by Sofie Hern
The ambulance backs up to the emergency entrance. I grab my bags and step out first, to allow the EMTs to unload Aaron. I follow Aaron as an EMT makes notes.
–
The emergency room is busy, with nurses and doctors going in and out of rooms, moving rapidly. The EMTs put Aaron’s stretcher against a wall and then disappear. I look at Aaron, who is now awake and I stand by his side, wondering if he feels as lost as I do. I’m looking around in hopes of finding Jaycob but he’s not here.
There are other patients lined up against the wall, some look okay while others appear to be in pain, a few are asleep.
“Mr. Novak?”
I turn around to find a young doctor, early thirties, I’d guess. She has skin the color of cinnamon and a chestnut-colored pixie-style hair. “Yes?”
“I'm Dr. Barksdale,” she announces and we shake hands. She then approaches Aaron. “Hi, there,” she says.
“Hi,” Aaron’s response is timid.
“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Aaron.”
Aaron smiles and shakes the young doctor’s hand.
The orderly assists a nurse and they roll him away.
“They're taking him to his room,” says the doctor and we follow Aaron.
–
I look around but don’t see Jaycob anywhere, then check my phone but have no missed calls or anything. I continue to scan the place as we pass hallways and doors, waiting areas, and vending machines.
“Is everything okay?” asks Dr. Barksdale.
“My brother was supposed to meet us here.”
As we approach the elevators, she says, “They're waiting in the room.”
Aaron is placed in a large elevator and the doctor leads me into a different one—a smaller one—and she presses the button to the 5th floor, where pediatrics is located.
“How was the flight?”
“It was good, thank you.” I feel a bit off my game. I think I was used to the old hospital where I was familiar with my surroundings.
I am amazed at how young she looks. Her profile on the website listed quite a few accomplishments at her young age. She’s energetic and looks ready to take on anything. She’s wearing a white coat which is a bit big for her small frame.
We get off the elevator and I follow the doctor to pediatrics and make our way to Aaron’s room. The hospital is quite large and the hallways spotless. The nurses’ station is decorated with a small Christmas tree and colorful lights surround the front of the desk.
–
We walk into room 502 where Aaron is being hooked up to the heart monitor and an IV. My relief is instant when I see Jaycob and I approach to give him a man-hug and then I see my old friend.
Howard looks at me with a tentative smile and I go to give him a hug. It’s an awkward reunion, to say the least, with neither of us knowing what to say.
My friend looks great, I must admit. At six-three, he’s only inches taller than I. His skin has that tanned look of beach, sun, and sand. His brown wavy hair covers his pointy ears and his narrow nose is a bit off-center, a reminder of our previous encounter. He has on jeans and a white and blue striped polo.
“Glad you guys made it okay,” Jaycob interrupts the awkward silence and then goes to Aaron while I talk to Howard.
“Long time no see,” he says.
“Thanks again for all your help,” I tell him, glad the awkwardness has passed.
“Don't mention it,” he says. “How have you been?”
I shake my head. “It’s been insane the last couple of months, man. Fucking crazy.”
He looks at Aaron and says, “He’s bigger than the last time I saw him.” This small talk is killing me!
“He sure is growing up fast.”
After a moment he says, “Well, I'm glad you guys made it safe. I, uh… have to go to work now for a few hours. Just wanted to make sure you guys made it okay.”
The nurses are still writing down on their clipboards, but Aaron is all set and sitting up then Howard approaches him.
“How are you?”
“Fine, thank you,” he says with a warm smile which Howard returns.
“You’ve grown up fast, kid”
Aaron looks proud. “Thanks!”
“Welcome to LA,” Howard tells him and shakes his hand. “See you soon, okay?” he tells him and then turns to Jaycob who thanks him for tagging along.
“No problem at all,” he says with a smile and I walk with him to the elevator.
–
“Everything is all set up at home for you guys.”
“Listen, Howard. I, uh… I'm really sorry about—”
“Adam, it’s okay. Really,” he says and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Let bygones be bygones, yeah?”
I nod.
The place feels like a maze and I try to memorize the way so I don’t get lost on my way back to the room.
We finally reach the elevators and while we wait, he hands me a set of keys.
“My place is about twenty minutes away. I’ll text you the address. Please make yourself at home, think of it as your place… I mean it.”
“Thanks, man,” I say and put the keys in my pocket.
–
I’m feeling pretty lost right now, like I’ve landed on a strange planet. I take my phone out to check for the time, which is 10:03 a.m. Rita has not made contact and I feel a bit disappointed. What's wrong with me? I think and fear grips me. My feelings for her are starting to scare the shit out of me.
2
ADAM
Back in the room, Dr. Barksdale is waiting for me. She’s holding a cup of coffee in one hand and in the other, a file folder, which I assume contains Aaron’s records. She’s standing at the foot of the bed, talking to Aaron and Jaycob then turns to me and smiles. “Mr. Novak, we have a few things to discuss,” she says and steps away from Aaron’s bed, sipping her coffee. I look at Jaycob and ask if he wants to join us, but he says he’ll stay with Aaron instead.
