by Cal, Sarah
Emma bit her lip. Then stopped that, fearing she might actually break the skin, and started chewing on her fingernails instead. She held back the urge to demand Carol tell her all that she was doing. She knew the other woman would do her best and speak when she had something to say, after she was done with the diagnosis.
But they didn’t have any equipment here. They didn’t have anything, so if there was something wrong with the boy internally, there might not be a way for them to tell.
What if he’d gotten sick? Carol had brought some drugs along, but Emma didn’t think she had anything on hand that would cure whatever the kid could have gotten, unless painkillers were enough for that. And even those were getting pretty low.
“I really wish I had better facilities,” she finally sighed, pulling away from the boy and standing up. “But wishes don’t come true and this will have to be enough. There’s nothing more I can do for him right now. Did you find him unconscious?”
“Uh, no, he was hiding when we found him. He came out of his hiding place, and I was trying to talk him into coming with us when he collapsed.”
“That’s good, then. It would have been a problem if you’d found him unconscious, because then we wouldn’t have known how long he’d been in that state. You guys came at a dead run, so it couldn’t have been a half an hour.”
“Do you think he’ll wake up soon?” Emma asked, her tone almost desperate.
Carol nodded thoughtfully. “He should in a little bit. Though he is incredibly weak... I can’t tell if he’s sick with something or if it’s just hunger and exhaustion though.” Then she frowned. “How did you even know this boy was out there?”
Emma explained, about the night she met the boy before Harry appeared and scared him off unknowingly. “I’ve been looking for him ever since that day. Carol, I don’t even know if he’s eaten since then, and he looks absolutely filthy. He’s been staying in those woods for some time.”
Carol nodded. “I noticed scratches all over his body, and there’s some especially bad damage to the botHarry of his feet. We’ll need to clean him up soon so they don’t get infected, that’s the last thing we need. He’s likely just underfed and will need to build up his immunity again in a warm, safe place.
Emma nodded, way ahead of her on that. “He’s staying with me. Chase and I already talked about it, and it was his idea to take the boy in, initially.”
Carol looked curious, and Emma gave her a tired smile. Then looked down at the boy, and felt her heart clench.
“I guess I feel a connection to him for some reason,” she murmured and held his hand.
She noted how small and cold it was and got emotional, her mind jumping to all the what ifs. What if they hadn’t found him in time? He’d clearly been on the verge of collapse before they found him, and if he hadn’t moved when he did, Emma would have missed him entirely. There was a chance, in her frantic search, she might have overlooked him entirely, and he would have died out there. So much could have gone wrong, and she felt so glad she’d been able to find him.
She blinked her tears away as his eyes fluttered open. His eyes met hers, some of the fear still there, but he mostly looked groggy. Though he became more alert when Carol suddenly touched him.
“Shh,” she murmured, squeezing his hand and ruffling his hair with her free hand. “My friend over here is a nurse. Your body hurts, doesn’t it? She’s going to take care of that for you.”
His eyes left hers and landed on Carol, who had stopped touching him when she flinched. His eyes drifted back to Emma’s, and he squeezed her hand back. Emma looked to Carol and gave her a nod. His face tightened when Carol touched him again, but he held himself still.
She talked to him as Carol tend to the broken skin on his feet, hoping to keep him distracted to he wouldn’t feel too much pain, and she didn’t stop even as his eyes fluttered closed again.
“I’m going to care for you and make sure you’re okay. Would you like that? You won’t ever have to be alone and afraid again, I promise.”
The boy woke up again when Carol was almost done, and didn’t seem as afraid as before. His eyes moved from Emma to Carol then back.
“Can I have my teddy back?” he asked shyly, his voice low and scratchy.
Emma presented it to him. She’d have to clean it, too, but for the moment, she couldn’t deny the boy the one comfort he had.
He snuggled it, peeping at Emma from behind it. The move was too cute, and Emma smiled in spite of herself.
“Hi,” he said, “My name’s Jackson. What’s yours?”
Emma’s smile widened, and she felt like they were making some progress if he was talking to her on his own. Maybe he wouldn’t be scared anymore now. She was hoping that was the case, so they wouldn’t have to worry about him running away.
She introduces herself, too. “Hello, Jackson. I’m Emma.”
His eyes drifted over to Carol, and she guessed what he wanted.
“The nurse over there is my friend, Carol.”
She glanced over to the other woman to find Carol finishing up on his feet and moving back. Emma gave her a smile in gratitude.
“Why don’t you rest while I get you a good meal?”
But he wouldn’t let go of her hand when she went to stand, tightening his own little hand around it instead. The movement was so weak, she could have broken it easily, but she let him hold her back. She looked to the others in the room.
“I’ll call someone out to bring something,” Carol said and moved toward the door. She stopped right outside, bumping into someone already out there. Emma listened to her giving out the instructions for a hot meal.
“Emma?” Jackson called.
She hummed, turning back to him with a smile. “What is it?”
He blinked up at her from behind his teddy bear, and her heart melted all over again. “Will you read me a happy story?”
