For Just One More Day with You

2. Small World

Author's Note: So nice to see most of you back here :) Please see the AN at the end of this one?

2. Small World

"Are you... Mitch Grassi?"

Mitch stared back at the man for a minute, unsure of what the hell was going on.

Then, he nodded.

Scott smiled. "No way."

"Am I a celebrity and my brain injury has made me forget this small fact?"

Scott laughed.

"You're weirding me out. Elaborate."

"You went to Arlington East Elementary."

Mitch nodded, his eyes narrowing.

"We were in Ms. Luna's class together. In fifth grade."

Mitch sat up, and turned his entire body to face Scott, since his neck couldn't swivel even if he wanted it to.

"Scott... Hoying?"

Scott nodded, smiling beautifully.

"Wow. Small world."

He remembered the blond from when they were younger. He was pretty popular, from what Mitch could recall. They didn't talk much, but he remembered Scott being very nice, and one of the smarter kids in his class. He was good at sports too, which was frustrating. He was seemingly good at everything. And he was cute. Very cute.

And then he disappeared, from the school and from Mitch's mind entirely.

"You moved after that year, right?"

Scott shook his head. "Homeschooled."

Mitch raised an eyebrow. "Homeschooled? Why?"

Scott gestured to the EEG pads on his temples. "Medical reasons."

Mitch leaned forward. "What happened?"

"That summer, I had my first seizure. I was playing soccer at my uncle's house with my cousins. I just... collapsed. I don't remember it. I never do. I just remember feeling weird beforehand. Anyway, next thing I knew, I was in the hospital and they diagnosed me with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy."

"That quickly? After one seizure?"

Scott shrugged. "It's hereditary. Runs on my dad's side. His brother has it. My older sister, Lauren also has it. So they knew right away. They confirmed it later. Easily."

"And after one seizure you had to leave school?"

It didn't make sense.

"They say that sometimes seizures act a lot like a Skinner Box."

Mitch stared blankly at Scott, trying to wrap his head around how a seizure can be compared to a rat in a box with a lever.

"Once a seizure happens, it's like it learned how to do it. So it happens much more often after the first time, once it figures out how the Skinner Box works."

"So after the first one, you had them a lot?"

Scott nodded.

"That must be terrifying."

"Yeah... they were unpredictable, so Lauren and I were homeschooled just to make sure nothing happened to us at school."

"Why are you in here now? Isn't epilepsy pretty treatable?"

"Most of the time. Mine and Lauren's is bit trickier. It's kind of stubborn. Drug resistant. We have to have our meds tweaked a lot. The damn rat in our brains keeps figuring out the Skinner Box." Scott laughed gently.