FLASH FORWARD TEN YEARS, CHARLES WAS BARELY AROUND AND LORRAINE WAS TOO BUSY FLIRTING WITH THE POOL BOYS TO BOTHER WITH HER SON. TO COPE WITH THE FACT THAT HIS PARENTS WERE BARELY EVER AROUND, NORMAN FOUND HIMSELF RATHER FASCINATED BY THE FREEZING OF ANIMALS. IT WAS A HOBBY THAT MORALLY HE DIDN’T KNOW NOR UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS DOING. IN FACT, HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS WRONG AND CROSSING THAT CERTAIN LINE HIS PARENTS DIDN’T EVEN SEE. THAT WAS UNTIL ONE DAY HIS MOTHER WAS DIGGING THROUGH THE FREEZER THAT SHE FOUND ONE OF HIS PROJECTS, FROZEN MICE THAT HE CAPTURED IN THEIR BASEMENT. SHE WAS FURIOUS AND DISTRAUGHT, EVEN BRINGING IT UP TO CHARLES. SHE POINTED HOW INSANE THEIR SON WAS AND THAT HE SHOULD BE SENT AWAY. CHARLES TRIED TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM BY FORCING THEIR SON TO SEE A SPECIALIST. THIS DID VERY LITTLE IN SWAYING THE POOR CHILD OUT OF THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT HE WAS ALREADY IN. INSTEAD HE CAME FACE TO FACE WITH A SCHOOL CRAFTED FOR CHILDREN WHO HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO. THAT CAME FROM OBSCENE AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND COULD KEEP THE PLACE FUNDED. THE FRIES’ PAID THEM TO KEEP THE BOY THERE ALL THE WAY UNTIL HE GRADUATED AND MOVED ON WITH HIS LIFE.

THINGS ACTUALLY GOT BETTER ONCE HE FIGURED OUT THAT REALLY, THE FRIES’ WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM. OF COURSE, HE HAD TO LEARN THIS KNOWLEDGE THE HARD WAY. WHEN MOST OF THE KIDS WOULD GO HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, HE WOULD BE LEFT BEHIND WITH THOSE THAT WERE CLASSIFIED AS ORPHANS. HIS PARENTS DISOWNED HIM AND HE DIDN’T CARE A SINGLE BIT. IN FACT, HE USED THIS TIME TO STUDY AND READ. HE BURIED HIS NOSE IN BOOKS AND TOOK THIS TIME TO REACH A LEVEL OF INTELLECT THAT EVEN SURPASSED HIS OWN FATHER. OF COURSE, LIKE MOST CHILDREN HE BONDED WITH SOME THAT WERE IN THE STIRRING POT THAT HE WAS IN. NO PARENTS. NO PAST. NO FAMILY. IT WAS JUST THEM AND THAT WAS ALL HE HAD TO CONSIDER AS HIS FAMILY. NORMAN DID CONSIDER THEM HIS FAMILY, ALL THE WAY UNTIL HE GRADUATED AND MOVED ON WITH HIS LIFE.

HE LEFT FOR CAMBRIDGE, IN ANOTHER COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COUNTRY AND A DIFFERENT SCHOOL. IT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD AND HIS FAMILY BACK IN BOSTON HE STILL MANAGED TO KEEP IN STEADY CONTACT WITH. ON A RATHER DARK AND CLOUDY DAY, HE LOCKED HIMSELF UP IN THE LIBRARY AND WAS POURING THROUGH THE BOOKS. HE BURIED HIS NOSE INTO A BOOK WHEN A GENTLE COUGH BROUGHT HIM OUT OF HIS LOOP THAT HE WAS IN. SHE WAS AN ANGEL. THE WORLD SPARKLED AND SHIMMERED AROUND HER AS SHE BENT OVER TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT HIM. SHE EVEN SMILED SLIGHTLY AND WHEN SHE TILTED HER HEAD, HER VOICE WAS PURE MUSIC. SHE SPOKE TO HIM AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE HE WAS AT A LOSS OF THOUGHT. HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. HE WAS SPEECHLESS AND THOUGHTLESS. EMPTINESS CONSUMED HIM WHEN SHE LEFT HIM ALONE IN THE LIBRARY. IT TOOK EVERY OUNCE OF COURAGE HE HAD TO FIND HER AGAIN AND ASK HER OUT. HE FOUND OUT SHE WAS A BALLERINA, SHE WAS AT THE TOP OF HER DANCE GROUP AND WAS PERFORMING SWAN LAKE. HE PURCHASED A TICKET AND WENT TO THE FIRST NIGHT OF HER PERFORMANCE. SHE DANCED WITH SUCH GRACE AND MOVED AROUND THE STAGE LIKE A SWAN. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL. SHE WAS ANGEL. SHE WAS SOMETHING HE HAD TO HAVE FOR HIMSELF.

