The Untouchable Stryker

by Kara2211

Lexa has had a very hard life. She doesn't know who her parents are or where she is really from. All she knows is she is different and wants to get out of Afghanistan. She is forced to fight for Ahmed's group when her school was bombed. That's where she met Ash, the person she thought was the love of her life but then she meets Clarke.

98. Chapter 98: Ash

Chapter 98: Ash

One minute, Lexa is talking to us, and the next, she says something isn't right, and then she passes out. We're only a few minutes away from the base when it happens. Abby listens to her heart and lungs to try and figure out what the problem is. Her blood pressure bottoms out, and her pulse is very weak.

After listening to her heart, she says, "I think she has a severe infection, and her body is going into sepsis. She needs antibiotics, and I need to figure out where the damage is that caused all the bleeding. When we land, we need to move her quickly from the chopper directly to the OR."

"Is she going to live, Abby?" I ask.

"I'm doing my best, Ash. We're landing. We need to get her to the OR." Abby pulls out her phone and calls someone, "Get the OR prepared for exploratory laparotomy and blood transfusion. We will be there in minutes."

As soon as the chopper hits the ground, Dakota scoops up Lexa and starts to run towards the base hospital. Zaria is right beside her, carrying the IV bag squeezing fluids into Lexa as fast as she can. I run ahead to cut off Clarke, or at least try to. Clarke is waiting at the entrance, and I try to warn her, but I don't have time. Dakota is right behind me.

Clarke starts screaming and crying, "Lexa, baby, you have to wake up. Fight for me, Lexa."

I grab her before she can collapse onto the ground. As Dakota carries Lexa by, Clarke reaches out for her and says, "Lexa, I love you. Please come back to me. You have to come back to me. I can't do this without you. I can't live without you!"

Lexa

Suddenly, I'm no longer at my wedding to Clarke. I'm standing in a hospital delivery room coaching Clarke on her breathing. Abby and Dalia are there, telling her to push. I rub her back as she pushes through another contraction. I whisper, "Ya Amar, I love you. You're doing great. You're almost there."

When she looks at me, she is crying. "I told you, I can't do this without you. You left me, and now look. All I have is mom, but I need you. Please come back to me. I can't do this without you."

I look at her confused, "But I'm here. I'm with you right now."

"No, you aren't. This isn't real. Lexa, I love you. Come back to me now."

For a moment, I don't understand. Then I remember being on the medivac with Abby and Ash. I must have passed out again. I hear and feel Clarke's sadness. She is crying, and it's because of me. I have to wake up now.

My eyes slowly flutter open, and through the blurriness, I can see Ash holding Clarke up as she is yelling at me to come back to her and reaching for me. The pain in my chest is excruciating, but I reach out to her and try to speak, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try again, and it comes out in a whisper, "Clarke, baby, I'm here. I'm right here."

I look up and see Kota looking down at me. When she sees that my eyes are open, she stops. Abby yells, "Why are you stopping? We need to get her into surgery, now."

Kota speaks, "She's awake and reaching for her."

That's when everyone realizes that I am awake. Clarke pulls free of Ash and runs to me, taking my outstretched hand in hers kissing it. I look up at her beautiful face and try to smile through the pain, "Hey beautiful, I told you that I would see you soon. Don't worry, Abby is going to take care of me. I'll be better in no time, and we'll have the wedding of your dreams. I promise."

She sobs, "You better not leave me. I need you. I love you so much."

Abby says, "Clarke, honey, we really need to get her into surgery. She has internal bleeding."

Clarke starts to cry harder, and I try to reach up to her face but can't. It is so hard to keep my eyes open, and I feel them closing. I whisper, "Clarke, please don't cry. I'll be fine. Please kiss me. I just need you to kiss me so that I know this is real." She leans down and brushes her lips to mine, and I can taste her tears and her fear. It was a quick kiss, but it was definitely what I needed. As soon as it was over, I passed out again.

Clarke

I hear the medivac land and make sure I am at the door when they bring Lexa in. A dark-skinned girl is carrying Lexa, but she is unconscious. I can see the massive amount of bruising on her chest and abdomen and know that means internal bleeding even before I see the chest tube. Her face is bloody, and her left ankle is in a makeshift splint. I call out to her, but I don't think she hears me. Finally, I start to cry, and Ash has to catch me before I collapse onto the floor. I yell at her and reach for her, and amazingly she wakes up long enough to tell me she will be okay.

I quickly kiss her before they whisk her off in the OR. Then, I see my mom and say, "Mom, is she going to be okay?"

"Sweetie, the fact that she is still alive is an excellent sign. I'll do everything I can, but I have to go now. I'll send an update when I can. Ash have Samiya and the other six in the group's blood typed and matched."

