Game Over: Life's Over

Family

The medicine the nurse gave me to help with my pain really worked. She checked my heart rate and my oxygen levels and seemed to be happy with both. They took some blood from me and other than a few tears, I did fine.

The nurses stopped their poking and prodding and left us in the room to wait for answers. They wanted to check my blood for anything abnormal and rule out what they could. Because I had the genetic mutation, they had to treat me differently than they would a normal eighteen-year-old.

I fell asleep after I'd calmed down from getting blood drawn. All the crying I'd done had really worn me out. It also didn't help that my stomach was completely empty. I was left weak and struggling to move. Hopefully they could find out what was wrong with me before I got any worse.

Eric called Mom after the nurse said they would be admitting me to a room. He was worried that she would be upset if they waited any longer to fill her in on what was happening. After all, she was my real parent and Eric and Theo were just my caregivers.

Mom told Eric over the phone that she was on her way when the nurse came in the room again. She looked at me before she moved her gaze to Theo and Eric.

"His blood tested fine and with no concerns. We would like to run some scans and X-rays on his abdomen to see if we can pinpoint the issue. A nurse on the fourth floor is getting a bed ready for Jacob once we're done the scans."

"The fourth floor?" Eric asked.

"The fourth floor is our pediatric floor. While Jacob is not considered to be a pediatric patient, we have doctors in that unit that can better assist Jacob given his genetic mutation."

Both Eric and Theo nodded.

The nurse handed Eric a hospital gown. "I'll give you a few minutes to get him changed. We'll need him awake for the scans but we'll make sure he's not in too much pain."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that. He's been having a rough few hours," Theo said softly.

"We'll do everything we can to make him comfortable while we sort this out."

"Thank you."

The nurse stepped out of the room and pulled the door shut.

Theo sighed and sat up a little more. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

Eric set the gown on the bed before he patted my arm.

With heavy eyes, I slowly came to. I looked up at him before looking around the room. I couldn't exactly tell where I was or how long I had been there. The room looked the same as before I'd fallen asleep but my head was so foggy, I couldn't really tell.

"Jake, we have to get you changed. We need you to stay awake for us."

I rubbed my eyes and felt something hard hitting my face. I pulled my my hands down and saw something squeezing my finger. I pulled it off and let it fall into my lap.

"Jake, you need to leave that on your finger." Theo picked the small clip back up and opened it up.

Eric grabbed my left hand and folded my fingers down so only my index finger was sticking out. He held it still while Theo put the clip on my finger.

I whined and tried to pull my hand away but Eric wouldn't let me.

"Jake, it's not going to hurt you. You need to keep it on for the nurse."

I glared down at the clip but didn't take it off. I still didn't like having it on. "What does it do?"

"It monitors your oxygen levels."

I wasn't sure why I needed it in the first place but I couldn't argue with healthcare professionals. They knew more than I did. Hopefully, they knew how to take away my pain so I could go home and get back to normal.

Theo moved me off of his lap and took the gown from Eric. "Jake, I need you to put this gown on."

"Can you help me?"

"Yeah, I can help you." Theo helped me take off the oxygen tube so I could get my shirt over my head. He pulled the gown over my head and then put the oxygen back in place. He unclipped my binky from my shirt and handed it over to Eric.

I shivered as my skin was exposed to the air. Thankfully, the gown was big enough that it covered my arms down to my elbows.

My face flushed as Theo and Eric helped me take off my pants. I pulled the gown down so it kept me covered. I hated the thought that the nurses were going to have access to parts of me that were usually covered with clothes.

"How are you feeling?" Eric asked.

I wrapped my arms around my middle as if I were holding my stomach in. "My stomach still hurts but not as bad."

Both of them seemed to sigh in relief.

"Your mom should be here soon," Eric said.

My forehead creased. "Do you think she's gonna worry? What if she's all... freaked out when she gets here?"

"That's what moms do, Jake. You should be worried if she's not worried about you."

"Even we're worried and we're not family," Theo said.

I frowned and looked between the two of them. "But you are."

"Well... not by blood."

"So? If someone asked me who my dad was, I'd say one of you guys."

Theo put his arm around my shoulders. "Thanks, Jake. That means a lot."

The nurse opened the door and pushed a wheelchair into the room. She looked at me as if she was surprised to see me sitting up so well. "Are you ready?"

I looked between Eric and Theo before I nodded. I was scared to death of what they were going to find but I had to trust that they would take good care of me.