[HANSON STORIES]

To See Beyond The Surface

Chapter 8 - I Want To Go Home




Jason tried to keep himself busy studying his notes on his new medical procedure that he was working on in the past few months. He glanced up at Taylor who was still sleeping soundly. He found it hard to concentrate. He was worried about Taylor because his temperature went up again and the kid wouldn't eat. He looked down at his notes.
"Ja...Jason?!"
Jason looked up noticing the kid looked scared and confused. He immediately got up from the table and went over by Taylor and sat down next to the bed. He felt his forehead, that was still burning with fever. Taylor looked up at him with sad feverish eyes as he licked his parched lips slowly.
"Is...is it time to take me back to my family yet? Jason? Please I want to go back to them!" Taylor cried out.
"No... no son not yet. You're too sick to move right now." Jason crooned gently, knowing Taylor was delirious with fever.
"You said you would take me back! Please take me back!"
"Shhhh... just rest Taylor."
"Thirsty... I'm so thirsty. Please can I have some water?" Taylor moaned pitifully.
Jason reached for the glass beside the bed on the small table and lifted him up and brought it up to his lips. Taylor drank slowly when he suddenly passed out in Jason's arms as some water dripped out of his mouth. Jason lowered him slowly back on the bed and put the glass back down on the table. Gently he slapped Taylor on the cheek. His eyes slowly opened and tears spilled down his cheeks.
"Is it time to take me back home?" Taylor whimpered with a pleading look on his face.
Jason took down the covers so he could examine Taylor. He lifted up his shirt and pressed his belly slightly. He noticed that he jumped and moaned. He carefully lifted the bandage and noticed there wasn't any infection around the incision. It was healing nicely. He was still a little tender, but everything looked fine. He examined his legs and determined that was healing too. Finally he pulled down the bottoms of the pajamas sightly on the left side where he knew the hip was broken. Jason frowned angrily and saw what was causing the fever. The hip looked bad with a infection forming from the wound. He knew he tried so hard to piece and correct the shattered bone, but it worried him from the beginning. He gently touched the area and Taylor suddenly screamed out in agony.
"Ohhhhh... it hurts! Don't touch it! Please!" Taylor rasped shaking in pain.
"I'm so sorry Taylor. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I want... want to go home! You promised!" Taylor sobbed angrily.
Jason was extremely worried about the kid and this wasn't good. He had to drain the fluid that was forming inside the hip. He quickly got up and pulled all the papers off the kitchen table and draped it with a sheet. He walked back over to Taylor and lifted him up gently. Taylor groaned from the pain he felt in his hip. Jason carried him over to the table and carefully laid him down onto the sheet. He slowly took off Taylor's pajamas and put them on the bed. He took some rubbing alcohol and rubbed it gently over Taylor's body, where he was going to operate, sterilizing the skin as much as possible. He then draped another sheet over him and cut a hole around the area of Taylor's hip. Fear gripped Taylor's insides.
"What... what are you going to do?" He asked with his voice shaking with fearful emotion.
"Taylor...listen to me. I don't know if you understand, but you have a bad infection in your hip bone. I have to drain the fluid and this is going to hurt like hell!"
Taylor started to cry.
"No... nooooo! I... I'm scared! I want my Mom!" Taylor screamed and feeling like he couldn't stand all this pain anymore.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but you are very sick. I have to do this Taylor. I will try not to hurt you anymore than I have too. Okay?" Jason consoled him, petting Taylor's feverish head, trying to comfort him. Taylor swallowed hard and nodded slowly, shivering with fear. Jason found the instruments he was going to use and sterilized them as best he could.
He noticed Taylor was staring at him with fearful eyes, watching his every move. Jason felt bad that he was going to cause the boy more pain. He went through so much already. He was ready to start the procedure, when Taylor reached out his hand, desperately grabbing onto Jason's shoulder.
"Please! Can't you put me under?" Taylor asked tearfully with gasping breaths of fear.
"I can't. I have no more ether. I'm very sorry Taylor. I will try to do this as quickly as possible."
Taylor nodded and closed his eyes bracing for the pain.
"Try not to move now!" Jason then made a deep incision in his hip and Taylor let out a agonizing scream. He pounded the table with his fists and tightly grabbed onto the sheet. The pain was searing as tears rolled down his face and he sobbed gasping for air.
"Please let me faint! Please let me faint!" Taylor thought but his body wouldn't obey him.
"Don't move.... I just have to get this tube in to drain the fluid out now. There done."
Taylor shook uncontrollably. The pain was to much to bear. He reached out to Jason and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.
"Pl...please give me something for the pain Jason! I ca..can't stand it!" He begged through rasping short breaths.
"I only have the paste Taylor. Do you want some?" Jason asked as he gently took Taylor's grabbing fingers off his shirt.
"Ye..yes! Anything! Please!"
Jason wiped the area where he placed the tube and gently bandaged the wound to stop the blood. He went over to the bed and grabbed the pajamas and slowly put them back on him. Taylor groaned when he put on the bottoms to the pajamas while Jason very carefully raised up Taylor's pelvic area, by placing his arm under his hips and pulling the pajamas up to the waist. Jason took the scissors and cut a hole in the area where the tube was in his hip and made sure it was draining properly into the bag that he attached to catch the fluid. He gently lifted him off the table and Taylor groaned again in agony. Taylor put his arms around his neck and hugged onto him tightly and sobbed into Jason's shoulder as he carried him back to the bed. He lowered him down, but he wouldn't let go. Jason tried to pry his arms away and suddenly he was over come with compassion for the boy. He lifted him back up and sat in the chair next to the bed and rocked Taylor in his arms. Tears sprang to his eyes as he started to weep hugging Taylor tightly in a embrace. They both stayed there together for a few minutes clinging onto each other and consoling each other in their sadness and pain. Memories of the past came flooding back to Jason when he remembered the last time he held Mary in his arms.
"Mary!" He sobbed out loud.
Taylor was startled by Jason calling out the name. He gave him a questioning look through his tears. Finally Jason took control of himself and gently layed Taylor back down on the bed. Taylor was still crying and shaking from the pain that racked his body. Jason went to the kitchen and brought back the jar with the bark paste. He scooped some up with his finger and put it by Taylor's lips. Taylor cringed but opened his lips and Jason rubbed it on the roof of his mouth. Taylor coughed crinkling up his nose at the horrible taste in his mouth again.
"Water! Please!" He rasped as he gagged again on the awful tasting paste.
"Here." Jason said lifting him up a little to drink the water. He watched as the boy slowly gulped the water while his tears were running down the sides of his face. Taylor stopped drinking staring into Jason's eyes. He lowered him back down gently resting his head onto the pillow. Jason covered him back up and made sure the tube he put in his side was still draining properly. He felt Taylor's forehead which was still burning with fever. Taylor groaned and stared up at Jason with his sad blue eyes.
"I... I'm so hot! Where's my Dad? Who's Mary?" He asked through his feverish mind.
"Shhhh... Taylor. Just rest now. The paste is taking effect so just close your eyes."
"But...but who's Mary?"
"No one. Shhh... go to sleep now."
"Was she your wife?" Taylor asked feeling the effects of the drug. His pain was subsiding.
"Yes."
"Oh. Th...thanks Jason for helping me. I...I am sorry for not letting go of you but... but I needed..." He could hardly keep his eyes open and he fell asleep not finishing his sentence.

