The night in the hospital was very calm, thanks to the anti inflammatory medications and the painkillers they gave me the pain disappeared very quickly over the course of the night, allowing me to have a pleasant sleep.
The next day mom and I were with the doctor in the hospital room, the latter was giving me the final check up to be able to authorize the discharge.
"Everything seems to be fine" murmured the doctor, "now, PJ, does it hurt if I touch this area?" he asked touching with two fingers the general area of the hit.
Feeling the soft sting of the pain. "A little, but I can handle it" I responded.
Patting my shoulder affectionately. "Perfect" commented the doctor, "well, I think that would be all" he added moving forward in front of us, "of course general recommendations, don't do anything strenuous, the calmer you can be for a couple of days the better" he warned me, "if the pain comes back take the prescribed painkillers and if the pain becomes unbearable or if there is dizziness, vomiting or difficulty in sight, you'll have to come back" he told me obviously "but for now you seem to be fine."
Nodding. "Great" I said standing up.
Thanking the doctor, mom and I left the room only taking a couple of steps before she stopped short. "I'm sorry honey, I need to go to the bathroom" mom said with sudden urgency, "I'll see you in the waiting room" she added while moving toward the bathroom.
Seeing the woman almost running with short and quick steps. "Sure" I said amused at her back, walking in the opposite direction a second later.
A few steps ahead, upon turning the corner at the end of the hallway, a small child walking quickly tripped into me hitting his head against my hip. "Oof" I heard as I felt the hit. Fortunately I was able to react in time, catching the child before he fell to the ground.
At approximately five years old, the child craned his neck to be able to look up at me, while rubbing his head where he had hit my hip.
"Sorry little buddy, I wasn't watching where I was going" I told him ruffling his hair.
Hiding how surprised he had been by the collision. "It's ok" the child assured me "I didn't hurt myself" he added with bravado, smiling so as not to show that the hit had actually hurt him.
Snorting amused I nodded. "I'm glad" I said moving out of the child's way, inviting him to move forward, "careful around corners" I reminded him winking. I wasn't carrying anything, but that didn't mean a hospital was a place to move around carelessly.
Nodding with a bit of embarrassment, the child continued on his way, this time much slower than when he collided with me. Watching the child move forward I noticed his gait strangely.
Something isn't right.
His walk, even though he tried to hide it, was very unstable. He constantly tripped over nothing but his own feet and moved slightly tilted to one side.
Making up my mind. "Wait kid!" I stopped him, "what's your name?" I asked taking a step toward him.
"I'm Oliver" the child responded, "nice to meet you" he added a moment later, as if remembering that was the next step, extending his hand looking for a handshake.
Holding his hand I smiled, although my worry grew. Apparently without noticing it, when raising his hand, Oliver was aiming poorly at me. Instead of directly putting his hand in front of his body and therefore in my direction, he pointed slightly outward.
Definitely something was wrong.
"Oliver, my name is PJ" I said hiding the worry on my face, "where's your mom?" I asked releasing the child's hand. I didn't want to seem like someone dangerous.
Pointing behind himself with his thumb, in the general direction of the offices. "There" the child responded easily, "she's talking with the doctor" he added.
"Oh, is she sick?" I asked doing everything possible to study the child as much as I could.
There had to be something.
"Oh no, we came because I fell off my bed and hit my head" the child admitted as if the idea were foolish, "mom got scared so we had to come" he added huffing.
"Really?" I asked, finally finding what I was looking for.
Knowing the prior existence of head trauma, and from the signs I saw, I immediately looked into the child's eyes, it could be from the hallway light and the height difference, but as I had thought one of his pupils was dilated while the other was not.
It was a very serious problem, one that had to be treated as an emergency. It was obvious that if the child's mom was talking with the doctor, he had already been checked, and if what I was seeing wasn't a trick of the light then whoever the doctor was who examined him made an error of omission, one that could cost the child his life.
"Yes, I even assured her that I was fine" the child said shrugging, "I'm really strong, like superman" he added and all the movement made it impossible for me to see his eyes correctly.
"I see" I nodded smiling at the child, mentally debating what to do.
Deciding I couldn't do nothing. "Oliver, do you think your mom could help me?" I asked the child crouching down to his level in a kind of squat, "I'm lost" I said theatrically scratching my own head adding to the lie. I knew the best way to deal with a child was to make them feel involved.
Also it gave me the perfect excuse to study his eyes.
As I planned, the child nodded almost immediately. "Of course my mom can help you" he said turning on his feet not noticing my change of expression.
Definitely the size of his pupils was irregular.
Following Oliver to one of the last offices in the hallway, one with the door open, I sped up my pace to enter right alongside him.
Inside the room a woman, clearly Oliver's mom, and a doctor were chatting.
