Her

Part Twenty-One:

The fresh morning glow illuminates every square centimeter around me, softly blinding me  through my eyelids. Comfortable in this cozy, warm bed, I shift pleasantly under the blankets, not wanting to get up of open my eyes. I ignore the pain that is only softly threatening me. I can hear the steady machine noise of Maddy's heart beat, and the pattern of his breathing. I still feel like I am in that swirly world of dreaming and the drugs that the nurses have me on, and my thoughts reminisce to his full lips on mine last night. Why did I let it happen? He knows he can't be with me and I know I have to say goodbye. We are already near my hometown. I told him I'd drive him home, but what if we find my family? Are they really going to let me go again? They will probably just fly him home and that will be the end of it. I don't want it to end, but it is going to have to anyways. I wish he didn't occupy so many of my thoughts. I feel myself blushing just thinking about him, and I will myself to stop. I might as well try and get some food around here. Opening my eyes and gingerly sitting up, I stifle a scream with my hand over my mouth. 

There is a woman, sitting on a chair placed on the left side of my bed, intently staring at me with her hands partially over her mouth as well. I feel like I am looking in a mirror, but in a twenty years. The color of her hair is the same, but shoulder length, shorter than mine used to be before I was Taken. Her eyes are the same, wide and beautiful, staring into mine. She even has the same dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She gasps just a little bit, and leans forward.

I find my voice and say, "Who are you?"

"Oh honey... oh my goodness... oh honey!" She gasps again, and I cringe at her mom-language. 

Hold up.

Mom language.

Is she... is this... my mother?

"Who are you?!" My voice cracks just so, and she leans forward and grabs my hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. I jolt at her touch, and she whispers to me.

"Honey... I'm your aunt." My eyes widen even more. I was expecting this as soon as I saw her but I feel so nonplussed and strange; I don't know how to react.

"H...How? And how did you find me?"

"I am your mother's twin. She doesn't live more than an hour away from here. I haven't called her yet, I needed to see you yet and make sure that it was actually you and not scare her. But... it has to be you... there is no way it isn't... I found you because you crashed in front of my house. I was in the garden and I heard the crunching of the cars and honking and I came out and... the car was smashed, upside down... you were on the ground with that boy a few feet away from you. There was glass everywhere. The trucker died, but it was his fault. He ran the light. Didn't stop. Oh my gosh... It's really you. Oh Joy. I missed you so much sweetie. Your parents... they never stopped looking for you but the town gave up... Joy... sweetie oh my gosh it's been so long." She stops because she is crying so hard. I feel a few tears escape my eyes, too, but I just feel empty and overwhelmed.  I don't know this woman at all, at least, not exactly. She sounds credible, but I just... I don't know.

"O-okay." That is all I can breathe out right now. 

Maddox moves in his bed and I see him wake up, startled at another voice in the room. His perfect, ocean eyes shift from my "aunt" to me, to her, and then to me, and his mouth drops open a little. He runs a bruised and beat up hand through his tousled hair and kind of laughs. Worry flashes on his face but not for long. My aunt excuses herself and leaves the room in a hurry.

"Well, Belle, you found your family. Or should I say your family found you?" He cocks an eyebrow.

"Maddy." I whisper. My throat feels closed in and coarse. The room feels so much smaller, like it is closing in. I don't know why I am panicking. 

"No it's okay. You can go home with her. You don't have to stay here with me." His eyes trail to the ceiling, then back down to me. We make eye contact, and the intensity of it makes me want to scream and kiss him to make him not leave. No! No kissing. Focus! I get up, ignoring the pain yet again and sit on the edge of his bed. 

"Maddox I am not leaving you. I'm going to stick with you, okay?"

"But it's your family. You should go, Belle." He looks down and clenches his jaw. I grab his face gently and pull it towards mine.

"No." I state. " I am not leaving you. You can come with me and meet everyone. We will find your family, too, okay?"

"Ariel, it's not going to work out." He laughs, but I feel like he has thrown a punch. I have been thinking of these words for a while now, but him actually saying it out loud hurts. I put my arms around him and he wraps his around me. He nuzzles his face in my neck and I want to freeze time yet again.

"It's okay, Aurora, some people just need to know each other to get through something in life and I guess that's our case." He murmurs. 

I hear the door open and my aunt comes back in, but I don't want to move away from Maddox.

"Do you want me to call your mother?" She asks, and without me answering, Maddy says yes.

She exits the room and I try to prepare myself for the next few hours.