The months tick on. One month turns into two and two turns into three. They seem to pass slower this year and Austin is not sure if it's because they have hit double digits in the amount of years Cleo has been sleeping but either way he will press on. He gets in three new neuro specialists on to asses Cleo. One from India, one from Italy, and one from Australia, but they all shake their heads in bewilderment while Austin and Decan, Cleo's doctor, look on. None of them can give them any new information, but they all agree that they do not think she will wake up, and if by some miracle she does they believe she will not be the girl Austin had known ten years ago.
But, their assessments of her do not discourage him or even disappoint him at all. He has heard it all before from her waking up with brain damage, to simple memory loss to just slipping away one day in her sleep. They are all just theories and no one can give their diagnosis with a 100% surety - the assessments are always the same. He prefers not to focus on the negative. What he does focus on is no doctor has been able to explain that none of her vital organs have started to deteriorate. Why her mussels have not waisted away and just looks like a healthy woman taking a nap. She has brain activity, a lot of brain activity, and Decan has even recorded her dreaming. Her heart is strong and she has defied all odds. That has to count for something, right? They are all waiting on the miracle of her waking up but the fact that she is still alive and thriving is a miracle on its own.
"You don't let them put bulshit into your head, baby. You are a strong woman. You have been fighting to stay for ten years so you best fight for another ten fucking years. You hear me. I am going to be real pissed if you don't," he whispers into her ear. "You listen to your husband," Cleo's stepmother whispers into her other ear. Austin laughs softly, Cleo will adore her stepmother one day when she meets her. Cleo had always complained about how her mother had been so hard on her as a kid. Expecting only the best from her grades and any sports activities she did. Her mother disapproved of Austin and still does. She wanted Cleo to marry a lawyer or a doctor so she was not thrilled when Cleo proudly introduced Austin to her. They were already married much to her mother's horror. But, Cleo's father had always been cool and she had been close to him. Over the last ten years, Austin had only grown closer to Cleo's father. He called him a son and introduced him as such. Cleo's stepmother is one of Austin's favorite people, she is a happy bright person.
"Austin, time to go," he hears his lawyer say from the doorway. Austin sighs and his shoulders slump. This is the not-so-nice side of this whole ordeal. As Cleo's husband, he has the final say in her treatment. It is him and him alone who gets to decide what the next step is. He has been clear about his wishes from day one. As long as Cleo's heart is beating and her brain has activity he will pay every last cent he has to keep her alive. He gets specialists in from all over the world, has her set up in the best private hospital in Utah and has a medical team at her beck and call. There are no exceptions and his mind will never be swayed. His entire family supports him as well as Cleo's father and stepmother. Friends who have been around since before the accident support his decision too as well as her doctor, Decan.
But, some do not. There are those who want the plug pulled and for her to be laid to rest. Austin would accept that if she was dying. But, she is not dying and he will not kill her. He refuses to sign any papers actioning that and so he has been served with papers to attend court and has to fight to retain the rights he has as her husband. It had been a horrible blow when he saw who was contesting his rights and trying to take over Cleo's treatment and cutting him out.
Her very own mother.
When Cleo wakes up and finds out what her mother has tried to do several times now, she will be devastated. Austin is devastated for her. She has not ever even come to visit Cleo. Her father and stepmother live across the country but visit once a month while staying at Austin's house. His parents and brother, Mitch, visit every Sunday after the game. Tina visits multiple times a week when she can, Sharon is there every day and so is Austin if he is not away on tour but he has the live feed so he misses very little. They will all be at the court hearing today and are all ready to stand up and support Austin. But, it still feels wrong and hurts Austin that her mother would rather take the time to find reasons to kill her daughter than ways to try and heal her.
