by Sofie Hern
Nurses check machines, vitals, wires, and God knows what else.
“Can you tell me your name?” the doctor asks again.
While trying to stay out of their way I manage to make a small space for myself at the foot of the bed and stand there with my hands in my pockets. “I'm right here, buddy,” I tell him, but he doesn’t look at me.
The room is a frenzy of sound and movement, it’s disorienting, even for me.
Two of the nurses are gone and the doctor writes something down on an a tablet. After a moment he gets to his feet. “He’s out of the coma, but not out of the woods yet.”
“What happens now?”
He invites me to step out of the room.
–
I stand in front of him with my hands in my pockets.
“Now the real work begins. He’s going to be fading in and out of sleep over the next few hours. First, we need to ensure that his memory is intact, that he remembers his name, what year it is, that sort of thing.
“For the next few hours, we’ll monitor his vitals closely and then we’ll do a few tests, CAT scan, X-rays, an MRI, to determine the extent of his injuries and to see if his brain is functioning properly.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and says, “He’s strong, Mr. Novak and that will help tremendously.”
I nod and he walks away.
I take a deep breath, then pull out my phone to call Jaycob but he doesn’t answer so I leave a voice message then send Rita a quick text telling her the great news. She replies seconds later and tells me that she’ll be in for a visit first thing in the morning.
–
When I walk back in the room, Jordyn is talking to Aaron and I go to him.
“How's he doing?”
“He opened his eyes again, but then closed them.”
I sit on the bed and take his hand. “Aaron. Aaron, buddy, we're here.”
No reaction.
When Beth walks in she has a smile on her face. She looks at the machines, makes notes and spends a moment looking at Aaron. “He’s a tough cookie I tell ya.”
“He's a trooper.” This from Jordyn. “Can he hear us?” she asks the nurse.
“He sure can. He’ll be in and out of sleep for a while, though.”
I continue to talk to Aaron and spend the next couple hours doing so.
–
Jordyn is asleep on the sofa for close to an hour when Jaycob walks in.
“I got the news.” He goes straight to Aaron but sees that he’s sleeping. “How is he?”
I tell him what the doctor said including all the tests that are pending. He tells me to go home and get some rest because who knows what the next few days will entail?
“Let me know if anything changes,” I say and go to wake Jordyn.
“Time to go, honey.”
–
Jordyn falls asleep in the Jeep and I decide to take her to Tianna’s for the night. When we arrive, I wake her and lead her inside. She goes to Aaron’s room and falls asleep instantly. I remove her shoes and put the comforter over her, then kiss her forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
–
I’m so tired that I decide to skip a shower and go into my room. I sit on the bed with my elbows on my knees, thinking. I miss Tianna so much and I know I let her down. What does she think of me now after I let this happen to her boy?
“How come you don’t cry?” Aaron’s question is still fresh in my mind. “I’m so sorry, Tianna,” I whisper. The tears came but I don’t stop them. What’s going to happen now? It scares me not knowing how Aaron will come out of this.
I feel much better after a good cry and send Irene a quick text letting her know that Jordyn is staying here tonight but I don’t wait for a reply.
54
AARON
Aaron’s body hurts. A lot. But why? He can hear voices but they’re coming from somewhere far away. They’re muffled and he can't understand what they’re saying. His eyes are open, but can't make out what he sees because everything is blurry and foggy like when the bathroom gets all steamed up after a shower. He feels like his chest is being pushed down, something’s holding him down and he can’t move, and he has no idea where he is.
His eyes close and he finds himself sitting on a blanket by a lake, drinking lemonade. He’s there alone, but then his mom brings him a ham sandwich and they sit together in the warm summer breeze. She’s wearing a sun straw hat and her favorite yellow summer dress, the one with the sunflowers on it. Aaron can’t take his eyes off her and she turns to him and smiles. “You’re all right, love,” she says to him and Aaron smiles unsure of why she’s telling him this. He reaches over to touch her, but she dissolves with his touch.
He keeps hearing voices calling his name. He blinks and then he’s back in the strange place with the strange voices. His arms ache and he can feel his heart pounding and blood rushing in his ears. He isn't sure where he is and is scared. Figures come and go and his eyes feel heavy.
Now he’s on a bus, looking out the window into the desert as music plays. He thinks it’s a song that he recognizes but isn't too sure. He’s alone on the bus but for some reason, he isn’t scared. The bus makes a stop and when the door opens his mom comes onboard, smiling. Aaron returns the smile and runs to her.
“You’re so big, love,” she tells him as she crouches down to embrace him. Her hair smells like cherries and flowers, and her clothes smell of clean laundry and summer.
“I've missed you so much, momma,” he says and closes his eyes to take in her scent.
When he opens them again, he’s back in the strange place. Someone is holding his hand, but he doesn't know who it is and he’s getting more and more scared. Is he lost? His head hurts too much and has to close his eyes again.