“I don’t have any books, but I can make one up for you, if you’d like.”
He nodded, and Emma settled down, sitting cross legged on the floor beside the bed. She’d aspired to be a writer once, it had been her dream, and she’d thought of writing children stories besides the novels she was interested in. Coming up with stories was her forte.
Chase and Carol watched, smiling as Emma told him a story and he went to sleep.
Chapter Twenty:
Emma watched as Chase helped Jackson eat his breakfast.
It was a few days later and Emma was happy to be surrounded by her family. Jackson was quickly warming into the name, and it helped that he had dark hair and green eyes like Chase, though after he got cleaned up, his skin was a lot lighter.
He was, thankfully, not ill or sick. He didn’t get an infection from any of the cuts, and, most of them had closed up pretty nicely. It still hurt him to use soap, but he’d told her just that morning that the pain had gotten less. He could even walk without wincing now, but his feet weren’t well enough to run around like the other kids.
He was still shy around them, he was shy around everyone that wasn’t Emma. It hadn’t taken him long to get used to Chase, though, because he was a natural with children of all ages. Even Brian, the ultimate dad couldn’t get near the kid without him tensing up.
“To be honest, though,” he’d told her, “Having two daughters, I don’t know what to do with a boy.”
But there was a way that Brian looked at him that made Emma wonder if he’d ever wanted a boy. She didn’t talk to him much, though they had been sleeping together for a while before the EMP attack. Emma didn’t actually know anything about him, she only knew a little more than she did about Chase, and that was from observation when she went to their house, and the small talk they sometimes had between them before they moved on to other activities.
She grimaced and put the thoughts out of her mind.
Emma had thought about having a son of her own, and in his own way, Jackson fulfilled the position perfectly. She thought Chase felt the same way about him, because he was de
finitely acting like a father around the boy.
She loved seeing it. Jackson wouldn’t go outside, not for long anyway, but he always clutched at either of them when he did. She knew Chase had taken him out once while he worked on the fields, and the boy had enthused about it to her. She’d gotten back to find them both dirty and gone to clean Jackson while Chase got them food.
They were acting like a close little family, and her heart was content with it.
Merry came into the room and found them, and Emma smiled until she noticed the look on her sister’s face.
Though Emma had convinced her sister to go out with them to get Jackson, once Merry realize the boy was going to be fine, she had kept her distance. She didn’t stay in a room when Jackson walked into it. The behavior annoyed Emma, but she couldn’t exactly force her sister.
Jackson, for his part, didn’t seem to mind Merry. He had definitely recognized her as the person that scared him that one time when she met him, but he didn’t seem scared of her. It did help that Emma kept her distance, but Emma could tell his curiosity was piqued.
She thought the little boy had some idea that Merry didn’t like her. He might even know why. When he started opening up to them, Emma had come to realize quickly that he was actually pretty smart for a boy his age. Well, he would have had to be to live out on his own for as long as he must have.
That was another thing. He didn’t like to talk a lot about what had happened before he was in the words. They were curious, but after she’d asked and he’d gone quiet, they had let it be. Emma had tried to talk to Merry about him, only for her sister to quietly get up and walk away.
It wasn’t the first time Emma had thought of being more considerate towards Merry, and found her sister’s behavior just wouldn’t allow her to. All she could think was that Merry was throwing a tantrum again, because her worries could be washed away if she just waited to listen. But she wasn’t interested in listening. Chase had told her he’d even tried, but she wouldn’t budge for him, either.
Again, Emma found herself wondering what she would do about her sister. Merry was just too impossible to deal with when she didn’t want to be cooperative.
Mya cared for her sister, but Merry had her eyes narrowed on Chase, and more particularly, Jackson, so Emma got in front of her and blocked them from sight. Merry’s face just twisted in further annoyance, her eyes now on Emma’s.
Her own became pinched as she waited for Merry to pitch at fit.
“I came to see what you’re all doing, and Jackson is getting all of the attention.”
At least she wasn’t loud about it. Emma glanced at the other two, but Chase only glanced up at Merry before he was back to looking at Jackson. The little boy didn’t even look up. Emma sighed and went to her sister, hoping to keep things quiet. The last thing she needed was Merry doing something to the child again.
He was okay around her, even though he wasn’t around her a lot, and Emma didn’t want that to change. As much as Merry was fighting it, she was family, and Emma wanted her to consider Jackson the same way, because she and Chase already did. She did know, deep down, that her sister was just feeling insecure with the boy there, but Emma thought her behavior was reproachable nonetheless.
“Can you not start something with Jackson here?” she asked pleadingly, keeping her voice low. “I don’t want him to hear it and get upset.”
Merry just scowled at her, and scoffed. “What do you man start something? I’m not so petty I’d actually start and argument with a child.”
Emma gave her a look of disbelief. Did her sister even realize what her behavior looked like to the adults that noticed it? Or was she joking?
“Merry, be serious. If you’re here to start trouble, please just leave. I can deal without your sarcasm right now.”