Despite my effort, Oliver ran as soon as the woman was in sight, jumping directly into her arms but narrowly dodging the door frame and the legs of the chair where the woman was sitting.
The doctor looked completely exhausted, dark bags under his eyes, drooping eyelids, his hair was poorly arranged and he seemed to be sweating despite the not so warm weather, it wasn't hard to see how he had ignored the clear symptoms of an Epidural Hematoma.
Oliver's mother, being pulled out of the conversation in such a way was the first to notice me at the door.
"Hello" I said immediately, "you must be Oliver's mom, I found him in the hallway and thought about walking him back", I explained quickly causing the child to look at me intrigued.
I'm sorry kid.
"Ah, thank you so much, this child has too much energy I didn't even notice when he disappeared" the woman said laughing embarrassedly.
"Don't mention it" I said smiling stiffly, I wasn't one to judge a mother. "Excuse me doctor, I have a question about Oliver", I added a moment later turning to the man, "I noticed that Oliver walks with quite a bit of loss of balance" I said, I didn't want to simply state my suspicions no matter how well founded they were, years as a paramedic had taught me the hard way. Besides who would believe a strange teenager.
Tilting his head slightly back, puzzled. "Of course that's normal, Oliver is a growing child" the doctor responded simply sharing a look with the child's mother trying to keep the woman from getting scared, "it can seem like he's losing his balance when he's really just walking."
"Ah, I see" I said stiffly. It could seem like a genuine answer, but I had seen enough doctors dismissing me to recognize it. "It's just that it seemed strange to me that Oliver would walk and trip over his own gait" I stated with certain insistence looking fixedly at the doctor who only furrowed his brow.
Keeping an uncomfortable silence for a long second, the doctor didn't seem to grasp what I was trying to say. Sighing disappointed. "Well" I said before he had the chance to kick me out, "it was a pleasure to meet you" I turned to mother and son, "by the way it's interesting that Oliver has one pupil bigger than the other" I commented as if it were an intrusive thought.
My last attempt before simply accusing the doctor of malpractice.
Even so Oliver's mother had enough time to, puzzled, turn the child on her lap and murmur. "Huh, I had never noticed that."
Finally straightening up in his chair and for the first time since I entered the office opening his eyes wide, the doctor stood up. "One pupil bigger than the other?" he asked surprising mother and son.
Turning to him. "Yes, haven't you noticed?" I asked, "his right pupil is at least one or two millimeters bigger than the left, like... what was the word?" I asked looking fixedly at the man who moved until he was a few steps from mother and son.
"Dilated?" he asked looking at me fixedly.
Clenching my fists furious. "That's it, dilated" I said doing everything possible not to show how I felt, there was very little urgency in the man despite already knowing what could be happening "his right eye is more dilated than the left, it's easy to notice if you really pay attention" I said putting emphasis on the last part.
Noticing the change in the behavior of the previously carefree doctor. "Is that normal?" asked the now nervous mother.
Smiling uncomfortably, the man switched his attention to the mother. "It might be nothing" he excused himself foolishly trying to cover his ass, "Oliver doesn't have symptoms, no vomiting, headache, only a little dizziness" he said checking the child, "there was no way to know" he added avoiding the woman's gaze.
It only took paying attention to the child's eyes for the doctor to freeze. A reaction that the mother of course noticed.
"What's going on?" she asked. Pulling the doctor out of his shock.
Moving forward without responding to the woman, the doctor moved quickly to the phone on his desk, calling some numbers before speaking with agitation. "I have an Epidural Hematoma in a child" he said with evident distress, "call the surgeon on call and reserve an OR" he ordered surely to a nurse on the other line.
Surely knowing the answer just from all the doctor's behavior. "Is that bad?" asked the now extremely worried mother.
Urging the woman to follow him out of the room, the doctor left at a hurried pace completely ignoring me.
Without understanding what had happened around him. "Is everything ok PJ, you seem upset" asked Oliver with whom I now found myself alone in the room.
Releasing the tightness with which my fists were clenched. "Yes, I'm better now" I smiled at the child, "listen to me Oliver, you have to be brave ok?" I asked the child.
A second later, and before Oliver could respond anything to me. The child's mother entered the room taking Oliver in her arms, it was obvious she was extremely furious, at least until she saw me.
It seemed the doctor had done part of his job in explaining what was happening.
Relaxing her furrowed brow. "Thank you so much" she said trying to smile despite what she was feeling.
"Don't mention it" I said pressing my jaw.
Nodding as a farewell, she turned leaving at a hurried but not desperate pace surely so as not to scare Oliver.
Oliver, puzzled by how sudden everything was, smiling said goodbye to me over his mom's shoulder.
Outside the room I could see a group of nurses next to another doctor, helping the woman put the child in a wheelchair and at a fast pace move away from the offices.
Hopefully to an operating room.
