Childish

2

My whole body hurt. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. The thud sounded in my ears, echoing like it was sounding in the room around me.

I opened my eyes to bright lights overhead. There weren't any wires or tubes hooked up to me but I was in a hospital room.

I was the only person in the room and it worried me a little. I didn't like being alone in a strange place.

I pushed myself up and glanced over the edge of the bed. The tiled floor was shiny, almost enough for me to see my reflection. I swung my legs over the edge then dropped down to the floor.

Panic set in as my knees gave out and I fell to my hands and knees. How long had I been asleep for my legs to be numb and jelly?

I gripped the bed and tried pulling myself to my feet. Only I couldn't get my legs to work and hold me up. I slipped back to the floor, my head dropping.

Tears filled my eyes. Something was wrong. Something was seriously...

I lifted my right hand off the floor and put my index finger in my mouth. Where my teeth had been was simply empty space. My gums were bumpy and uneven. I ran my tongue over where my top teeth were supposed to be but only felt my gums.

Oh my gosh.

I heard heels clicking in the hallway and snapped my head up. I couldn't let them find me on the floor.

I grabbed the bedsheet in my hands and pulled as hard as I could. I lifted myself back into the bed and rolled onto my back, breathing hard.

The door opened just as I was pushing myself into a sitting position.

I didn't recognize the woman that came into the room. She looked somewhat familiar but I had no idea where I thought I knew her from. She had brown hair curled down her back and a white shirt with ruffled sleeves.

She smiled as our eyes met. "Are you feeling okay, baby?"

I stared at her, trying to figure out how I knew her. She wasn't my mom. She wasn't anyone I recognized from school. She-

"How are you feeling, Lyla?"

I looked behind her as Mr. Owens stepped into the room. He wore a white lab coat over a new set of clothes. A clipboard was pressed against his side, his thumb tapping against the white paper.

"I think she's a little disoriented." The woman sat down in the teal chair beside the bed and brushed my hair away from my face.

He glanced at me and a nervous feeling washed over me. Was he trying to figure me out? Was he trying to see if I was acting like I was supposed to?

I wasn't about to let him win.

I whined and reached out for the woman.

Unaware of what I was doing, she lifted me out of the bed and held me against her chest. "It's okay, sweetie. Mommy's here."

A lump formed in my throat the same time a lightbulb went off in my head. She was the woman Alex was going to send me with just weeks prior. Kelsey something.

His dad must have decided now was the best time to place me with the couple. Which meant he thought Alex wasn't a good fit for me. Which then meant he knew something was up.

So he wanted me to forget myself and who I was. He wanted me to be Megan. Or at least, another Megan.  But somehow it didn't work on me. I wasn't sure why it didn't and it left me feeling nervous that he would find out.

But I was going to try my hardest to keep that from happening.

He cleared his throat, apparently getting the reaction from me that was expected. "It might take a while for the medication to wear off. She should feel fine by tomorrow. You can take her home whenever you're ready."

Another man stepped into the room and I assumed he was Kelsey's husband, Robert. He walked over to her side and smiled at me. He had short blonde hair and wore glasses. He wore a dark blue polo shirt and had khaki pants on, like he had somewhere important to be after we left.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hid my face in Kelsey's chest. I didn't want to go with them but anywhere was better than the lab.

I wanted to get as far away from Mr. Owens as possible.

---

Kelsey lifted me into my car seat and my shoulders slumped. It wasn't like my other one. I'd been using the same type of car seat since I got to Alpine and now, I was stuck using one that faced backward. I didn't like the change.

I looked at the empty seat beside me and didn't see my bunny or my bear. The last place I had my bear was at school. Did Mr. Owens not grab it when he took me? How did Ms. Diane and Ms. Quinn let me leave it behind?

I took a deep breath and a sob cut me off. I didn't want to cry over a stuffed animal. I didn't want to act like a baby. But I was so mad and upset and it was the only way I could react.

Kelsey wiped a tear from my cheek and held out a pacifier for me. "Lyla, we'll be home soon. We'll be right up front. We're not leaving you."

I turned my head to the side and covered my face with my hands.

She pulled my hands away and pushed the pacifier into my mouth, forcing me to use it. "Baby, don't cry. We're not going anywhere."

I reached out for her, needing the comfort of a hug since my stuffed animals weren't there to provide that comfort for me.

She leaned down and kissed my forehead but didn't pick me up. "We're going home now. Then we can play."

I didn't want to go to their house. I didn't want to play. I wanted things to go back to how they were before. Nothing was normal by any means but I was comfortable with the life I had. I was learning to live with it. This... I didn't want this.

I wanted to be with Alex. But I had no idea how I was going to find him.

---

Hey guys! I hope you're liking Childish so far and how the story is progressing. I really like Lyla's character and her ability to adapt to each situation she's faced with.

Quick question: when is the best upload time for you guys? I'm in the eastern time zone (US) and typically update during the day. Does that work for you or would you prefer later in the evening?