JEFF

TRUTH and LIES

Jeffery awoke with a start, however, he did not see his room or anything. He could feel pressure of something on his eyelids as he tried to move his eyes. Jeff tried to move but he was tied down. That's when he began to panic. He couldn't figure out where he was or why he was there. There were dull beeping at his left and he stopped struggling for a moment. The beeping was in-tune with his heart beat and his ears picked up on voices. They were barely audible but he caught them. Jeff tried to call out but nothing came from his voice. He tried again and a husky squeak brushed passed his lips. The voices paused and there were footfalls coming closer.
  "Jeffery, are you awake?" An unfamiliar voice called. It was male from what he could tell. The teenager tried his best to answer but again, all he could do was grunt. "Alright , your parents are just in the hallway. I'll go an get them for you." Clacking dulled and then returned with two more pairs of footsteps.
  "Baby? Doctor Even said you were awake," his mothers voice reached his ears and he turned his head toward her the best he could. She said doctor and it snapped him into realization that he was in a hospital bed, covered in tight bandages from head to toe. He heard her sniffle a sob as something with pressure was placed onto his arm.
  "You're gonna be fine buddy. The doc said that we had gotten you here in time. All you gotta do now is rest for a while," his fathers voice seemed strained and cracked. Was he crying? Why would he be crying? Jeff questioned. Then everything came back. The party, Randy, the fights, the joy of it, and fire. Jeff wanted to smile but he didn't know if he could under all the cotton and cloth surrounding his face.
  "We have to speak with the doctor now, honey, but we'll be back. Okay?" His mom informed the teen before letting go of his arm and they walked away. All Jeff could do was sit there until they return, however, with his inability to see or do anything seemed to sharpen his ears a little. He could hear the doctor and his parents out in the hall and caught chunks of what was being discussed. There was something about his condition and the effects of the bleach had on his skin. He couldn't make out what else was said because their voices had lowered for a few minutes. Then it sounded like the doctor walked away before his parents came back in. He felt his mothers loving grip on his arm again.
  "Baby we can't stay but we'll be back tomorrow, okay? Get some sleep," Margaret said as she placed a peck on her sons forehead. His father didn't say anything and just patted his forearm before Jeff's parents walked out of the room. Jeff was plunged into silence after the door shut behind the two adults. The boy tried to rest but only found horrors at the boarders of sleep that would terrify him into wakefulness.
  Jeff found that after a few days he could move as the soreness of the stitching and burns were numbed and used it to fight off sleep. It surprised the hospital staff that Jeff could walk only a few days of receiving third degree burns and decided to alter his wrapping for him to see. They watched carefully over him as he walked around the hallways at night. He felt that they were starting to catch on to his sleep deprivation but they did nothing about it.
   Jeff was out walking when he saw his parents down a hallway and hobbled over to them. It surprised them seeing their son up and about but were happy to know that Jeff was feeling better. They went back to his assigned room and sat down. The atmosphere took on a very serious tone as soon as the door closed behind them.
  "You lied about coming to see me after I woke up." The statement took the boys parents back by how gruff and husky Jeff's voice was now.
  "I know, baby, but the court had us occupied." Margaret said, placing her hand on Jeff's arm.
  "Court?" The boy questioned.
  "Yeah, the court is wanting to release Liu because of new evidence." Peter said, voice monotone. A sudden stir of guilt climbed it's way up Jeffery's spine. He didn't like the fact that his father had an accusing look on his face. It made him feel squeamish.
  "What's the evidence?" He asked, voice low. Margaret's face paled.
  "Eye wittiness report of you committing the assault on the boys," the tone in Peters voice matched his look.
  "It was still in self-defense," was his reply.
  "But you had lied about who had-" Margaret stopped her husband from finishing his sentence.
  "It doesn't matter right now. The judge is going to release Liu while you heal and then we will go to court with a better lawyer when you are fit enough to keep both of you out of prison," his mother said, a keen since of sincerity was in her tone of voice. Jeff didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say even if he wanted to. He just felt..... Empty. Devoid of any feeling or need. Honestly he had thought that he would have some sort of relief of telling the truth about what had really happened but there was nothing.
