L in L, Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Neiter Rasberry Girl or I own the Animorphs. This is done for entertainment purposes only. Please do not sue us.
This chapter is dedicated to Jinako-Chan J
BZZZZZZZ!
The alarm clock rang out as I groggily opened my eyes. I glanced over at the alarm clock.
7 AM.
This is too early for any normal human being to wake up, I thought to myself as I pulled the covers off of myself.
By the way, my name is Jake. Yes, that Jake. Jake Berenson. The same Jake Berenson who fought and successfully won the guerilla war against the Yeerks. The same Jake Berenson who hijacked a Yeerk fighter and defeated 'The One'.
At the expense of my legs.
I used to be one of the universe's greatest leaders. Now I need help getting out of bed everyday.
That's the reality of being a paraplegic.
The simplest things, such as walking to the kitchen to get a glass of milk, or playing a game of pickup basketball, are but a dream now.
I sighed and looked over to my fiancée. Cassie was still asleep, oblivious to the alarm. I couldn't help but stare at her beauty. Her gorgeous face. Her full and luscious lips. Her dark brown skin. She was getting a little chubby though.
We'll have to have a little talk about that…but it's probably because she's been so busy these days…
I reached over to brush some stray hair from her forehead.
She must have felt my hand on her head, because she started to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and then she turned and smiled at me.
"Good morning," she yawned, nuzzling against me.
"Good morning yourself,"
I must be the luckiest guy on Earth…
"How are you feeling?" She asked me.
"Tired, kind of," I answered.
"Tired? How can you be tired? You slept for twelve hours!" she exclaimed.
I shrugged and leaned back into my pillow. She gently intertwined her hand into mine.
"It must be the meds," I told her.
"Jake, my face is here,"
"Oh, sorry." I looked up.
"Well, we'll talk to your doctor about changing some of the doses to your medications. There's no reason that you should be tired all the time."
She rubbed my hand.
"Besides, I need you to keep up your energy for certain things…" she winked.
"And what 'things' are we talking about?" I played innocent.
"Oh, I'm sure you already know…"she said dryly.
She leaned in for a kiss, but at that moment, we heard a scream.
"MOMMY! DA-DDY!"
That would be our two-year old daughter, Rachel. She's my heart. It was one big shock when I found out that I had a child, but now that I know, there isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for her. She is so precious. It's as if someone took Cassie and me, and mixed us up in a blender. She has my eyes, a hint of my nose, and my hair color. Her face is a real toss-up, with Cassie's features and my features both prominent. Her skin is a beautiful caramel color, and she has a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
In short, she's adorable.
But right now, her cute face was twisted into a mask of terror. She ran from the door and jumped onto our bed, holding her teddy bear.
"Oh Rae, what's wrong?"
"Mommy! I had bad dweem. Big wed eye!" she said, terrified. "He hate me!" she started to cry.
"Rae, come here baby."
Cassie picked Rachel up and held her in her arms.
"I'm here, and your father is here. Bad monsters like that, they're only in your dreams. They can't hurt you."
"Your mom is right, Rae. We're here to protect you. No bad monster will get to you, I swear."
I rubbed her little head.
"Now do you think that you can go back to bed while Mommy makes your breakfast?"
Rachel nodded.
"Why don't I get started in the kitchen, and you can watch her until I'm ready?" Cassie said, handing me the baby.
"That sounds good.' I said, laying Rachel down on the bed.
"Is oatmeal okay?" Cassie asked
"Yeah, that's fine."
"Don't forget to take your meds before you eat."
"Don't worry Cass, I won't." I looked over at the night table. Cassie must have put them out the night before. Cassie went into the bathroom and got a glass of water for me.
"Here you go,"
"Thanks," I lied.
Personally, I was getting tired of taking meds. They left me tired and queasy. Besides, what were they going to do? Make me magically better? The doctors, even the Ellimist, said that there was nothing that anyone could do to make me better. So what was the point? Especially those anti-depressants. They didn't make me feel any better.
I swallowed all of my pills except the anti-depressant, I crumbled it up while Cassie
started to look towards the baby, who was quickly starting to doze off.
"I'll be in the kitchen," Cassie said as she left the room.
I looked at Rae; she seemed okay, for now.
It's so weird; she never sleeps past 6…
I watched her for a few minutes, afraid to turn away.
It's times like this, just sitting here with my daughter that I love. Just laying eyes on her is enough to make my day better. I can't even imagine a day without Rachel now. No matter how bad of a day I'm having, I just look into my daughter's eyes, and I know things will be okay. So I gently lifted myself out of the bed, and put myself in my chair. Then, I picked a now-sleeping Rachel off of the bed. I cradled her in my arms
"All right Rae, let's go devour that oatmeal."