Almost full sentences. Jason could think in almost full sentences. The words came back to him day by day, like downloading code. He could describe the sun, the sky, his hospital room.
“What’s that, Jason?” The nice lady pointed to the orange and black drawing he did. He attempted. He couldn’t hold the crayons too steady.
He just couldn’t verbalize any of it yet. He remembered how a cat’s fur felt: soft, a little spiky on his fingers, cold. But his lips and tongue struggled to form the shapes they needed to get the words out.
Jason pointed to the blue zig zagged and scribbled across the paper.
“And that?” The nice lady asked.
Jason’s lips puttered, “Blue.”
She laughed, “Yes it is blue. But, it’s called the sky. Say sky.”
Jason watched with deep concentration as her teeth touched and opened around the letters.
“Sss…” He hissed, “Sk..kuh..e…sky.”
Her white teeth sparkled as she grinned from ear to ear.
“You are a marvel. Yes. Sky.”
Jason looked out of the window. He got off his bed and pointed out.
The lady followed, “Yes.”
“Blue sky?” Jason furrowed his brow. The sky was not blue, though. It was nothing. He held up his drawing to compare.
“Dark sky, Jason. It’s night time.”
A flash of something dark entered his mind. A memory. Him laying on something dark and warm. What was it called again? And above him, a watercolor mush image of his dad. It was all soft.
“What is it, Jason? What do you see?”
Jason touched his gown, ran his hands over his chest.
“Cat? No!” He knocked his palm into his head. What was it called?
“What? Show me.” The lady took his hands and held them out.
“Dark. Soft.” He wriggled a hand out and touched under her doctor’s coat. When he felt the fabric under his finger tips, he took in a breath. It was soft, exactly like in his head.
“This!” He patted it, “Dark this!”
“That’s what you see? A dark sweater?”
“Dad. Dark sweater. Dad.”
The lady doctor looked at him. He could see the softness, like the sweater, in her eyes.
Jason shook his head, “No! Out! Out in sky!”
He removed his other hand from her grasp and pressed himself against the big, cold window. He looked down at the buildings and the people. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for, but something inside itched at him to find whatever it was.
“You’re not ready for out.”
He turned to the doctor and made a noise, like a puppy learning how to bark with volume. With purpose.
“Not yet. Come sit down.”
Jason stepped back when the lady stepped forward.
“Jason. Calm down. No out.”
He had a chair raised high above his head before he knew it. With a scream he threw it at the window.
“Jason!” The lady attempted to step forward, but stayed back when he picked the chair up again.
With a series of exasperated grunts, Jason hit the window over and over again. The metal legs thumped against the laminated glass.
“Jason! I don’t want to call security but I will! Stop this!” The lady rushed over to the phone and picked it up. She wasn’t sure if she would use it for its intended purpose or for protection.
“OUT!” Jason screamed at the top of his lungs. He hit the glass again.
“What’s going on?!” A male nurse entered the room. Jason recognized him. He changed his stitches when he had them.
“He won’t calm down. Help me restrain him!”
The nurse took his gloves off and lunged at Jason. But before he touched him, Jason swung around and hit the man in his head. It was an accident, but now there was blood spreading on the floor.
The lady doctor gasped. Jason, surprised, looked at her. And for a terrifyingly long moment, they stared at each other.
No sounds in the air. Just Jason’s heavy breathing and the faint dial tone from the phone.
Both their faces softened. Neither of them would hurt the other.
She hung the phone up. She put her hands out to Jason, like she always did.
“Your turn.” She whispered.
Jason dropped the chair and launched himself at the doctor. His arms wrapped around her waist and he tucked his head into her chest. With no hesitation, she hugged him back. She held him tight.
“M…Mo…Mommy.” He said into her skin.
The doctor, touched, kissed his head. Her lips tingled against his growing buzzcut. She kissed the white patches spanning across his forehead and on his eyebrow.
“I could lose my job. I could lose my fucking job.” She let go of him and walked to the window. She took out a key from her coat pocket and unlocked it.
“Out?” Jason came up behind her and frowns when he feels the cool wind on his face.
“Out. Put this on.” She took off her lab coat, and then her sweater. She put it over his head and helped him get his arms through the sleeves. It fit him perfectly.
“Mommy?” Jason asked. But in his asking, the doctor heard how scared he was. How confused.
“Yes. Now go.” She helped him out of the window. They were on the first floor, so the jump wasn’t far. Jason’s socks hit the grass and he immediately wiggled his toes.
He looked back to her. Some of her curls came loose from her ponytail. That never happened before. She really was beautiful.
And he went. Into the darkness. All the way across Gotham. He didn’t know how he remembered the way. His feet just moved.
And at a certain point, when he was weary and hungry from walking, he looked up.
He looked up and saw it. The signal. It guided him. It guided him straight to the manor.
germansingergirl
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