Now he’s in Jaycob’s truck driving somewhere surrounded by tall trees and there is green everywhere. The smell of pine is so wonderful, it reminds him of Christmas. Jaycob is singing along to a song from the radio. “…Don’t worry… about a thing…” sings Bob Marley along with Jaycob who glances at Aaron and smiles. “We’ll get there soon,” he says to Aaron.
Aaron isn’t sure what he’s talking about. “Where?”
“To your mom, remember? Reno?”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm, she said to bring you to her because she misses you so much.”
Aaron smiles and rolls down the window to take in the wonderful air only to be taken back to the strange room.
He tries to move, but his left side hurts badly. With his right hand, he feels around him and there is something there. Wires? They are everywhere; some are even coming out of his arm. He recalls watching an episode of the Twilight Zone with Jaycob once. Is he in one of those creepy episodes? The figures and voices are gone and in their place are only beeping sounds. He can make out tiny televisions all around him or maybe computers? His head starts to hurt again and he closes his eyes.
He is near the ocean now. He’s wanted to go to the beach his whole life, see the ocean and the waves. He can see it from a distance as he stands at the top of a hill. Uncle Adam once told him about his trip to California and the beach. He took a video of it and then shown it to Aaron; he remembers the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the seagulls above, but he’s too far away now to hear any of those things.
While staring at the ocean, he wonders how he can get down there. It’s so far away and he is only a kid. Who will take him? He’s all alone on the hill and wonders where everyone is. He stares down at the ocean and thinks he can recognize the person walking on the beach. He covers the sun with his hand to get a better view and sees his mom waving at him from way down below and she’s holding a blue ribbon. Aaron looks around for a way down to her, but sees no way out. His mom is yelling something that he can’t hear, but he’s able to see that she’s smiling.
She lets go of the ribbon and the breeze blows it away, sending it to Aaron. He catches the ribbon in his hand and then sees his mom walking toward the water.
�
��Mom!”
She turns around, waves one more time and keeps going. Hurry! He thinks. He needs to find a way down there. He doesn’t want to lose her. Not again.
“Mom, wait for me!”
She keeps going and Aaron’s heart starts to race. Where is she going? She’s getting smaller and smaller until she’s only a dot on the horizon. Aaron looks at the ribbon and notices that it has a message. “You’ll be alright, love. You’re in great hands.” Aaron looks to the ocean, but his mom is gone. What now? He wonders, and sits on a rock to wait, but isn't sure what for. The wind is blowing and it feels cool on his skin. He closes his eyes and goes back to the strange room, but this time there’s a familiar voice.
“Can you hear me?” the voice says and Aaron recognizes it right away. It’s Jaycob! Aaron follows the voice and when his eyes open he sees Jaycob and tries to smile but it hurts too much.
“Hey,” says Jaycob.
Aaron tries to speak, but he can’t find his voice and his mouth is dry.
Jaycob is holding his hand. “If you can hear me squeeze my hand,” he instructs and Aaron does, but his hand feels weak and can’t make a grip.
“He responded!” Aaron hears Jaycob say to someone wearing a white robe. The person shines a light into Aaron’s eyes and asks him to follow the light and Aaron does.
“Can you hear me?” asks the man.
Aaron attempts to nod, but whatever creature has a hold of his head won’t let him.
“Yes,” Aaron manages a whisper.
The man steps away, but Jaycob doesn't let go of Aaron’s hand. “You're gonna be okay,” he says to Aaron, who in turn squeezes his hand. Aaron feels like crying but doesn't know why and it only takes him a moment to remember that his mom is gone and tears fill his eyes.
The man in white comes back and asks Aaron to open his mouth and he does. He feels something touch his tongue, it’s so wonderful and cold, but it instantly dissolves on his tongue.
“Do you know your name?” asks the man in white.
“Aaron.”
The man nods.
Jaycob squeezes his hand and Aaron’s eyelids feel too heavy to keep open. He hopes to go back to the bus where he saw his mom because he needs her.
55
ADAM
I open my eyes to a sunlit room and look up at the clock. It is 8:15 when I get out of bed and the first thing I do is check my phone but it died sometime during the night. I immediately take the charger from the desk to plug it in then got to wake Jordyn.
She opens her eyes and stretches out on the bed.
“We have to go soon, honey.”
Back in the room, I get a change of clothes and see that my phone has powered back on. I check it to find two missed calls from Jaycob and two texts.
–He responded!
Reads the first text, and:
–He’s communicating!
I reply:
–Communicating?
And wait a few seconds, but he doesn’t answer so I put the phone back on the desk and go take a quick shower.
–
Despite the full night’s sleep, I’m feeling fatigued and I can feel a headache forming at the back of my skull. I get dressed, brush my teeth, my hair and clean up, then go to the room to get my phone while Jordyn waits in the living room.
“Ready?”
She nods and then I ask if she was hungry.
“I'm good,” she says.
I grab the keys and we leave the house.
–
“Are you okay?” I ask Jordyn while the Jeep warms up.
She turns to me then looks away, shaking her head.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Look at me, please,” I tell her, and she does. “Talk to me, kid.”
“I just. I wish I could stay here with you. I can help take care of Aaron and cook and do the laundry and still have time for my school stuff.”
