His return.

THIRTHEEN CHAPTER

The next night I slept next to Jack. It was because I'm too scared after everything with Luke.

But in the morning I felt better. Today, too, Jack was supposed to go to the lab, and mom was too busy cleaning the house, and someone needed to take him.

"Bella, are you sure you want to drive?" Mom asked, skeptically looking at the car.

"You know you're still learning to drive. Maybe it would be better if we call one of my colleagues to come pick him up..."

"I know how to drive, and it will be easier for Jack with me. Other than that, we'll just go to the lab and back. It's not that far..."

Mom was hesitant, but Jack stood by me.

"I believe that Bella can drive. Besides, I'll be with her. If something happens, I can always take the wheel..."

This obviously reassured mom, but she couldn't hide her concern.

"Okay, but be careful. Don't forget that safety comes first. And don't go too fast."

"Of course, mom," I answered, feeling relieved. "

When we got into the car, Jack laughed.

"So, are you sure you know where the lab is?" he asked, his eyes shining with amusement.

"I walk there all the time."

"But can you come across the road?"

"Of course I know," I said, although I was a bit uncertain.

"I just have to follow the main road, right?"

"True, but watch out for traffic lights and pedestrians. We don't want to cause an accident."

As I was driving, I felt a bit clumsy. The car jerked a little when I changed gears and Jack laughed every time I did.

"Hey, don't laugh," I said, feeling a little embarrassed,

"I'm still learning. Nobody is perfect from the start."

"Of course, Bella. I'm just kidding. You are a good driver. But maybe we should go a little slower when we go through intersections."

When we got to the lab, Dr. Green greeted us with his usual smile. I tried to approach him with questions that were important to me. I wanted to talk to him today because I'm also starting to get interested in some questions about Jack.

Jack went with Dr. Linney and he greeted me. Then I approached Green.

"Dr. Green, can you explain to me how it is possible that Jack survived so long? That doesn't sound natural. Is it safe to test him that often?"

"Well, for starters, Jack was in extremely cold conditions. Ice and extreme temperatures can stop biological processes. Basically, metabolic activities slow down or even stop altogether, which allows the cells to not decay as they would at normal temperature. This effect enables tissue and cell conservation in an incredible way."

I nodded, but I wanted more details.

"But how did Jack stay so youthful? He didn't just survive, he looks dead when the ship went down. How is that possible?"

dr. Green shrugged, but it was clear he didn't have all the answers either.

"Actually, I'm surprised myself. I have never seen such a case. Normally, prolonged exposure to ice would cause tissue damage, but there was no significant change in Jack. That's why it's important to monitor his condition and carry out tests to find out exactly what happened and how it can affect others."