Adopted

Chapter 51

I was woken up by a knocking sound and Mom shaking me.

"Sweetie, wake up, hon," she said. I opened my eyes and saw two police officers standing at the end of my bed.

"Jessica Urie?" One of them asked. I nodded.

"So, we're here to get some information from you about what happened to you. Do you mind if we sit down? Your parents can stay with you,"

"Okay. You can sit down, I guess," I said.

They both sat in the chairs beside my bed. Mom and Dad were still in the bed holding me.

"How are you feeling?" One of the officers asked. "Oh, sorry, I'm Officer Palmer, this is Officer Davis."

"I'm okay," I said.

"She just woke up from a coma and she's been in some significant pain," Dad said.

"Are you in a lot of pain, Jessica? Can I call you Jessica?"

"Sure. And not much right now. But I had some medicine to help with that."

"Okay. We'll try to be as quick as possible so you can rest up. What can you tell us about what happened?"

"My friend Paige told me that she met some kids who wanted to meet me because of who my dad is, so I went with her. They were eighth grade boys. But when we got back there..."

"Back where?" The officer interrupted.

"We were at the back of the school. Near the football field,"

"Okay. What happened then?"

"The bigger one said he knew I'm the kid with AIDS in school. Paige and I tried to leave but he pushed me against the building and punched me. I don't remember much after that."

Mom sobbed quietly. I felt Dad wrap some of my blankets in a fist.

"Can you remember how many kids were there?"

"Well, me and Paige and four boys, I think."

"Did you know any of the boys?"

"No. I'm new to the school. I only know Paige, Astrid, Joshua, and Kevin."

"Were Joshua or Kevin there?"

"No. I don't think so. It was just the four boys and Paige. And me obviously," I said.

"Did any of the boys say anything to you?"

"The bigger one, Eric, I think, said he knew I was the AIDS kid and that he wasn't going to let me be a danger to his brother or his friends. That's when he punched me."

"Where did he punch you?"

"In the stomach. Really hard. I fell to the ground. And then I don't remember much. They kicked me."

"Okay, I know it sounds like we're asking you the same questions over and over, but we have to check for consistency," Officer Palmer said.

I shrugged.

"More like making her relive her trauma over and over," Dad said.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know it's unpleasant, but we need to get the information so we can move forward with the case. At this point I need to ask you, would you like to press charges against the four boys who did this?"

"Yes," Dad said, tersely.

"Jessica? Would you. I mean, you're a minor so it would have to come from your parents but do you agree to press charges?"

"I don't know. What does that mean?"

"It means that the boys might go to court. They could go to jail or they could get very heavy fines and punishments."

I thought. I didn't want anyone going to jail. But then I was sitting in a hospital bed with a hole in my head.

I nodded.

"Okay," Officer Palmer said. He pulled a form out of his clipboard and started filling it out. He handed it to dad to sign for me.

"Alright. The school is cooperating and we'll keep you informed as things progress. Take my card and if you remember anything else, or anything happens, call or email me,". Officer Palmer said.

Then they left.

Mom and Dad and I lay in my bed. I looked around a saw a huge card on the wall.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the card.

"Oh, Mr. Clark brought that. Your whole class made it and even some sixth and eighth graders signed it," Mom said.

"Can I see it?"

"Of course, honey," Mom said, getting off the bed gently and crossing the room to take the card off the wall.

She brought it over and held it up. I saw a bunch of squiggles on the front.

"What does it say?" I asked. Mom looked at Dad.

"It says 'Get Well Soon'," Mom pointed to the squiggles on the front. Then she opened it and there were more squiggles all over the place.

"Inside it says 'From everyone at Mulholland Middle School'. And then lots of signatures and people wrote that they hope you feel better soon. A few people wrote they're sorry about what happened. And everyone signed it."

"Everyone?"

"Well, the whole seventh grade, some teachers, some eighth graders, and even a few sixth graders.  See?  Here's Paige's signature. And Astrid. Mom pointed at a couple of squiggles.

"How can you tell that's where Paige and Astrid signed?" I asked, frowning. "They're just squiggles." 

Mom looked at Dad again.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing sweetie," Dad said. "You rest up, okay?  You must still be pretty tired, huh?"

I nodded, a little confused, but I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"She can't read," I heard someone whisper.

"That might be temporary," another voice said. "Remember, she's had trauma to her brain, she's been in a coma and she's just now woken up from some pretty heavy sedation. We'll keep an eye on her progress. In a few days, we'll start some physical and occupational therapy and assess her needs."

"But what if it's permanent?  Reading is one of her biggest pleasures. She's practically read the whole young adult section at the library."

"Let's get those assessments first in a few days. Just keep showing her things and see if her brain clicks again. Don't let her get too frustrated though."

I heard a sigh and then felt someone sit beside me and take my hand. How come no one has held my right hand?  Is it gone?

I woke with a start and scared Mom, who was sitting beside me.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"My right hand. What's wrong with it? No one holds it," I said.

"Silly, look at it. You have a cast. Your arm is broken," Mom said. I looked over.

"So that's why it hurts and felt heavy," I mused. I looked at the cast and saw Dad had drawn on it. And Josh and Pete had signed it. Kala had written her name in flowers.

"Do you need pain meds?" Mom asked.

"Not right now. I'm okay."

"Alright sweetheart. Lunch is here. Want to try to eat something?"

"Okay."