Forged By Fire

TWO

WHEN GERALD WOKE UP, he didn't know where he was. He was too scared to cry. Everything around him was white—the walls, which seemed to tilt towards him; the sheets, which were scratchy and so bright that he had to close his eyes; and the people, whose pale white faces and uniforms made him think of ghosts that come to get you in the night. His throat felt scratchy and it hurt a little to breath. And it smelled funny too— kind like medicine mixed with the stuff that Mama used to clean the floor. Mama—he remembered then. He wondered if she was mad at him. Maybe he was here to be punished. Terrified, he began to cry. "Hey, little man is coming around! How you feelin', sport?" Gerald didn't know what to say, or even  if he should say anything to this strange white man with the orange-colored hair, so he just stared at him, trying to hold back the tears, needing to go to the bathroom, and wanting to go home. A pretty black lady walked into the room then, and at first, Gerald though it was Mama. But Mama never, never wore white, and this lady was smiling and Gerald knew that when Mama came to get him, she'd be screamin' and yellin' and cussin'. Mr. Orangehair walked over to her and said in a voice that was supposed to be too low for Gerald to hear, "Did you get in touch with social services yet?" "Yes, they're on their way. But that may take all night. You know how it goes." "Has the mother been found yet?" "Yeah, she showed up right as they were putting the kid in the ambulance - screaming hysterically about ger precious baby. If that teenager next door hadn't rushed into the apartment when he did, there would have been nothing left of her 'precious baby' but  charred ember" 

"You've got that right. Did you get the whole story?" "From what we can tell, he had been there by himself for several hours, probably playing with matches. A neighbor said the mama was a big-time druggie, left him there alone all the time. She said she usally checked on the boy, but he had been so quiet today, nobody knew he was there. The kid who rescued him told the police that a 'funny feeling' just made him check the apartment before he got out himself. He knew the little guy liked to play behild the couch." "He ought to get a medal. And the mother ought to get ..." "sh-sh-sh. She's already in custody. Child endangerment, abandonment- that sort of thing. -

A/N 

FINALLY ! another chapter !! the person talking isn't down talking but i felt like ending this chapter like that :) rawr .