A New Family Life: Chapter Twelve

Max sat in the waiting room rubbing his arm, the doctors had taken some of his blood and had given him some shots not telling him why. Then they had done a whole bunch of tests on him without saying why. It was like going to the doctors for a checkup only there more things they had been checking up on. They promised that his daddy would be there to pick him up soon now that the brain doctor had asked him all those questions and had him look at those funny looking pictures. It was something about seeing if he was mentally damaged by what happened.

Even Max knew pictures could not tell you if a child had a broken heart. He had done something very naughty, he had killed his own mommy and he could not bring her back to life. The doctors all said his mommy was already dead and that the monster was not his mommy but Max knew what his mommy looked like and even if that monster was not her it shared her body so it must have shared her soul too. His head hung low Max kicked his feet letting some tears quietly move down his face. He just wanted to see his daddy and go home. They had taken his clothes but let him keep Benny the Bunny but only because he had screamed so loud when they took him away that some glass containers shattered.

He looked down at the bunny seeing his mother's blood still staining one of the ears. His icy blue eyes focused on the hollow black eyes of Benny. He worse light colored blue jeans a dark blue shirt the doctors had given him along with white sneakers. He didn't know why they knew his size but they did and it seemed a little creepy to him. Sitting there lost in his own mind he brushed some tears from his eyes whimpering to himself, "Mommy, mommy was a monster…mommy, I tried to bring you back but I let go…I could have saved you but I let go. I'm sorry let go, I'm so sorry mommy…mommy…mommy I love you mommy."

"MAX" His head moved up as a familiar voice came to his ears. Through his tears he saw his daddy running down the hallway towards him. Max jumped off his chair running down to him with fear and sorrow crying out at the top of his lungs.

"Daddy, daddy…oh god daddy, daddy never let me go…I'm so sorry daddy I couldn't save her…daddy please make her come back please." Zander took his little boy up in his arms holding him tight and brushing a hand through his hair. He felt his son's tears run over his shoulder, his heart aching at the sound of his son's words and the sorrow and fear in his voice. "Daddy…mommy's gone…mommy's a monster, I killed her…I so sorry." His little chest heaved violently with each desperate cry holding his father tighter.

"It's okay Maxy, it's alright I've got you now. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I want there for you." Zander felt tears roll down his own face as he held his son tighter knowing he was sorry for more then just this, he was sorry he was not there when he was in the hospital, he was sorry for not keeping him safe. Looking up over his father's shoulder he watched as a pretty woman walked closer to them, she had long chestnut hair and warm brown eyes filled with so much sympathy for the scene before her.

Melissa stopped just behind them not wanting to intrude on the meeting of son and father for fear she would get in the way. As Max sobbed clinging to his rabbit Zander turned around to face Melissa and slipped the toddler into her arms asking. "Could you hold him while I sign him out?"

"Certainly, it's going to be okay Max." She whispered brushing his head lightly.

"Maxy this is Melissa, it's okay she will watch you until I get back."

Max pulled on his sleeve looking over at his father with pleading eyes begging him not to go. Still Zander pushed his hand away patting him lightly on the head as he turned to walk away. Max nearly burst into tears again until Melissa let him rest his head on her shoulder. He was still a little confused at this point closing his eyes and imagining it was his mother holding him and rocking him gently. Then he realized something, the presence that had felt so far away felt so close now and that alone comforted him as if some unspoken voice reached out and told him he was no longer alone.

After resting there for a moment with his eyes closed he found himself fast asleep not knowing what happened between the time he was in the hospital until the time he woke up in the morning tucked away in his own little bed where his old bedroom in daddy's house use to be. He was in his warm fleece dinosaur pajama's holding Benny close to his face only to see the bloodstain from his mother. Letting go of the rabbit he remembered what had happened the night before and burst out into tears letting all the trauma settle on him.

Melissa walked into his room carrying a tray with breakfast on, a bowl of cereal and some toast since honestly she had no idea what he liked and that was all they had in the house at the moment. Setting the tray down on his nightstand she rushed over scooping him up in her arms. Unlike before Max just pushed her away and crawled to the other side of his bed crying, "I want my daddy."

