Adopted by Phan

Chapter 28

Phil's P.O.V.

It wasn't long before Officer Briny told us to go back home, have dinner, pick up anything we wanted and then come back to the hospital. We were allowed to stay overnight, although it would be uncomfortable because they only had chairs, and possibly a bed if it wasn't filled in the next few hours.

We got pizza for dinner, both of us were too jumpy to cook anything and spent the time waiting for the delivery pacing around the living room, collecting some spare clothes for both of us and pyjamas for Jay, because she had been stuck in the hospital gown as her trousers wouldn't fit over the bulky cast.

Eating the pizza quickly, we both rushed downstairs and hailed a taxi, Dan carrying the backpack full of clothes, a blanket, water bottle and something I found in Jay's room. Dan had known about it, he had bought it for her behind my back, and this thing was a small stuffed dog, smaller than my hand, light brown in colour with a darker coloured floppy ears.

Dan said he had bought it for Jay after he had seen her staring at it while we were out shopping, and had presented it to her while I was out at the supermarket. Apparently it had become a comfort, and according to Dan, she had been overjoyed.

It was resting in the backpack and I hoped she didn't mind that I knew about it now, but I didn't think she would. I also took her phone as well, it had still been plugged into the wall from earlier and was fully charged.

When we arrived back at the hospital Jay was sitting up in bed, all of the curtains in the room drawn back so the patients could see each other. There was a tray of food on her lap but she wasn't eating it, she was pre-occupied by another girl, around the same age, and a slightly older boy, maybe 16, were both sitting on her bed talking to her.

As we approached the bed they all turned to us and Jay waved, before turning back to the two people. The boy, who was wearing a beanie, had pale white skin and was wearing a pair of black pyjamas which indicated he had been there for at least a day. The girl, her long black hair falling in her face, was wearing the same gown as Jay, light blue in colour.

"Are they your parents?" I sucked in a breath but Jay answered without hesitation.

"Yeah, I haven't been with them for that long though."

We sat back down on the chairs and watched as they continued to talk. I hadn't seen Jay interact with other kids her age before and she seemed very comfortable with them, smiling and laughing.

"What're you here for?" That was Jay, asking the other two, but the girl just laughed.

"I jumped off a roof and hit my head. I've been here for a couple of days because they wanted to keep an eye on me." The boy let out a sigh.

"I've got cancer, I was just cleared last month but they want me back to do some more scans. I'm sick of hospitals."

"Oh man, that sucks. I fell down the stairs and broke my leg, they want to keep an eye on me too." The girl laughed.

"I know, somehow you've managed to keep a bright face Ash." So the boys name was Ash.

"Ash! Kate! Shoo, shoo, leave the poor girl to eat her food!" It was a nurse and she almost pulled them off the bed, both of them laughing and giggling as she chased them across the room.

Kate, the girl, was in the bed right next to her but she made a show out of running around the room a few times being chased by the nurse before returning to her bed. Ash was opposite her and a few beds down, far enough that they had to speak rather loudly to hear each other but close enough that they could make stupid faces at each other and cheer up the younger kids in the room.

There was around 12 beds in the room, all of them filled but the one opposite Jay, and the children in the beds ranged from about 8 to Ash, who appeared to be the oldest. We were the only adults in the room other than the nurse, who was pulling trays off children's laps and refilling water glasses.

Jay was back to eating her dinner, which appeared to be made up of roast chicken, a small portion of oven baked fries, some peas and corn and a little bowl of tomato sauce. There was a glass of water on the table beside her bed and as the nurse handed out medication to the other children, a doctor walked into the room.

The youngest children started to cheer, it was clear they knew him and probably liked him too. He headed straight over to Jay and introduced himself as Doctor William, and he would be keeping an eye on her over the next wee while. He got her to rate her pain from 1 to 10 and she said 5, saying it was just a bit of a headache.

He gave her two pills, saying they were pain medication and then he said that the nurse was going to give her some sleeping pills later on, and it would help her get to sleep.

"I understand that you went home to get some things?" I nodded. "Do you have any of her clothes?"

"Yeah, we've got some pyjamas for her and some clothes for later on too."

"Good, I'll get the nurse to help her get into them later on but she should be fine for now, maybe a little tired from the anaesthesia. I'll come back and check up later, but don't worry." Dan nodded and yawned, rubbing his eyes. He looked at Dan sharply.

"You don't have to stay you know, it isn't the most comfortable to stay here." Jay, her eyes wide, nodded.

"You don't have too, I'll be fine on my own." Dan wasn't convinced, he just shook his head.

"It'll be fine." I jumped, suddenly remembering the backpack that we had bought with us.

I dove my hand into the bag, pulling out the pair of pyjamas and placing them on her bed before I pulled out the small toy. Jay gasped and reached her hand out to take it, so I gave it to her.

She pulled it into her chest and hugged it, smiling at me. Dan grinned too and the girl, Kate, leaned over the edge of the bed and smiled at her, holding up something too. It was a small teddy bear.

"Glad to know I'm not the only with a toy." She smiled and waved it around a little bit so she could see it before bringing it back to her chest.

"I've only had it for a few days. Dan got it for me."

"Your dad got it for you? Which one?" She giggled, shaking her head.

"No I said Dan. That's Dan," She said, pointing at him, "And that's Phil, they adopted me a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh wow, that's not long ago. I've been with my parents since I was 6."

"Wait you were in the foster system too? How long for?" She looked a little shocked.

"Not long I think, I don't remember much about it but it was less than two months."

"Oh wow, you're lucky. Although to be fair I was 10, I didn't have much chance." Kate looked at me and Dan, smiling, before turning her head back.

"I'm glad they gave you a chance."

"I was on the street for a good few years too, I didn't have any chance there."

"I knew a girl on the streets, I think she died." Kate's voice had gone quiet suddenly and I could feel a lot of emotions running through her voice.

"That's not uncommon. I knew a good few who died, they just, well, dropped dead, of starvation or dehydration probably. It was hard, but it was just the way that life worked."