Chapter 4

When the van arrived at the institution, AJ's heart raced. The doors opened, and Wilma stepped out, holding her hand out to AJ. AJ whimpered and backed himself into the corner of the van. Wilma sighed sadly, retreating her hand.

"AJ," the woman said softly, "come on, sweetie."

AJ shook his head and curled in on himself, burying his face into his lap. The boy ignored his grandmother's pleas for compliance. Sighing sadly, Wilma turned towards the two men, looking for help. The two men stepped into the van and reached for AJ. When their fingers brushed against his shoulders, he quickly shot up.

"No," he screamed.

AJ bolted towards the open doors of the van and tried running away. He didn't get very far when a pair of arms bear-hugged him from behind, his arms becoming pinned across his chest. AJ screamed and struggled to get free. His agonizing cries grew as he was carried closer to the building. He flailed his legs in a desperate attempt to get free. AJ was carried up the front stairs and into the hospital. He was carried into a room where he was let go. When he felt the arms release him, he got up and tried running again. As he stood up, he tripped and fell. He lay curled up on the floor sobbing, his wails echoing throughout the hallway.

"AJ, AJ," a voice sounded.

Hands touched him again and sat him up. He screamed, swatting at the hands touching him. Hands grabbed his shoulders and held him in place as he struggled. A voice spoke to him.

"AJ," the voice said.

The voice reached AJ's ears, and he looked up and saw his grandmother. AJ breathed heavily, exhausted from screaming and crying. Tears continued to flow freely down his cheeks. Soft hands wiped them away. Wilma held AJ's hands in her own and helped the boy stand up. She walked him over to the bed, where clothes were neatly folded on the bed.

"Let's get you dressed, huh," Wilma spoke sweetly, "the staff said I can bring you your pj's tomorrow."

Wilma slowly and gently undressed her grandson, speaking to him as she did. Once he was dressed, he sat on the bed curled up. Gregory stepped forward with the teddy bear in hand.

"Hey," he said softly, "look who I brought."

AJ looked as his teddy bear was shown to him. Gregory could've sworn he saw a shadow of a smile on AJ's face as the boy reached for the stuffed animal. AJ hugged the toy close to his chest as he yawned, exhausted. Wilma laid him on his side and covered him with the blanket on the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair and spoke to him as his eyes grew heavy until they finally shut. Wilma kissed the boy's head before getting up and leaving with her husband, putting all their trust into the hospital.

A few hours later, AJ awoke. When he noticed he was in a small room, panic arose in him.

"Grandma?" He stuttered.

He whimpered for her again but quickly realized she wasn't there. He quickly shuffled to the door and turned the knob. The door opened, and he ran out into the hallway.

"Grandma," he shouted, his breathing picking up.

"Grandma!"

The boy's grip on his teddy bear tightened as tears blurred his vision. His chest tightened and he couldn't catch his breath.

"Hey, hey, hey," a voice sounded.

A male figure appeared in AJ's blurred vision. The boy blinked and looked up at the figure. The man was tall and seemed well built. The man seemed to notice AJ's tight grip on the bear because AJ felt the man's hands on his. AJ's tight grip softened.

"Can you tell me your name," the man asked softly.

AJ sniffled harshly.

"AJ," he stuttered.

The man nodded kindly.

"My name's Will. I work here. What are you looking for?"

"Want grandma," the boy hiccuped.

"She'll come tomorrow," Will reassured, "I promise."

Will saw new tears spring to the boy's eyes.

"Hey," the older man said, "do you wanna see what activities are in the main room?"

That piqued the boy's interest. He nodded. Will smiled before wrapping his arm around AJ's shoulders, leading him to the main room. AJ walked timidly beside Will, his grip on his teddy bear softening. AJ heard voices as they approached the main room. There were other kids around his age doing various activities. Some were watching the TV, and others were distracted by coloring.

"See anything that looks interesting," Will said, interrupting AJ's train of thought.

AJ nodded and slowly shuffled his way to the coloring table. As he sat down, he noticed all the interesting coloring pages. He picked out a simple Stitch coloring sheet, grabbed the markers, and began coloring.

"So why are you here?" A voice sounded.

