Detective

Chapter 17

Jason slowly opened his heavy eyelids, still half-asleep and drowsy from the strong pain medication. For a few seconds he forgot where he was, and his brain was thrust into a stone called panic, but when he heard the quiet talking of David and Stephanie, he remembered.

Jason could smell the bitterness in the air from overly strong coffee, and something else that smelled sweet; almost like mangos and sugared lemons.

From what he could gather with a slight tilt of his head, Jason saw that it was beginning to grow dark outside, and a pinkish-orange sunset painted the sky and fluffy white clouds over the tall skyscrapers of the big city. No stars are visible yet, but he knew that they are up there somewhere. Even if they were just dead balls of flaming gas whose light went out hundreds of years ago.

He inhaled sharply and sat up maybe a little too quickly as vertigo over-through his body, making him slightly nauseous. The small pounding at the back of his head began to grow again, but he tried to ignore it as best as he could so that he could try and slow his heart rate and clear his head from the fog.

Stephanie and David quickly stopped their conversation and turned their heads towards the awakening boy. Stephanie was the first to approach him, a wide toothy smile plastered to her beautiful face. She put her soft hand lightly on Jason's shoulder and sat down on the corner of the bed next to him, much like his mother used to do after his dad had left for the bar, only to return drunk hours later.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked kindly, voice just above a whisper.

Jason shook his head as he thought about the question. "Like a baby." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Stephanie glanced sideways at David, almost worriedly. "Are you feeling all right?" she turned back to Jason, forcing him to look into her concerned blue eyes.

Jason ran his hand through his hair. "I just have a headache. It doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon." He answered tiredly.

She nodded, understanding. She then looked back at David, as if asking him for help with what to say.

However, before either of them could get a word out, Jason spoke up. "How are you feeling, Stephanie? You've been unwell for a while now."

Stephanie, surprised with the question, looked back at Jason, and then to her hands. "Well, um..." she glanced back at David again. "You see, I'm, um..." she turned to Jason, and leaned closer towards him; whispering it into his ear.

When she was finished, she pulled back and looked into Jason's wide green eyes. His mouth was slightly open, and a joyful smile slowly crept across his face.

David put a proud hand on Stephanie's shoulder, also smiling.

"Whoa," Jason started, a little shocked. "Congratulations." He half laughed.

Stephanie took David's hand. "Thank you."

Jason scratched his cheek. "How many months?"

"One and a half months." She replied, looking like she was considering something.

Jason could tell that there was something else she wanted to tell him, but for some reason, she was holding back. It was written all over her face.

He decided to wait patiently, and for her to tell him in her own time. When she was ready.

She rubbed her hands together as if she was cold despite the room being 23 degrees because of the weather. "And, um... there's something else," she sounded a bit nervous and bit her bottom lip out of habit. "With the baby coming and with work- I might need some help looking after it."

Jason stared at them both with a hopeful look, wanting to hear more. "So are you saying...?"

Stephanie nodded, her eyes shining. "Would you like to be our baby's older brother, and come live with us?"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Jason was in Stephanie's arms, tears visible. They hugged each other tightly, none of them saying a word for a few minutes.

She laughed. "Is that a yes?"

The young boy nodded his head slightly and enjoyed their embrace for a little longer, tears entering his eyes, but he swiftly blinked them away with a sniff. Then he snickered.

"Just don't expect me to start calling you mum and dad." He mumbled, smiling.

Stephanie and David laughed.

"Don't worry, you can call us whatever you're comfortable with." Stephanie assured him. David smiled and scratched his eyebrow, not wanting to ruin the moment.

When they finally pulled apart, Jason looked over at the spot where his brother's bed was supposed to be.

"Where's Tim?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice as his heartbeat increased just after he was finally able to get it under control.

Stephanie looked over at the empty space. "He went into surgery. Don't worry; he should be back any minute." She informed him, trying to calm the panicking boy down.

Jason nodded, and then looked into the woman's bright, sparkly blue eyes. "Will Tim also be coming to live with us?"

She nodded uncontrollably. "Yes, of course!" she answered. "If we weren't going to take both of you in, then we would have never asked." She smiled lovingly.

He returned a thanks with a warm smile spread across his cheeks. "Thank you for everything. We wouldn't have made it through if you guys weren't there."

Those kind words really touched Stephanie's heart, and she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "Anything for you boys." She replied, feeling at home with most of her new family.

Jason smiled softly and rested his head in the crook of his new adoptive mother's neck, discovering that the sweet smell that hanged around the room was from her powerful perfume.

"You know," he said, mumbling into Stephanie's warm, soft skin. "It is actually true how they say that women glow during pregnancy."

Stephanie giggled softly, stroking his hair with her hand. "Well aren't you quite the charmer?"

Jason sighed softly, feeling his consciousness slowly ripping from him as he felt a soft pinch on his arm a few seconds after hearing the door open. "You haven't seen anything yet . . ." He mumbled as he slowly slid out of Stephanie's strong grip and landed softly of the bed. He felt Steph's fingers slowly move his head and adjust his position so that he was comfortable, before feeling her weight leave the bed.

Jason, just barely peeking through his heavy eyelids, caught Steph's right wrist as she left the bed. "I'm scared," he mumbled, tears spilling from his eyes as he felt his body go numb. "I - I don't wanna go." 

Stephanie held his hand and pet his head soothingly. "Don't worry, Jason. I'll be here when you wake up," she whispered as the doctors began to roll his bed from the room, prepping him for surgery. "It's going to be ok." 

That was the last thing Jason heard as he finally lost consciousness, and was lulled into a forced sleep.