Forgotten Photography: The Case Of Maddison Valentine

Chapter 7

Evergreen laid in the hospital, extremely sick, and Tom and Bella awaited her diagnosis.

"Your daughter is extremely sick, she's been exposed to radiation. She'll need to stay in hospital for a while to recover and rest, that way we can watch over her. Any complications that may arise will need to be treated immediately, I appreciate your patience." The doctor looked out the window. She hated delivering news like this, it wasn't necessarily bad, but the balance of the scales all determined whether or not they could detect any further problems in enough time.

"Oh my baby!" Bella sobbed, clearly in distress for her daughter, Tom holding her tight and rubbing her back. Meanwhile, anger built up in Tom. Who had done this? Better yet, why had this happened? Tom had been all over that forest and never once had he found any radiation pockets, yet here was Evie, clearly sick and in pain.

She was burnt from head to toe, her skin was not as bouncy as before and she was very pale. She had deeply sunken eyes and black circles, she almost looked dead. Whatever she encountered had made her so sick, she was playing with death.

"I'll leave you guys alone for a moment, if she wakes up, don't make her talk too much, she'll need her energy to fight the damage the radiation caused." The doctor left the room, leaving the family alone, Tom trying desperately to comfort Bella. He felt bad, how had he let this happen? First his best friend, his wife, now his best friend's daughter, who he loved as his own. He gritted his teeth, but continued being his girlfriend's support, all they had left was each other.

Evergreen's eyes opened slightly, her vision was fuzzy, but she could see her mom and Tom, and reached a hand out to them weakly. It hurt to even move, but she was determined to show them she was okay, that she was fighting and wasn't going to die. She refused.

Bella squealed, grabbing her daughter's hand.

"My sweet baby, you are awake....If you can hear me, don't worry about answering, please just listen to me." Bella's words were being choked by tears. "Just keep fighting for me, I lost your father, I refuse to lose you. We are going to do everything in our power to make sure you get better. Just don't.....don't leave us." Her words shook, but Evergreen gave a small smile to let her know that she heard her.

"Won't." Was all she could utter as she laid there, still skating between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Kid....Listen....I know I'm just dating your mom, but you are like a daughter to me and I couldn't lose you. I'm not losing someone else to that god forsaken forest. Stay strong. Please..." The last word came out as a broken plea, tears streaming down his face as well.

Evergreen gave her mom's hand a light squeeze, the most she could muster as she laid there. Her mind wandered back and forth between what her odds of living were, and she decided she was fine. She wasn't going to die on anyone, she didn't need to.

The days became a blur for her, but she slowly got better as time passed, and life seemed mundane. She wasn't seeing stuff out of the corner of her eyes anymore, and she felt comfortable alone again. She eventually was released from the hospital, having made a full recovery, and spent time with her family at home.

Everything was good, Tom even proposed to her mother, and they celebrated by going out to eat. Evergreen was full of laughter and smiles, but when she went to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She held her breath as she looked at the scars the radiation burns left her with, she had some down the left side of her face and they cascaded and disappeared under her shirt.

She suddenly felt sick, reminded that even as things are okay, her experiences would never change. She shook her head and splashed water on herself. It was fine, besides, she hadn't seen any signs of any of the individuals she had been seeing, not even Maddison. She left the bathroom and sat down with her family again, enjoying the rest of the night.

The next morning, she woke up bright and early to the scent of fresh pancakes and coffee. She headed downstairs to see her beloved family all in the kitchen, Hades begging for scraps, her mom and Tom dancing together to the music on the radio. She smiled and enjoyed the atmosphere, pouring herself a cup from the coffee pot and sweetening it to her liking.

"Hey mom, Tom, I'm heading outside to get the mail, I'll be back."

"Don't be long sweetie! Breakfast is almost done!" Bella stated in the midst of a laugh.

Evergreen smiled and was caressed by the warm golden rays of light as she opened the front door, and headed out to the mailbox. She took a sip of her coffee as she opened it, and was greeted with something that made her scream and drop her mug.

Tom and Bella rushed out of the house with Hades not far behind, finding Evergreen in the fetal position, shaking and crying. As Bella kneeled down to comfort her baby, Tom grabbed what was in the mailbox. It was a bloody image of her father, or what should've been her father, as a bloody corpse impaled on a tree. A note on the back read, "I tried to protect you. I tried so hard to keep him off your scent. I've failed. I'm sorry."