Game Over: Life's Over

Death Sentence

I was too depressed to do much of anything the rest of the day. After Theo found out that I was wetting the bed and made me start using the pull-ups, I didn't feel good enough to do anything. I barely ate anything for breakfast and even skipped working on my schoolwork. I just grabbed a clean blanket and got comfortable on the couch where I watched TV all day.

I fell asleep about an hour before Eric came home from work. Theo followed him upstairs so the two of them could talk. I assumed it was so he could tell Eric about everything that had happened so I wouldn't have to. I was glad Theo wasn't forcing me to tell Eric.

I was so embarrassed about it all. I didn't even like admitting to myself that I was wetting the bed. I didn't like that it was happening. I wasn't ready to talk about it or believe it was real.

Thankfully, Theo was willing to tell Eric for me. But I knew I wouldn't be so lucky when it came to telling Mom.

She needed to know what was going on and I needed to be the one to tell her. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to tell her. Maybe I could buy a few more days before I had to tell her.

Eric was sitting on the other couch when I woke up. He had a tablet in his hands and looked to be reading something on it. He had changed out of his work clothes and wore a T-shirt and shorts now.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position and cringed as I felt the wet pull-up between my legs. Apparently, my incontinence wasn't going away any time soon.

"Hey."

I looked over at Eric and held back the urge to just burst into tears. "Hi."

"Theo kicked me out of the kitchen. He told me I wasn't enough help and I was getting in the way. Maybe you should go try."

I shrugged. I wasn't up for helping let alone eating. I knew I needed to eat something since I'd skipped out on lunch but my stomach was still tightened into knots.

Eric put his tablet down in his lap so he could give me all of his attention. "Do you have any ideas for what we can do this weekend? We don't want you to feel trapped in the house all the time."

I shook my head. I wasn't sure I was up for anything. I felt like going outside would be like putting a target on my back. I didn't want people staring at me and it felt like they would. I couldn't handle that kind of attention.

He sighed and I could tell he was going to get serious with me. I didn't want a conversation. Especially when I knew what it would be about. "I know you're still getting used to being here but we want you to be comfortable with us. If we can do anything to help you, please let us know. As long as it won't hurt you or cost a fortune, we can give it a shot."

I wasn't expecting him to say that. I really thought he'd bring up my bladder issue. It was nice to change the subject and not have to talk about it when it was so painful for me to even think about it.

"Um... okay. I don't... I don't really have any ideas."

"Well, we could always go to the park down the street. That would be a good place to meet some people who live nearby."

"I'm not sure I'm up for making any friends." I had zero interest in making any friends. I didn't want anyone to know that my life was falling apart and I was turning into a baby.

"It might help you. You don't know anyone around here, do you?"

I shook my head.

"You have the chance to start over here. No one knows you here so what they know about you is only what you tell them." He made a good point. No one needed to know who I was back home. All they needed to know was who I was in the current moment. But it still didn't make me feel better about telling someone else about my condition.

"I don't know. I just... how am I supposed to tell anyone that I have this stupid condition and that at any moment, I might just turn into a baby?"

Eric laughed and I swear he thought I was joking. "That's not how your condition works, Jake. It takes time before any changes occur."

"Did you... Did you talk to Theo?"

"About what? We talk all the time so you have to be more specific."

I picked at a fingernail while I intently stared down at it. "I've already started... changing."

Eric sat up straighter, giving me his full attention. "How so?"

I sighed. I really hated to say it. "I've been wetting the bed at night and Theo... he found out."

Eric nodded slowly. "So he knows?"

I nodded. "He caught me doing laundry."

"You know, this is normal. We knew this could happen. It was only a matter of when."

"I wish it didn't have to. It fucking sucks." There was nothing good that could come out of turning into a baby.

"I know this isn't ideal but it's not the end of the world. There's still plenty of things you can do, even as things... progress."

I shook my head. "I really doubt that."

"Well, you're already going for your diploma. That's something to be proud of. And we can still go out and do things. You don't have to just stay inside and hide."

"I'd rather do that."

"Having the mutation isn't a death sentence. It's just a setback that you have to adjust your life to."

"You're not making me feel any better about this."

He stood up and handed me the remote that had been sitting on the coffee table while I slept. "Just think about what I said. I promise things will be okay."

I did think about what he said. I wasn't convinced that things would be better or I would get used to my condition but I appreciated his confidence. It made me feel better that he and Theo were being optimistic. I needed it when it felt like my life was falling apart.