Dead But Never Gone

Chapter Four

"He's still breathing normally."

"We're getting the anesthesia from Dr. Lucas right now."

It was too much. It was completely too much. The sight of about four or five doctors at a rush around the dreadlocked boy made him scared out of his own skin. He couldn't do much reacting due to his stomach wanting to tighten up each second. Was this how people in the movies felt when they were being rolled into the surgery room?

Well, unless if you're the girl off of the remake of Halloween II.

Whether he was being rolled on a moving cot or not, Joe still wanted to cry at the moment. His stomach wasn't giving him a chance to relax at all. This was his own personal hell. He was blessed that his parents wouldn't have to be the ones to witness or be a part of it. He didn't want to risk losing either one of them, to be honest. Unfortunately, if he didn't make it through this procedure, he would lose both of them anyway.

Joe, laying there as helpless as a rabbit among bald eagles, looked from left to right at the people in the room with him, all in doctor's coats and wearing stethoscopes around their necks. Wait, what the hell was that? Were those scissors and – good God, injection needles?

The Christian boy hated shots. Ever since he was younger than what he is now, he would hate going to the doctor to get check-ups and the eventual boosters they'll stick inside your arms with those long, sharp needles. Joe bit his lip and cried each time he got one. Sharp objects anywhere in his skin was a pet peeve and a weakness at the same time.

The pain in his stomach grew and his back was hurting some more. Joe gripped onto the bar of the cot, hoping it would go away. It only put a lot of force in his arm, making it hurt so he would have to let go and rest it. But what was he supposed to do about his stomachache?

The numb dreadlocked teen's eyes followed a female doctor's eyes. She observed Joe's state and recorded it on a sheet of paper on her clipboard. The woman seemed to be in her thirties, and she was strikingly pretty yet concerned. Of course one would be concerned about a Christian boy who almost died at home, throwing up everywhere and bumping his head on hardwood floor. Once she had finished writing whatever she had down on paper, she placed the clipboard down and headed back to Joe, looking at his ill facial expression.

"Okay Joseph," she spoke. She sounds like she had a singing career at one point, but then was sent back to college to study anatomy or something. "Can you lift up for me and get undressed? I have a gown for you to put on. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

She handed Joe a folded piece of fabric with a white string dangling off of it. Every time he would have to go through with someone saying, "Take off your clothes for me, young man," he'll get uncomfortable and feel extremely awkward and cold. The doctors knew what they were doing, yes; however, nudity was one of the things he never wanted to discuss with anyone about.

More pain in his stomach made another attack to him. If he wanted to get better, he might as well step out of his comfort zone. Joe grabbed the bars of the portable cot, trying his best to lift himself to sitting position. His stomach and back were giving him a hard time. Probably laying down in the car like that wasn't the best thing to do.

Lucky the female doctor – Dr. Corcoran, to be precise – was there to lift him with her free hand. Joe groaned once he was able to get up, feeling another handful of vomit about to eject from his mouth. His toes, which weren't really covered in the brown sandals he was wearing, curled up in reaction to the torture.

Dr. Corcoran examined him for just a moment. "Joseph," she spoke with that exquisite yet concerned tone. "Is the pain coming back?" Joe nodded in response. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?"

And out of nowhere, more pain fights on the inside of his stomach. Joe wanted to lay back down so bad. That pillow off on the counter in the room seemed very tempting right now.

"Eleven…" he moaned, his hand clenching to his stomach and him leaning forward with his eyes shut. "Please, let me see my mom." He was so desperate. He wanted to get out of there and find his parents in the lobby waiting for him. Too bad his stomachache was already causing problems he didn't even know about.

Dr. Corcoran had her hand on Joe's back, rubbing it in circles. "Once we get through with procedures, you'll be able to see your parents in no time." Joe didn't really know what no time really meant. That was probably hours and hours from now. He hadn't gone into surgery before, so he partly expected for his mom or dad to hold his hand once they get started. Unfortunately, the doctors wouldn't allow them back in the area. "Do you need the bucket?" the wise doctor asked, getting a better look at the patient's ill face.