Entering through one side of the door, the doctor who previously seemed about to die in his chair, now more awake looked at me fixedly. "A moment of your time?" he said offering the seat the woman had previously used, "how is it that you knew Oliver needed help" he asked me pressing his hand against the side of his head, it seemed he had the start of a migraine.
Good.
"I don't understand" I lied doing my best effort not to be curt.
It seemed it wasn't enough. "Yeah right" murmured the doctor shaking his head, "look kid, maybe I'm not the smartest guy out there, but even I notice certain things, like how insistent you were about the diagnosis" he said rubbing his face down to his neck, "and I understand you might be upset with me" he added huffing, something he immediately regretted, "but yesterday was a pretty heavy day for me" he declared with resentment for no one in particular, "yes, maybe I ignored Oliver's symptoms, actually I don't know how you didn't" he furrowed his brow puzzled, surely thinking about it only at that instant, "well, I already apologized to his mother, so now I want to thank you".
A heavy day huh.
On his desk there was a large bottle of water almost completely empty, given the time of day it hadn't been long since he'd drunk it, he was sweating profusely despite the air conditioning in the office, added to his muscle pain and through the half closed windows, I'd say he also has light sensitivity. I wasn't one to judge another person and their habits, but I was almost completely sure that his 'heavy day' had involved large amounts of alcohol.
"Sure" I sighed now genuinely upset. Shaking my head impressed I headed to the door to leave the office without saying anything else.
"You know what?" he asked suddenly upbeat "you should study medicine, you have a great attention to detail", the doctor declared smiling.
For being the same man who moments ago had proudly declared that he could 'notice certain' things he was quite blind.
Stopping in the doorway. "Yes, I hope to be a great doctor who doesn't put the lives of small children at risk by negligently doing what should be a job well done" I said smiling at the man, slamming the door a moment later with a bit of luck making a lot of noise. If my theory was true, and the man really had a hangover, such a loud and sudden noise must hurt a lot.
Being honest I had no idea what had taken hold of me, usually I let the whole circus with arrogant doctors pass with a bit of extra bile in my system. But this time it was different.
Upon arriving at the waiting room, as I had promised, mom was already there, waiting. Getting closer I noticed how she seemed to be in shock with her eyes unfocused looking at nothing. Worried I approached. "Mom, are you ok?" I asked.
Snapping out of her daze. "Oh PJ, where were you?" she asked completely ignoring my question.
"I had to quickly go to the bathroom" I responded still studying her behavior.
During the trip back home I tried to bring to light the reason why she seemed so worried in the waiting room, but nothing worked, in the short time I've known mom Amy, I've realized how much she talks. That she didn't talk the whole way home while completely alone inside the car, and me trying to make conversation, was quite worrying.
Upon arriving home I noticed the moving truck was no longer there, surely Bob, Teddy and Gabe finished unloading the things. "Your father isn't here, I don't see his horrible truck anywhere" mom said looking around the front of the house.
Parking the car mom started crying again, I didn't understand what was happening or why she had these sudden mood changes, until I started thinking about everything that had happened to her since yesterday and it suddenly hit me, of course, how could I call myself a doctor if I wasn't able to diagnose it. "You're pregnant!" I shouted, and saying mom was surprised would be an understatement, turning her face toward me abruptly.
"How do you know that, no wait, pregnancy? no at my age?, no erase that too, I'm very young of course I could get pregnant again, but pregnant right now, no" she said quickly stumbling over every word she said.
Smiling widely. "Calm down mom" I raised my hands, "breathe, everything will be fine, of course you're young and of course you're pregnant, what great news, I'm going to be a big brother again" although really for me, I had never lived the experience of being an older brother. This would be the first time and that's why I was so excited, although of course I couldn't tell mom that.
Staying silent for a couple of seconds, mom started crying again. "Oh PJ, you can't tell anyone, not your dad and much less your siblings, Teddy is so upset about the move, I don't know if I want her getting more upset over a new baby. When Gabe was born she was so mad, do you remem- oh" she said, remembering a second later that I had amnesia.
With one hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Calm down mom, I won't tell anyone" I assured her, "but you, at some point you'll have to do it".
"Yes, I know" mom murmured, "thank you" she added hugging me. Staying in a fairly comfortable silence for a couple of seconds, mom seemed to remember something and, pulling away from the hug, said "wait a minute, how do you know I'm-" until a knock on the window stopped her scaring us both.
Gabe pressing his face against the driver's window and kept knocking until we turned. "Mom, I'm hungry" he said furrowing his brow, "dad didn't give me food, and Teddy is locked in her new room. She won't talk to anyone" he added with desperation.
From the scare, and because Gabe could have heard everything about her pregnancy mom huffed annoyed. "Gabe, for the love of God, go back inside the house right now", she shouted.
