From day one, Fiona knew that her little boy, Jack was not normal. Even when a baby, Jack would not let his mother touch him. Now coming up to his second birthday, Jack has not even shown signs of speaking to his mother! Needless to say, Fiona was stressed- she had not even put on her make-up this morning!
And on top of this, her abusive ex, Kyle had tried to get in touch with her. No doubt to try and apolagise for everything he put her and little Jack through. Too little too late, she thought as she waited in the doctors waiting room. Jack was playing with the abucus, dragging the yellow and red wooden beads across and back again in the same pattern.
"Jacky, it's almost time to come inside"
She called to her brethren, as she walked up to him and tried to carry him, for the little tyke just to cry. As Fiona got looks for trying to calm down Jack, she put him down and looked back at them. At one point, Fiona could of swore there was an old lady shaking her head her. It was not like she was a bad mother!
Sorry for being a bad parent, she thought to herself as she managed to calm down Jack. Jack was the cutest little boy you had ever seen. A little tuft of curly black hair, and those baby blue eyes above his naturally chubby cheeks. He was almost a spit of his mother.
His mother was a small figure, with shoulder length black hair and bluey green eyes. Fiona was a beautiful women if you ever saw her. She has a posture of a noblewoman, with a straight back and her heels firmly pointed on the ground she stood on. It was hard to tell she was an orphan with the way she dressed and walked.
As Fiona was called in, she signaled to Jack as he followed his mother through the double green doors of the clinic. Walking down the hall, Fiona felt nervous. What happens if he was just a slow learner? Or if he had some sort of learning dificulty? Fiona tried not to think about it, but the more she tried not to, the more she thought of Kyle, her abusive ex.
They finally got to the room where they needed to be. Fiona opened the door. It had a label on it, 'Doctor Flora Rollins". The name 'Flora' reminded Fiona of the garden she had as a child, in the carehome. She was glad she was out of that place, and finally raising the handsome young child she brought into this world.
As they stepped into the room, Fiona saw two seats. They were seperated by a table, and on the other side of the table was a women facing a laptop. That must be the Doctor, Fiona thought to herself. She could not wait for this hearing to be over.
"Hello there, Fiona. What is the problem?" She asked, her voice was like a soft velvet pillow, and tasted like honey. She sounded as sweet as the candy store. Fiona was glad she had this doctor.
"Well, Doctor Rollins. My son, Jacky is aproaching his second birthday in a few months. He knows how to walk, but is not even attempting to talk yet."
"Intresting. Did Jack have an attention for comfort, when he was a baby?"
"Jack would not let me touch him. When I tried to burp him, or change his nappy, he would always moan and scream."
The Doctor thought for a while before asking another question. She was trying to determine a number of things.
"OK, was Jack breast fed? Or did you put him on formula milk?"
"I breast fed him for a few months. Jack did not like it, and after a while we put him on formula" Fiona was scared. Scared for her child. Would he be the normal, everyday kid on the street, playing Football and Soccer on the field.
"OK, how is Jack with his father?" The Doctor tried not to be intruding, her tone was still as sweet as ever, but she started to get serious.
"Me and Kyle split up not too long ago. He was an alcholic, and I decided it was best for Jacky if we left."
The Doctor thought long and hard about this. Tapping on the table as if to imply she was thinking. She sipped her slightly cold Coffee, and typed away on her laptop.
"I am not making it offcial until you see a specialist, but I am going other the lines of low functioning Autism."
Fiona's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She was scared, frightened. She did not know what to do or say. She went into a state of shock, until she saw Jacky, sitting on the floor next to her. Seeing Jack sitting on the floor made her worries go away. She loved Jacky with all her heart, but she was upset. Upset about the fact Jacky might never be able to make friends. Might never be able to talk. But the worst feeling, was that Jacky might not even be able to lead a normal life.
"Will...will he be...you know..?" Fiona asked, with a scared tone in her voice.
"Normal? Fiona, normal is only what you deem it to be. Jack could be really normal, and lead a nice life. Or, he could be really normal, not lead a nice life, but loved by everybody he knows"
Fiona tried to keep her tears back, but they just flooded out. The doctor comforted her, walking to her chair and offering her tissue. Jack looked up at his crying mummy, like she was a baby like him. Fiona kneeled down to her son, Jack who looked at her and opened his mouth for a big grin. Fiona smilled back at him. It was the least she could do.
A few hours later, Fiona looked at Jack who was fast asleep in his cot. His curly hair made him look cute as he wore his striped pyjamas. She slowly backed away from the cot, like a truck in reverse but without the sirens. She looked outside through her bay window, it was a peaceful and calm night, but she knew somewhere, Kyle was drinking.
Suddenly, a knocking sound disturbed the sleeping baby. As Fiona went to the door, she started singing a song. A song that imedietly calmed down Jack. It was a smooth, loving type song. Like soul music, it proberbly helped that Fiona has such a great voice. As soon as she got to the door, she heard a manly voice finish of the song she was singing, and she knew exactly who he was. She imedetly opened the door.
"Your still singing soul then?"
Fiona could not belive her eyes. The same figure she split up with. That man. The same man with the messy brown hair, so messy you would of thought he was homeless. He smelt of beer and urine, and he had a can of beer in one hand. He struggled to stay still, rocking about from side to side.
"Kyle. What brings you back here?"
Kyle brought his middle finger to her mouth. Taking a swig of his beer, swallowing and spitting out his spit after drinking that. He stumbled into the living room, and towards the cot. He tried to pick up Jack, but Fiona turned him around.
"Jack don't like being touched"
"I am his dad, did you forget that already?"
Kyle took another gulp of his beer, letting the strong substance go down his throat. He stumbled onto the sofa, and began to flick through the TV channels.
"Kyle, I was watching that" Fiona said angrily.
"Well, you watch crap on TV" He said in response, taking another gulp of his beer.
Fiona snapped, and took the beer off of him. She grabbed his arm and threw him out of the front door. Her garden was a lush, exotic place protected by a round hedge. It was a beautiful estate too, half the houses must have been really expensive!
"Kyle, come round here again, and I will phone the police! I already said, I don't want you in Jacky's life until you sober up"
Kyle stumbled to his feet. He cursed underneath his breath, his senses failing him. He nearlly fell into one of the rose bushes after he got to his feet. As he got out of the garden, he threw up on the sidewalk. All of that alchohol was now heavily effecting his blood flow. Fiona sighed and dragged him back into the garden.
"You sleep on the sofa, you don't talk to Alfie, and your gone in the morning as soon as your sober. Until then, go to bed"
Fiona sighed, sitting on the armchair as she watched something Kyle put on TV, wrestling. Kyle loved wrestling, and whenever Jacky was awake he used to watch it with his mum and dad. He took a big liking to it too. Fiona sighed, and went into thought not too long after. She then fell asleep, looking at the TV, with Jack in the corner of her eye.