He couldn't say much, for he could feel around round of puke come up from his stomach. He just nodded, clutching his stomach with both of his hands, and Dr. Corcoran rushed to the other side of the room, where she had found a waste basket. Once she made it back over, Joe couldn't hold it all in anymore. He leaned forward towards the bucket, and upchucked some more of the waste he held in his mouth. To assist him, Dr. Corcoran patted him a couple of times on his back as he coughed out the remains.

Joe was relieved to get all of that out, but this still wasn't over. He still had to make it into the surgery room and allow the doctors to fix his body up while he lay there, asleep. It only gave Joe nightmares of what would happen while he was asleep. What would happen if he had unexpectedly woken up and the doctors were still performing surgery on him?

"I'll let you get dressed into your robe," the female doctor told the young boy, placing the bucket by his cot. "I'll give you your privacy, and you call me when you're done, okay?" She stepped to the side, grabbing at a curtain that had been hanging from the ceiling, and separated herself from the Christian boy in pain. Once he felt like he was alone, Joe reluctantly slipped his sandals off.

Fighting the pain that was attacking his body, Joe took his long-sleeved shirt off, along with the jeans he had on. He was getting cold. The hospital rooms were usually set up that way, which annoyed Joe at the moment, being that he was already tortured by whatever force was acting on his body. He felt the goose bumps on his bare arms as he slightly hugged himself a bit. The cold air in the room was making him uncomfortable, but he had to hurry so he could get better in time.

Joe grabbed the folded robe beside him and unfolded it. He slipped his arms through the sleeves and reached behind his back so he could tie the strings. It was a bit painful still, but he was able to do it by himself okay.

"Are you done in there, Joseph?" the doctor asked from outside the curtains. Joe strained to speak, but his stomach was still acting up, and he couldn't do much. He reached forward to pull the curtain open, and saw Dr. Corcoran come back into view. "Okay, can you lie back down for me? We'll roll you down to the surgery room, okay?" she asked for the confirmation from the dreadlocked boy.

As slowly as he could so he wouldn't trigger the pain anymore, Joe lowered himself back on the cot and allowed Dr. Corcoran to bring the doctors back in to wheel him out of the room. It felt like a really speedy ride through the hallways of the hospital. Joe can feel the scary part of his hospital visit approaching every few seconds. He really hope his fears about surgeries didn't actually come true.

Two of the doctors had pushed two doors open, and Joe's cot made it inside the surgery room without fail. It was almost dark inside. Good thing the lamp lights were on as they continued to push Joe in the room. Once they stopped the cot beside the work area, four of the surgeons lifted Joe off the cot and onto the surgical bed, leaving the three doctors who walked in with him to take the cot out of the room. Dr. Corcoran stayed behind to do some final preparations.

Joe looked at the area around him. Utensils and other supplies needed for the procedure were surrounding him, which made him a bit more frightened. They were actually going to cut his stomach open and do surgery on him. This was the first time he would ever have that happen to him, and his parents weren't close by to help him. All of the stress and nerves getting the better of him made Joe hyperventilate a bit. He really hoped he wouldn't feel anything.

At that moment, he felt someone grip at his right hand. Joe could feel the rubber on their palm and fingers, which made him breathe a bit heavier in anxiousness. "Don't worry about what will happen, Joe," he heard Dr. Corcoran say above him. "We're going to put the mask on you, the anesthesia will go through, and you'll go into a deep sleep so you won't feel a thing."

The dreadlocked teen wasn't so sure. He remembered when he was little when his dad was watching a TV show, and a woman had woke up during the surgery, and was panicking like crazy. Joe didn't want to be like her. What if there wasn't enough medicine to keep him asleep? Did the doctors even know what they were doing?

Someone was standing behind Joe, placing a plastic cap over Joe's head. He was surprised that most of his long dreads could fit inside, for he had a lot of hair that a baseball cap couldn't cover.

