Symbiotic Relationship

Chapter Two

“Ms. Scarson, you’ve been doing phenomenal these past weeks,” Jesse’s doctor, Dr. Shepard, said with a kind smile. “Everything seems to be in order. You’ve been eating right? And going to the bathroom okay?”

Jesse nodded. She liked Dr. Shepard. He was very kind and spoke to Jesse with respect, not like a child. He had kind, aged eyes and warm, wrinkled hands. Jesse thought if she had a dad, she’d want him to be like Dr. Shepard.

“Good, very good,” he said, nodding and writing down on his clipboard.

“Oh but there is something,” Jesse said. “I’m having some pains here, on my side.” Jesse pressed a hand on the side of her stomach gently. “It’s nothing too bad, just irritating more than painful. But I thought I should tell you about it.”

“Yes thank you for telling me,” Dr. Shepard said, putting his pen in his front jacket pocket and putting down the clipboard. He put a hand to Jesse’s stomach and pressed slightly. He moved his hand slightly and pressed again. “Does this hurt?”

“Not really.”

“Alright. I don’t feel anything which is good.” He took out his pen and wrote something on his clipboard before standing. “I’ll prescribe you something for the pain. It’s probably just a reaction to the start of your physical therapy. Your body isn’t use to the work and movement.”

Jesse nodded. “Oh okay. Thank you, Dr. Shepard.”

He nodded with a smile and left the room. Jesse grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. On almost every channel were holiday reruns due to Christmas being just around the corner. Jesse looked out her window, wondering if it would snow this year on Christmas day. It hardly ever snowed around here. Jesse found herself wondering if Toby would be okay if it snowed, and whether or not he had anywhere to be on Christmas Day.

…

Jesse jumped slightly when she heard the window slid open later that night. She had been dozing off and the sudden noise had startled her awake. “Oh, hey Toby,” she said with a sleepy smile, sitting up and rubbing her eye.

He jumped down silently, and walked over, a smile on his face. Jesse noticed he seemed less tired and jittery looking, and less sallow in the face for sure. Toby did always seem livelier after a feeding from Jesse. Feeding from the source was better for him, from what Jesse gathered and he was always in a better mood. Jesse couldn’t help smile at Toby’s childish grin.

Toby went over to the counter where Jesse had asked the older nurse to put the puzzle earlier this morning. Since Jesse had been informed she was starting physical therapy in the mornings now, she couldn’t work on the puzzle with the elderly nurse like she had wanted. So the nurse had merely put what Jesse had made of the border on the counter as well as the rest of the thousands of pieces.

“Wait, Toby,” Jesse said before Toby brought over the puzzle to work on. “My doctor prescribed me some new medicine today and I just took a dose a little while ago. It makes me drowsy, so I don’t think I can work on the puzzle tonight.” Toby dropped his hands to his sides, almost dejectedly.

“Well, don’t look so upset.” Jesse patted the side of her bed. Toby smiled and hurried over. He cautiously lay down next to Jesse. Despite his better health and happier attitude, he was still the shy and nervous boy Jesse knew.

Jesse grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, just in time for the beginning of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Toby looked at the TV in wonder, marveling curiously at the colorful, soft looking characters. “Have you ever watched this before, Toby?”

Toby shook his head, staring fixedly as the other Reindeer laughed at Rudolph’s shining nose. Toby frowned sadly.

“Don’t worry,” Jesse said, putting a hand on Toby’s. “Rudolph is a shy little guy, just like you actually. He’s different and people don’t like that at first, but they will. It’s a classic Christmas story. I think you’ll like it.”

The two watched the movie for a while in silence. Toby seemed to be enjoying it and despite Jesse’s having seen this every December since she was little, she enjoyed it as if she was a little girl again.

At one point Jesse looked over to Toby curiously and asked, “Toby, what do you do during Christmas time? Since you haven’t seen this movie before, I’m guessing you don’t spend it like most people, with reruns and corny Christmas carols.”

Toby shook his head. “Do you celebrate with family at all?” Another shake of the head. Jesse paused, taking a moment before asking the question she knew she’d dread the answer to. “Do you have a family, Toby?” Toby paused and then nodded once, almost hesitantly. Jesse’s eyes widened in slight surprise. “So then why don’t you celebrate with them? Do you…well you do you know where they are?” Toby shook his head. “Oh…

“Toby, where do you go in the mornings? Do you have a place you go to everyday when you leave here, like a home or something?” Toby nodded. “That’s good.” Jesse leaned her head on his shoulder. He was so thin and cold, but Jesse was never more comfortable than when Toby was right next to her.  She gripped his hand and smiled to herself when she noticed his wrist clear and pale, no veins to be shown. He really was better now.

“I used to have a home too, before I was here. A warm home with carpets and a living room with pictures on the walls and my own bedroom with all my things in it. During Christmas the living room was decorated with all colored lights and fake snow. There were little figurines of reindeer and elves on the shelves and a big tree in the corner. The whole house smelled of gingerbread and pine.” Jesse smiled at the memory and Toby smiled too at hearing about it. “That was a long time ago, when I was much younger. Back when my mom wasn’t…” Jesse trailed off and Toby frowned.

Jesse yawned and looked back at the TV just as Santa asked Rudolph to guide his sleigh on that foggy Christmas Eve. Toby looked at the TV too. “Do you sleep all day, like the movies say?”

Toby shook his head at the sudden question, recognizing that Jesse was trying to veer the subject away from where it had gone.

Jesse decided to stop asking him questions then. She was too tired anyway. Of course she had so much more to ask but since Toby only nodded and shook his head, it was hard to get good answers. Jesse frowned, realizing she knew so little about her friend. She was also sad that Toby didn’t have any kind of family he went to. Jesse at least had a mother, but she just didn’t come by much anymore. But at least it was a nice comfort to know she had a family around. He must be lonely in the day, especially if he didn’t just sleep the light away. It must be hard not knowing where your family was.

Jesse closed her eyes to the sounds of Christmas songs coming from the TV and thoughts of Toby running through her mind. She drifted to sleep on Toby’s shoulder. She felt him pull the thin white sheet more comfortably over her and put on arm around her protectively. She smiled as sleep took her. At least they'd always have each other.