Page 174 - My Home on the Earth

could be roaming these streets alone or he could be dead. Alan clenched his fists. No! I have to be positive. Tomorrow, he’d meet Stuart Bannister again to discuss how soon Alan could take Jake home once he returned to the cabin.
His brain was about to explode as he unlocked the hotel room. No sooner had he sat down on the bed, than the room telephone rang. It was Stuart calling to say a taxi was on its way to pick him up. He was needed at the hospital; Jake had been involved in an accident.
In the taxi, Alan felt a fear he’d never experienced before. Jake had been hit by a car as he was crossing the main road and was taken to Rauston Hospital. In a few minutes, he’d be reunited with his son. When he walked into the room a small voice mumbled: ‘I knew you’d come, Dad. I just knew it.’
‘Hello, Jake, it’s good to see you at last ‒ give me a hug, son,’ cried Alan, with tears streaming down his face.
Jake smiled. ‘I feel really weird, Dad. I don’t know if I’m whispering or shouting. I can hear myself talking, but I can’t hear you, or the others. Perhaps if I shake my head it will come back.’
‘No! Don’t do that. Give it time, Jake. Go back to sleep and I’ll see you later. Goodnight,’ smiled Alan.
That night, after conferring with hospital staff, Alan was able to ascertain the extent of his son’s injuries and felt relieved to hear his deafness was temporary and his broken wrist and bruises would heal. A paediatric doctor was concerned about Jake’s obvious weight loss, general
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