Authors: Kelly Van Hull
“Has he been eating, drinking?”
“No,” she replies. “He refuses to eat, but I have been getting him to drink some water.”
“Damn,” he says. “I wish I had an IV. He’s dehydrated. Kit, get me some fresh water now.”
She does as she’s told and he continues his exam. I watch him transfixed, realizing that all my hopes lie in this boy with the gray eyes. He’s concentrating hard and seems to leave no stone unturned.
He tries to engage Brody with some playful questions, but he’s not getting much out of him. He removes his shirt and begins examining his back and neck, lifting his hair to leave nothing unchecked and that’s when he finds it.
“Dani, come here,” Jack instructs, as he shows me a circular rash on Brody’s neck hiding under the curls.
“Do you know if Brody was bitten by a tick?” I rack my brain trying to think. Of course he could have been. We’ve all had to pull them off, but they’ve always seemed harmless.
“Not that I can remember, but we’ve been living in the woods. It’s possible.” I say.
He puts the stethoscope away and runs his hands through his hair nervously. He puts the rest of his supplies away and rummages through a front pocket of his backpack producing a vial of medicine.
“I can’t be sure, and I won’t treat him unless you give me your consent, but I think he may have Lyme disease.”
“What does that mean? You can treat him?” I ask.
My mind is spinning. I feel like I trust him, but what if he’s wrong? Mostly, I just want to scoop Brody up and take him to a hospital. But if I do that, it’s over for all of us. I’m not even sure they would give him the treatment he needs. And they would split us up for sure.
I feel defeated at having to put all my trust in Jack. But he’s done nothing for me not to trust him. Watching him examine Brody, he seems like he knew exactly what he was doing. If I let him treat Brody, he can begin right now. I won’t have to fight Bentley to leave and Brody can start getting better now.
“Okay, what’s the plan of treatment, doc?” I ask with some sarcasm, which is totally undeserved.
He brushes it off and tells me he needs to treat him with amoxicillin, but that he will need a course of one month. He says he doesn’t have that much on him.
As an afterthought, he asks me if he has an allergies and I shake my head no. He can get him started with what he has now. The medicine will last for a few days, but he’s going to need to go find some more.
I glance over at Brody, whose breathing is labored and shallow, and without thinking about it another second I say, “Do it.”
“Okay then, how much does he weigh?”
“40 pounds, the last time we checked.”
I see him calibrate the medicine and get to work. Although I’m anxious about letting him put drugs into my baby brother, I’m more anxious about him not. I want Brody better now, and once again, I’m taking a chance on the boy named Jack.
I spend the next few hours sitting with Brody, hoping and praying everything turns out okay. I can’t help but think of how disappointed Mom and Dad would be with me. Going with Bentley on the raid has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I feel like Brody is already starting to feel a little better. He’s asking for some water and he now knows I’m not Mom.
Jack comes in to tell me he’s leaving tonight to try and find more medicine. He instructs me on how and when to give Brody what he has left.
“How do you know all of this?” I ask again, wondering how a boy of only 18 could know so much about healing.
“Long story. Maybe someday I will tell you about it.” He hesitates for a bit and then quickly, before I even know what he’s doing, he leans down and kisses me softly on the cheek.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take good care of the kid.”
Before I can reply, he’s gone. I hear him fire up one of the four-wheelers and he’s off. Bentley has objected to him taking the wheeler and the supplies Jack needs to get him wherever he is going, but he has not actually stopped him.
Bentley doesn’t even knock when he comes in, but he does come in quietly, almost shyly.
“How’s he doing?” he asks, not daring to walk any further in.
He seems to be trying to read my reaction, but I’ll give him nothing.
I am silent.
“Listen, I know you’re upset about Brody and I’m sorry there wasn’t more I could do. We were up to our elbows looking for you.”
“I never asked for that!”
“I know you didn’t, but I don’t really know what to do with sick kids. This isn’t my thing. You know, he’s not even supposed to be here. It only compromises what we’re trying to do here.”
“And what exactly is that?” I say, still not looking him in the eye.
I am keeping my hands busy adjusting Brody’s blankets and making sure he’s comfortable. He’s sleeping peacefully and I’m hoping that in his little body the medicine is working its magic. As I hear Bentley rambling on, I find myself thinking back to Jack.
“Dani, did you hear me?” he asks.
“What?”
“I said, you and Kit can take the cabin until Brody gets better.”
He’s probably waiting for me to say thanks, but he’s not getting that from me. After a bit, he leaves and Kit comes in. As she shuts the door, I realize in my stubbornness, I forgot to ask him who Rigby was.
We sit in
silence for a bit when finally she says, “You know, I’m pretty pissed at you.”
