Involuntary Victim - Book 3 in Jessie's Story

Chapter 9: Trauma Coping

Jessie:
I sat on the bed, one hand cuffed to the bed. They still didn't trust me. I wasn't sure if I trust me either. My other hand held a spoon and I did my best to eat the soup Nana Ann had made. I fround at the mug of soup. My eyebrows pulled together.

"Out loud Ma Hija." Jorge said. He was sitting in a chair beside my bed and had his feet proped up on the bed. He pointed his spoon at me.

"Nana made soup before."

"More specific." He said.

This was a normal thing now. I would have a memory come forwards but I couldn't figure out if it was real. Everything was confusing and it made me angry. Jorge or whoever was in the room with me wouldn't get mad, just tell me to be more specific, explain what I was thinking. It depended on my mood, sometimes I would and sometimes I would start yelling and screaming.

"I...I was also in a bed then." I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight, trying to grasp the memory. "you were beside me...a cup of soup...?"

He hummed. "You were shot and healing at the safe house. Ann made soup, Thomas brought it to you."

"Thomas?"

Jorge nodded again. I frowned with a growl and looked back down. We were quiet for a while again. I finished my soup. Jorge took the cup.

"So. Ma Hija. There is someone who is very exited to see you."

I picked my head up. I had been awake for a few hours now, and I was reaching my limit.  According to Nana Ann my body was going to take a long time to heal, physically.

Jorge got up and went to the door. I watched him, my eyes narrowed, and my muscles all tense and ready for a fight. He opened it and wild blond curls tumbled into the room. My mouth dropped. He was clean, in clothes that fit and he clutched his red bouncy ball and a teddy bear tight in his hands.

"Sammy?" I sputtered.

He made a strangled squeal. His big green eyes filled with tears.

"Sammy!" I whimpered.

He ran across the room and climbed up onto the bed and into my lap. Leaving his things in the bed he wrapped his little arms around my neck and held on just as tight. I wrapped my one free arm around him. Burying my face into his wild curls I just held him.  Jorge had come and sat back down in his chair. He just sat and watched us quietly.

I didn't want to let go. I was scared this was another dream. I tightened my arm. He patted my back with his little face. He made a noise and pushed away. He wiggled away and sat in front of me on the bed. He held his little hand to his chest and then pressed his hand to my chest.

For the first time I could remember...I let a ghost of a smile lift the corner of my lip. I laid my hand over his hand and then placed my hand over his chest, over his heart. He smiled. A big toothy grin. He pulled his hand away from my hand and then held my face. One little hand on each side of my face.

He was up on his knees, holding my face and looking at me. Like he was studying me. His head cocking back and forth. I had no idea what was going on inside his head. But I just sat staring at him. It had been almost a year since I saw him.

He finally pulled his eyebrows together, and his little lips pulled down into a frown.

"What?"

He let go of my face and put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. He held it up and opened his hand. Frowning again I looked down. Laying in his hand was a necklace. I could feel the tremor in my hand start. My head twitched. Jorge sat up straighter. Sammy didn't move.