Once that was done, Dr. Corcoran released Joe's hand for a moment to place the oxygen mask on Joe's face. This was actually it. They were going to make him go unconscious for a number of hours possibly, and actually cut his abdomen open. He felt like crying because it felt as if they were trying to kill him. But they were doctors, and they were trying to make him feel better. After all, he had a really painful day today, and didn't want to suffer anymore.

Joe felt Dr. Corcoran's hand again gripping against his. "We'll see you as soon as you wake up."

A part of him didn't want to go through with this. He really didn't. He didn't like the idea of people cutting inside his body to mess around with his organs. Though at the same time, he had been dealing with this illness for a while, and wanted to get rid of it before it got worse. He stared at the ceiling, hoping God would help him through this misery. He was always there for Joe, through good times and bad. He was there for everyone. Usually people Joe went to school with didn't take God as serious as he did. Nonetheless, Joe still prayed every day for good things for everyone.

He still felt a bit nervous about what would happen, though Dr. Corcoran told him not to worry as much. The anesthesia started to kick in, and Joe got a bit drowsy. His eyes were really heavy, and he was losing the grip he had to the lady doctor's hand. Everything was moving so fast yet so slowly.

One thing Joe wasn't expecting was the sudden flashback he had. This one seemed to be a long time ago. He could literally see his mother in his vision. How did that come up all of a sudden? Was he really going to die in this hospital? It can't be. All the doctors did was give him anesthesia…unless he was allergic to it.

Great. Now Joe just jumped to many conclusions.

The flashback stuck with him as he eyes started to close some more. She looked so much younger back then compared to how she is now. In fact, she looked almost the same. The room she was standing in didn't look as familiar, though. All that was over there was a dresser, a bin of toys, a little art table, a bean bag seat, and a bunch of stuffed animals on the floor. Joe never went to a nursery in his life, so he assumed that this was a flashback to when he was a little baby. He wouldn't expect to remember something that long ago in his life.

Unfortunately, he couldn't ponder much over it, for the anesthesia was still working wonders on his conscience, and Joe immediately fell into a deep sleep.

O-O-O-O-O

Sixteen-year-old Mercedes Jones had been through so much ever since she dated Sam and gave birth to Joe. She wasn't the same girl she was now. Yes, she still had Sam by her side through the happy times and difficulties. But she had a child. A newborn child. He had only been in the outside world for about two weeks. God, he was such a handful between taking care of him in general, and the many visits from other family members. Luckily for Mercedes, she was taking it well.

Mrs. Jones, Mercedes's mother, had allowed her to use one of the guest bedrooms as Joe's bedroom once he had arrived. It took a while to get everything situated. While it was fun, it took a long time to get prepared and there was a lot of hard work. It took some hand work from Sam, his sisters, Sam and Mercedes's parents, and Mercedes's older cousin, Matt, to assist with moving things around. Once it was done, everyone including Sam and Mercedes's new arrival was pleased with the results.

Today, Mercedes felt that Joe had been up all day, playing with the stuffed animals on the floor and attempting to crawl a bit on the floor. So Mercedes picked him up and brought him over to his dresser and changing area to get him dressed into some pajamas.

"Come on, sweetie," Mercedes cooed at the two-week-old infant. Joe admired whenever she would make those high-pitched voices with her mouth. It entertained him in the many ways an infant could think of. "You've been up all day. Time to get you to bed."

It had only been two weeks since Joe was born, but Mercedes was getting used to being a mother already. So far, it was just as hard as how her own mother handled things. The only difference was that Mercedes wasn't born when her mother was a teenager. Although Mrs. Jones never made any mistakes in her life, she didn't want Mercedes going down that path. Unfortunately, things went in different directions and it happened anyway. Now Mercedes and Sam had to deal with a baby for the rest of their lives until he graduated.

Then again, though, Mercedes was getting good tips on how to be a mother, and taking care of the baby in terms of feeding him and other little snippets. Plus Joe was too adorable for the high school couple to pass up anyways. And Quinn and Brittany came over to help them out as well.

Mercedes placed Joe on his back on the changing pad so she could reach into his dresser and find his favorite blue pajamas with the crescent moons on them. As she was doing so, Sam stepped into the room with a big grin on his face, eyeing his son from steps away. "The big boy's gonna take a nap now, huh?" He stepped over to the changing pad to take a better look at his newborn son.