She knew this was where things were going to get rather complicated. "Your daddy is at work right now, we figured you wouldn't mind coming to work with me."

Max stopped crying knowing there was no way he would be able to get his daddy no matter how hard he cried. He was smarter then most kids his age and he didn't want to disturb his daddy for fear he would give him away again. Looking over at Melissa he tilted his head to the side feeling that presence again. Rubbing his eyes lightly he asked her with a little confusion on his face, "Who are you?"

She sat down on the bed fixing his pillow and looking down at the rabbit, she would have to clean it for him, the blood stain was rather disturbing, "I am Melissa Pearce, your father's fiancée."

Max just looked down at his blankest, he knew what that meant, Daniel had been his mommies fiancé before he turned into a monster. He blinked a few times hearing the little giggle in his head, his eyes shooting back up at Melissa. "Are you going to have a baby?"

Melissa seemed shocked, Zander had told her that max was a lot brighter then normal children his age, but how he knew this she had no idea. "Yes…actually I am."

"Is it yours and my daddy's?"

"Yes."

"Oh." He looked back down at his blankets this time running a finger over them feeling like he had somehow been replaced. His icy blue eyes looked back at Melissa as he whimpered lightly, "I'm hungry." She finally smiled feeling a little less…unwanted and picked up the tray setting it next to him. Looking down at the cereal he squirmed a little, "I don't like that kind…it's not colorful."

Melissa just tilted her head to the side slightly, "Alright…when we go shopping then you can pick out some more cereal and whatever you like to eat then."

He picked up the toast looking it over before taking a bite and asking still full of questions, "What do you do…where do you work?"

She ran a hand over her black skirt glancing over to the bare walls and then smiled back at him, "I am an opera singer, I work at a big theater house. Right now we are doing Magic Flute…I play the Queen of the Night. Have you ever heard opera before?"

"You mean like Madam Butterfly?"

"Yes just like Madam Butterfly…where did you ever hear that?"

"At the library, when mommy was at work I would stay there and read."

Melissa sat back a little confused and slightly startled. Read, he must have been joking, he was only three and he had only just turned three. For a moment she had forgotten she was even talking to a three year old by how mature and smart he was. "Read…but you're only…your just three."

"So what's your point, and Albert Einstein was horrible in school but that didn't stop him from being a brilliant mind." He fell silent leaving Melissa with a baffled look on her face and a hint of shock on her face. "Does it hurt?"

She snapped out of her near trance as his voice returned to a childish tone again, "Does what hurt?"

"Does dieing hurt? I didn't want mommy to hurt when she had to die…it was all my fault…I did it to her, I hurt her." He burst into tears again curling up into a ball and pulling Benny closer to his chest from where he was sitting. Melissa could hear her cell phone ringing in the next room and put her hand on his back rubbing it lightly.

"I'll be right back darling…it will all be alright." She got up walking over to the door before turning around and looking at him again, "Don't worry, dieing is like falling asleep. She didn't feel any pain, she just went to sleep." Walking out of his bedroom she ran to her phone and quickly picked it up, "Hello?"

"Melissa…hey how is Max?" Asked Zander on the other side.

She looked over her shoulder at his bedroom and replied with a sad tone, "Not good, he is pretty sad; you should have stayed home with him today. Besides I don't think he likes me…and he can be rather…unnerving…not that he is bad he is just…strange."

"Nah, he'll be alright, I think it best he spend some time with you losing his mother and everything. You two just need some quality time, get to know each other then I am sure he will warm up to you. Besides you are probably the best person for him to talk to right now. You know what this sort of thing is like."

"Yes but come home early so he can spend time with you too."

"Okay I will…love you hun."

"Love you too." With that the phone hung up on the other side and Melissa found herself horrible alone with a little boy and not even having the slightest clue of what children liked to do. She was going to be a horribly boring mother and probably not the best one but she figured trying to figure out Max was a good start.