Abandoned

Chapter 18

Madeline POV

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder lightly.

“Maddie?” I heard a voice call me.

I groaned quietly. I didn’t want to open my eyes. My head was killing me.

“Maddie?” the voice called me again. “Wake up. You need to see something.”

I didn’t want to see anything right now. I just wanted to sleep. I was so warm and comfortable. I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to leave the bed.

Not until they threw me out of the house.

And they would do that after the results came back.

“Madeline?” a new voice said, and I felt fingers running through my hair. “Wake up, love.”

Oh, fine.

I opened my eyes slowly and glanced at the boys. They were kneeling next to the bed. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces.

What was that about?

“Good morning, Maddie.” Max said softly as he leaned in and kissed my cheek.

“Morning.” I mumbled, trying to sit up.

Milo helped me and sat down next to me. He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me tightly.

“Look, Maddie.” Max said, handing me his phone.

I furrowed my eyebrows, and looked at him.

“It’s the test results.” Max said happily. “Look.”

Why was he so happy?

Probably because it was negative and they could finally let me go back to my tent.

I took the phone from him and looked at the screen.

My heart stopped.

It couldn’t be…

I couldn’t be…

“We told you that you were ours.” Milo said, tightening his arms around me.

I looked up at Max. He was smiling, but I saw a tear on his cheek.

I lifted my hand and wiped it away.

Max smiled and pulled me away from Milo. He tightened his arms around me and took a deep breath. I hugged him back.

“I missed you.” Max said, sobbing quietly. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” I mumbled quietly.

I did. I really missed him. I always wanted to see the boys from my memories again.

I felt another pair of arms wrap around Max and me.

“I am going to fucking kill the people who took you away.” Milo said, and I could hear the pain in his voice. “I promise, Maddie. They won’t get away with it.”

His words made me scared. If he did something to those people, he could go to jail. I just got him back. I couldn’t lose him. Not again.

I let go of Max and turned to Milo.

“You won’t do anything that would take you away from me.” I said. “I just got you back, Milo.”

Milo tightened his jaw and pulled me to him.

“You are right.” Milo said. “I won’t do anything that could separate us.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and took a deep breath.

I felt a hand on my forehead.

“Maddie, can I ask you something?” Max said, making me let go of Milo and look at him.

I gave him a small nod and bit my lip nervously. What did he want to ask me?

“You still have a fever.” Max said as he caressed my cheek. “I’m worried. I think you should go see a doctor. I…”

“No.” I interrupted him immediately.

I couldn’t go to the hospital. I couldn’t let anyone see my injuries. I can’t let anyone know what my foster father did to me.

They wouldn't want me anymore if they knew.

Nobody would want me if they knew.

“Let me finish, Maddie, please.” Max said softly.

I took a deep breath and gave him a small nod.

No matter what he said, I wouldn't go to the hospital.

“I won’t take you anywhere.” Max said, making me confused. “Your older cousin, Samuel, is a doctor. He is downstairs right now. I would just want him to check you a little so he can give you something for the fever.”

My heart raced. My body tensed up. My palms started sweating.

Someone else was in the house?

Would he hurt me? Would he hate me? Why was he here? Would he see my injuries? Would he be able to tell what my foster father did?

It became hard to breathe.

“Maddie.” Milo called me softly. “He won’t hurt you, love.”

I looked at Milo. He caressed my cheek.

“Our cousins are older than us.” Max said, making me look back at him. “Sam is 29, and Ryan is 27. They remember you, Maddie. Both of them adore you. Sam said that he thought of you as his child. They would never hurt you.”

“Both of them are sobbing downstairs because they were told that you were dead.” Milo added. “They can’t wait to see you. They wouldn’t hurt you. There is nothing to be scared of.”

“Besides, we will be there the entire time.” Max said. “Even if they wanted to hurt you, we would never let them.”

I gulped down the lump in my throat. I clenched my fists tightly.

I wasn’t sure.

What if…

“Tell us what you are thinking, Maddie.” Milo said softly.

“I am scared.” I mumbled, looking at the door.

Milo’s arms around me tightened. Max cupped my cheeks and made me look at him.

“I would never ask you to go see them if you weren’t sick, Maddie.” Max said gently. “But I am so afraid that something bad could happen if we don’t do something about that fever.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

My head hurt. My throat felt dry, and every time I gulped, it felt like I was trying to swallow knives.

Max was right. This wouldn’t just go away. I probably needed an antibiotic.

I opened my eyes and looked at my brother.

It was so weird to think of him as my brother.

What if none of this was real? What if I was still in my tent, hallucinating because of the high fever?

“I don’t want them to touch me.” I mumbled quietly.

“Okay, Maddie.” Max said, giving me a small smile. “I will tell him that he can only do a small checkup. Is that okay?”

I closed my eyes for a second and gave him a small nod.

“Great, love.” Milo said, placing a kiss on my temple.

Max stood up and took my hand in his. He pulled me to my feet slowly.

“We don’t have any slippers in your size, but I got you my old ones.” Milo said as he stood up and pointed at the slippers next to the bed. “They will be big, but it will be okay until we can go buy you some.”

An uneasy feeling washed over me. I didn’t want them to buy me anything.

I put the slippers on my feet, making my brothers chuckle.

“Your feet are so small.” Milo said with a small smile on his face.

I smiled back at him and let Max pull me out of the room.

My heart raced as we approached the stairs. My body started shaking. My palms started getting sweaty. I could hear my blood pumping through my veins. My breaths became short and fast. My vision was getting blurry.

I was panicking.

Milo could tell what was going on.

He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.

“I am here, love.” he said. “As soon as he is done with the checkup, I am taking you back upstairs. I promise.”

I looked up at him and nodded.

He gave me a small smile and kissed my forehead.

We reached the end of the stairs, and I heard two loud sobs.

I looked at the two older boys in the room.

A small gasp escaped my lips.

I remembered them.

“Oh, my little girl.” one of them sobbed. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”