Adopted

Chapter 59

"Alright," Dad said, coming into the living room and sitting across from me on the coffee table. "First off, Sheri is coming over in about twenty minutes, half an hour."

"Is that one of the surprises?"

"Good god. No. She just wants to come to check on you. Not even really an official visit. But sort of. She'll take some notes."

"Fine,"

"Your first surprise you're actually going to have to wait for, um," he looked at his watch. "About 45 minutes."

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"But," Mom said, coming to sit beside Dad.

"But what? Why do I feel like this is bad news? And not such a great surprise,"

"I guess it depends on your perspective. But Doctor Smith and Doc have cleared you to go back to school starting tomorrow if you want."

"Really?!" I said.

"Really. You can go in late, or do half a day. You're excused from PE for now. But if you get too tired, you can call me and I'll come to get you," Mom said.

"I want to go first thing. I'm awake anyway," I said.

"Okay. I'll go call Ms. Abigail and let her know," Mom said, and went into the kitchen.

"So, what's the other surprise?" I asked.

"Patience, my sweet child," Dad said.

"You suck," I huffed.

Bogart took that moment to jump up on my lap.

"Oof! Bogey! A little warning next time," I said. He started licking my face.

I leaned up against PopPop.

"You doing alright, angel?" he asked.

"Yep. Sucks that Dad has to leave tonight, but at least I'll have you guys for a little while still," I said.

He put his arm around me.

I pulled out my phone and opened my group text with Astrid, Kevin, Paige, and Joshua.

"I have news!" I texted.

"What?" Paige replied.

"Do tell, Urie," Astrid typed.

"I'm coming back to school tomorrow! Doctors said I could as long as I felt okay."

"Do you?"

"OMG, I'm SOOO bored at home! GParents are awesome and so is Mom, but Dad's going back on tour tonight, and there's only so much sitting around the house I can do."

"Squee!" Paige typed.

"Is that a Canadian thing?" Astrid typed. She was always poking fun at Paige for being from Canada. Mr. Clark had told her that 'color' and 'honor' didn't have a 'u' in them, and she said that in proper, British English they do, and he'd said in America we speak American, and she'd told him that American isn't a language and it's not her fault we spell those words wrong. The group had told me this story my first afternoon home when they'd come to welcome me home. Paige wasn't in trouble, Mr. Clark had apparently enjoyed the conversation with her.

"Hey, glad you're coming back to school," Joshua entered. "I missed you."

"Ooooh, Joshy has a crush!" Astrid typed.

"Shut up," Josh said.

I posted a smiley face.

"I gotta go. My social worker is here," I said, waving at Sheri as she came into the living room. I put my phone away, and on silent, because Astrid and Joshua were arguing over text.

"How're you feeling, kiddo?"

"Better, thanks," I said. "I'm going back to school tomorrow."

"Are you? Are you ready for that?"

"I think so. Mom said I can come home any time if I get too tired. And while I love having my grandparents around, I'm so bored at home."

"How do you feel about going back to school?"

"Okay. The boys who beat me up were expelled, so I'm not too worried. As long as no one else plans on beating me up, I think I can handle it."

"Okay. Do you mind if we go talk privately?" Sheri asked.

"Yeah, we can go up to my room," I said.

I followed her up the stairs and into my room. I sat on my bed, and she sat in my desk chair.

"How have things been with Brendon and Sarah both since the last time we spoke and since this happened?"

"They've been amazing, really. I think they were really worried because I caught them crying a few times when they thought I was sleeping."

"Who was with you the most at the hospital?"

"Um, after I woke up? Both of them. Sometimes Sarah went home to change, shower, and have a nap, sometimes Brendon did. But they made sure I was never alone. They told me the first day when Dad, Brendon, came back from tour, and Sarah had been with me since I came in the ambulance, Zack and Kala - friends of theirs - made them go home, and Uncle Pete stayed with me. So did Uncle Josh. They sat with me while Mom and Dad were home for a few hours."

"Who are Uncle Pete and Uncle Josh?"

"Friends of Mom and Dad's," I said.

"Who told you to start calling them Mom and Dad?" Sheri asked.

"Me. I chose to on my own. I'm also changing my last name to Urie. Sheri, really, they're awesome parents. I know you're doing your job and making sure I'm safe. But really, they're awesome."

"Good. Let's go back downstairs. I'd like to meet your grandparents," she said.

We went back downstairs and Sheri introduced herself to PopPop and Granny and talked with them a bit. Finally, Sheri was satisfied and left. She said she'd check in on me in a few days to see how I was recuperating and how school was.

"Okay," I said to Dad. "What's the other surprise? Come on, tell me."

"Patience girl-child," he said.

I was getting tired of being told to be patient.

"Fine," I said. "I'm going upstairs."

I went up to my room and turned on my computer. I checked Instagram to see what was happening. Dad had streamed about me when I came home, and there were some posts about it.

@brendonurieswife: "Poor Jess! But did I hear she got beat up because she has AIDS?"

@PanicRulez: "She does? Who said that?"

@brendonurieswife: "I don't remember if B said so, but it was in the paper when they reported that she was in the hospital. This stream is from when they brought her home."

@PATDDOAB: "I read that too. Poor kid. Loses her parents in a car crash, survives, gets AIDS, lucks out to get the two most beautiful people for her parents, gets beaten up for something she couldn't control. Has anyone heard how she is, besides what B said in the stream?"

@brendonurieswife: "I heard she was in a coma for a few days and has a broken arm and they had to cut a piece of her skull out because her brain swelled. But that was all in the papers."

I stopped reading the comments, but none of them were mean or upsetting. Just mostly facts.

"Jess!" Dad called from downstairs. "Come downstairs! It's time!"