Chapter 156
The walk back over to Jamie’s office was mostly silent. I knew that he had alerted my sister and Aaron that he was ready for Brandon to come back. My sister never took her arm from around Brandon’s shoulders the whole time we were walking, so I didn’t get a chance to ask him again if he was nervous, though I got the impression he was, at least a little bit. I was sure he was still thinking about Sam, too, though. I knew I would be for a long time.
We’d just crossed onto the sidewalk that led to Jamie’s office building when I realized my phone was vibrating. I pulled it out and saw that Lucy was calling, but with everything going on, I tucked it back into my pocket and tried to stay focused on what was going on around me. I’d call her back later, after Brandon was all done with his Transformation procedure.
Something else must’ve been going on, too, because Aaron and Cadence kept doing that thing they do when they are having a conversation, looking at each other like they’re talking but not moving their lips. My sister tends to gesture a lot with her eyes. I wondered what they were talking about but knew they wouldn’t tell me until they were good and ready to. Whatever it was had them in a somber mood.
“Wow, you guys all look super excited to be here.” Jamie was waiting for us just down the hall from his office in what looked like a small operating room. Everything looked sterile and white, and there was a hospital bed with one of those trays full of tools across the room. I saw needles and vials and still wished it were me that was about to be passed out on that bed.
Jamie finished setting up whatever he was doing and crossed over to us with a smile in Brandon’s direction. A look at my new friend’s face told me Brandon was more nervous than I had initially thought. He tossed his jacket on a chair and attempted to be nonchalant. “Oh, I can hardly wait. Lots of pain and an indefinite amount of time unconscious. Who wouldn’t want that?” He was joking, but Brandon was eyeing the bed suspiciously. I wished I could reassure him somehow, but Cadence was still between us.
The doctor’s voice sounded calm and reassuring. “Well, I thought this would be the safest place to do it, but I don’t foresee any problems.”
As Brandon took a deep breath and stepped toward the bed, I was reminded that my sister had actually had some problems, and I folded my arms against my chest, wondering what I might do if something bad began to happen to Brandon right in front of me. I had to trust Jamie to take care of it.
“May as well get it over with it.” Brandon climbed on the bed and sat with his legs dangling off the side, his feet almost touching the ground. He looked at me and smiled, and I thought it was sort of odd that he seemed to be trying to calm me down, but maybe my face showed him I needed it. I took some deep breaths.
“I know the procedure has been explained to you, but do you have any questions?” Jamie asked.
Brandon seemed to consider the question for a moment before he began to shake his head. I wondered who had explained it to him—my sister or Aaron. His understanding could be vastly different depending upon which of them filled him in. “I don’t think so. You’re gonna stick me, and a few minutes later you’re gonna stick me again, and then I’m gonna take a nap. Right?”
Jamie chuckled a bit and picked up a clipboard off the end of the bed. “Basically, yes. If you don’t have any questions, then, will you go ahead and sign this consent? It just says I’m not doing anything to you that you didn’t agree to, but feel free to read it if you’d like.”
Brandon took the clipboard and looked it over as my sister stepped forward. “You didn’t make me sign anything like that,” she pointed out to Jamie.
“This is different,” the doctor explained. Brandon signed the bottom of the form, and I doubted he’d actually read the whole thing, but I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like he was going to change his mind now. “Your parents had already given us permission and knew precisely where you are. I don’t want Ms. Keen showing up in a few hours threatening to sue me.”
“I’m an adult,” Brandon reminded him, looking from Jamie to me. I managed a smile. I could understand how he felt, always having to remind everyone he’s not a child.
“I know,” Jamie nodded, “and that’s why you’re able to sign this. I just don’t want to be accused of coercing you.”
That answer seemed to satisfy Brandon, though I thought Cadence still looked a little irritated. Jamie crossed over to the table and looked at everything he had laid out there. He seemed to be going through a checklist in his head. Perhaps he just wanted to seem relaxed, but Brandon slipped his shoes off and tossed himself back onto the bed, folding his arms across his stomach. Jamie seemed satisfied and turned to look at him. “How many times have you done this?” Brandon asked. He seemed to notice he was wearing long sleeves and began to roll up his right one.
The doctor smiled. “Thousands. You’ll be fine, I promise. If it gets too painful, I can take care of that, too, although I’m hoping I don’t have to throw myself on top of you the way I did Cadence. That might be a little awkward.” He turned and looked at my sister, and I saw her blush a little. I wondered what that had been like exactly and if Aaron had been there.
Brandon chuckled, probably imaging how uncomfortable it would be to have Jamie lying on top of him. “Yeah, please don’t.”
Cadence stepped over to the bed and squeezed Brandon’s hand. “It’ll be all right, and when you wake up, you’ll know immediately that it was worth it.” She patted him on the arm and gave him a reassuring smile before stepping away. I waited a split second too long to gain the courage to go speak to him, and Aaron stepped over instead.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to call your mom?” he asked. “You might be out for a day or two.”
Brandon tipped his head to the side and looked up at the ceiling for a minute as if he couldn’t decide. After a second, he let out a deep breath and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “All right, but make sure I’ve gone through with it before you call her. And her number isn’t under mom. But you’ll find it.” I wondered what that was supposed to mean but figured it wasn’t my business.
Aaron took the phone and slipped it into his pocket. “All right. We’ll see you in a few hours.” He clasped Brandon’s hand confidently.
Brandon let go of his hand and Aaron began to step away. “Oh, and she’ll probably be really angry,” he added, talking about his mom.
“I think I can handle it,” Aaron said with a slight chuckle.
“You know that Vampire y’all killed the other night? He ain’t got nothin’ on my mama when she’s mad.” I raised my eyebrows at him and tried to imagine what it would be like to grow up with only one parent and have her be vicious the way he was describing his mother.
Aaron snickered. “Well, unless she can reach through your phone, I think I’ll be okay.”
