Read Online Against Medical Advice by James Patterson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James Patterson
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it’s late, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d let us take a ride,” my father says to the boy on the chair. “We’ve been driving for hours.”
The two guys look at each other. Not happy.
“We’re closing up for the night,” the chair guy says. “We open at eight tomorrow. Where are you staying?”
“We have no place to stay.” My father nods in my direction. “I promised my son we’d be able to ride. It’s really important to us.”
The tension in the air makes my body twitch. Maybe they notice, maybe not.
After a long silence, the boy in the chair gets up and trudges to a small shack on the dock that serves as the office. My father turns to me with his eyebrows raised, and we follow him.
“I’ll need his ID,” the boy tells my father.
This is an unexpected shock. Age matters, even at such a faraway place as this. With all the weight I’ve gained, I’m big for my age, but I still look too young for this.
“We left so fast we forgot to bring it. But don’t worry about that. He’s ridden dozens of times. On vacations.”
“I could get in trouble.”
“I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll sign a paper if you want.”
The boy thinks about it for a time. “I’ll need a hundred-dollar deposit. You’ve got a half hour.”
Chapter 25
THIS IS HEAVEN for me.
My dad and I are out so far on the lake that I wonder if we can ever find our way back. We’ve definitely been going for more than a half hour. The sun has set, and the golden sky is the only thing lighting up the water. If we wait too much longer, we’ll be riding in the dark.
I’m the one who has taken us out this far from shore; my father is just following me. I can tell he’s nervous about being in such deep water. Even I have to admit this water is very weird. It feels alive with things moving and wriggling under the surface like huge fish. The strangest thing is that although there are strong waves, there’s no wind at all.
The surface swells have valleys in between that sometimes take us out of sight of each other until we rise again. When I get caught halfway up the side of a swell, it feels like the Jet Ski is going to tip over.
My father must be feeling it worse than I am. He keeps staring at the sky and his watch — although when I look back at him, he waves at me as if he’s happy to be here.
Soon the sky is so dark that even I can feel a sense of danger approaching. My father motions to me, and I drive over to where he is. The water has now become almost motionless. We gently bob up and down with the sides of our skis touching.
“We have to go back now.”
I nod in agreement.
The current catches hold of our Jet Skis for a moment. It gently turns us side by side until we’re both looking out into the horizon, now only a thin slice of orange through the trees. In the stillness of a world that belongs only to us, I feel endlessly grateful toward my father. I don’t know any other fathers who would have done so much to make this dream happen, or put up with me day after day.
“Thanks for doing this, Dad.”
“I love you, Cory.”
Then we slowly head back.
Ups and Downs
Chapter 26
OF COURSE, for every good time, another bad one isn’t far off. That seems to be Cory’s Law or something.
We’re driving to one of the best hospitals in the country for people who can’t control their body movements. Suddenly I don’t feel so alone.
I can’t believe there’s an entire hospital for people whose bodies move in unusual ways. I wonder what the other patients are like, and if there is anyone there who does stranger things than I do. I doubt it very much.
I’m coming here because in recent months middle school has become overwhelming, and I’ve started missing whole days at a time. I’ve even stopped playing baseball.
Risperdal has become my doctor’s main weapon in the battle against my mind. It’s calming me down and has stopped a lot of my wild behavior, but I’m paying a price.
At one and
The two guys look at each other. Not happy.
“We’re closing up for the night,” the chair guy says. “We open at eight tomorrow. Where are you staying?”
“We have no place to stay.” My father nods in my direction. “I promised my son we’d be able to ride. It’s really important to us.”
The tension in the air makes my body twitch. Maybe they notice, maybe not.
After a long silence, the boy in the chair gets up and trudges to a small shack on the dock that serves as the office. My father turns to me with his eyebrows raised, and we follow him.
“I’ll need his ID,” the boy tells my father.
This is an unexpected shock. Age matters, even at such a faraway place as this. With all the weight I’ve gained, I’m big for my age, but I still look too young for this.
“We left so fast we forgot to bring it. But don’t worry about that. He’s ridden dozens of times. On vacations.”
“I could get in trouble.”
“I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll sign a paper if you want.”
The boy thinks about it for a time. “I’ll need a hundred-dollar deposit. You’ve got a half hour.”
Chapter 25
THIS IS HEAVEN for me.
My dad and I are out so far on the lake that I wonder if we can ever find our way back. We’ve definitely been going for more than a half hour. The sun has set, and the golden sky is the only thing lighting up the water. If we wait too much longer, we’ll be riding in the dark.
I’m the one who has taken us out this far from shore; my father is just following me. I can tell he’s nervous about being in such deep water. Even I have to admit this water is very weird. It feels alive with things moving and wriggling under the surface like huge fish. The strangest thing is that although there are strong waves, there’s no wind at all.
The surface swells have valleys in between that sometimes take us out of sight of each other until we rise again. When I get caught halfway up the side of a swell, it feels like the Jet Ski is going to tip over.
My father must be feeling it worse than I am. He keeps staring at the sky and his watch — although when I look back at him, he waves at me as if he’s happy to be here.
Soon the sky is so dark that even I can feel a sense of danger approaching. My father motions to me, and I drive over to where he is. The water has now become almost motionless. We gently bob up and down with the sides of our skis touching.
“We have to go back now.”
I nod in agreement.
The current catches hold of our Jet Skis for a moment. It gently turns us side by side until we’re both looking out into the horizon, now only a thin slice of orange through the trees. In the stillness of a world that belongs only to us, I feel endlessly grateful toward my father. I don’t know any other fathers who would have done so much to make this dream happen, or put up with me day after day.
“Thanks for doing this, Dad.”
“I love you, Cory.”
Then we slowly head back.
Ups and Downs
Chapter 26
OF COURSE, for every good time, another bad one isn’t far off. That seems to be Cory’s Law or something.
We’re driving to one of the best hospitals in the country for people who can’t control their body movements. Suddenly I don’t feel so alone.
I can’t believe there’s an entire hospital for people whose bodies move in unusual ways. I wonder what the other patients are like, and if there is anyone there who does stranger things than I do. I doubt it very much.
I’m coming here because in recent months middle school has become overwhelming, and I’ve started missing whole days at a time. I’ve even stopped playing baseball.
Risperdal has become my doctor’s main weapon in the battle against my mind. It’s calming me down and has stopped a lot of my wild behavior, but I’m paying a price.
At one and
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