Game Over: Life's Over

Bother

As fall approached and the weather got cooler, all the stress that Soleil and I had been dealing with seemed to smooth out and disappear. She came back to playgroup and it was like she had never left. She seemed to have more energy to play and I knew she enjoyed that. But I knew that the more changes we experienced, the more it wore on our bodies. We were hungry more often though we didn't eat a lot in one sitting and we wanted sleep more than we had in the past. Soleil even left playgroup early on occasion because she was tired.

It was something we were working to get through and get used to. Dealing with our changes wasn't easy and we didn't get used to them overnight.

Having friends like Soleil and Will really helped to ease the stress and discomfort that came with having the condition. I didn't think being around other people like me would really do much to help my mood but it made a big difference. I still had bad days and days where I felt like the condition was going to kill me but those were becoming far and few in between.

Mom didn't come around as much as I wanted her to but I was becoming used to that the more I was with Eric and Theo. Mom stayed in touch, though, and called me every night to see how I was doing. I appreciated her effort to build our relationship and keep it going even when we couldn't see each other as much as we would have liked. I needed her more than I had in years so we both had to adjust to that. It was new for both of us as I was used to taking care of myself and Mom was used to not worrying about me so much.

Eric and Theo were a big help, though. I knew it was their job to be my caregivers and take care of me but it didn't feel that way. They felt like they were my real dads who loved me like I was their own son. From the start, it was an adjustment for me to get used to being around and having a dad, or dads in our case, since I never had that growing up. I had never even met my real dad. Growing up, there was a part of me that wanted to find him and form a relationship. But that had since left my mind. Eric and Theo were more than enough and loved me in such a way that I didn't have a yearning to find my actual dad. It didn't cross my mind like it used to.

I was happier than I ever expected to be.

I spent most of my time inside playing Mario Kart in the living room. I rigged the Switch up to the TV so I could play on a bigger screen. Usually, I sat on my couch. Whenever I could get away with it, I'd prop my feet up on the coffee table. I was starting to get comfortable at Eric and Theo's, especially when it came to getting waited on for everything I needed and wanted. I didn't exactly like having to ask for things when I could have gotten them myself. But both they and the government didn't want me getting hurt so I had to rely on them for practically everything.

I was starting to learn that while Theo was the big softie, Eric was the one who would let me get away with more. He'd even go to bat for me whenever I wanted something like a video game or a toy. I hardly ever asked for toys as I was still getting used to having them around. But I sometimes asked for ones that Soleil liked so we could play with them together.

She really had a hold on me.

Theo walked into the living room and sighed. He went back into the kitchen for a minute before he walked over to where I was sitting. He held his hand out in my direction. In his hand was a teether pacifier.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I pulled out my binky and took the one he was offering me.

"Are your teeth still bothering you?"

I nodded. "The back ones are bothering me now."

"You haven't lost any more teeth, have you?"

I shook my head. "You don't think more are gonna come out, do you?"

Theo sat down on one of the regular couches. "I don't know. I can find a dentist and we'll let a professional take a look."

I groaned in frustration. "I'm tired of everything changing. It's never in a good way, either."

"You don't think you and Soleil getting together is a good thing?"

My face flushed and I really wished he wouldn't have brought that up. "Well, yeah."

"You two wouldn't have even met if it weren't for your genetic mutation."

"I'll never agree that getting it was a good thing. I still wish I hadn't."

"It's a hard thing to have to deal with but I think you're doing a good job with it. The best thing you can do is keep moving forward and focus on the future."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Socrates."

Theo shook his head and got to his feet. "I'm going to go see which dentist we can get in with. Yell for me if you need anything."

I settled back in on my couch and went back to playing my game. The teething pacifier helped to ease some of the pressure I felt in my gums. I was pretty sure I couldn't grow any more teeth considering the ones that fell out were adult teeth but regressing into a baby certainly wasn't normal either. So I wasn't ruling out the possibility that more teeth would grow where the gaps were.

My phone vibrated on the couch beside me and I paused my game again. I looked down and saw it was Mom calling me.

I picked up the phone and held it up to my ear. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay. Aren't you busy at work?" Usually, she didn't have time to call me in the middle of the day unless it was a quick call. Growing up, I knew not to call her unless it was an absolute emergency. Things were definitely changing.

"Honey, I'm never too busy for you. I wanted to see if you wanted to come over this weekend."

"Like stay the whole weekend?"

"Yeah, like you did the last time you came."

"I have to ask Eric and Theo if it's okay."

"I can talk to them. I need to get caught up on how your doctor's appointments have been going lately."

"Well, I'm not dying so I'd say they're going fine."

"Funny," Mom said without any humor in her voice.

"My doctor doesn't seem concerned about anything so I'm not worried. Theo said he was gonna find a dentist for me."

"Are you having problems with your teeth?"

"My gums hurt from where my teeth fell out and then some of my teeth are achy. I hope it doesn't mean more of my teeth are gonna fall out."

"Well, you have been getting smaller lately. Maybe that means that some of your teeth will have to come out to be able to fit inside your mouth."

"I already lost two teeth. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"You might not lose any more teeth then. Maybe it's just something simple like a cavity. We'll know more once you see the dentist."

I groaned. Waiting around to figure out what was wrong with me made me so anxious. I never liked it as a kid and I certainly didn't like it now.

"Jake, don't worry about it. We'll get our answers soon enough and everything will work out."

"Okay."

"I have to go, Jake. I'll talk to Theo in a little bit and let him know our plans. If for some reason, you can't stay, I'll let you know."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom."

"I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too."