As the DeSoto family had decided after leaving the NSU for the night, Roy got up early enough to spend some time with Joanne and the kids before leaving for the hospital. All four of them felt it was important that someone at least somewhat familiar would be there to help Johnny during his meals since he was still struggling to do so himself. Promising to see them later, he headed to the hospital and was there just as the NSU day nurse was finishing up the first vital checks of the day.
"Good morning, Johnny," Roy greeted.
"'Orning," Johnny returned through a yawn, rubbing his eyes. "Why you here so early?"
"I thought if you didn't mind, I could help you with breakfast again," Roy told him, helping him to sit up.
Shrugging carefully, Johnny didn't answer.
"Well, the breakfast tray will be here in a minute or two," the nurse told them. "I just peeked around the corner and saw them. It's up to you though Johnny. I'd be more than willing to help you if you'd like. Although, it seems like your Uncle Roy came here early to help you and in my eyes, that says a lot about how much he cares about you."
Blushing, Roy nodded his thanks towards her, not aware that she'd been appraised of the situation by Doctor Druthers and Doctor Early, nor that there were notes inside of John's chat to have the nurses encourage the Johnny to interact with the DeSoto family, along with Mike Stoker and anyone else Roy or Joanne felt was best. The nurses were also told to find ways to reinforce the fact that the DeSoto family really did care about him.
"Thanks," Roy mumbled.
"No problem. I'm just glad he has such a great family looking out for him," she said truthfully. "I'm Nurse Aylen Andrews, I don't believe we've met face to face yet. I'll be with Johnny during the day while he's here."
Shaking her hand, Roy began to speak, but was interrupted by a candy stripper entering with a breakfast tray.
"Well, Johnny? Would you like your Uncle Roy to help or would you rather I stick around to help?" Nurse Andrews asked.
"I don't know," John mumbled, unsure by all of the attention and slipped further down into his bed.
"How about I just call if we need anything?" suggested Roy. "I'm sure most of this he can handle by himself anyway."
"Alright, I'll be by to check on you two later," she promised, smiling as she almost bounced out the room.
Not sure how to start now that he was alone, Roy cleared his throat.
"She seems nice," he said.
"Yeah," Johnny said while reaching for his breakfast on the bedside tray near him.
Seeing the wince, Roy quickly came over and gently pushed him back against the bed.
"Hang on and let me help," he said quietly. "You still have a lot of tubes hooked up to you and I bet the stitches everywhere can't feel too good either."
"No," John admitted. "Wish I could 'member how I come here."
Shuddering as he remembered, Roy answered, "Trust me when I say how you got hurt is something best forgotten."
Titling his head, John wonder, "You there?"
"Was I there when you were hurt?" Roy asked to clarify. Seeing the nod yes, he answered very slowly, "Yes, I was. It was very scary for me. I also had to treat you before you came to the hospital and that was hard. Aunt Jo came as soon as she heard and we both were worried about what would happen to you. The only thing both of us knew was that we would be by your side no matter what."
How come these strangers are so worried me? The only people who acted like that were my parents. I don't know why, but I think this family who say they know me care for me just as much as ma and dad did, Johnny slowly worked out in his as he thought through what this man calling himself Uncle Roy told him. I can't remember him, or much after November, but how can someone be that scared over someone they don't know? They got to know me somehow, but why don't I know them? Or their kids?
"What you thinking about, Junior?" Roy asked with concern lacing his voice.
"You gotta know me," Johnny said as confidently as he could. "Only ma and dad be as be like you, fear for me like you had. Can see it on face when you told me 'bout it. But why I don't know you…? And why you call me that name?"
"Junior? Well, I'm not really sure," Roy admitted. "I've always called you that since I first met you. It just seemed to fit for some reason. As far as not remembering us, your head was hurt fairly bad so that is why."
Not really sure how much more to tell him at this point, Roy decided to distract Johnny the best way he knew how, with food.
"Doctor Druthers, the person helping our family deal with things, will be coming by to see you later. Just to talk and make sure you are doing okay," Roy halted the flow of apprehension that he could see about to come out.
At least some things don't change, he thought with a smirk.
