Rick's Past
"Okay, Richard, why don't you come over here and take a seat?" Dr. Pietz said sitting in his swivel chair and Rick taking the ever uncomfortable metal chair. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions, I want you to answer them for me. Alright?"
Rick merely nodded.
"Okay, first, do you know what happened that made you go to the hospital?"
Rick thought, his face blank. He remembered little, a few yells, a few hits, a scream, tires screeching, a crash, a bottle. Rick's face remained passive, "no." He said that almost like he was an android that was just made.
"Okay," Pietz said writing down what the boy said. "DO you remember anything before you came here? Like your mother, you father, your home?"
Rick thought. He couldn't be sure, he knew his name. Did that count? Hmm, he thought hard. A kind face flshed in his head, an angry scowl, a crappy house, and a mouse. Again, like an android, and an emotionless face he said, "No."
"Okay then, now to medical questions. DO you feel any dizziness at all?" Pietz said. "A little, maybe a bit?"
"No."
"Okay, do you feel nauseated at all?"
"No."
"Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"Do you feel drowsy?"
"I just woke up from a sleep, a long sleep at that, why would I?"
"Well, usually when you wake up from a long sleep or a too short of a sleep you usually feel a little drowsy and sluggish."
"I don't."
"Okay, okay," The doctor wrote a bit more. Then he took out of a drawer a black card, and handed it to Rick. "Take this and stand behind the tape just there, and face that wall there." He said motioning to the wall that the desk was next to and the tape line.
Rick did so, and looked at the doctor curiously.
Pietz noticed this and explained, "It's to test out your eyes, Richard. Close your left eye and cover it with the card. Like this." He showed Rick how. Rick complied.
"Now, do you know how to discern letters and numbers?"
"A little."
"Okay, then read what you know, from the first two lines. From left to Right, like reading a book. DO you know you right from your left?"
Rick nodded.
"Good, now read."
"E, l, w, e, n, d, w, o, o, d."
"Okay, good, now read the fifth line please."
"O, a, k, w, o, o, d, o, f, m, o, s, s, f, l, o, w, e, r."
"good, good. Your vision is quite well, can you read the bottom line please?"
Rick nodded, "E, v, e, l, y, n, I, s, a, n, a, n, g, e, l." (can you read that? Hehe)
"Very good! 15/20 vision! Now, close your right eye, and cover and read with your left eye."
Rick did so.
"Okay first read the third line, the fourth, and the sixth, please."
"I, a, m, a, v, e, r, y, s, m, a, r, t. The fourth line is: Y, o, u, a, r, e, a, n, I, c, e, p, e, r, s, o, n. The sixth lin is: T, r, I, s, s, I, s, w, o, n, d, e, r, f, u, l." (Now, I know the lines don't have even number of letters but I don't care, so please don't get on my case about that.)
"Very good, read the last line."
"I already know the last line. Wouldn't that be cheating?"
"Yes, but I want to know if you can see it as clearly as you can with your with eye."
"Yes, I can."
"Good, very good, 15/20 vision! Amazing!" (AN I can't remember if the 15 is on top or bottom! My mum doesn't know so hehe, if you do, please tell me.)
"Is that good?"
"Well, of course! Normal vision in 20/20, you have enhanced vision, you can see more clearly than other people that don't have this type of vision! You're a very unique boy. Do you know what unique is?"
"Well, from the way you used it, it means I'm different from other normal people."
"Amazing! A dictionary in your head, you just have to know how a word is used and you know the general meaning! This is stupendous! Amazing, I must get Winnie in here quickly!" Pietz practically leaped for the door, he opened it quickly just seeing Winnie walk down the hall to another family with the flu. "Winnie! Winnie come here quick!"
Winnie turned to the doctor, "Doctor, there are many more patients waiting!"
"They can wait!"
"Doctor!"
"Fine! Uh," he looked down the hall and saw another nurse who had just come in. "Betty! Betty go take Winnie's place for a while, I need to tell Winnie something!"
Betty, a tall, medium sized woman, wearing a tad too much make-up walked over and said in a Southern accent, "Sure thing Doc." She looked at Winnie and winked and said quietly to her, "You go girl." And then walked off carrying the papers that Win was carrying and going to the patients' room. Winnie blushed a bit. There had been talk about that Pietz had something for Winnie, and she kind of had something for him. They were both Irish, and British. And Pietz was a handsome man, tall, green eyes, dark brown hair and her kept only two inches long, and was rather muscular.
"Come on, you won't believe this!" Pietz said excitedly. Leading her into the room where Rick sat on the bed.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The boy, Richard, he's an absolute genius for sure! He merely needed to hear how a word is used and he told me the general definition! It's brilliant! And to top that, he has 15/20 vision! Near perfect!"
"Oh, my goodness, he is smart."
"Definitely!"
"Where is my Mum?" Rick asked.
"Your Mommy isn't here, boy. But I'm sure she misses you," Winnie said. Rick looked up at her, his eyes a little teary.
"Where is my dad?"
"I don't know, child."
"My name is Rick."
"Rick, okay Rick."
"uh…Winnie can I talk to you for a moment please? Outside in the hall." He said going over to the door. Winnie nodded and followed him out. Once out Pietz told you what was on his mind.
"Winnie, we have to tell him what happened to his parents. We can't let him live in a lie, not knowing where is parents are. You and I both know that they are dead, officially dead!"
"But, Doctor, he's just boy! He's been in a coma for nearly three weeks and he just survived a horrible accident, do you really think that we need to put more on his shoulders? He's only seven years old! We don't need for him to know that kind of thing! It can have horrible negative effects on his mind!"
"Yes, but we can't keep him from the truth!"
"Then we won't, we can tell him when he's older, like eleven maybe, when he's old enough to handle it!"
"Hmm," Pietz thought a bit. "Then how do we explain the adoption papers?"
"We'll just say that you're taking care of him for a while, until he's old enough to be on his own."
"Alright then."
Unknown to them Rick was listening silently at the door, when he heard the conversation end he quickly went back to the bed and sat, just as they came in. Pietz walked over to Rick and pulled out a few papers from his pocket. He showed them to Rick.
"Richard, do you know what these are?"
Deciding to lie, he shook his head no.
"They papers made legal by the Orphanage of St. Luke's in Chicago. They allow me to take care of you until you are of the age of 18 and are able to take care of your self. Of course you will be educated in the local Private Schools."
Rick just nodded.
"I'll take you for an entrance exam on Monday. Today is Friday, so you have two and a half days to study if you want."
Rick just nodded.
"You can go now if you want Winnie."
Winnie nodded said good-bye to Rick and left.
"Now, Richard, I doubt that you'll see your parents again, or anytime soon. So you can call me 'Dad' if you like."
Rick just remained silent. Call this guy 'dad'? NEVER! He didn't even know who the man was. And he seriously doubted that the man knew him either. All Rick knew of the man was his name and occupation. Why would the man adopt him? Ha! This must be kidnapping! But Rick said nothing.