James woke up the next morning in a strange bed with sheets that smelled of disinfectant. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was a nurse giving him a sleeping pill and walking towards a car with his head weighing a million tons.
He had his clothes on, but his trainers were on the floor. He took his head out of the covers and saw another bed with Lauren poking out of it. She was sleeping with her thumb in her mouth. James hadn't seen her do that since she was little. Whatever dreams Lauren was having, the thumb wasn't a good sign.
He got out of bed. The pill had made him dull, his jaw felt stiff and there was a weird ache in his forehead. The room was bright, even though the curtains were drawn. James slid a door and found the shower and toilet. He was relieved to see that his pee came out the normal colour. James splashed water on his face. He knew he ought to be upset about his mum dying, but he felt dead inside. Everything felt so unreal it was like sitting in an armchair watching himself on television.
James peeked out of the window. Tons of kids were running around. He remembered that one of his mum's favourite threats was to stick him in a home if he didn't behave.
A buzzer sounded when James went out of the room. A care worker came out of an office and offered him her hand. James shook it, a bit stunned by her purple hair and the metalwork hanging off each ear.
'Hello, James, I'm Rachel. Welcome to Nebraska House. How are you?' James shrugged.
'I'm really sorry about what happened to your mum.'
'Thank you, Miss.'
Rachel laughed.
'You're not at school here, James. They call me all sorts
of rude things, but never Miss.'
'Sorry.'
'I'll give you the tour, then you can have some breakfast. You hungry?'
'A bit,' James said.
'Listen, James,' Rachel said, as she walked. 'This place is a dump and I know your life seems horrible now, but there are lots of good people here to help you.'
'Right,' James said.
'Our luxury spa,' said Rachel.
She pointed out of the window at a paddling pool filled with rainwater and cigarette ends. James smiled a bit. Rachel seemed nice, even though she probably used the same lines on every freak that ended up here.
'State of the art sports complex. Strictly out of bounds until homework is finished.'
They walked through a room with a dart board and two pool tables. The green felt was stuck down with carpet tape and there was an umbrella stand filled with tipless and split cues.
'All the rooms are upstairs. Boys first floor, girls second. The baths and showers are down here,' Rachel continued. 'We usually have trouble getting you lads into them.'
'My room has a shower in it,' James said.
'That room's the reception for new arrivals. You only get one night in there.'
They reached the dining room. There were a couple of dozen kids, mostly in school uniform. Rachel pointed everything out.
'Cutlery there, hot food at the bar, cereal and fruit juice. Make your own toast if you want it.'
'Cool,' James said.
He didn't feel cool. The room full of strange, noisy kids was intimidating.
'When you've eaten, see me in my office.'
'What about my sister?' James asked.
'If she wakes up I'll bring her to you.'
James got some Frosties and sat on his own. The other kids ignored him. New arrivals were obviously nothing unusual.
*
Rachel was on the phone. Her desk was stacked with papers and folders. A cigarette burned in an ashtray. Rachel put the phone down and took a puff. She saw James glance at the No Smoking sign.
'If they sack me they'll be six staff short,' she said. 'Do you want a cigarette?'
James was shocked to be offered a cigarette by an adult.
'I don't smoke.'
'Good,' Rachel said. 'They give you cancer, but we'd rather give them to you than have you stealing them from shops. Shift my junk, make yourself comfortable.'
James moved a pile from the chair with the least stuff on it and sat down.
'How do you feel, James?'
'I think the sleeping pill they gave me is making me groggy.'
'That'll wear off. I really mean how do you feel about what happened to your mum?'
James shrugged, 'Bad, I guess.'
'The important thing is not to keep it to yourself. We'll schedule some time with a counsellor, but you can chat to any of us house parents in the meantime. Even if it's three in the morning.'
'Does anyone know why she died?' James asked.
'As far as I understand, your mum was taking pain killers for an ulcer on her leg.'
'She wasn't supposed to drink,' James said. 'It's something to do with that, isn't it?'
'The pain killers and the alcohol mixed up put your mum into a deep sleep. Her heart stopped beating. If it's any comfort, your mother wouldn't have suffered.'
'What happens to us?' James asked.
'I don't believe you have any relatives.'
'Only my stepdad. I call him Uncle Ron.'
'The police found him last night.'