"He's had a long day," Mercedes sighed, making it back over to Joe with his pajamas. "He woke us up at five thirty in the morning, remember?" Her eyes were set on Joe's as she unfolded his blue shirt.

Sam took Joe's tiny hands and started moving them just about in the air. "Joe, you wanna go to bed, son?" the blonde asked the infant, who was smiling and laughing along with his father. Sam then imitated a toddler, speaking with a high-pitched voice. "Daddy, she's going to put me away. I wanna stay up some more."

Sam smirked as his girlfriend giggled at him, swatting away his man hands and pulling the sleeves off of Joe's little arms. "Not a chance, boys," she told her boyfriend and the baby. "This little guy had quite an adventure today," she cooed again, leaning towards Joe's little face and pinching his cheek. He laughed and played with Mercedes's fingers while doing so. "I think he's getting a little sleepy," Mercedes replied, removing Joe's arms from the shirt sleeves of the shirt.

Sam placed his hands in his pocket, taking one last look at his infant son. This was his first child, let alone his first son. He had never knew how much it took to raise a baby before. He was about to figure out how parenting was for the rest of his life. This wasn't all fun and games like in movies and on TV. But he was glad he got to entertain and be entertained by Mercedes and his two-week-old child.

Sam snapped out of space and looked at the watch on his wrist. "Oh, I've gotta meet with a friend in a few minutes," he said, and he leaned towards Mercedes to plant a kiss on her cheek. Mercedes smiled sweetly as she still tended to the newborn infant. "I'll bug you two later."

His girlfriend couldn't help but to let out a couple of giggles. "No, you are not," she laughed once she turned towards the blonde, who had ran to the door already to leave.

Sam quickly turned around and craned his head so he could see his child from afar. "Goodnight, Joseph. Daddy will see you later." And with that, he had exited the room, leaving his girlfriend and the two-week-old alone. Mercedes loved Sam so much. And every time Mercedes mentioned it, it felt more like an understatement each time. He entertained Mercedes and their newborn child, and he was becoming more of a gentlemen every day. They were too young to get married, but Mercedes hoped for it to happen one day.

Once she got the shirt off of two-week-old Joe, she attempted putting his pajama shirt on. "Come on, honey. Let's get your head in." She placed the shirt over his head so the baby's head would go through the collar. As she tried getting Joe dressed, the little guy squirmed a bit where he sat. "Stay still, Joseph," Mercedes told him, and finally attempted to get his head through.

Once his shirt was on, Mercedes unfolded his pajama pants and attempted slipping his jeans off. Joe squirmed almost each time when people dressed him. Mercedes took it as a normal thing for babies to act that way, since they were so fragile when people tended to them. So for the first few weeks of Joe being born, Mercedes didn't fret with it that much. Once his pants were on him, Mercedes folded his everyday clothes and put them in the dresser.

"Alright, sweetie pie," she told young Joe. "Time to get you into bed." She made it back to the changing area and picked up her fragile little son, walking over to his crib to place him inside for his nap. Joe whimpered a bit once his mother had opened the crib to place him inside, but Mercedes patted him on the back a few times for comfort.

"I hope you get a good night's rest, pumpkin," Mercedes cooed to the little boy in her arms, who was laying his head against Mercedes's shoulder as if it was a soft pillow. "And remember, mommy loves you." Mercedes took a glance at the infant and kissed him on the forehead, which earned her a smile from the little boy.

She placed Joe into the crib carefully, and gave him a couple of stuffed animals to sleep with. Once she closed the crib, and Joe was safe and sound with his toys, Mercedes walked towards the door to turn the lights off. She suddenly exited the room quietly, closing the door almost all the way, leaving it open a crack.

Now was nothing like it was fifteen years ago. Now was worse. Instead of being happy and free, Joe was worried and tamed by an unknown illness that was taking over his body. He felt so much pain, and he and his family would have to deal with whatever's thrown at them. If only he and his family were taken back to the start…