HE WAS PRESENT FOR ALL OF HER PERFORMANCES AND WHEN SHE STARTED TO TAKE NOTICE OF HIM BEING THERE, SHE TALKED TO HIM. SURE, IT TOOK MONTHS FOR THEM TO COME TOGETHER AND WHEN HE ASKED HER TO DINNER SHE SAID YES. WHEN SHE RESPONDED RATHER HAPPILY HE WOOED HER AND WON HER HEART FOR HIS OWN. SHE WON HIS HEART FROM THE MOMENT HE FIRST SAW HER AND NOW SHE WAS EVERYTHING HE NEEDED. HE GRADUATED AT THE TOP OF HIS CLASS AND RETURNED TO BOSTON. IT WAS THERE HE ENTERED INTO THE MIT PROGRAM OF CRYOGENIC FIELD AND EARNED HIS DOCTORATE. IT WAS WHILE HE WAS STUDYING HE EARNED A JOB WORKING FOR HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND. ONE NIGHT, WHEN HE WAS WORKING RATHER LATE INTO THE EVENING NORA FRIES CALLED HIM UP AND TOLD HIM SOMETHING WAS WRONG. SHE FELL DOWN AND COULDN’T GET BACK UP. HE WAS AT HER SIDE IN MOMENTS AND GOT HER TO THE HOSPITAL.

SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS (AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS) A RATHER INCURABLE AND PAINFUL DISEASE. SHE COULDN’T DANCE ANYMORE. SHE WAS DISTRAUGHT AND NORMAN TRIED HIS HARDEST TO FIND A CURE. HE MET WITH THE CDC AND EVEN WENT SO FAR AS TO POSITION FOR HER TO BE FROZEN SO HE COULD FIND A CURE. THIS WAS MET WITH HOSPITALITY AND HE WAS EVENTUALLY LET GO FROM THE COMPANY. IT WAS WHILE HE WAS LET GO, THAT HE WAS SNATCHED UP BY HARVARD. IT WAS THERE THAT THEY TOLD HIM OF THE BOUNDARIES HE COULDN’T CROSS. HE WAS TEMPTED TO FOLLOW THE PLANS AND WHEN HE TRIED TO USE STEM CELLS TO CURE HER HE WAS ONCE MORE SLAPPED ON THE WRIST FOR IT. AFTER A DECADE OF BEING IN SO MUCH PAIN, SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED AND IT WAS THERE THAT HE WATCHED THE LIFE LEAVE HER EYES. IT TOOK EVERYTHING HE HAD TO NOT LOSE IT. HE HELD HER HAND FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT, REFUSING TO LEAVE THE WOMAN HE LOVES SIDE. SHE MAY HAVE BEEN GONE BUT SHE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE IN HIS HEART.

SHE WAS CREMATED AND PER HER WISH HE TRAVELLED BACK TO CAMBRIDGE. IT WAS WHILE HE WAS THERE HE CLIMBED THE TOP OF THE LIBRARY AND SCATTERED HER ASHES. SHE WANTED TO LEAVE THE WAY THEY MET. UPON THE NIGHT HE RETURNED HOME, A VIDEO ARRIVED AT HIS HOME. PLACING THE VIDEO IN HIS COMPUTER AND HER FACE APPEARED. SHE SPOKE OF A WISH THAT HE KNEW HE HAD TO GO THROUGH WITH. SHE WANTED HIM TO LIVE ON. TO DO GOOD WORK AND SAVE PEOPLE WHO HELD THE SAME KIND OF DISEASE SHE SUFFERED FROM. SHE WANTED HIM TO MOVE ON AND FIND SOMEONE WHO COULD MAKE HIM HAPPY. THIS FACT HURT HIM. SHE WANTED HIM TO FORGET HER? NO, THAT COULDN’T BE RIGHT. SHE WANTED HIM TO MOVE ON AND FIND ANOTHER WHO COULD MAKE HIM HAPPY. NO, HE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO THAT. INSTEAD HE PUSHED IT ASIDE, FORGETTING ALL ABOUT HER WISH AND BURIED HIS NOSE IN HIS WORK.

NORMAN HAS BEEN IN BOSTON FOR OVER A DECADE NOW. THE HOME HE LIVES IN IS COMPLETELY EMPTY AND HE IS RARELY EVER PRESENT IN IT. HE PRACTICALLY LIVES OUT OF HIS OFFICE AT HARVARD AND BURIES HIS NOSE IN HIS RESEARCH. HIS FUNDING NEVER SEEMS TO RUN OUT SINCE THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE THOSE RICH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LIVE FOREVER.