“I know Kit. I should’ve never left. It was dumb. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“That’s not what I’m mad about. You can do whatever you want. But a note? Why would you just leave me a note? I don’t know what’s going on with you anyway. We don’t even talk anymore. You’re making decisions that don’t even seem like you. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. Thanks for looking after Brody. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’d never survive, that’s what.” She hugs me and then tells me she has work to do.
Apparently, I’ve been let off the hook for duties while I heal and Brody is sick. With all that has been going on with Brody, I had completely forgotten about my broken leg and now it’s starting to throb. I’m seriously rethinking my decision to not take any more of the pain medicine Jack offered.
He really is a peculiar guy. First he comes off as this well-dressed homeless drifter, and then he shows up just when I need him, and on top of that, he is some kind of teenage doctor. I really can’t figure him out.
Days go by and there’s still no sign of Jack. Brody is up and talking more. He complains about his “bones hurting”, but he’s starting to eat some and drink without me forcing it down his throat.
As happy as that makes me, I’m worried his medicine is almost out. I can’t help but think if Jack doesn’t come back and the medicine runs out, Brody will just go back to the way he was and get worse again.
I haven’t seen Bentley since Jack left. I’ve heard he has gone on another raid. Kit has been helping take care of me and Brody. Instead of constant pain in my lower leg, it’s turned to relentless itching. I find myself in constant states of hope waiting for Jack to return mixed with despair at the idea he won’t.
I don’t know him very well, but from what I do, I know he’ll try. I can’t help but think of the renegade groups out there murdering and stealing for supplies. Worse than that, he could get picked up by The Council. Days slip away and the medicine is almost gone.
Kit is away working in the camp. I’m bored and playing with Brody’s trains, as he sleeps, when I hear voices coming from behind the cabin. They are whispering and must not realize the window is open.
“Did you get it? I hear Bentley ask.
I get up and crouch down by the window.
“Yeah, I got it. What do you care? Jack asks.
“You’re not welcome here, Jack. Why did you come anyway?”
“Trust me, Bent, I don’t want to be here. I’m only here for the kid. As soon as he’s better, I’m gone,” Jack says, and I feel a stab of hurt.
“Why do you care about what happens to that kid? What’s in it for you anyway? What about the girl?” Bentley asks.
There is a long moment of silence before Jack asks, “You noticed it too?”
“I can’t be sure, but maybe. Remember when he told us about the ones who have persuasion advancement? It’s possible. I can see the way you’re drawn to her too.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in that,” Jack replies.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore,” Bentley says. “So what are ya gonna do?”
“I have no interest in her. Let me just do my thing and I’ll be out of your way.”
“By all means Jack, go save the world.”
Bentley must have gotten back today too. I don’t know where he went, but I have a feeling he’s not stopping by to say hello.
I hear them both move away from the window and I quickly close the curtain, hoping Jack won’t notice the window was open.
He comes in after a short knock. As I watch him examine Brody again, I find myself wondering how Jack and Bentley know each other. Even more, why don’t they want anyone to know? When they talk to each other, it’s like they are speaking in a foreign language.
I’m not going to ask about it now. I don’t want to say anything to upset him while he is treating Brody. The words he spoke to Bentley sting and I feel like a foolish girl.
Jack stops by to check on Brody once in the morning and once at night. Days slip by like this. We never say anything more than how Brody is doing. And to my immeasurable relief, Brody is getting better. Jack really does know what he’s doing.
He says Brody has three weeks left of antibiotics to get through to ensure he heals all the way. He warns me there could be life-long side effects with body movement, but Brody already is anxious to go outside and play and Jack encourages him to do so.
As if that’s my cue, I dress Brody and tell him it’s time to go outside for just a bit. By the look on his face, one might think I told him Christmas came early.
He still doesn’t fully look like his old self, but I’ll take it. He bounds out of the door and Jack and I follow.
After a long awkward silence I say, “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Jack. I don’t think there is anything I could say or do to repay you, but—”
“No problem,” he interrupts, looking almost embarrassed and clearly not wanting to talk about it.
Against my better judgment and against the promises I made to myself not to talk about anything personal, I blurt out, “What happened with us?”
“Us?” he asks. Immediately I feel like an idiot. I start to walk away before he can see how mortified I really am.
“Dani, wait!” he calls, as he grabs my arm.
“Never mind. Forget I said anything. Now let go!” I jerk away. I start to walk away again when he says my name again with hurt in his voice.
“Just wait,” he begins slowly, “let me explain.”
I hesitate as I keep my eyes focused on Brody, who is busy digging in mud by the wood pile.
“Listen,” he begins, “sorry I’ve been acting so weird. Things are just…complicated. Things that would take me days to explain and I’m not sure I want to get into them at all anyway. Can we just start over?”
Just then it occurs to me that there are two Jacks. This one in front of me that is so unsure, uneasy, and stumbling with his words, is nothing like the one who is so confident when he is being “Doctor Jack”. How does he switch back and forth so easily?