Home Is Where The Heart Is- Chapter 1
T-2’s eyes fluttered open, and they found themselves looking up at a very ugly, very angry sky. Bits and pieces of people’s lives rained down as well as heavier debris such as vehicles, trees, telephone poles, and even whole structures. Did… did they do that?
They sat up with difficulty before pushing themselves up into a standing position, and strolling into the town where search and rescue operations were underway.
Everywhere they looked, people were being pulled out from rubble-
-the sound of emergency service sirens, dogs barking, and children crying filled the air-
-some of those people who were pulled out from the rubble were bleeding heavily, and looked like they were close to Death’s door… if they weren’t already there…
Someone grabbed their shoulder from behind, and they spun around quickly to see a man wearing a cap, polo shirt, and a pair of jeans.
“Are you okay? What are you doing wandering around in the nude?”
T-2 stared blankly at him.
“Okay, uh… ¿Sabes dónde estás? ¿Sabes qué pasó?”
T-2 only shook their head, and the man sighed in defeat, “Well… Why don’t you come with me, okay? We’ll get you checked out, give you some nice, warm clothes, and a hot meal. How does that sound?”
The man gently put his hand on T-2’s back, and guided them to an ambulance, “Hey! Found this guy wandering around completely naked, and he doesn’t seem to know where he is, what the Hell happened here, and I don’t think he even understands a word of what I’m saying to him… I had to shout to get his attention, and put my hand on him to even get him here.”
“No worries. I’ll check him out, Richard.”
T-2 immediately perked up. At least they now had a name for the man. Speaking of names…
“Okay, honey. What’s your name? My name is Tracy. See?”
The paramedic tapped the pin on her left breast, “Tra-cy. What’s yours?”
T-2 thought for a moment before getting an idea. They reached out to tap the ‘T’ on Tracy’s pin before spotting a ‘2’ in her badge number, and tapping that as well. They sat back on the stretcher, rather proud of themselves, as Tracy and Richard grew increasingly worried.
“Well… at least he can understand the alphabet, numerals, and maybe basic sentences... But what kind of a name is T-2? It’s nowhere near long enough to even be a registration number for a prison, a mental institution, o- or a lab…”
“Mmm… a lab maybe… You didn’t find anything near him, or on his person. Like… at all. No pictures that match his description. No documentation. A cellphone… Nothing?”
“Does it look like I would have been able to find anything on him?”
Tracy made a fart noise with her lips, “I’m not seeing any physical injuries on him but, just given the state he’s in… it’s safe to say that he has a concussion with retrograde amnesia.”
“That still doesn’t explain why he is unable to communicate with us aside from pointing or gestures, though…?”
Tracy shrugged, “In some cases, a Traumatic Brain Injury can affect speech, and cause aphasia and apraxia. It is also probable that he is neurodivergent, and has a cognitive disorder such as ASD…”
Richard ran a hand down his tired face, “Okay. So what now?”
“… If I were you, Richard, I’d take him under your wing. Become his guardian.”
“He clearly trusted you enough to bring him to me. Plus the boy needs someone to be there for him because he sure as shit can’t take care of himself right now…”
“… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. My own son is the same age as him. Or… at least I think they’re the same age?”
Sensing that the discussion between Tracy and Richard was coming to a close, T-2 hopped off the stretcher only to be stopped by Tracy.
“Uh-uh-uh. Not so fast, baby. We need to get you into some clothes before you give anyone a scare if you haven’t already.”
She handed them a parcel that contained a basic tee shirt, soft, stretchy pants, underwear, and a pair of socks. Okay… looking at the two of them, T-2 figured that the boxers go under the pair of pants, the socks went on their feet based on the shape, and the shirt was self explanatory.
“Hallelujah! He looks like a normal person now!,” Richard threw his arms up in the air, and Tracy punched him softly yet sternly.
“He isn’t dumb, Richard... He just needs some serious help and support.”
“I know, I know! It’s just… I’m still new to this whole ‘neurodivergent’ thing. Back in my day, people like him would be called-”
“Say what I think you’re going to say, and you’ll be kicked out of my rig.”
“… Special needs? Point is, they were usually sent to a mental institution or something. You didn’t really see them out in public.”
“… Listen, Richard. It’s been nice catching up with you and meeting T-2 here, but I really have to get back to doing my job, ya know, taking care of and transporting higher priority patients. Those who are on the brink of death… That tornado destroyed more than half the town, and I can guarantee you that the fatality count is going to be in the fifties. Stay safe out there, will you?”
Tracy turned back to T-2 with a gentle smile, “And you too, sweetheart.”
T-2 returned the smile with a nod before hopping out of the ambulance, and trailing after Richard to a pickup truck.
“Ya know, son… We really need to find an actual name for you. I’m sorry, but I can’t keep calling you T-2. It’s just not natural. It doesn’t even make you sound human…”
Whether they simply weren’t listening to Richard or they couldn’t understand him again, T-2 grabbed one of the various rocks on the dashboard, and started to play with it in their hands- becoming confused when it split into thin, flexible sheets. Richard laughed, “Heh. That’s mica for you.”
That’s it! T-2 pointed at the rock before pointing to themselves insistently.
“Micah? You want to be called Micah now?”
Micah nodded eagerly, and Richard smiled warmly, “Not a bad name. I think it’s fitting even. Well then, Micah, what do you say we go get you that hot meal I promised you earlier?”
