The ABCs of Growing Up

Chapter 2

Many days later, Maya had yet to find the gift that Katie claimed to have dropped, and she was already getting more stern with her assertions that Katie would just have to draw her a new one. But the little girl was stubborn. She refused to believe that the drawing she had spent so long on was lost completely. That's why, after it was determined that the nurses were too busy with other patients to pay her any mind, she limped her way back to the room where she had fallen.

This time as she approached the room she didn't hear anything. No yelling. No swearing. Nothing. It made her kind of nervous. She mulled over the possibility of somebody being dead in there for a few moments before she dismissed the thought and marched in. She had her chest puffed out and her lips poured in an attempt to look serious and focused on her job as she dipped under beds and in the little nooks and crannies in the room, completely oblivious to the faint amusement stirring at the corners of one patient's lips.

The man with the black undercut had kept the drawing hidden for himself. He knew that the child had drawn it for somebody else, but he excused his selfish keeping of the drawing by telling himself the child could just make a new one. Children were good at that, making things new. They could fall and cry but be up and running around in a matter of minutes. They could see somebody suffering and attempt to help, and although their plastic first aid supplies never really healed any injuries their attempts were endearing enough to make anybody smile. But they also forgave and forget much easier than adults and grudges were fantastically observed by their young minds. He envied them for that. Envied their ability to just move on and make the best of what they had.

Those thoughts are why he was surprised to see this little trooper hobbling around the room, no doubt searching for the item the man had convinced himself she would forget and make anew. He watched her a minute or so before his conscience got the best of him and he spoke, "You are looking for this are you not?"

Katie pivoted around and her eyes widened when she saw what he was holding out for her. She attempted to run again and just as before she fell, but this time she was close enough for him to be able to hook his hands under his armpits and to scoop her up before she could damage herself further. She squirmed and made grabby hands at the paper, grunting. "Can I have it please!"

He snorted and set her down. "Easy there, little pigeon."

She made a lunch for the paper and landed on his legs. She would not have cared about the physical repercussions of that movement on him if he had reacted. But she was surprised by the fact that he didn't even move his legs out of the way. She frowned deeply and looked up at him with her little nose all scrunched. "Did that hurt?"

He met her gaze with a dark look in his eyes and shook his head, "No. You're very light."

She flinched away at both the expression and his tone. It wasn't like he scared her. The darkness in his eyes was not evil or intent on inflicting harm on her, but it was overwhelming. The darkness was sad but also numb and angry and unfeeling at the same time. The explanation of this darkness was foreign to her, for adults did not make a habit out of discussing depression and mental illness in front of children.

He noticed how her eyes flitted from his face to the gift and how her lip quivered, and he smiled. Like the darkness, the smile was empty. Reassuring but empty. He held the crumbled paper out for her and he nodded when she fixed her cautious gaze on him.

"Go for it, little pigeon."

She quickly pulled it from him and held it to her chest. She didn't thank him. She just stared at him in that weird way that children seemed to make a habit of doing. She took a step forward and looked him over, a contemplative pout to her lips.

"How come you're in the hospital?" She ventured after a moment or so of silence. "You don't have a cast or anything."

The man sighed and leaned back, replying "I was in an accident. But I'm getting better now."

She took another step forward. Now her expression was painfully curious and most definitely nosy. "Are you one of those astronaut thingies?"

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, nodding. "Yes I suppose I am one of those astronaut thingies. I used to fly the space ships all around the stars."

Now she was crawling up on to the side of the bed, hoisting herself up as much as she could on her own until he helped her up the rest of the way. She was elated by the thought of flying through space and exploring such a vast expanse. Adventure truly was her calling.

She clutched the sheets on the bed and leaned towards him, breathing "Have you met any aliens?"

The man laughed again and shook his head. "No, little pigeon, I have not. But I do have some stories about a traveler who used to know some aliens."

She leaned even closer and wiggled, "Tell me! Tell me!"

He glanced around and nodded, "I suppose I could tell you a little bit...aliens are very secretive."

Her eyes seemed to just expand with her awe and she took a sharp breath, waiting for him to say more.

"Back in the days of the traveler, the Galaxy Garrison was just starting up. Recruits had finally started piling in at the beginning of each year and for each success there was a failure. Most of the people working for the Garrison just wanted to be invent things that would take them further, but one man was obsessed with idea that he would make first contact. His name was Commander Mox." The man reflected. He wasn't an amazing story teller, but Katie didn't care. A story was a story.

As he described the man and how he endeavored to make his dream a reality she closed her eyes and attempted to visualize all she was being told. The man in the story, Mox, could be nobody but the man telling her the story in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, the image just kept going back to the story teller. Eventually she just gave in and went back to fully listening.

Katie listened as he told all about this man and his origins until her body began to slump. Little by little she fell asleep. By the time that Maya had come in to check on the man, Katie was fast asleep and snoring across his legs. Following a cross reminder of the hospital rules to the man, Maya scooped Katie up and carried her back to her room, once again leaving the drawing with the man who was once angry but was now sad.

Without a name to call him, that's what Katie took to referring to him as. The man who is sad and sometimes angry. Of course, now that she was asleep, her mind troubled itself over little more than fairytales and imaginings, but she would no doubt return to retrieve the drawing and maybe...just maybe she could hear more stories.

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Here ya go @Unpopularaccount
Sorry if it feels rushed, I just wanted to get this chapter out!