"For now, how about we get this breakfast eaten before it gets any colder?" pulling back the cover over the plate, Roy announced, "It looks like you've been upgraded to toast along with the oatmeal and eggs."
Seeing the scrunched up face Johnny was making, Roy tried to hold back his laughter while he asked, "What?"
"Oatmeal gross."
Breaking out into laughter now, Roy nudged the offending food to the side, "I don't blame you. The hospital version is worse and shouldn't even be called oatmeal. I'll tell you what. I'll help you make it disappear somehow and tomorrow, I'll have Aunt Jo cook you something better."
"No!" John's face had pure panic. "Don't work more."
"Okay, calm down," Roy was alarmed. "Just calm down, slow your breathing, there you go. Now, tell me what's wrong."
"No telling, please," John pleaded, casting his brown eyes up towards Roy.
Sitting down, Roy asked why.
"She won't like me no more. Too much work, nowhere go," Johnny tried explaining.
Even though his thoughts were mixed up, Roy got the gist of what worried Johnny and tried to reassure him.
"Trust me, she won't mind. She does it for Chris and Jenny almost every morning. The mornings she doesn't, I do," Roy explained. "Aunt Jo won't mind doing this because she loves you and thinks of you as part of our family. She, along with our kids, will do anything to help you out. If that means finding a way of getting you food that isn't gross hospital food, they will be happy to do so."
"Real?"
"Yes," Roy said firmly. "In fact, I wasn't going to tell you this because Aunt Jo and the kids wanted to surprise you, but I know they will get why I told you this now. Tomorrow for supper time, all five of us are going to eat as a family here. You may not be able to eat the same foods yet, but we want to eat as a family."
Smiling and a lot calmer, Johnny started relaxing into his bed as tears started slipping down his cheeks. Wiping them away without fuss, knowing that over emotions and mood swings were just part of the head injury, Roy waited until John tried saying he was sorry.
"Don't worry about that, it will happen. Your emotions will go up and down for a while yet. I know that, Aunt Jo knows that, so do Chris and Jenny," Roy told him. "We accept you for who you are. Now, how about we get you some breakfast that isn't cold and gross?"
Laughing, Johnny wondered, "Allowed?"
"I'm sure they will, just hang on while I take this to the nurses' desk, okay?" Roy said, not letting on to the fact he had seen Dr. Druthers outside John's room just now.
As he was exiting the room, he closed the door part way to talk to the doctor without Johnny overhearing.
"So, when did you come in?" Roy questioned Karl.
"The nurse heard some raised voices and decided it might be best to call me," he admitted. "I think she heard you talking about the injuries and may have been worried about how he reacting. I was going to leave when I heard you two going on about the oatmeal and well, what can I say, after that, I stuck around a bit."
Nodding, Roy stuck the tray into an empty slot of the food tray cart.
"I wanted to see if you could handle things on your own first," he went on. "I have to admit that you did better than I would expect of someone just learning to deal with a family member."
Sighing, Roy said, "It was difficult, but I tried to remember my paramedic training. It also wasn't about me, so I couldn't get upset. If I did, it would be worse for Johnny, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"What time are you coming to see him today?" Roy changed the subject, a bit uncomfortable discussing the current subject.
"I was thinking this afternoon, around 1:30," Karl said. "I know you and Joanne said that she would be here this afternoon. This way, it gives Johnny a chance to eat and rest before I come as well. It'll be just like we talked about. For the most part, you two can stay if he is comfortable with that, although I would like some time with just the two of us. Again, that will be up to John."
"Alright, sounds good," Roy said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I better go grab some food for Johnny before he starves."
Both of them laughed at that; Karl because he couldn't imagine that when someone was still on central IV feedings and Roy because he knew how true it was. Tracking down a nurse, Roy appraised her of the situation and asked her if it was possible to order something from downstairs. Immediately willing, she called in a double order of eggs, toast, apple juice and some milk.
"It'll be up here in about ten to fifteen minutes," she told him. "We have some juice on hand if you'd like to take it to John."
"Thanks, I can get it," he said.
Knowing that he had full access to the floor as per order from more than one doctor, she simply smiled at him and went about her business while he delivered the orange juice to Johnny.
Seeing the look on John's face when he brought it, Roy explained, "It's gonna be a few minutes before your breakfast comes up, so it's either this or you can wait. It's up to you."
