Adopted

Chapter 28

We walked into the restaurant, which was a roadside diner. Brendon and the band were all at a table, with the crew that travelled with sitting at tables nearby.

"There's my girl!" Brendon said as we walked in. "And my girl. There are my girls!"

"Morning, Dad," I said, smiling.

"Awwww. She called me 'Dad'!" he said as he got up and gave me a big hug. There were tears in his eyes. Sarah smiled at me.

"Oh, I forgot, good morning, Mom," I said, grinning.

"You are a brat. But you called me Mom last night. And it made my heart sing. We're very proud to call you our daughter," she hugged me.

Brendon pulled us over to their table and handed us menus. I looked at it and realized, I really wasn't that hungry. But I also knew they'd be upset if I didn't eat. I didn't know what I wanted but I knew I wanted something small. My stomach was a little... off. I just kept staring at the menu. I thought I might get away with some toast, but I was worried Brendon and Sarah, Mom and Dad, would insist I eat more. I decided on oatmeal. I figured I could get away with that, and a cup of tea. That's what I ordered, and while they did both give me a look, they didn't say anything.

Zack and Kala asked me about sleeping on the bus, and if I was okay after hitting my head. I was fine, and they peered at my forehead and claimed they saw no bruise. So clearly my head was fine.

"But you did choose these two as your parents, so, your sanity might need to be checked," Zack said.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"That's my girl," Dad said. "Defending her parents."

Zack laughed.

My breakfast came and just looking at it made my stomach turn. I managed a few bites, but spent most of the meal just sort of pushing it around and trying to stay engaged in the conversations going on around me. My head was feeling ... fluffy. I know, that's a weird description, but it felt like my head was full of fluff.

Finally, the meal ended, Dad had paid, and we got up to go. Everything started spinning around.

"Jess? You okay?" I heard Dad say. It sounded like he was at the end of a long tunnel.

I closed my eyes against the swirling of the world around me.

"JESS!" I heard as I was enveloped in complete darkness.

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When I opened my eyes, I was lying in my bunk with Zack, Kala, Mom and Dad all around me. My head still felt full of fluff, but I tried to sit up.

"Jessie, lay back, relax. You have a fever and it's pretty high," Mom said. She had a cool washcloth and was patting my forehead with it.

"We're going to call a doctor when we get into Phoenix," Dad said. I nodded and closed my eyes. The world was still spinning a bit.

I could hear whispering around me, but I kept my eyes closed.

"Should we take her to a hospital? Her fever feels really high. Why didn't we grab a thermometer?"

"We'll call a doctor, and we'll see what he, or she, says. Maybe it's just a bug. You know she can get those pretty easily."

"I know, I know, but what if she gets critical really fast?"

"We're almost at the venue. As soon as we get there, we'll find a doctor to come out to the bus to see her. Okay? And then I promise, we will do whatever they say."