Game Over: Life's Over

Bloodwork Pt. 1

I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the belt over to the door. I climbed out of my car seat and stepped out of the car. Already, I could feel the heat hitting me. The blacktop was like a mirror, pushing the heat back at me.

I pulled my binky from my mouth and unclipped it from my shirt. I stuck it in my pocket and clipped the opposite end to my pocket so I wouldn't lose it again.

Theo was waiting for me by the front of the car. He squinted at me as he watched me walk over to him. "Ready?"

I nodded and followed him inside the building. It was at least fifteen degrees cooler inside as we stepped through the doors. It was another hot day out and I was glad air conditioning existed so I could escape into the cool air.

The woman who sat at the front desk looked up from her computer as we approached. I was still able to see over the top but if I got close enough, I could rest my chin on the counter. It was only a matter of time before my height decreased again.

The woman smiled at me. "Jacob, it's good to see you again. Go ahead and get signed in."

I watched Theo put my name down on the sign-in sheet. I was still getting used to being his child, essentially. It made sense for him to be in charge of me and to make decisions for me since he was my caregiver but it was weird not needing Mom to sign off on everything. Maybe that was something she gave up when I moved in with Theo and Eric.

"I have some stickers if you'd like one." The woman said. She had a badge over her left breast but I couldn't see it from where we stood. The letters were too small to see without staring at it.

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Stickers? Isn't that for little kids?"

She shrugged. "I like stickers. Can I show you what I have before you turn them down?"

"Fine."

She opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a stack of sticker packs. She set them on the counter in front of me. There were some basic stickers with smiley faces or animals on them. Nothing I was interested in. Then, she had some with action heroes like Spiderman and Iron Man. I didn't want those either. I was about to hand them back to her when I got to the last set. There was a pack with dogs on it. Not just any ordinary dog but the Paw Patrol dogs. I found one with Rubble sitting with his head turned to the side and peeled it off.

"Where can I put it so it won't be so obvious?"

Theo smiled. "Maybe the back of your hand? That way you can put it in your pocket if you want to keep it hidden."

I nodded and stuck the sticker on the back of my hand. I handed the receptionist the stack of stickers back and she smiled at me.

"You have good taste in stickers. If you want another one, come see me before you leave."

I felt my face flush. I hated giving in to things that made me seem like a baby. Some of them were out of my control, like wearing diapers, but there were some I didn't need to do. I just couldn't stop my brain from convincing me to do them. Like needing a sticker.

"Dr. Simmons will be right with you. Go ahead and have a seat."

I sat down and looked at the sticker on my hand. I had mixed feelings about even taking one. I didn't want people to think I was a baby by doing things that babies did. It felt normal to me but it didn't look normal. I had a hard time not caring what other people thought about me.

"Do you think it's weird for me to have a sticker on my hand?" I asked.

Theo sat down beside me. "I don't think so. So you like stickers. What's the big deal?"