“Who’s being sarcastic” Merry retorted. “I just came to spend some time with my family, and what do I find? It isn’t even the first time. You guys are always around him or out now. I hardly ever see either of you anymore.”
Emma could have told her it was her own fault. Of course she and Chase were usually around Jackson while they were at the house. If Merry didn’t keep disappearing, they would have spent time together, just with the boy present. But that was the part that Merry seemed reluctant to accept.
Nothing could be done about it, since Emma and Chase were the boy’s acting guardian. Everyone else was more or less happy for them, even Harry and Mercy, and Merry was the only one left sulking.
Emma didn’t know why Merry wouldn’t just warm up to the boy like she had Chase before.
“Do you realize what you sound like, Merry? Of course he’s getting attention, he’s a child. You don’t even like attention.”
Emma was trying her best to be patient with her sister, but Merry acting like a jealous sibling grew old before it even started. Emma had found herself thinking if Merry had been like this with their parents when Emma was born, before she grew old enough to start understanding things.
Merry pouted. “You still talk to him more than you do me, and Chase is always with him.”
“No, he isn’t. You know Brian and Kellen are the ones mostly staying back and looking after the children. Chase still puts in work around the place, and so do I.”
“And I don’t, right?” she sulked.
Emma rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what you do while we’re outside, Merry. You’ve never said, and I don’t ask. You have your own job, so I hope you at least do that?”
She arched her eyebrows, and Merry hesitated before she nodded.
“Look, Merry, I know this is a new development. But it would make me really happy if you played with Jackson or something just look at him. He is just a child, Merry, and he’s been through way too much on his own. We’re trying to help him heal, not traumatize him further, you know.
But Merry scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away. “I don’t want to.”
Emma just sighed again at her sister’s petulant tone. “Come one, sis,” she persuaded. “He’s sticking around so you might as well try to get to know him. You never know, he might grow on you like he has me and Chase.”
She stayed stubborn, but after some persuasion, Emma thought she’d worn her down.
“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll tell him a story, then. You do that with children, don’t you?”
She gave Emma an inquisitive look, trying and failing to hide that she was uncomfortable.
It was just in time, as Chase got up and came over to them. He looked curiously between the two of them, then turned to Emma.
“I need to get out and tend the field, would you look after Jackson for a while? I know Brian and Kellen are trying, but he isn’t all that comfortable around them yet.”
“I know that already,” Emma reassured him. “And it’s fine. But actually, Merry was going to read him a story.”
His eyebrows arched in surprise, and he turned to look at her. Merry on her part tensed up and held her chin high, like she was expecting some rebuke. But Chase’s next words surprised her.
“That’s good. He loves stories, as long as you keep them happy.” He leaned down and gave Emma a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you both later.”
Emma blushed and touched a hand to her cheek. Chase had been doing that for some time now, making shows of affection out of nowhere. They made her happy as much as they confused her. Neither of them were in a hurry to talk, though, so things were staying as they were, and Emma was honestly fine with that. Merry gave her an unimpressed look, and Emma blushed harder.
There was a giggle behind them, and they both turned to find Jackson grinning at them. He clenched his teddy bear to his chest. Emma had cleaned it thoroughly and let it dry out in the sun, though he’d been a little sulky without it close. It obviously meant a lot to him, and Emma wondered if he was clutching onto his last memories of his parents, or if it provided some form of security for him. Probably both.
“Hey, Jackson,” she said gently.
“This is my sister Merry, you met her before and she scared you. Do you remember?”
He peered at Merry and nodded, but he only looked curios, and Emma was proud of the progress he’d made since he came to stay with them.
“She’s really sorry about that,” Emma said, and turned to give Merry a look. Her sister nodded reluctantly, and it was probably the best she could ask for. “She’s here because she wants to tell you a story. Is that okay?”
“Yeah!” he exclaimed happily, his face brightening.
There was some more hesitation from Merry, but she went and took the seat Chase had left, while Emma remained standing. Emma watched as Merry told Jackson an elaborate version of Little Red Riding Hood, using her hands to create the characters. Emma had never seen it, but her sister was a good story teller, too, it seemed.
Jackson started to giggle and Emma was shocked at how well the pair of them got along so quickly, especially with all of her sister’s protests. Merry seemed to grow in confidence as she continued the story, and started to enjoy herself.
Later when Chase return to Jackson’s side and Merry talked to Emma, Merry said;
“I might be able to get used to Jackson being part of the family.”
Chapter Twenty-One:
Emma and Brian were out on patrol.
She kept herself pretty busy with Jackson, but now that he was starting to ease up around the others, she felt a little better about continuing her duties. She knew she had been cutting back a little and felt ashamed that she wasn’t pulling he own weight. No one mentioned anything, but she still felt bad.
When she was ready to leave, Brian was the only one available. There was some hesitation as she remembered the last time she had spent time alone with Brian.
He grinned, like he knew what she was thinking.
“You don’t have to worry, she isn’t going to get mad this time.”
Emma’s smile was wry. “Sorry for being a little cautious. Where is she anyway?”
