Adopted

Chapter 58

"Jess, come on, lunch!" Mom called.

I'd been home from the hospital for a few days and was getting so bored being home. PopPop and Granny were great and it was awesome having them around all the time.

"Just a second!" I called down. I looked at myself in the mirror of my bathroom. I still had gauze wrapped around my head, which Mom had to change every day. I'd lost some weight in the hospital, so my t-shirt was kinda hanging off me. Mom kept trying to get me to eat healthy but high fat foods. PopPop and Dad kept sneaking me ice cream.

Most of my bruises seemed to have healed and all my stitches had come out. I now had a scar in my left eyebrow. Dad took a picture of the two of us with our sort of matching scars and posted it. Of course.

Dad was leaving to go back on tour tonight, so we were going to go out for lunch. I was a bit self conscious of my lovely gauze hat, so I pulled on a hoodie and pulled the hood up.

I went down the stairs where mom and dad and PopPop and Granny were waiting.

"There she is. What took you so long?" Dad asked. "I'm starving."

"You're always starving,"  I said. "And if you must know, I was fixing my hair."

I smirked. Dad laughed. PopPop punched me in the shoulder, lightly.

I grabbed my cell phone off the charger in the kitchen and followed my family outside. Ms. Abigail had brought my school bag when I came home from the hospital. She'd kept it in her office the whole time I'd been in the hospital.

"We have a couple of surprises for you when we get home from lunch," Dad said.

"Brendon!" Mom said.

"What are they?" I asked.

"They wouldn't be surprises if we tell you," Dad said.

"You suck," I pouted and sat back between my grandparents.  I put my head on Granny's shoulder. She took my left hand, since my right was still in a cast, and gave it a squeeze. I squeezed her hand back.

PopPop put his hand on my knee. And then squeezed the pressure point just above my knee. I yelped.

"Dad!" Dad said. "One, not while I'm driving. Two, not in the car ever. She's loud!"

PopPop laughed.

We pulled up to the same Italian restaurant we'd gone to for my birthday and before Dad went on tour the first time.

I followed everyone into the restaurant and the hostess led us to our table.

"You're Jessica, right?" She asked me.

"Yeah," I said, skeptically.

"I'm so happy you're doing so well. We heard about what happened. It's good to see you."

"Thanks..." I said. We sat down at the table and I raised an eyebrow at Dad.

"You were in the news," he said. "A lot. The whole story."

I groaned and put my head in my hands.

"So now the whole of LA knows I got beat up and I have AIDS?"

"Um, more like the whole country," Dad said.

"Oh god," I said. "I'm just going to sink through the floor, okay?"

"Haven't you noticed the press everywhere?" Mom said.

"I just thought they were around because of Dad,"

"Sorry kid. You've become a bit of a celebrity yourself."

"Ugh. For all the wrong reasons," I groaned again.

"Um, by the way," Mom said. "People magazine wants to come by and interview you again."

"Whyyyyyyyy?" I whined.

"To see how you're doing, mostly."

"Do I have to?" I asked.

"No. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. But I'd suggest at least People. Get the story out so the media doesn't start making up stories."

"Wait - if the whole world knows about me now, does that mean your fans do, too?" I asked. We hadn't said anything on stream.

"It does," Dad said. "I did a stream the day you came home from the hospital while you were napping. To let them know you were home. They're all supportive and want you to heal and be well. The fan art has been unreal."

"What do you mean?"

"The fans have made all sorts of drawings of you from photos we've posted and the ones from your first People interview. They've put the red ribbon on them, wrapped you in the ribbon. I'll show you some later. Really amazing things they come up with."

"Great. This is not something I wanted to be famous for," I groaned.

"You're very good at groaning," Mom said.

I sighed.

"I hope this wasn't one of the surprises," I said.

"No. We'll talk about those at home," Dad smiled. I rolled my eyes. My grandparents just listened and smiled.

We ate lunch, and our waiter was really nice. He also knew my story.

After lunch, the manager came over and offered us free dessert as a sort of welcome home for me. Mom and Dad accepted so I got a bowl of gelato.

Outside the restaurant, I realized the press I'd seen on the way in was saying my name. Not Dad's. Dad opened the door to the car and I got in. Granny got in on one side and PopPop on the other. Dad closed the door and got in the car. No one said a word.

"You okay, kiddo?" PopPop asked as Dad pulled away.

"Yeah. That was weird though," I said.

We pulled into the driveway and Dad immediately closed the gate before we even got out of the car.

"It'll die down eventually, but it's a big story right now. Famous singer's kid gets beaten up at school for having AIDS, and how bad that was, plus the legal case and all that."

"What legal case?" I asked.

"Oh. Well, you remember we pressed charges, right, so that's making its way through the system."

"Oh," I said.

We went into the house and Bogart kept jumping on me and yapping. It had been like this since I got home. He wouldn't leave me alone. He slept in my bed, curled up right near me instead of at my feet.  He followed me all over the house. 

I went into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Granny sat down beside me and took my hand.

"It will die down, sweetie. Someone will screw up and you won't be so interesting anymore."

"You mean, I'm not interesting otherwise?" I laughed.

"Nope. You're usually quite boring," PopPop said, sitting on my other side.

"Gee. Thanks. What wonderful and supportive grandparents I have," I laughed.

PopPop and Granny both hugged me. And laughed.