“Oh, Jordyn.” I let out a long breath and rest my head back. “I wish that too,” I tell her and she looks out the window. “In two years, if you still want to, I'd be more than happy to have you.”
She starts to cry. “Can't you adopt me too?”
“Oh, honey. Do you think your mom will allow that?”
She shakes her head, allowing more tears to fall.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart, I… I really am.”
“I never even got to call you dad,” she says and sobs with her face in her hands and her words melt my heart.
“Sweetie, look at me.”
She looks at me with red eyes and tears and mascara all over her face.
I put a strand of hair behind her ear.
When she finally looks at me, I smile. “I'll always be here for you, and it would be an honor for me if you called me dad.”
She shifts in her seat and reaches over to give me a hug. “I love you, dad.”
“I love you, daughter.”
She gives a watery laugh and pulls away.
I search her blotchy face and when she finally smiles I say, “Ready?”
“Ready.”
–
The streets are practically empty, with everyone at the mall or wherever the hell they go on Black Friday looking for the good deals. I turn into Irene's driveway and get out, so does Jordyn and we walk up to the porch together.
I’m about to unlock the door, but ring the bell instead and remove the key from my key ring. Moments later Irene comes to the door wearing a robe, her hair a mess.
“Oh, hi,” she says attempting to fix her hair with her hands and smiles, then steps aside to let us in.
“I need to get going,” I say.
Jordyn gives me a hug before going inside and says, “Thanks, dad.”
“See you soon, okay?”
She nods and disappears into the house.
Irene looks puzzled. “What was that about?”
I shrug. “Something we’ve been waiting for a long time.”
She smiles. “Would you like coffee? I just made some.”
I shake my head and hand her the key.
Her face falls and she refuses to take it. “Why, Adam?”
“I no longer need it,” I put the key in her hand and turn to go.
“Adam!”
I stop, but don’t look back. “Yes?”
“I still love you.”
I shake my head again and go to my car without looking at her and drive away, taking a deep breath. I know it will take time for her to accept her new life.
–
Jaycob is asleep on the chair and I go wake him. Aaron is also sleeping.
“Jake. I'm here.” I startle him.
“Shit. What time is it?”
“Nine thirty-seven. Sorry, I’m late. How is he?”
He gets slowly to his feet and says, “He’s been sleeping since last night, but he responded.”
“That's good right?”
He nods and says he was talking to Aaron, who squeezed his hand indicating that he understood what Jaycob was saying.
“Did he say anything about the accident?”
“Don’t think he remembers. But he was only awake briefly and has been out all night. They're doing some tests later to make sure everything’s okay.”
“Thanks for your help, Jake.”
“No prob. Let me know what they find, okay?” He gathers his things. “Also, um… there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Panic hits me at once. “What is it?”
“Just. Well, since he's here and he’s awake, I thought maybe I can start looking for a job, you know? Help out.”
“Totally up to you, man.”
“But I don’t want you to think I’m backing out of the babysitting gig. We don’t know how much longer he’s staying here and I need to keep busy, that’s all, and there’s only so much we can do here, you know? Plus the bills and—”
“Jake, I understand. Don’t worry, okay? You do what you think is best.”
“Thanks.”
56
RITA
Rita has been married to Frank for nearly ten years, but they've known each other since childhood. They attended the same schools together and got married right after high school.
Frank is a motorcycle enthusiast and owns a motorcycle repair shop on Elliot Rd. Ever since he bought his business, seven years ago; he’s been busy trying to expand it and spends endless hours there.
Each year they go on their Thanksgiving camping trip with Rita’s brothers and a few cousins. For the first time since they started the tradition, nearly fifteen years ago, Rita stayed home.
They’ve done a lot together over the years, she and Frank. From camping trips to concerts, birthday parties, and weddings; whatever it was they were always together so it surprised Frank—shocked him even—when she told him that she wasn’t going on the trip this year. This led to a nasty argument. He appears bothered or annoyed by the fact that she’s been spending a lot of her time at the hospital with Aaron.
Thanksgiving was one of the saddest she can remember. Her best friend is gone and she worries so much about Aaron too. After visiting Aaron at the hospital, she spent the afternoon in her mother’s living room feeling sad and alone while Frank, who returned from the trip that morning, watched football in the den with Rita’s brothers and cousins.
Her mother asked if she was feeling okay as it was rare to see Rita so down because she’s often the life of the party. She shared her worries with her mom about Aaron and told her that she misses her friend so much. Her mother told her that it would be all right if she skipped dinner, but Rita told her she’d be okay.
One of the things she likes about Frank is his love for the outdoors. They go on camping trips at least four times a year and take their ATVs to the desert during the summer or go snowboarding during the winter. That is one, and possibly the only thing they have in common.
Growing up together and attending the same schools allowed them to cultivate mutual friendships through the years, but Tianna was not one of them. Rita had the painful realization that Tianna’s death was exclusively her own; her pain, her grief, her sadness. For reasons she can’t understand Frank can’t seem to grasp what Tianna meant to her, and how much she cares about her boy.
