Finding Jaime

Chapter 52

Jaime POV

London was cool! We stayed in a pretty nice hotel. Dad got a suite and Bronx and Saint and I shared a room that has two queen beds in it. The boys shared a bed and I got one to myself. Dad figured because I was oldest, I should get my own bed.

Marvel was staying in Dad and Meagan's room. They'd gotten a small cot for her.

We also had a living area with a kitchen. Not a full kitchen, but we had a small fridge and a microwave, a table area and a counter.

We went to a wax museum and rode the London Eye. Dad made us take a hop-on-hop-off tour and we toured around the city that way. We saw Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus (not an actual circus). Dad bought us all England soccer shirts and we took a family photo near the river.

Meagan insisted on High Tea one day so we got sort of dressed up (a nice shirt and pants instead of jeans and t-shirts) and went to eat tiny sandwiches and drink tea. I was able to get a Coke because... tea?

Marvel was practically on top of me the whole time. But I didn't care. There were days she was my backpack and Dad tossed my bag in Marvel's stroller, since she clearly didn't need it when she had my back to climb on.

It felt kind of great to be part of a family. Something I'd missed and didn't even realize it. I mean, how can you miss something you never had, until you get it and find out what you'd been missing?

One night, the younger kids were in bed and I was in the living area with Dad and Meagan. We were watching TV and just relaxing after a busy day sight seeing.

"You having a good time, Jaime?" Meagan asked me.

I looked over at her and frowned. Dad sat up.

"What's up?"

"Nothing really.  Just thinking how I never knew I was missing being part of a family because I've never been part of a family."

"You and your mom were a family," Dad said. "There are all types of families."

"Yeah, but I had siblings all this time, and Mom never let me get to know them. Or you."

"Jaime, your mom did what she felt was best for you. And her, I suppose," Meagan said.

"It's just not fair," I said. "H-how could sh-she?"

Dammit. My stutter was coming back.

"Jaime, calm down," Dad said. He knew my stutter only came back when I got upset or tired. And right now I was both, sort of.

"I just don't understand why she never told me about you. All sh-she ever said was 'he wasn't r-r-ready t-to be a f-f-f-father'," I frowned. My head was feeling weird.

"Jaime? Are you okay?" I heard Dad from far away. He stood up and that's the last thing I remember. Everything went grey, and then black.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital. Dad was beside me, looking worried.

"What happened?" I asked. Dad jumped up and came to my side.

"Jaime! You're okay. You're going to be okay. You had a seizure at the hotel."

I covered my eyes with my arm. My head hurt and the light wasn't helping.

"Where's Mom?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"Mom. Where is she?" What didn't he understand?

"Jaime, Tanya's gone. You know that."

I frowned. Yeah. Tanya. Mom. But that's not who I mean.

"Not Tanya. Mom," I insisted.

Dad looked at me curiously.

"Do you mean Meagan?"

I wasn't sure. But I closed my eyes because I was tired and couldn't stay awake.

"He was asking where 'mom' is," I heard Dad saying to someone. "But insisted he didn't mean Tanya."

"Who did he mean then?" Another voice asked.

"I'm not sure. You?"

"Well, I wouldn't complain if he wanted to call me 'Mom'. But that's up to him."

"I'm worried," I heard Dad say.  "He seems... off? That sounds horrible. But something seems off with him."

"He had a seizure and he hasn't had one in a while. He's been more active here than he'd been at home. Talk to the doctor when you see him. I'm going to take the kids back to the hotel. Tell him we were here, okay?"

"I will. He's been asleep all day. I don't like this."

"I know, Pete. But he's still recovering to some extent, from the accident."

Is that what they're calling it?

"Yeah. It's just, I don't know," Dad said.

"I know. Talk to the doctor."

I felt Dad pick up my hand but was too tired to do anything but fall asleep again.

Everything sounded so far away and like I was underwater. It was exhausting. I felt like I was trying to breathe through a thin straw or something. Everything felt wrong. Sounds didn't make sense.

I slid into the darkness. It was warm here. And quiet.

"Jaime," I heard. I thought I heard. It sounded distorted. "Jaime, wake up, please."

I tried. It was too hard.

"It's been four days," I heard Dad saying. "He hasn't woken up at all in four days."

"Your son has an anoxic brain injury. He would have gotten that when his heart stopped when he overdosed. Something happened the night you brought him here in that he lost enough oxygenated blood to his brain, which set off the seizure and has resulted in this, well, hypersomnia."

"He had a seizure. It lasted four minutes,"'I heard Dad say.

"That could have done it. We've scheduled him for another MRI today to take a look and see if he's showing any other signs of brain damage. Has he said anything when he has woken up?"

"He asked for his mom, but he insisted he didn't mean his mother. She passed away last fall."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Who did he mean, then?"

"I'm assuming my, uh, wife, Meagan," Dad said. "But I'm not sure."

The other voice was silent. I fought through the darkness.

"Jaime!" Dad's voice said. I looked around again. Still in the hospital.

"Young man," the doctor at the foot of my bed said. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged.

"Tired," I said. Dad frowned at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"You've been asleep for four days. How can you be tired?"

"I just am!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, okay," Dad said. "Relax."

It was my turn to frown.

"Jaime, do you remember anything about the night you had a seizure at the hotel?"

I thought.

"No. Not really. We were just talking and I remember my head feeling weird. And then I woke up here."

"Your father states you were asking for your mother," the doctor said.

I frowned. That didn't sound right. My mom died. And I said as much.

"Then who did you mean?" Dad asked.

"Mom," I said again. "You know, Mom."

"Jaime, do you mean Meagan?" Dad asked.

"That's what I said!" I exclaimed.

Dad looked at me.

"No, Jaime. That's not at all what you said."