Home Is Where The Heart Is- Chapter 1
T-2âs eyes fluttered open, and they found themselves looking up at a very ugly, very angry sky. Bits and pieces of peopleâs lives rained down as well as heavier debris such as vehicles, trees, telephone poles, and even whole structures. Did⌠did they do that?
They sat up with difficulty before pushing themselves up into a standing position, and strolling into the town where search and rescue operations were underway.
Everywhere they looked, people were being pulled out from rubble-
-the sound of emergency service sirens, dogs barking, and children crying filled the air-
-some of those people who were pulled out from the rubble were bleeding heavily, and looked like they were close to Deathâs door⌠if they werenât already thereâŚ
Someone grabbed their shoulder from behind, and they spun around quickly to see a man wearing a cap, polo shirt, and a pair of jeans.
âAre you okay? What are you doing wandering around in the nude?â
T-2 stared blankly at him.
âOkay, uh⌠¿Sabes dĂłnde estĂĄs? ÂżSabes quĂŠ pasĂł?â
T-2 only shook their head, and the man sighed in defeat, âWell⌠Why donât you come with me, okay? Weâll get you checked out, give you some nice, warm clothes, and a hot meal. How does that sound?â
The man gently put his hand on T-2âs back, and guided them to an ambulance, âHey! Found this guy wandering around completely naked, and he doesnât seem to know where he is, what the Hell happened here, and I donât think he even understands a word of what Iâm saying to him⌠I had to shout to get his attention, and put my hand on him to even get him here.â
âNo worries. Iâll check him out, Richard.â
T-2 immediately perked up. At least they now had a name for the man. Speaking of namesâŚ
âOkay, honey. Whatâs your name? My name is Tracy. See?â
The paramedic tapped the pin on her left breast, âTra-cy. Whatâs yours?â
T-2 thought for a moment before getting an idea. They reached out to tap the âTâ on Tracyâs pin before spotting a â2â in her badge number, and tapping that as well. They sat back on the stretcher, rather proud of themselves, as Tracy and Richard grew increasingly worried.
âWell⌠at least he can understand the alphabet, numerals, and maybe basic sentences... But what kind of a name is T-2? Itâs nowhere near long enough to even be a registration number for a prison, a mental institution, o- or a labâŚâ
âMmm⌠a lab maybe⌠You didnât find anything near him, or on his person. Like⌠at all. No pictures that match his description. No documentation. A cellphone⌠Nothing?â
âDoes it look like I would have been able to find anything on him?â
Tracy made a fart noise with her lips, âIâm not seeing any physical injuries on him but, just given the state heâs in⌠itâs safe to say that he has a concussion with retrograde amnesia.â
âThat still doesnât explain why he is unable to communicate with us aside from pointing or gestures, thoughâŚ?â
Tracy shrugged, âIn some cases, a Traumatic Brain Injury can affect speech, and cause aphasia and apraxia. It is also probable that he is neurodivergent, and has a cognitive disorder such as ASDâŚâ
Richard ran a hand down his tired face, âOkay. So what now?â
â⌠If I were you, Richard, Iâd take him under your wing. Become his guardian.â
âHe clearly trusted you enough to bring him to me. Plus the boy needs someone to be there for him because he sure as shit canât take care of himself right nowâŚâ
â⌠I suppose it wouldnât hurt. My own son is the same age as him. Or⌠at least I think theyâre the same age?â
Sensing that the discussion between Tracy and Richard was coming to a close, T-2 hopped off the stretcher only to be stopped by Tracy.
âUh-uh-uh. Not so fast, baby. We need to get you into some clothes before you give anyone a scare if you havenât already.â
She handed them a parcel that contained a basic tee shirt, soft, stretchy pants, underwear, and a pair of socks. Okay⌠looking at the two of them, T-2 figured that the boxers go under the pair of pants, the socks went on their feet based on the shape, and the shirt was self explanatory.
âHallelujah! He looks like a normal person now!,â Richard threw his arms up in the air, and Tracy punched him softly yet sternly.
âHe isnât dumb, Richard... He just needs some serious help and support.â
âI know, I know! Itâs just⌠Iâm still new to this whole âneurodivergentâ thing. Back in my day, people like him would be called-â
âSay what I think youâre going to say, and youâll be kicked out of my rig.â
â⌠Special needs? Point is, they were usually sent to a mental institution or something. You didnât really see them out in public.â
â⌠Listen, Richard. Itâs been nice catching up with you and meeting T-2 here, but I really have to get back to doing my job, ya know, taking care of and transporting higher priority patients. Those who are on the brink of death⌠That tornado destroyed more than half the town, and I can guarantee you that the fatality count is going to be in the fifties. Stay safe out there, will you?â
Tracy turned back to T-2 with a gentle smile, âAnd you too, sweetheart.â
T-2 returned the smile with a nod before hopping out of the ambulance, and trailing after Richard to a pickup truck.
âYa know, son⌠We really need to find an actual name for you. Iâm sorry, but I canât keep calling you T-2. Itâs just not natural. It doesnât even make you sound humanâŚâ
Whether they simply werenât listening to Richard or they couldnât understand him again, T-2 grabbed one of the various rocks on the dashboard, and started to play with it in their hands- becoming confused when it split into thin, flexible sheets. Richard laughed, âHeh. Thatâs mica for you.â
Thatâs it! T-2 pointed at the rock before pointing to themselves insistently.
âMicah? You want to be called Micah now?â
Micah nodded eagerly, and Richard smiled warmly, âNot a bad name. I think itâs fitting even. Well then, Micah, what do you say we go get you that hot meal I promised you earlier?â