David also understood that this world was slowly killing his wife and they needed to get out of here quickly. But they couldn't—the portals were no longer appearing, and there was almost no sex between them—Sophie had neither the strength nor the desire. And even when rare attempts did occur, her body did not respond to his caresses. Therefore, he saw the only way out as continuing the examinations and treatment, even if only symptomatic.
If he noticed a blush on his beloved's cheeks or saw that she managed to eat a whole bowl of porridge, he felt inspired and hopeful. But when he noticed that her blood pressure was below normal again, she slept all day, and her hands had become so thin that her veins showed through, he fell into despair. Yet, he saw no solution. All the money and knowledge of this world proved powerless.
Two weeks later, Anna came to see Sofia. David hoped this would cheer up his wife.
Anna looked almost the same as in the world where they knew her. Except for the neon-green streaks visible in her hair and the glasses perched on her nose. Anna brought Sofia a book she had supposedly asked for a long time ago.
The cover read: "Inter-reality Anomalies: Clinical Observations," and the author was listed as Dr. Elias Crow.
"Well, you gave me a task," Anna said. "This book was not easy to find. In scientific circles, this Crow is considered a crackpot, the book is not taken seriously, so the print run was small."
"Crow wrote about seven patients who claimed they were not from our world," Anna added. "One died of heart failure. Two disappeared without a trace; they were never found. The others... seemed to have recovered, but Crow noted that they were never fully able to adapt. He thought their bodies were physically unsuited for our reality."
The girls chatted for another half an hour—about the university, their hospital practice, and mutual friends. As David walked Anna to the door, she suddenly hugged him.
"Stay strong," the girl said sympathetically. "She'll get through this. You'll get through this."
But David could see in Anna's eyes that she didn't quite believe her own words.