Jason sat there staring at Taylor sleeping soundly. Guilt feelings were forming in his mind. He remembered how desperate his father sounded calling out for the boy. His family was probably in a panic wondering where he was. Jason's heart ached for the boy. All he wanted was to be left alone, but now his life was disrupted by helping this kid.
"Maybe Taylor was right. I should somehow let his family know that he is safe and okay." Jason thought. But how was the question. He didn't want anyone to find him or his cabin. For so many years he was hidden from the world and he liked it that way. He only went to town when he needed more supplies. That was the only contact with other people that he had experienced for years. He thought he would never get close to anyone ever again. But now this boy entered his life and he was bringing up feelings that he thought he had forgotten. He yearned for Mary and David in his heart like never before. Memories of her and the baby flooded his mind since he found the kid and took care of him. Taylor was the only person who didn't seem to care how he looked since the accident. The boy reached out to him and wanted his comfort since he couldn't be with his family. Taylor amazed him and touched his heart deep inside. He felt he had to do something for the kid, so it would ease the boy's mind. Letting his family know what happened to him was the right thing to do.

Suddenly an idea hit him. He got up and went over to the kitchen table and cleared off the sheet and cleaned up the mess. Finally he sat down and took a piece of paper and started writing to Taylor's family, explaining how he found him and that he operated on the boy and as soon as he was well enough he would bring him back to them. He looked over at Snow who was sleeping peacefully curled up on the floor. He got up and went over to him.
"Snow. Snow?"
Snow looked up at him intently.
He folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. He then placed a string through it and tied it around Snow's neck. He walked over to where Taylor was sleeping and checked to see if he was alright. Taylor was sleeping peacefully. He knew he wouldn't wake up for some time, since he gave him the bark paste. He felt it was safe to leave him for awhile. He knew he had to deliver the message to his family.
"Come on Snow! We are going for a walk."


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