“Are you sure?” I ask, hinting to our conversation from the day before. I don’t want him to think I don’t want to include him in any discussions.
“I’m sure.”
I nod and follow the doctor to her office on the third floor.
–
“He’s eager to get started,” she says as the elevator descends. “In just the few minutes I talked to him I can tell he’s an amazing kid.”
“He really is. And he won’t give up, no matter what,” I say this with pride.
“He’s halfway there then!”
–
Her office is bright as it is surrounded by windows overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains. Outside, the sun continues to shine and the streets look busy even though the infamous rush hour has long ended. In the distance I see an airplane fly low, ready to land at the nearby airport.
She invites me to sit on a large orange cushy chair. The doctor sits in front of me, behind her large wooden desk.
On it are stacks of paper, file folders, a phone and a small model of the brain attached to a diagram of the spinal cord. I happen to notice that she has no family photos on her desk.
To my right is a large bookcase with frames containing photos of the doctor with various important looking people. There are certificates and quite a few recognitions mounted on the walls. To my left are a large sofa and a coffee table with a few magazines on it. There are two artificial cherry blossom trees standing at each corner behind her desk.
She takes another sip of her coffee, puts the cup on the desk and then opens the folder. She spreads a few papers around and looks up at me with a smile.
“Okay, Mr. Novak. This is going to be quite a busy day for Aaron, and from talking to him; I can tell he's a very positive kid.”
I relax a little and lean back on the chair.
“I’d like to give you a brief overview of what I have scheduled for the next few weeks.”
She hands me a calendar in which she has circled a few dates.
“During the next
couple of days, I'll be working closely with Dr. Jian, virtually. He performed neurological tests and for the most part, Aaron responded well to the questions. Obviously, he failed the sensations test which indicates paralysis.”
As she goes on I become more and more hopeful. She sounds confident and knows exactly what she’s talking about, which gives me a tremendous sense of relief. She says that Aaron will spend most of the day going through various tests and surveys.
“We will do x-rays and an MRI to explore the severity of the injuries and determine the appropriate treatment. Based on the information I received from Dr. Jian, and the fact that we are acting quickly, I am very optimistic about his prognosis.”
Her words lift my spirit and know instantly that we made the right decision.
–
When she is finished laying down the plans for the next couple of weeks, we go back to the room where she orders Aaron to be taken for his battery of tests.
“Okay, Aaron, let's get busy!” She tells him.
I am amazed at how brave and strong he is which makes me very proud to be his uncle.
“We’ll be right here waiting for you, buddy.”
I stand at the threshold until they disappear in the hallway. I take a deep breath and go back in the room right as Jaycob steps out.
“I’m going to get something to eat, want anything?”
I shake my head. “I’m alright.”
He nods and walks away.
–
I’m able to admire the large room. Aaron’s is the only bed in it. There’s a large window to the right of the bed where the sun comes through and two chairs in front of it. A large television is mounted on the wall in front of the bed and to the left of that is the door leading to a private lounge area where I walk in.
–
There is a long sofa, a tall window on one wall and in front of it a small table with two chairs. To the left are a small refrigerator and a microwave underneath a small sink. A flat-screen television is in front of the big white sofa and a water dispenser next to it.
I’m looking out the big window admiring the view of the busy 405 freeway. I’m not sure how long I’ve been standing there when Jaycob returns with a plastic bag. He sits at the small table to eat his breakfast burrito and I look at him. “Sorry about yesterday, Jake. I’m a complete ass.”
“It’s alright. I’m sorry too,” he says and takes another bite then swallows. “It’s just too much shit going on and I know you’re under a lot of pressure. Just please remember you’re not alone.”
“Thanks, man… You doing alright otherwise?”
He shrugs. “Worried,” he says without looking at me.
I drop on the chair and rub my face, then take a deep breath. “Want to know what the doctor said?”
He smiles at me and says, “Of course.”
“Well, she’s hopeful and sounds like she knows what she’s doing. They’re doing an MRI and x-rays right now then blood test after that.”
I go on letting him know all the information she shared about surgery, which could be performed as early as tomorrow, depending on the test results.
“See? Not so hard, eh?” He punches my shoulder, playfully.
I nod and pull my phone out of my pocket. There’s a message from Jordyn.
–Glad you guys made it!
There is still nothing from Rita, which is disappointing. I decide to e-mail her to share the information I received from the doctor.
“You should go get some rest,” I tell Jaycob. “This could take a while.
He takes his burrito wrapper to the trash, then lies down on the couch, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Yep, rest sounds pretty good,” he says and I snort out a laugh, then step out of the lounge, sliding the door closed behind. I cross the room and sit on one of the chairs by the window in Aaron’s side of the room.
