X-Kid (Sequel to "Little Boy Named Train")

A Bump in the Road

Two weeks had passed since the interview. Train had gotten the job at The Facility and had been working there for eight days. He and Emily seemed to get along well and the atmosphere always seemed a bit brighter to Train whenever she was working a shift with him. Ashley, however, seemed to keep her distance from Train, though often he thought that she was eying him down with an interested stare. He had to admit, Ashley was peaking his curiosity as well...though mostly because he wanted to know why she kept looking at him the way she was.

It seemed like everything was going well for Train. His doctor wasn't letting him work at the train station almost at all, but he seemed to be keeping his job at The Facility under wraps. Also, Ace was making a substantial amount of income from his work around the foster home. At this rate, the two of them would have the tickets in no time.

However, one day when Train came back from The Facility...

"Delilah, it isn't good for my patient's health to be with a boy as reckless as him!" Train heard as soon as he started to head up the stairs to his room. He froze immediately, recognizing the voice.

His damn doctor.

Quietly, he crept towards Mistress Lenora's office to listen in on the conversation.

"I can assure you, Roger," Mistress Lenora replied calmly, "Aiden is a mature young man. In fact, he has been working on keeping this home clean and in top performance for a long time since he has arrived."

Train could only imagine the doctor's eyebrows furrowing at the notification of him being wrong. "Delilah. Aiden is young, foolish, and full of crazy ideas. He could get my patient into serious trouble."

"Aiden keeps a level head about everything and hasn't come up with anything that he can't obtain! The furthest fetched thing that I've heard him speak of is getting Train and himself to a concert in Colorado Springs, which is almost in their grasp!" Delilah responded quickly. Train tensed.

Shit...Now he knows...

Silence followed. Train bit his lip, wondering what his doctor would do next.

"I'm transferring Train back to the hospital immediately."

No, no, he can't!!  Train started to panic. All of his hard work would be lost at this rate.

"Listen here, Roger, Train is currently under my care and I know that he will be safe here. You can't just--!"

"He may be under your care now, but as you must know, a foster home is only temporary! The boy is almost a legal adult anyway, so what will you do then?! I have been watching over him to make sure he was safe and healthy since he arrived at the hospital at age seven. You are not family to him, nor will you ever be, Delilah. Your actions are akin to the three delinquents that brought him in to the hospital in the first place!" His tone was becoming angrier by the second.

Conversely, Mistress Lenora was keeping a somewhat level head. "Train is almost fully recovered, there's no reason for him to stay in the hospital for any longer than he has. In fact, I think being around people is the better thing for him to do!"

"I cannot allow Train to go to that concert. The boy cannot function in normal society!" The last sentence made Train's blood boil. He had half a mind to go in there and give his doctor a piece of his mind.

But now's not the time for that, he thought. I need to go into my room and hide my earnings in case he goes crazy. With that thought, Train quickly, but quietly, ran up to his room and hid the jar that held his savings for the concert underneath the bed. He took a deep breath and, unsure if Roger would make his way up here or not, decided to change into pajamas and lie in bed, pretending to sleep.

"Please just go away..." he mumbled. "Please..."

To his dismay, he heard the door open a few minutes later, but instead of the raging doctor coming in to take him away, it was the gentle Mistress Lenora. "Train, I know you're not asleep," she muttered. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Train slowly turned to look at her.

"Is he gone...?" he asked, looking around her to make sure he wasn't near and ready to burst in.

"Yes, Roger left. I suppose I can assume you were eavesdropping on our conversation." Train reluctantly nodded.

"Yea, I was... Sorry." He looked down a bit.

"It's alright. It saves me some trouble. Now will you come out here? I don't want to wake Ace up." Train remembered that Ace was asleep and awkwardly smiled. He quietly stood up and left the room.

"Now, I want to ask you something, and I need you to answer me completely honestly," she said in a gentle yet stern tone. Train nodded. "How have you been feeling?"

Train gave her a confused look. "Uh...fine. I mean, with Ace and I being close to our goal, it's pretty--"

"I mean physically." Train frowned a little.

"I've been okay. Sometimes I'll have a moment where I'll feel a bit weak, or my back with throb. But it's nothing I can't handle." Mistress Lenora sighed a little, seemingly relieved.

"Thank you." She smiled a little bit. "Get a good night's rest, alright, Train? I don't want you to be hurting and exhausted." Train quietly laughed.

"I will. Promise." He quietly opened the door as she walked away and went back inside.

"Train...?" He heard Ace sleepily mumble, making him jump a bit. Train looked over at him to see his eyes still closed. He smiled a bit, realizing Ace was probably talking in his sleep.

"What is it, buddy?" He whispered.

"I'm glad we made it..." With that, Ace rolled back over. Train quietly laughed, thinking Ace was dreaming about being at the concert. He gently ruffled Ace's hair.

"Me too," he murmured. Train then lied down and drifted to sleep with a smile on his face, knowing that all of his work would be worth while.