Paul Schwartzman (thanks, Cara): As midnight approaches, the father is where he was when the day began, sitting on the edge of his son's bed, peering into his unfocused eyes and misshapen mouth, rubbing his bare chest and scarred scalp. Checking his diaper. Making sure his boy is okay.
He is not okay. Ryan Diviney is 21 years old. For the past year, he has existed in what his doctors call a vegetative state, or "eyes-open coma," resulting from a horrific beating. He is awake but seemingly unaware. His father describes his son's existence as little more than that of a heart beating inside a body.
"Great day," Ken Diviney says, pressing his unshaven cheek to his son's. "You're safe. You took a nasty bump on your head. You're going to come out of that coma. I've got everything together on the outside. You need to focus on waking up."
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