to be on the grounds.
A little while later everyone was finished with their meal and was ready to see their suites. Melissa led them across the hall. They stepped through a doorway into a large room that served as a living room and kitchen. Jim was surprised by what filled the room. He noticed the kitchen was fully equipped with stainless steel commercial grade appliances, a large double door fridge that could almost be a walk-in, beside the fridge was a large walk-in pantry, to the other side of the fridge was a full-size oven / range with all-natural gas burners and a built-in grilling area. Moving on to the living room area Jim noticed there was a wide variety of comfortable looking furniture including a dining room table, several recliners and recliner couches all a semicircle facing a 75-inch flat screen TV with just about every TV channel and movie service known to man. Jim was very impressed indeed.
On either side of the room was doorway leading to bedrooms 2 on each side/ Melissa explained that the kids were to the left and they each had their own room and she and their father would be using the 2 rooms on the right. She continued by saying that all the bedrooms were identical, and everyone should go check them out.
Jim walked into his room and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. The room had a very comfortable feel to it, and he noticed a very large and probably custom-built bed that was much larger than king size. He also noticed what appeared to an antique roll top desk equipped with just about everything a person needs to do any kind of paperwork, personal or business related, in addition more comfortable furniture and what appeared to be a 60-inch flat screen TV. He noticed what appeared to be a walk-in closet and he was surprised that the hangers and dresser drawers contained some his clothing as well as unfamiliar clothes that appeared to be his size. Jim moved from there into the on-suite bathroom and he was blown away. This room was about 3 times bigger than his bathroom at home and was equipped with a large walk-in shower with multiple shower heads including one that simulated falling rain, also beside the shower was a full-size whirlpool bathtub that could accommodate probably 4-5 people, also the there was a set of double vanity sinks, a fancy looking toilet, and right beside it was what I could guess was a bidet. There also appeared to be a small linen closet with extra towels, wash cloths, and bedding as well. Another thing he noticed that all the normal things you would find in a bathroom were already provided - tooth brushes, toothpaste, razors, deodorant, basic medications, and beauty aids.
