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Authors: Christopher Pike
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Teddy from the table and he hurried over to the sofa where their mother lounged in front of the TV. Today was their mother's only day off. Teddy gave her the briefest of hugs before dashing out the door yelling something about showing the other kids his hands. They both laughed at him. Her mother shook her head.
"You'll have that boy trying to heal all the kids on the block, Jean," she said.
Jean sat beside her on the sofa. "Maybe he can," she said thoughtfully.
Her mother continued to smile. "I don't think anyone's sick around here at the moment."
"There's sick and there's sick," Jean muttered.
"What do you mean?"
Jean smiled quickly. "Nothing, just mumbling. Are you still worried about me being a candy striper? I won't go if it really upsets you."
"I think you're still too weak to be volunteering for a job that pays nothing."
"But if it did pay well, I would be strong enough?"
Her mother slapped her playfully on the arm with a magazine. "That's not what I mean and you know it You should rest while you have the chance. Why did you tell the nurses you were coming in anyway? Is it so that you can see Lenny? You can see him without working."
"I do want to be close to Lenny, that's true. But I volunteered because when I was in the hospital I saw a lot of patients who weren't getting any attention because the nurses are too overworked." Jean shrugged. "I don't want to sound like a saint. I just want to help out."
Her mother stared at her. "But you do sound different."
Jean started to deny it, but only nodded. "Carol said the same thing. But I don't feel any different since the accident, except for my constant headache."
Her mother continued to watch her. "I don't believe that. You seem freer in a way. You don't walk around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I never used to do that."
"Yes, you did. You were always triste. "
Jean shrugged again. "Well, maybe I had my reasons."
Her mother nodded. "Do you want to talk about
it?"
"About what?"
"You know. Your pregnancy."
Jean acted shocked. "Was I pregnant? God, those comas are amazing things.
Here I slept through an immaculate conception and a miscarriage all in the same two days."
"I was pregnant with you when I was your age," her mother said.
Jean quieted. "I know. I thought about that a lot."
"Before or after you had sex with Lenny?"
Jean looked over sharply. "Only after I failed the E.P.T."
"You took one of those? Where did you get one of those?"
"At the same drugstore where I bought the condoms that didn't work." Jean shook her head. "They're not hard to use. All you have to do is be able to pee in a tube." Jean paused. "Why are you asking me these questions, Mom? You must know Lenny doesn't stand a chance in hell of knocking me up again."
"I'm sorry what happened to him. You know I mean that. I'm sure he was a fine young man."
"He still is, Mama. Being crippled hasn't changed that. Not in my book."
Her mother touched her arm. "I'm going to say something harsh now, and you're not going to want to hear it. But I just want you to listen to me a second and think about it. I know Lenny is hurt and needs your help. You should go see him and help him in any way you can. But I think it would be a mistake for you not to see the facts for what they are. Lenny's going to be crippled for the rest of his life. At best he will be able to get around in a wheelchair. You can't let yourself get any more attached to him than you already are."
Jean spoke calmly. "Why not?"
"I just told you why. Because he's crippled for life. You can't be with a man like that. You'll spend all your time taking care of him."
A tear sprang into Jean's eye, but she managed to keep her expression flat. "I like taking care of people."
"No, you don't. You've never liked it before. You can't be with half a man."
Jean drew in a painful breath. "First you're worried that I was pregnant. Now you're worried I want to be with someone who can't get me pregnant. What's
"You'll have that boy trying to heal all the kids on the block, Jean," she said.
Jean sat beside her on the sofa. "Maybe he can," she said thoughtfully.
Her mother continued to smile. "I don't think anyone's sick around here at the moment."
"There's sick and there's sick," Jean muttered.
"What do you mean?"
Jean smiled quickly. "Nothing, just mumbling. Are you still worried about me being a candy striper? I won't go if it really upsets you."
"I think you're still too weak to be volunteering for a job that pays nothing."
"But if it did pay well, I would be strong enough?"
Her mother slapped her playfully on the arm with a magazine. "That's not what I mean and you know it You should rest while you have the chance. Why did you tell the nurses you were coming in anyway? Is it so that you can see Lenny? You can see him without working."
"I do want to be close to Lenny, that's true. But I volunteered because when I was in the hospital I saw a lot of patients who weren't getting any attention because the nurses are too overworked." Jean shrugged. "I don't want to sound like a saint. I just want to help out."
Her mother stared at her. "But you do sound different."
Jean started to deny it, but only nodded. "Carol said the same thing. But I don't feel any different since the accident, except for my constant headache."
Her mother continued to watch her. "I don't believe that. You seem freer in a way. You don't walk around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I never used to do that."
"Yes, you did. You were always triste. "
Jean shrugged again. "Well, maybe I had my reasons."
Her mother nodded. "Do you want to talk about
it?"
"About what?"
"You know. Your pregnancy."
Jean acted shocked. "Was I pregnant? God, those comas are amazing things.
Here I slept through an immaculate conception and a miscarriage all in the same two days."
"I was pregnant with you when I was your age," her mother said.
Jean quieted. "I know. I thought about that a lot."
"Before or after you had sex with Lenny?"
Jean looked over sharply. "Only after I failed the E.P.T."
"You took one of those? Where did you get one of those?"
"At the same drugstore where I bought the condoms that didn't work." Jean shook her head. "They're not hard to use. All you have to do is be able to pee in a tube." Jean paused. "Why are you asking me these questions, Mom? You must know Lenny doesn't stand a chance in hell of knocking me up again."
"I'm sorry what happened to him. You know I mean that. I'm sure he was a fine young man."
"He still is, Mama. Being crippled hasn't changed that. Not in my book."
Her mother touched her arm. "I'm going to say something harsh now, and you're not going to want to hear it. But I just want you to listen to me a second and think about it. I know Lenny is hurt and needs your help. You should go see him and help him in any way you can. But I think it would be a mistake for you not to see the facts for what they are. Lenny's going to be crippled for the rest of his life. At best he will be able to get around in a wheelchair. You can't let yourself get any more attached to him than you already are."
Jean spoke calmly. "Why not?"
"I just told you why. Because he's crippled for life. You can't be with a man like that. You'll spend all your time taking care of him."
A tear sprang into Jean's eye, but she managed to keep her expression flat. "I like taking care of people."
"No, you don't. You've never liked it before. You can't be with half a man."
Jean drew in a painful breath. "First you're worried that I was pregnant. Now you're worried I want to be with someone who can't get me pregnant. What's
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