AJ looked up and saw a boy around his age, maybe even a little older, looking at him. AJ didn't want to explain to the boy his life story. AJ simply turned his coloring paper around and wrote, Don't want to talk about it, on the back. He showed the boy the message, and simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Name's Thomas, but you can call me Tom or Tommy, whatever floats your boat. What's your name?"

AJ swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking.

"AJ."

"Ahhh," Thomas said loudly, "you do speak."

AJ began to fidget with his teddy bear. He was starting to feel nervous. This was the first time in years that someone else other than his grandparents or his therapist had tried to have a conversation with him.

"So, AJ, how old are ya?"

"15," AJ stuttered quietly.

"Nice, I'm 16."

AJ nodded toward the boy.

"So, whatcha coloring?" Tom said as he quickly moved towards AJ's side.

This sudden movement scared AJ, and the boy quickly recoiled.

"No! No," AJ yelled, standing up.

"AJ, are you okay?" Will said as he was quickly by the boy's side.

"Too fast," AJ suttered, "Too fast!"

"Oh," Tom said quickly, realizing his error, "I'm sorry, did I move too fast?"

AJ nodded as a few tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, AJ," Tom said as he moved back to his seat, "I'll sit right here, okay?"

There was a brief pause before AJ nodded and sat back down. Will sat down by the boys in case AJ had another panic attack. Tom smiled softly. There was something about AJ that interested him. Perhaps it was the boy's innocence and child-like behavior. Either way, a protective instinct grew inside Tom. Something made him want to protect the boy.

Tom watched AJ color the rest of the paper until the younger teen yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"You tired?" Will asked the boy.

AJ nodded.

"Okay, let's take a nap then, huh?"

AJ nodded again as Wil guided the boy to stand up. Will thanked Tom for his kindness and then led AJ back to his room. Once back to his room, Will tucked AJ into bed and watched as the boy's eyes closed. AJ fell asleep content, knowing he had made his first friend in what seemed like forever.

A few hours later, AJ was shaken awake by Will.

"Hey bud," the man said, "it's dinner time. You hungry?"

AJ nodded as he sat up. The boy looked up at Will, who gave the boy a sly smile. AJ got out of bed and allowed Will to guide him to the cafeteria for dinner. When AJ walked in, he looked around the room until his eyes fell upon Tom sitting at one of the tables. Will chuckled softly when he noticed.

"Do you want to sit with Tom?" The older man asked.

AJ nodded before walking over to the table. Tom smiled at AJ as he sat down. As he sat down, grilled cheese was placed in front of him.

The boy gently picked up the sandwich and began eating it. Tom watched the boy, feeling happy that the teen wanted to sit next to him. It's been a long while since another patient wanted to sit next to him. Will noticed the younger man's contentness and made a note of it.

When AJ finished his food, he sat and stared at Will until the man noticed.

"Finished," Will asked, acknowledging the teen.

AJ nodded and began playing with his fingers. The teen felt uneasy, but he couldn't understand why. Will took notice of it. The man gently placed his hand on the boy's back, feeling him flinch under the touch.

"Do you want to go back to your room?" Will asked.

Breathing heavily, AJ nodded and stood up quickly. Will guided the boy back to his room by the time AJ was sitting on his bed. His eyes were frantic, and his breaths were heavy.

"AJ, AJ," Will said softly, "look at me, look at me."

AJ's eyes rested on Will's face.

"Breathe with me," Will guided.

AJ followed Will's breathing until the tightness in his chest left.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Will asked.

"Don't know." AJ stuttered.

He wished he could know what made him feel so uneasy, but at the same time, he was afraid to find out. The boy began biting his hand nervously. Will quickly grabbed the boy's hand.

"Let's not bite ourselves, okay," Will said gently.

Will dug in his pocket and pulled out a stress ball. He handed it to AJ, who was about to bite himself again. The nervous teen noticed the squishy ball, took it into his hands, and squeezed it. As AJ squeezed the ball, he heard the sound of Will's pen writing. He ignored the sound and allowed his mind to wander.

"AJ," a distant voice sounded.

AJ looked at Will, but the man was still taking notes.

"AJ," the voice sounded again, but this time seeming even closer.

The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite tell who it was.

"AJ," the voice said, appearing as if it came from right next to him.

AJ looked next to him, and his heart sunk. Tears filled his eyes when he saw a figure next to him. The figure looked familiar, and he knew exactly who it looked like.

His mother.

"Mama."