So there I was, twelve years old and an orphan. I don’t remember much of the rest of the night, but the next morning, I woke up, and saw that Sean was in the bed next to me, sitting up and eating a bowl of Jell-o.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” he said.

“Sean! You’re alright!”

“Of course I am,” he said. “Man, this place is great. They’ve given me four bowls of Jell-o so far this morning.”

“But you don’t even like Jell-o,” I replied.

“Ya know,” he said, “I think I’m starting to come around to it.”

At that moment, Dr. Parsons walked in. “Splendid, you’re both up. How are you feeling?”

I sat up, no longer feeling dizzy. “I feel fine, I think.”

“Good, good,” she said, and turned to Sean. “And you look like you’re doing alright.”

“Doc, I feel great!” Nate said, as he finished the bowl and sat it down.

“Okay, well, I need to tell you boys something.” She sat down on a chair in between our two beds. “Both of you are going to be fine, physically. Michael, your injuries were minor, and you should be fine to go in a few days. Sean, you’re recovering nicely, but Dr. Nguyen noticed something during your surgery.”

“What is it?” Sean asked.

“Well, it’s your pituitary gland. It seems to have been enlarged, probably from the trauma of the accident. It doesn’t seem to be threatening anything, but it’s something we should keep an eye on.”

“My ‘pit-too-a-tary’ gland? What’s that?” Sean said, curious.

“Well, simply put, it’s a part of your brain that controls a whole lot of stuff, like growth, development, blood pressure--things like that.”

“Cool!” Sean said. “So does that mean, if it’s bigger, that I will grow more? Like become a giant?”

Dr. Parsons chuckled. “Sean, we really don’t know. To be frank, I don’t think anything like this has ever been seen before. It could have no effect at all, or it could be life-changing. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Sean smiled, and I saw that he was looking to the ceiling, daydreaming.

Dr. Parsons continued, “There’s something else we have to talk about, boys. We’ve tried contacting any family members, but it seems like that might be impossible.”

I nodded. “Yeah, our parent’s were both only children, and didn’t really have any family left alive.”

Dr. Parsons looked concerned. “Is there anyone you can think of?”

Sean looked over to me. “What about great-uncle Eli?”

Dr. Parsons’s eyes lit up. “Great-uncle Eli? Who’s that.”

“It’s our dad’s dad’s brother,” I explained. “He’s kinda a hermit or something, lives all by himself somewhere in South Dakota. Made a bunch of money in the sixties or seventies, but then up and disappeared. Neither of us have met him. Mom and Dad never talked about him, we only heard of him from our grandfather the year before he died.”

“Yeah,” Sean said, “he’s supposed to be like this mad scientist. Used to work with the Army, until they kicked him out.”

“Hmm,” Dr. Parsons thought. “That doesn’t seem like the best place for a couple of adolescent boys to live. Well, we should be able to find something. Your parents’ wills are being examined, they probably specified what they wanted to happen. I’ll let both of you know.”


She left the room, and I turned to look at Sean. “So whatcha thinkin’, little bro?”

Sean leaned back, still looking up at the ceiling. “I dunno. I mean, it sucks that mom and dad are gone. It’s scary that we’re orphans now, but, for some reason, I just feel really optimistic.”

“That’s probably just the drugs they have you on talking,” I said, “but I’m glad one of us feels that way. I don’t know what we’re gonna do, Sean. Our lives are gonna be changed forever!”

Sean turned on his side and stared straight at me. “I know, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing!” He smiled warmly, and, I had to admit, it did make me feel better. “Michael, let’s promise each other that, no matter what happens, we’ll always be there for each other. We’ll always watch each others’ backs.”

He stuck his hand out, reaching as far as he could out of the bed. I looked at it, then up at his face, and I nodded. I grabbed his hand. “Promise.”

We held each others’ hands for a few seconds, then let them go. Sean licked his lips. “Man, I could really go for another bowl of Jell-o.” He hit the nurse call button.