Alex Carter: A Red Band Society Fanfiction

It's Not Okay

Jordi woke up when they were moving him. It was quite disconcerting to wake up and find that you were rolling down a hallway. He squinted his eyes at the bright lights, confused. He looked around to see who was pushing him. Nurse Jackson's smile met his groggy eyes.

It only took a few minutes, but once he was awake reality came crashing down around him. His mother was gone. Just like that. Gone. He felt his eyes begin to fill with tears. He blinked them away rapidly, as if the absence of them would disprove the truth that she'd left him. Again.

Nurse Jackson didn't say anything as he got settled into his familiar bed in The Swamp. He looked up at the ceiling and stared at it blankly, until it was all blurry, it's lines unidentifiable.

He heard the door open, and he hastily rubbed his eyes to make sure no tears had escaped. He looked over and saw Alex, engrossed in a book. Her eyes didn't move from the pages, so she wasn't aware of his presence. She sat down on her bed and put the book aside. "Glad to see they moved you back," she said, finally turning to look at him.

"Uh, yeah. They had no reason to keep me in the ICU since I was back to normal. Or, as normal as a kid living in the hospital can be," He added with a grin.

She smiled. "So it's just down to the terminal disease then?"

He laughed, glad to see she was treating him normally, despite everything she knew.

"What were you reading?" He asked, hoping for a distraction from anything that had to do with him passing out and his mother leaving.

"A Scandal in Bohemia," She said, and laughed at Jordi's confused expression. "It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery," she clarified. "It's my favorite one."

Her eyes glowed passionately as she told him about it, and he smiled. She was giving him the perfect distraction. Completely random, but it was hard not to get swept up in it when he saw how much she loved it.

Just then, Nurse Jackson came into the room, and everything was thrown right back in his face.

"Jordi, I know you need some time, but you need to know that your mother has signed the papers, and you're all set to get ready to be emancipated," she said, sadly.

"Oh, thanks." I said, hoping my generic response and impassive expression successfully hid everything going on inside.

"I'm sorry," Nurse Jackson said, before she walked out of the room.

It was a short silence, but it was enough. Alex quickly recovered and began talking again. "So, where was I? Oh, right. So, he decides to--"

"Alex," I cut her off, "It's okay. Thanks. "

She sighed. "Jordi..."

"Alex, it's okay," I assured her. "I'm going to be emancipated. It's what I wanted in the first place."

"Jordi, it's not okay. Don't dismiss it. You don't have to talk about it, but don't tell yourself that what she did was okay. You let her back into your life, you gave her one last chance. She ruined it. Yeah, it hurts. But it's supposed to. Sometimes you need a little pain to know you're human."

Jordi stared at her, in awe of her ability to always say the right thing. "How is it that you always end up rendering me speechless?" he finally asked her.

She just smiled, glad her words had taken the right effect.

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Meanwhile, Surprise surprise,  something was happening with me. Yes, me. A kid in a coma can have drama too.

"What are you doing here? Today's not one of your days, James Taylor," called Nurse Jackson as she stopped my dad in the hallway.

"Not once have I played a James Taylor song," he replied.

"I'm just nudging you towards what I think might be your comfort zone," she said, as she walked him away from my room. "Alright now listen. You need to go home. Now. "

"I can't be here tomorrow," he protested. "My shifts changed at work." He persisted. "Does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters," Nurse Jackson said, once again stopping him from advancing to my room. "I keep tabs on who goes where when because there's always a why. Understood?" She asked.

He nodded but tried to move past her again.

"Mandy is here," she said, firmly.  That got his attention.

"Why? What's happening? S-She's supposed to be  working today," He said, confused.

"Yes she is, isn't she? Normally, Mandy works Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and her graveyard shifts are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, with alternating Mondays off. I know these things for a reason," She finished firmly.

"They're coming today, aren't they?" He asked, realizing.

Who? Oh, them. Dang it.

"I'll call you when it's safe to come back."

He nodded, and left.

"What's up with Charlie's dad?" Kara asked from down the hall. Nurse Jackson turned and saw her leaning against the wall.

"How did you know--Never mind, I'm late for rounds," Nurse Jackson replied.

"Wait," Kara said, not letting her leave. "Was that tragic waitress who was crashing in my room last night Snooze Doggy-Dog's mom?" She asked, skeptically.

"Shut it down, Kara. Okay? Today is not the day. You understand me?" Nurse Jackson pushed past her.

"And why is today different from all other days?" Kara asked Nurse Jackson's retreating figure.

All she got was a meaningful glare.