'They probably had him in a cell,' James said.
Rachel smiled. 'I sensed that the two of you don't get on when I spoke to him last night.'
'You spoke to Ron?'
'Yes … Do you get on well with Lauren?'
'Mostly,' James said. 'We row ten times a day, but we always have a laugh.'
'Ron was still married to your mum when she died, even though they lived apart. Ron is Lauren's father, so he gets automatic custody of her if he wants it.'
'We can't live with Ron. He's a bum.'
'James, Ron has very strong feelings that Lauren shouldn't be taken into care. He's her father. There's nothing we can do to stop him unless there is a history of abuse. The thing is, James …'
James fitted the pieces together for himself.
'He doesn't want me, does he?'
'I'm sorry.'
James looked down at the floor, trying not to get upset.
Being in care was bad. But Lauren getting stuck with Ron was worse.
Rachel walked around her desk. She put her arm round him. 'I'm so sorry, James.'
James wondered why Ron even wanted Lauren. 'How long can we stay together?'
'Ron said he'd come in later this morning.'
'Can't we stay together for a few days?'
'This might seem hard to understand now, James, but delaying the separation will make things worse.
You'll still be able to visit each other.'
'He won't look after her properly. Mum does all the washing and stuff. Lauren's scared of the dark. She can't go to school on her own. Ron won't help her. He's useless.'
'Try not to worry, James. We'll make regular visits to see that Lauren settles into her new home. If she's not properly looked after, something will be done.'
'So what happens to me? Am I stuck here?'
'Until we find you a foster home. That means you go and live with a family that takes in children like you for a few months at a time. There's also a chance that you'll be adopted, which means another couple will look after you permanently, exactly as if they were your real parents.'
'How long does all that take?' James asked.
'We're short of foster families at the moment. A few months at least. Perhaps you should spend some time with your sister before Ron comes.'
James went back to the bedroom. He gently nudged Lauren awake. She came round slowly, sitting up and picking sleep out of the corners of her eyes.
'What's this?' Lauren asked. 'Hospital?'
'Children's home.'
'My head aches,' Lauren said slowly. 'I feel all queasy.'
'You remember last night?'
'I remember you telling me Mum died, and waiting for the ambulance to come. I must have fallen asleep.'
'They had to give you an injection to calm you down. The nurse said you'd feel weird when you woke up.'
'Are we staying here?'
'Ron's coming to pick you up later.'
'Just me?'
'Yeah.'
'I think I'm gonna spew,' Lauren said.
She covered her mouth. James sprang back, not wanting to get sprayed. 'There's a toilet in there,' he said, pointing.
Lauren dashed into the bathroom. James heard her throwing up. She coughed for a bit, then flushed the toilet. It went quiet for a minute. James knocked.
'You OK? Can I come in?'
Lauren didn't answer. James stuck his head round the door. Lauren was crying.
'What's my life gonna be like living with Dad?' she sobbed.
James wrapped his arms round his sister. Her breath smelled like puke, but James didn't care. Lauren had always just been there. James had never realised how much he'd miss her if she was gone.
Lauren calmed down a bit and had a shower. She couldn't face breakfast so they sat in the games room. All the other kids had gone to school.
The time until Uncle Ron arrived was painful. James wanted to say something amazing to cheer her up and make things right. Lauren looked down at the floor, banging her Reeboks on the chair leg.
Ron arrived with an ice cream. Lauren said she didn't want it, but took it anyway. She wasn't in any state to argue. James tried not to cry in front of Ron. Lauren was so choked up she couldn't talk.
'If you want to see Lauren, here's the number,' Ron said.
He handed James a scrap of paper.
'I'm having the flat cleared,' Ron said. 'I spoke to the social worker outside, they're taking you round later. Any of your crap still there on Friday goes in the rubbish.'
James couldn't believe Ron was acting nasty on a day like this.
'You killed her,' James said. 'You brought all that drink to the flat.'
'I didn't force it down her throat,' Ron said. 'And don't get your hopes up about seeing Lauren very often.'
James felt like he was about to explode. 'When I'm big enough I'll kill you,' he said. 'I swear to god.'
Ron laughed. 'I'm quaking in my boots. Hopefully some of the bigger lads here will knock some manners into you. It's about time somebody did.'
Ron grabbed Lauren's hand and took her away.