"You mean, I don't hafta drink it?" Johnny asked with shock.
"No," Roy said.
Thinking about how John reacted, Roy wondered more about John's time at what he had called 'The Ranch'.
"Were you ever forced to drink or eat stuff you didn't like?" he asked cautiously.
"Sometimes," Johnny wrinkled up his nose.
"Like when?" Roy prodded, sitting closer to him.
"Like veggies, mom said they good for me," John said as he made a face that clearly said he thought they were disgusting.
Smiling, Roy told him, "I don't blame you, some of them aren't too tasty. But your mom was right, sometimes we do have to eat things like fruits and veggies since they are good for our bodies. Aunt Jo tries to at least serve things we like to eat and that are good for us."
Johnny smiled, "Few choices there. Ate what grew."
"Sounds like it," Roy tried not to sound sad at that thought, but wasn't sure how successful he was. "Anything else you ever were made to eat? Like maybe after your parents were gone."
Nodding slowly, Johnny asked, "Lots. Lemons, white water tastes worse. Soap. If we were bad, forgot rule, forgot something, broke something, had to have it. No water after."
Stunned, Roy stared at him, How can anyone do that to a child, let alone a group of children entrusted into their care?
Thankfully, Roy was spared from coming up from coming up with a comment as Johnny's new breakfast tray arrived. Getting everything set, he saw the smile that brightened John's face.
It looks just like Chris' would whenever he would get something he had wanting for a while…
"I don't know why those people did what they did to you or those other kids," Roy began shakily. "But I can promise you that even if you do something wrong, we won't do those things to you. The worse punishment our kids have gotten is grounding, meaning they are sent to their rooms, not allowed to go out with their friends or able to do some activity they like for a certain time period. We have never laid a hand on them in anger. We have never forced them to eat things like that. Okay?"
Looking towards the man he was beginning to think of as Uncle Roy in not just name, Johnny sought out reassurances that he was telling the truth. John finally found it and in doing so, began letting down his guard.
"Let's get this eaten, huh?" Roy asked after seeing John nod his head.
I don't know what just happened, but whatever did, seems to be a good thing. He's actually allowing me to steady the spoon with the eggs and I don't think it's because he's that hungry, Roy thought to himself. I just am glad Johnny is starting to see I am on his side. Hopefully, that'll translate over to the rest of the family.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the rest of the breakfast was quickly eaten. As soon as the last bite was taken, Johnny tried stretching as he yawned.
"You can't do that quite yet," Roy let John know. "Doctor Early will be in a couple hours to check on you. He'll be able to let us know when you can be free of some of these tubes and get the stitches out."
Nodding sleepily, Johnny watched as Roy rolled the tray away from the bedside and lowered the bed down.
"Why don't you sleep a bit? I got to go downstairs for a bit for my job, but if you need me, just ask your nurse, okay? Someone will come and get me," Roy informed Johnny.
"You sure it okay?"
"I'm sure it's okay to ask for me. You can also ask the nurses any questions you have. You just press this button," Roy pretended to push it. "And then someone will come in, alright? Do you need anything before I go?"
Thinking, John shook his head no.
"Ok," Roy smiled at him and pulled up the blankets as his eyes closed. "I'll see you in a bit."
Exiting quietly after making sure John was asleep, he went to the nurses' station to let Nurse Andrews know what was going on.
"I'm going to be heading down to the ER to talk with Dr. Brackett. I'm not sure how long it will be, but I told Johnny how to call for you and that it was okay to ask you anything," he said a bit sheepishly. "I also told him to ask for me if he needed me, but if you could call downstairs when he wakes up please."
"Sure, no problem," she assured him. "I'll keep a good eye on him for you. Don't worry about a thing. Did you get his vitals while you were in there?"
"Just once," Roy said. "I thought breakfast was more important."
"That it is," she smiled. "Besides, I'll just note that you were with him and there will be no issues, so go on, get out of here before he wakes up."
"I'm going, I'm going!" Roy joked backed. "But, seriously, thanks."
At her glared, he waved and headed to the elevators. It was time to talk to Doctor Brackett about his offer of training incoming paramedics.