When we got to the precinct, I gave the driver the money and ran up the steps to get into the building. I ran in and Sergeant Renzulli saw me and came over and asked me what I was doing. I told him almost out of breath "I need Uncle Jamie… NOW!" With all the commotion, Uncle Jamie walked out and saw me standing there, tears in my eyes. He jogged over and bent down to pick me up. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
"Is it true?"
Confused, Uncle Jamie said, "Is what true buddy? Why aren't you at school?"
I started crying, telling him "I tried to go to school today, but when Mr. Smith started talking about what to do during an intruder drill, I started reliving the break-in and I kept hearing the voices of the two guys and watching them destroy my house. I couldn't take it anymore so I went to the back corner and started trying to get the voices and visions out of my head. Mr. Smith came over and tried to see what was wrong. Uncle Joe was there, and when I was on the ground, he told me to stand up and stand at attention to wait for the ambulance to get there, to get a psychological evaluation, whatever that is."
Uncle Jamie asked me "Xavier, what did your Uncle Joe say about the bus they sent?" I hugged him closer and he hugged me closer.
"Uncle Joe told me to stay still while they were trying to test me, but I didn't want to be in there so I kept wiggling around in the straps. Uncle Joe kept calling me 'son' and I was really confused and held me down long enough for them to put me to sleep for a while. While I was dreaming, I had dreams of how life might have been if Uncle Joe hadn't gotten killed by the dirty cops. All the other dreams were good dreams, but then this one was Uncle Joe holding and playing with a baby, smiling from ear to ear. All of a sudden, I saw people take the baby away from him, Uncle Jamie. He tried fighting past the people holding him back, but they ended up knocking him down and putting him in handcuffs and dragging him away. It got blurry when the baby got handed to this couple that was standing there with two kids next to them. Uncle Joe didn't want me to see it, so he made the drugs stop working. When I saw it I tried to ask him questions, and he yelled at me. So I went quiet and sat the rest of the way." Uncle Jamie was holding me close, and I hadn't realized he had carried me into the interrogation room. I looked back up at Uncle Jamie when he sat me on the table. Tears were starting to form in his eyes as I talked about Uncle Joe. "When we got into the hospital I was mad at him for yelling at me, so I was ignoring him. He kept trying to say he was sorry and I wasn't listening so he stopped walking next to me on the stretcher. I watched over my shoulder as best as I could as he disappeared from behind me. Then there were reporters waiting outside the room and one of the came up to me and said that Daddy wasn't actually my dad, that Uncle Joe actually was. Is that true Uncle Jamie? Was I the baby that got taken away from Uncle Joe? Was the family I got handed to Mommy, Daddy, Jack and Sean?"
Uncle Jamie had to stand up and turn around to hide the fact he was crying. You aren't supposed to show kids your weaknesses by crying, I've learned that over the years. So I kept talking. "When I got into the room, Daddy and Grandpa came and stood at the foot of the bed, but I was so mad at them that I just stayed silent. Uncle Joe showed up and was standing in front of my bed. Every time I would move my line of vision, he would move to there. I finally asked him what he wanted and he said he wanted to apologize for not telling me the truth. He wanted to apologize for trying to protect me from knowing that he had adopted me and lost me. He didn't want me to know that I was fatherless because he died before he could tell me that he was my dad. That's when I broke out of the restraints and ran out of the hospital. I hopped into a cab and I told them to bring me here. That's when I ran into here. I'm sorry Uncle Jamie, but I couldn't take it anymore." I hung my head low and Uncle Jamie walked over and picked me up and I put my arms around his neck and cried onto his shoulder.