BEHIND THEIR MIEN

CHAPTER 39- NATALIE

I stand by listening to everything. I frowned. Victoria just leaving like that wasn't good, at all! She was content that Nathan didn't know something. What could it be? I tried stopping her car and threatened her but decided against it at the very last minute. There's something she wanted to know from me and I don't want to take any risk. Whatever she wants to know has to do something with Luke.

I wait for a few more minutes and then follow Mason inside their room. He was sitting beside Mary's figure, stroking her hair, his face all glistened from tears. The sight always broke my heart no matter how many times I saw it. They didn't deserve what they are going through! The hurt on Mason's face, the disappointment and despair, it was too heartbreaking. I went ahead and gently kept my hand on his shoulder. He briefly looked at me and then turned back to Mary.

" Nat.. Are we hurting Mary by keeping her alive through the machines? Is it hurting her?" he asks and I sit beside him, holding her warm hands.

" I don't know Mason, but she's warm. She's still warm and her heart is still beating-" I say to him but he stops me.

" It's the machines. She isn't here anymore. Call me stupid or mental... but I can't feel her anymore.. it's as if she now knows that our son is safe with me and she can finally rest in peace... I just can't feel her Natalie! I can't feel her anymore!" he says to me as tears run through his cheeks and he chokes on his words, trying not to break down but miserably failing. I pull him to me, embracing him and rubbing his back.

" Hold on Mason. Honestly I don't know what to say.. but I refuse to give up on her. So you also fight for her! Miracles happen. Look at me Mason" I say pulling away and making him look at me as I wiped his tears away. His eyes were so broken, so hopeless it broke my heart. My sister had all that love, he had all that love and that was taken away from them! it made my blood boil, at Victoria for taking it away from them. Their happiness and life.

" Should we just take her off the support and save everyone the misery? rip the band aid off?" he asked crying and I violently shook my head,

" NO! NO Mason! You are not short on money in any kind to not afford her treatment! Hold her hands! Feel her face! It's warm! Look at that machine! Her heart is alive! She still has a chance Mason!

Miracles happen, I never believed in miracles but they do, I've seen it with my own eyes. Mary is a miracle! I gave up on finding her ages ago! but here I am holding her warm hands now! She isn't a cold dead body! From where Beatrice came, I know for a fact if her fate would have been worse she would have died ages ago. Babies, especially girls, do not survive in that kind of underground world that long! But Beatrice is here with us! We didn't even know about her existence last week and when we knew, for all she could already have been dead, like Aurora but she's alive and well in our house.

Luke is a nice guy protecting this family from afar. We don't know his story and what happened and why he left but I can only imagine it has to be a great sacrifice to leave his family behind. The reason he left has to be worth it! We found your little brother. And if life goes on well and this shit is done in a few months, like how Luke asked us, Then not only we will have Luke back but also his two adopted siblings. This house will be full again and who knows, Mary might also come back to us!

Don't lose hope Mason! Not when we are this close" I tell him and he nods his head.

" This noon when I saw.. you three as a family, it hit me hard that - Xavier will never know his mother. That it will be just him and me, the future we dreamed of, Mary will not be the part of it.

she won't be here when he says his first word, his first crawl, steps, when he speaks, when he grows. I won't grow old and grey with her" he said, his shoulders falling down in defeat.