Adopted

Chapter 9

"Jessica, honey, we're home," I heard.

I'd fallen asleep on the way home. I mumbled something incoherent.

"I got her," I heard and felt myself get picked up and carried.

"Oof. 13 year olds are heavier than babies," I heard.

I heard the keys in the door, and the dogs yapping.

"Shh! Bogart! Penny! Your sister is sleeping!"

I felt myself put down on a soft bed and my shoes taken off my feet.

"I don't think it'll hurt her to sleep in her clothes and not brush her teeth for one night," I heard, before I felt a blanket cover me and I fell into a deep sleep.

"MOM!! MOMMY!!" I sat up screaming. The light to the room turned on.

"Jessica, Jessie, what is it? Shhh, shhh, you're okay," arms wrapped around me. "It's just a nightmare, you're okay."

"What's going on?"

I looked around. I didn't recognize the room I was in. I looked at the people in the room. Brendon and Sarah. My new parents.

"Hey, you're okay, huh?" Sarah said to me, sitting beside me on the bed. "Bren, go get her a glass of water, will you?"

"Yup," he yawned and went into my bathroom. "Say, do you have to take any of these medications like, now? Or at bedtime?"

"Yeah. I should I guess."

He brought the whole bunch of them over to me.

"I don't know what you need. I hope you do."

"I do," I said, taking the water and the bottles and doling out my medications.

He sat on the end of the bed beside Sarah.

"I thought only babies woke their parents up in the middle of the night," he winked.

"Brendon, shush. Jessica had a nightmare, I think. And I'm sure she doesn't want to be compared to a baby."

"I wasn't." he sulked.

"So," Sarah said. "Do you remember what your dream was about?"

"It was one I used to have a lot when I was little. After the accident. I'm in the car, and then I'm in a forest all alone. Except this time, the parents in the car were you."

"Oh, sweetie. You've had a really big day. You've moved to a new house with a new family, got lost, which was scary enough, and you've got a lot of big changes coming in general. I'm not surprised you had a nightmare, to be honest. Do you want to come sleep with us tonight?"

"No, thanks. I'll be okay."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, we're just down the hall, and apparently, I can now fly, because I heard you scream and then I was here. I don't remember coming out of our room," she smiled, and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. "Sleep tight."

Brendon gave me a kiss on my head as well and they went to the door.

"Door open or closed?"

"Can you leave it open a little?" I asked.

"Of course," she smiled. They turned off the overhead light and left the door open a crack. I settled back into the bed. It had been a long time since I'd had that dream. But Sarah was probably right. I had a lot of changes in just one day. I curled up and wrapped my arms around my old stuffed rabbit. Mr. Rabbit. I was not a creative kid, apparently.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and slept soundly. No more nightmares.

When I woke up, the sun was streaming in my bedroom window and I couldn't figure out why everything seemed so different. Then I remembered - I didn't live in the orphanage anymore. Yesterday was not a dream and I had a new family. And I really had to pee.

I got up and hopped out of bed, landing on top of something softish, which made me fall over.

"OW!" I heard as I hit the floor. Brendon was lying on my floor.

"Why are you on the floor?" I asked, sitting up.

"Why are you on the floor?" he asked.

"I asked you first."

"I was worried you'd have another nightmare, so I came and slept on your floor for the rest of the night so I could be here if you needed me. Your turn."

"You slept on my floor, and I got out of bed, landed on you and fell over."

"Your nose is bleeding," he said.

I clapped my hand to my nose, got up, ran to the bathroom and slammed and locked the door.

"Jessica?" Brendon knocked on the door.

"I'm okay."

"Let me help you,"

"I'm FINE!" I shouted, balling toilet paper under my nose.

"Sweetie, you don't have to go through this alone. Let me help you get cleaned up."

"I don't want to make you sick." I said.

"Jessie, it's okay. I know how to be careful."

I unlocked the door and opened it.

"That is a very attractive look," he said, pointing at the wad of toilet paper sticking out of my nostril. "I should take a picture and get t-shirts printed. Maybe that'll be the cover of the next album."

"NO WAY!" I said, trying to push him out of the bathroom.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Here, let me take a look." he said, getting down on his knees and looking at me.

I pulled the wad of toilet paper out of my nose. He fell backwards and pretended to faint.

"The horror!" he said, lying on the floor. I laughed. He sat up and smiled.

"It looks like it stopped bleeding," he poked around under my eyes and on the bridge of my nose. "That hurt at all?"

"No. Not really. A little."

"I don't think it's broken. It's not even puffy."

I shrugged.

"Okay, wash up, take your meds, shower, if you want, then come downstairs for breakfast, cool?"

"Cool."

I looked at myself in the mirror. A little blood on my shirt, and a dried bit just under my nose, but it didn't look like my nose was swelling at all. Probably just bumped it a bit when I hit the floor. I shrugged, looked in the closet in the bathroom and found towels and decided to take a shower after all. There was already shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom, and a really nice vanilla smelling body wash. I left the shower smelling like a cookie. I brushed my teeth and took my meds, went into my room and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and grabbed a hoodie. I put on my shoes and went downstairs.