Defending Jacob: The Aftermath Book 1

Awakening

Jacob woke up as soon as he heard my voice, he looked at me, he looked over at Laurie shaking his head back and forth. He looked stressed, eventually his eyes closed, he faded back into unconsciousness. My heart raced at the thought of Jacob remembering, I needed to protect my son, my wife my family. For the next few days, Jacob went in and out of consciousness. On the second day of him going in and out of sleeping. His breathing was improving, so the doctors took the tubes out of him. The doctors woke Jacob up to take his tubes out, he just was looking at me. Laurie was at her physical therapy appointment. I was with him he looked at me opening his mouth trying to speak to me but his words wouldn't escape his mouth. 

"Hey buddy, it's me dad, don't try to hard just relaxed and get rest." I told him

He was tired and turned his head to the right closing his eyes he went be to sleeping. I sat in the chair next to him. Dr. Stevens came into the room, he was looking over Jacob, checking him. They where trying to figure out why Jacob was going in and out of unconsciousness and couldn't speak. 

Dr. Stevens looked at me and said "Andy we need to take Jacob for a CT scan, and MRI to see why he's is having issues. It could be that he just has some swelling on his brain still."

"Does Jacob have brain damage?" I asked in a panic. My heart pounding at the thought.

"Andy we don't want to jump to any conclusions, let's get some tests done and see whats going on first, I don't want diagnose anything till I have all the information." Dr Stevens said, looking with concern.

"Please help my son, let me know whats going on with him, don't say anything to Laurie." I told him.

"Andy, she is his mom, I have to inform her if she's asking, that's my job. I will doing everything in my power to help your son." He said

"Dr. Stevens, keep me informed, Laurie is stressed and still can't remember everything, so please let me know. I will talk to Laurie after you inform me. My wife in still fragile. I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING STRESSING HER OUT, UNDERSTAND ME!" I yelled.

"Andy, are you ok? I know your worried about your son and wife, but if you need to talk, I'm here for you too." He said

"I'm so sorry Dr. Stevens, I didn't meant to yell at you and loss my cool." I apologized to him.

The doctor looked at me understandingly with compassion. He said "It's ok I understand, I have children, their grown now, if something happened to them, I don't how I hold it together like you have. I'll let you tell Laurie any information we find."

"Thank you David. Again I'm terribly sorry for my reaction." I said.

He looked saying "It's ok Andy, your human things happen. Let's just wait for Jacob's test results, we are going to go test him now."

He looked at me as the nurses and him got Jacobs bed. They wheeled it out of the room. "Andy it might beneficial for you to seek out help as well. You maybe physically ok, but you have dealt with a lot of trauma. You show go talk to someone."

"Yes you probably correct David, maybe I can get an appointment with Laurie mental therapist for myself." I replied to him. 

I went to meet Laurie downstairs at her physical therapy appointment. She was just leaving the room. She came walking up to me giving me a hug and kiss. Something inside me felt stressed, I felt suffocated I wanted out of Laurie's hold. It shocked me I had never felt that way towards her.  She look at me puzzled as I pulled away from her. I felt like the walls where closing in on me.

I said "sorry give me a second please." I turned and put my hands through my hair quietly saying fuck to myself to stop the stress and anxiety building up in my body. All I wanted right now was a beer to help calm my nerves.

"Andy how's Jacob doing?" Laurie asked. 

I let out a sigh, turned and looked at my wife. "Laurie, they took Jacob's breathing tubes out of him, he can breath on his own now, he's still going in an out of sleep." I told her.

"Andy, is he awake let go see him right now." she said smiling.

"Honey, Dr. Stevens is running some tests, he wants to find out why Jacob keeps going in and out consciousness. Jacob is having trouble being able to talk, he might just need more time to heal." I told her." Laurie sat down on a chair in the hallway shaking in tears.

"This is all my fault." she said. 

"No, Laurie it was and accident ok, Jacob will be fine, he loves us. He's improving everyday, thats all that matters." I said while hugging her.

"Can we go up to his room and wait for him to come back from his test please?" Laurie asked.

"Sure, lets get you some food first, and head up to his room wait for him and the doctor to return." I said.

We went to grab some coffee and sandwiches, got on the elevator and headed down 4 floors to the ICU room Jacob was still located in. I looked at my wife, my overthinking kept going.  Andy why didn't Laurie attempted to swerve away from the bridge wall. Why was Jacob's blue baby book in the garbage. What mother would throw away a baby book. Why would Laurie not look at Jacob or had hardly spoken to him between Mexico and the accident. She would avoid his bedroom even. Hell even Ben Rifkin's dad would hide out in his son's room after he was murdered. I remember the night at the Rifkin's house all the parents and kids where there. I went to grab Jacob's jacket and found Dan in Ben's room crying. His words haunted me once more "Why Ben, who would do this to him." Now my mine heard "why Andy, why wouldn't Laurie try more to avoid an accident, why was she speeding so much." In that moment I tried to suppress the anger building inside of me. I couldn't ask Laurie either, fearing she'd remember anything about Leonard Patz being murdered. She believed Mexico was amazing, that we came home put the house up for sale and where getting ready to move shortly, and than the accident happened. Everything else was erased from her mind. I intended to keep it that way.

We got off the elevator went straight to Jacob's room waiting for the doctor. Laurie was looking at me puzzled and confused. I didn't say much. Than she asked me something that shocked me.

"Andy, what happened to Leonard Patz? I remember one night in Mexico you where crying outside the room, but I can't remember why or what happened. I'll remember in my dream is  waking up and your outside and say Leonard Patz's name." She said to me.

I stood there in shock, Laurie was beginning to remember. Her subconscious was awakening her  memories. I was terrified and pushing her to forget them. I will do anything to protect my family more now than ever. Even if meant losing myself in the process.