My bag is on the other chair and I take out my laptop. While I wait for it to boot-up, I call Charles.
“Adam, how are you? How did it go?”
“Good morning, Charles. We made it safely. Sorry, it took so long to call.”
“No, don’t worry about it. How is little Aaron?”
“He's doing great. They're running a few tests right now, but all in all, everything is looking good.”
“Good to hear. Please keep us posted.”
I can no longer resist and call Rita, but get her voicemail.
“Hey, you… I, uh… just wanted to let you know that Aaron was… is, he is going through a few tests right now and… uh… so, yeah, everything is looking good so far and, uh… just… okay well, call me when you can.”
I sound pathetic. What the hell? I sigh, put the phone away, then get busy with work.
3
Irene
Irene tried so damn hard to make Adam stay. She went as far as demanding Jordyn to blackmail him into staying, saying if he left she would not talk to him again, but her daughter refused.
He’s been gone for only a few hours and he didn't even come to tell her goodbye. She’s deep in thought and is taken out of the trance by a knock on the door.
“What?”
“I'm going to school now, mom.”
Irene says nothing.
“Mom?”
“Just go!”
Jordyn says nothing and leaves.
–
“Finally,” she says and gets out of bed.
She keeps checking her phone hoping that Adam will call or send her a message and she slams the phone on the bed each time she finds nothing.
Over the last couple of weeks, she tried calling him, but he never answered. He stopped by the house a few times to pick up Jordyn because he said they liked spending time together. Irene told him that Jordyn needed him to stay, but her stupid daughter was no help and told Adam that she was fine and happy that they were leaving.
Her room is a mess, making it difficult to find her clothes as they are scatted all over the floor, dirty and clean alike. The blinds and drapes cover the window but the light coming from the bathroom is enough for her to see what she’s touching.
She walks to her dresser which is overflowing with different articles of clothing and the drawers are unable to close. She fishes out clean panties and socks. She can’t figure out which bra is clean so she picks one randomly off the floor.
The closet isn’t any better. All her clothes are on the floor after a fit of rage that caused her to throw all of her clothes—and what was left of Adam’s—to the floor. She takes out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, then goes to the bathroom for a shower.
–
She feels lost and alone and she misses Adam more each day. The mirror tells her that his absence is taking a toll on her appearance as well. She has dark circles under her eyes; she’s neglected her eyebrows which look messy. She takes a deep breath and steps in the shower
She knows that the time has come to put her new plan in motion to bring Adam home for good. Aside from a feeling of melancholy from missing Adam, she feels nothing else.
She dries herself off, then leaves the towel on the floor. Puts her hair in a ponytail, gets dressed and walks back into her room where she grabs her phone and leaves without attempting to clean up.
–
She walks in Jordyn’s room, turns on the computer and waits for it to power on. She stands in the middle of the room looking around, thinking where it’s going to take place. Still, she feels nothing. When the laptop is on, she sits at the desk and gets busy.
She’s done some research and knows what she needs to do to make it look legit. The first word she Googles is, suicide, and when the results appear she randomly clicks on several links. She knows that if the authorities decide to check Jordyn’s laptop they will know what Jordyn was planning to do.
On the desk, she sees the photo of Jordyn and Adam, the one she’d put in the trash weeks ago, and one Jordyn must have taken out. Though it makes her angry it also gives her an idea. On the browser she Googles, I have a crush
on my stepdad and again clicks on several links and smiles.
“Everyone will blame Adam, and his guilt will make him stay for good,” she whispers. Her final search is, I hate my life, and as with the others, she clicks on a few links and when she’s satisfied, she turns off the laptop and walks downstairs.
–
She has pretty much given up on the house. The blinds are closed, but the light from the kitchen lights the room. The office is no more. Days before, while Jordyn was at school, Irene broke the desk in a moment of rage (the same one that caused the pulling of the clothes in the closet). By the time Jordyn returned home that day, it was gone along with everything else that was on it.
She walks to the family room to get her cigarettes. There are a few empty bottles of wine on the floor, empty and half-eaten take-out containers. The television is gone as well. She was told that they were unable to repair it and she ended up selling the piece of shit to the repairman for twenty bucks. She takes her cigarettes from behind one of the cushions, puts them in her bag and walks out of the house.
–
The morning is bright and as cold as she imagined. She gets in her car and pulls out of the driveway, knowing she needs to be cautious and follow her plan to the letter.
Monday mornings are always busy around town, with people driving to work and others driving their kids to school, a few tourists make their way to the airport or drive back to wherever the hell they came from. She hates driving at this time of the morning, but knows it’s for a good cause.
She drives south for thirty minutes, then pulls into a Walgreens parking lot on Hampton Rd. She parks as far away as possible from the entrance of the store, turns off the engine and gets out of her car.
The windy morning has brought in a few clouds which are momentarily covering the sun. One thing she hates about living so close to Las Vegas is the fact that there were so many people around. She does her best not to attract attention as she walks into the store.