  Not much else was said during Peter and Margarets time visiting. Just before they left his room, Margaret pecked him on his bandaged cheek. His father did nothing but give Jeff a look of absolute betrayal. The boy did not care though. Peter can feel betrayed all he wanted because it didn't matter. As soon as they left through the threshold, Jeff got up and shuffled to the door. He had saw the doctor come up as his parents as they were shutting the door and was interested in what his condition was. None of the faculty had said anything to him and it was rather suspicious. Putting his bind ear to the wood, Jeff tried his best to listen hard.
  "Mr. and Mrs. Woods, we have reason to believe Jeffery has insomnia," Doctor Even started. His mother spoke first.
  "What makes you think that?"
  "Many of the faculty have seen him walk the halls day and night without much rest and we are concerned for his mental health. Was he on any medication before he came here?" The doc asked. His parents were silent for what seemed like forever before his dad spoke.
  "Yes.... He was on some experimental drug called Anti-Psych. It's rather hard to explain but....," his father stopped.
Margaret picked up, "As you probably already know, our son is adopted," Jeffery felt cold as shock fell over him. That... Isn't right. His 'mother' continued, "He was five when he was diagnosed with insomnia, psychosis and high levels of sociopath and psychopathic tendency."
  "That... Isn't in any of his medical history." The doctor sounded shocked.
  "We had it removed due to the effect the medicine had on him. It leveled out his mental state," Peter explained.
  "And why have you failed to bring this up?"
  "Our son doesn't know," the word son made Jeff want to puke. "And we figured that the effects wouldn't wear off this quickly," Margaret said.
  "What was the drug called again?"
  "Anti-psych." Margaret answered.
  "I'll get some for him. He hasn't had any episodes yet and really I don't want to risk it," there was loud scribbling on paper then the adults footsteps dulled. Jeff took his head off the wooden door. There was turmoil in his stomach as he paced the room. There wasn't anything wrong with him. How could they trick him into taking something that effects nothing. His mind is fine. It's theirs that are messed up. A rage began boiling in his chest as he continued to pace and he ground his teeth together. All this time he had thought that they were his real parents. That they loved him but no. They don't love him and now that he's thinking back on it, he realized that they fear him. All that time they gave worried and fearful looks as he grew up. He should've known they weren't his.
  A sharp pain went through his head, making him yelp and hold his head in his bandaged hands. Static noise clouded his ears as the pain intensified. A voice screeching high pitched indistinguishable sentences echoed over the static in his ears. He shook as he crouched. He wanted to be small, hoping that what ever was happening to him would leave him faster. It didn't. It raged on like the anger building in his chest when suddenly, it stopped. Silence replaced the noise. Footsteps heading to his door made everything around him disappear. Jeff scrambled to get up and into his bed before the door opened. It was the doctor who was speaking with his parents, he was pushing a wheel chair in front of him. Jeff kept his eyes low and face expressionless as the man approached him. Jeff could smell the same fear his parents had on him. He was just as scared as they were of him.
  "Jeffery, if you would please move to the wheelchair for me," Even said. Jeff lifted his eyes to meet his.
  "Why? Where am I going?" The boy questioned.
  "We're moving you to a better suited room so other critical patients can rest in this room," the doc explained. Jeff didn't move for a moment, debating whether or not to sock him in the face and run or not. He choose not to. He would get an opportunity later when he was stronger. Jeff got up from his mattress, still shaky from the sudden episode, and sat down into the wheelchair before he was wheeled out of his room then down the hall. Some of the female nurses said hello as he passed but he didn't acknowledge their greetings. They knew him from his wandering the halls but he could give a shit less of who they were. They were like ants, scurrying around and just about as annoying.
  The boy was wheeled into an elevator and went up a few floors before being wheeled out of the confining contraption. The halls looked the same as before but decorated with different artwork. Down a few more halls and around a couple of turns, Jeff stopped outside of a smaller room with a window overlooking the parking lot and garden of the hospital. He could see the tall buildings and a little beyond that were yellow pastures of nothing. There was another bed beside Jeff's new one but the curtains were drawn to keep anyone from looking at the other patient. A flatscreen tv sat high on the wall and there was a table in between the two beds. The bathroom door was ajar for easy access.
   Jeff got up and sat on the new comforter. Doctor Even checked his IV and hooked him to a monitor beside the bed for his heart rate. Then his bindings were changed with fresh one and then he was left alone. His fingers drummed on his leg as he thought. He decided to play the good card until he was better. He needed strength if he wanted to teach any lesson to his so called parents. Jeff noticed his exhaustion start to creep up on him and he got up, moving the monitors with him as he left his newly assigned room. He would sleep when he's dead.