Seeing that they ignored his request, Gabe exasperated moved away from the car. "Sure, ignore the hungry kid" he shouted while going back to the house.
With one hand on her chest and trying to relax her breathing, mom huffed. "What were we talking about?" she asked, furrowing her brow trying to think.
Before she could say anything else. "I don't know mom" I interrupted her, "but I have to go unpack my things" I added scratching the side of my head, "I already lost a lot of time yesterday" I joked, opening the car door a moment later. "Gabe wait!" I shouted jogging behind the child.
Not managing to catch up to Gabe inside the house I looked in the rooms, except one that had the door closed, surely Teddy's. Finding then what would be my room and Gabe's, with two separate beds, one with piles of unopened boxes on it, and the other with dozens of comic books scattered around.
Also, at the foot of the bed, that I now established as mine, I found three guitars. Two of which were electric and one acoustic. From PJ's clothes and the conversations with mom last night, I knew he had a Rock music band with Emmet his friend from Colorado, called 'PJ and the vibe'.
Music was really never my thing, but I would like to find something that I'm as passionate about as PJ, after all I promised I would live this life better and that included living my life for real. Music definitely wasn't for me, but maybe something else.
Unpacking the boxes I noticed that PJ was really a person who cared little about his personal hygiene, the boxes marked as clean clothes were full of smelly clothes and with suspicious stains. There was in contrast one box marked as dirty clothes, I didn't even dare to open it.
All this lack of hygiene reminded me of how I used to live in my apartment in California, and therefore I had to change it. I needed a haircut and a new wardrobe, for that I need money.
Thinking about how I could get money, I returned my attention to the guitars at the foot of my bed.
If I wasn't going to use them, someone else should use them. Seeing Gabe's bed and with it the comic books that obviously belonged to PJ, I remembered how this family seems to forget a bit about the youngest son, at least from what I saw in the short time I've known them.
Leaving the guitars carefully on his bed, I began unpacking the rest of the boxes, I was sure there would be at least one without suspicious fluids or unpleasant smells.
Upon finishing unpacking my things, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. I remembered that I not only had Gabe as a sibling.
Knocking hard on the door, since on the other side there was music at a very high volume. "Teddy it's PJ, open up" I shouted.
"PJ, let me talk to her" mom said appearing behind me. Guiding me by the arm so I'd get out of her way. "You go find Gabe, I saw him leave the house, I hope he's not bothering the neighbors like with Mrs Dabney back in Colorado" she murmured knocking on my sister's door.
Not understanding who Mrs Dabney was, I went out to the neighbors' house. Noticing their garage door conveniently open, I approached checking if there was someone before having to knock on the door.
Gabe wasn't there, but there was a child of approximately his same age playing with what looked like a remote controlled miniature train.
"Nice toy, a miniature train" I said making myself known, surprising the child in the process.
Jumping in place, hugging the remote control that controlled the miniature train's speed. "Who are you?" the child asked in a high pitched voice, strangely formal for his age.
Before I could respond. "Shelly dinner's ready" a woman's voice interrupted me from inside the house, surely the child's mom.
"I'm PJ, nice to meet you Shelly" I responded taking a small building from the table, "we just moved, I'm looking for my little brother" I put my hand at approximately the height I remembered of Gabe, "is he around here?"
With a grimace of annoyance on his face. "Please don't touch anything" Shelly exclaimed running rigidly toward me, snatching the toy building from my hands a moment later, "everything has its established place" he declared putting it back in the exact same spot where he had taken it from with extreme care.
Embarrassed by my rudeness. "Sorry" I said raising my hands.
It was my fault, I thought that since he was a child I could treat him casually.
"If your brother is a very annoying and rude child named Gabe, then yes, he's inside my house at the table with my family about to have dinner by invitation of my twin sister."
Before either of us could say anything else. "Sheldon if you don't get in here, I'm gonna lick your toothbrush" this time a little girl's voice interrupted us.
Carefully leaving his remote control on the table. "Nice to meet you" he said with urgency, "now, please leave and don't touch anything else. Your hands are full of germs" he added before running inside the house. "Coming!" he shouted on his way.
What a strange child, he seems like an adult man in a child's body.
Ha! The irony.
...
I'm not a doctor and I don't know 100% how the united states medical system works.
The neighbors are of course the Cooper family from "Young Sheldon" which you can watch on Paramount Plus, and if someone still doesn't know, the protagonist is the oldest son from the Disney Channel show "Good Luck Charlie", you can watch it on Disney Plus. The family will only serve as a family backgraund for the protagonist and as the show already exists I'll only take the personalities of the characters, possibly some things will be similar to the show, but obviously not the same and others will change completely, if you have any suggestions I'm completely ears (or eyes really since I'll read it).
...
July 06, 2026
Edited.