THE CODE THAT LINKS US ©

Chapter Forty Five

"Be careful sweetie," I tell her when she lets out a giggle.

"I am sorry," she says crawling to Madison.

"Did you like San Francisco?" Madison asks her and she nods with a big smile.

"'I love San Francisco'," she repeats the same quote she always says making us all smile.

"Can you promise me one thing?" says Madison again before she gulps and Alison bobs her head up and down. "You are going to grow very, very, tall so you will live for many, many years till you look like a raisin. Okay?"

"As tall as the giraffes on the zoo?" she asks, impressed and Madison shakes her head raising her hands.

"Bigger than giraffes," she says and Alison leaves out a sigh thinking of it.

"I will try," she says laughing making us laugh too.

"And when I am not longer here you are going to stay with mommy and love her so so much even when she makes you mad. Okay?" Alison thinks for a moment before she replies.

"Where are you going?" A lump gets form in my throat with her question.

"Somewhere far away, that's why I need you to stay with mom," she says touching her cheek.

"Can I go with you?" she asks with a sweet voice that makes a tear get out of Madison's eyes before shaking her head. "Why not?"

"Because it is a place just for grownups."

"Would I go when I look like a raisin?" The question makes Madison laugh and nods to her pulling her in a hug.

"I love you sissy."

Minutes later we finally are alone. When I get to see her better, I swear I want to give me a punch right on my stomach when I see the now small bruise I made on her cheek for the slap I gave her during our last talk.

Nothing turned out well. Sincerely I still haven't found the politically correct way to react when your daughter tells you she is going to die because of a man that has been ruining her entire life right from the start and knowing it is all my fault. How was I supposed to react when she told me I couldn't do anything to avoid it? When I knew there's nothing left to do?

"I am sorry... for that," I say gesturing to her bruise from the distance, "and for everything else before."

"And I am sorry I wasn't smart enough to help your plan like I was supposed to," she says, creating another big lump in my throat seeing her suffering so much for that stupid comment.

"It wasn't fair of me to say that, you did better than anything I could've ever imagine," I tell her and she forces me a smile with tears.

"I'm sorry I told you all those terrible things," she cries. "I didn't mean them, I don't know why I said that, you are nothing like Wen."

"I know baby, you weren't yourself," I say with tears in my eyes pulling the chair I brought here to put it next to her and sit down. When I do so she looks away biting her lip and passing one of her hands over the other nervously, again and again. I watch her doing it for a moment till I can't take it anymore.

I stretch my arms taking one of her hands on mine and getting her to look at me again. "I am going to stay completely focus on this case, no matter what happens," I tell her no matter how hard it is to say it and her eyes get wide open nodding and forcing me a new smile.

"For the kids?" she asks.

"And for you." She smiles. A true big smile along with tears that I dry immediately.

"Thank you," she says and I nod before she bites her lip again. "What happened in Seattle?"

"We won," I tell her and she looks at me with her shiny eyes. "Do you want to see them?" the moment I ask her she nods. I let go of her hand searching for the picture in my phone and then I show it to her. "They are Sage and Page."

"Are they...?"

"Twins, yes."

"Why?" she asks impressed.

"The children with the code 463 are part of experiments based on genders," I explain, "they practice the same tests on them, and everything needed to be exactly the same way for both of them. The outcomes were examined and compared to see how many differences or similarities existed on the results between the boy and the girl regarding those tests."

"How old are they?" she asks without looking anywhere but the photo.

"Three and a half."

"Were they together?" I nod. "What is going to happen with them?"

"We are looking for a foster family that can keep them both. It has been a little challenging, but keeping them apart would not be a good option," I say. "They have been together their whole lives."

She nods before taking my hand again and then stays staring at her reflection on the mirror next to her for a moment, reflecting my words or maybe she just looks at herself. I do exactly the same thing, except for the fact that I try to memorize every detail of her face. All of them that soon, I won't be able to look at anymore.

"Mom?" she says without taking her eyes from the mirror.

"What's going on?" I ask while I caress her hand with my eyes stuck on her face.

"I am scared." She still doesn't look at me but a tear threatens with getting out of her eyes when she says it. "What am I going to feel?"

I am incapable of talking. What am I supposed to say? That nothing is going to happen? Lie to her and tell her she is going to live for more time? That it is going to hurt so much it would eventually leave her unconscious? That she won't feel it?

"I don't know, luv," I reply getting her to see me with a gulp and that is what makes me get on the bed and hold her strong in my arms. "But I promise I am going to stay with you the entire time," I tell her leaning on the mattress with her against my chest like a little girl crying after a nightmare.

While she cries I cover her with kisses on her forehead and head without letting her go not even for a second. "I love you so much Maddie," I say getting a stronger hug from her in return. "I am so proud of you."

Her bracelet lights up starting to beep telling us something is wrong again. "What's going on?" she cries letting me go but I only take the bracelet off her wrist ceasing the beeps. We really don't need to know what is wrong anymore.

I take her again against me and begin to pass one of my hands from her head to her back calming her so she falls asleep but when I see her, her eyes are wide open.

"You can sleep now Madison," I tell her and she tries to shake her head.

"What if I don't wake up?" she says against me taking tears out of my eyes.

"You are going to wake up," I say but my voice doesn't help and breaks.

"You are a terrible liar," she says and I can feel and see her smile when she says it before she shuts her eyes strongly and her muscles tighten. Something is causing her pain. A minute later she relaxes again but her eyes stay shut.

EDITED BY: JadeFoliage

THIS SHOULD BE THE MILESTONE CHAPTER!! WE ARE ONLY 10 READS AWAY FROM 1K AND I COULDN'T FEEL ANY HAPPIER OR PROUD OF IT! THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU THAT HAVE MADE THIS POSSIBLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR! DON'T FORGET TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AND LEAVE YOUR GUESSES FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE COMMENTS BELOW AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IF YOU LIKED IT!

Read you later.

-MF. Hernandez

Next Chapter: April 19th, 2019.