That's when I notice the other four people. Ash is still holding me tightly and whispers, "Can you believe the resemblances?"

"Who are they?"

The older lady that looks eerily like an older version of Lexa says, "My name is Samiya, and this is my youngest daughter Zaria and her twin Kalen. The other boy is Elias. The smaller girl is Jasmine, and Nasrin is the other. Dakota is the one that carried Lexa inside. You must be Clarke. It is nice to put a face to the name."

I look at the group and start to ask a question, but a doctor bust through the doors and says that she needs to take their blood. Apparently, the O- isn't going to be enough and may not work because Lexa has Rh null blood. Samiya says, "Test the twins and me first. I think that our blood will work."

I have no idea why she thinks her blood will match, but it does. All three of them have Rh null blood. So I ask the doctor, "Can you do a DNA test against Lexa's of all three of them. Rh null is an exceedingly rare blood type, and with the fact that they look somewhat alike…I…just to it, please."

Ash looks at me and says, "Do you think that they're somehow related to Lexa?"

"Right now, I don't know what to think. What I do know is I'm going to be sick." I run to the bathroom. Ever since Lexa didn't make it back with Ash, I have been spending more and more time in the bathroom. My morning sickness was about over, but now I seem to be making myself sick worry about Lexa. Not to mention the fact that I have to pee every five minutes. She has to be okay.

When I exit the bathroom, Dakota is standing there with her head down. It is the first time that I get a good look at the girl. She looks to be around fourteen or fifteen. She has jet black hair and a very athletic body. She looks up at me with sad, silver-blue eyes that look to have unshed tears. I say, "Hi, I'm Clarke. Thank you for bringing Lexa…."

She interrupts me by quickly saying, "I'm sorry, it's my fault." Then she runs down the hall to where the others are sitting. When I make it to the waiting area, she's on the floor in a corner away from everyone hugging her knees. She has her forehead laid on her knees like she is trying to be invisible.

Once I finish losing my lunch, I go out and wait by the OR doors so that I can be there when the news comes. I look over at Dakota and move to sit beside her on the floor. I put my hand on her arm, causing her to look up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Hey, sweetie, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. I promise whatever happened couldn't be helped. Can you tell me your name?" She doesn't speak, just looks at me.

Not long after I sit down, Samiya comes and sits in a chair near me. She takes my hand and says, "That's Dakota, and she doesn't speak. Don't worry. Lexa is strong. She will pull through for you and your twins."

I can't help it and start to cry, "How do you know that for sure? She…she looked so bad and being a doctor myself, I know she has severe internal bleeding from the bruising on her abdomen, and the chest tube…." Then, to my surprise, I feel strong arms wrap around me right before I'm lifted off the ground. I gasp in shock, and then before I can say anything, I'm sitting in Dakota's lap with her arms protectively around me. I'm not really sure what to think or do about what is happening with Dakota, but I need to know what Samiya knows.

Samiya has a surprised look on her face and glances from me to Dakota before she smiles at me. "True, but…I have seen how much she fights to be with you. If anyone can, it's her. So you must trust in her and the doctors treating her."

"I do trust her and my mom, but…what aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not sure it is something that you really want to hear, but I think it will help you understand what I mean when I say that I know she will fight to get back to you. She has died and come back at least three times since we left the research facility. After the rocket hit and the house collapsed, Lexa was trapped inside while we fought off the rest of the guards. When we finally got her out, she was unresponsive, without a pulse and not breathing. Zaria and Dakota performed CPR for about fifteen minutes before finding a shot of adrenaline to give her. The first thing she said when she came back was, 'where is Clarke?' She told us that she had been with you, and you told her to fight that you and the unborn babies needed her. She said that is what made her come back. The fact that you told her what she was seeing wasn't real, and she needed to go back. That is what made her wake up."

"So, you're telling me she was dead for over fifteen minutes and then came back because she thought I told her too?"

"Yes, and that wasn't the only time either. Lexa stopped breathing while we were walking to the village from a collapsed lung. Zaria had to insert the chest tube, and again when she woke up, she asked where you were. This time Lexa said she saw you and the babies by the pool, but again you told her it wasn't real, and she had to fight and go back. So, that is what she did. She came back. If I had to guess, I bet she saw you again right before she woke up to talk to you before they took her back. You see, her love for you makes her keep fighting to get back to you."

"Who exactly are you, and why do you look so much like an older version of Lexa?" I also look at Dakota, who is still holding me, and ask, "Um…what is happening here?" while I motion between Dakota and me.

Dakota looks at me and says, "Protect you."

Samiya looks surprised that the girl spoke. "My full name is Samiya Sajjad Sahar. I am originally from the Helmond providence in Afghanistan. I believe…"

I interrupt her, "Wait, Lexa's middle name is Sahar. Is that a common name over there?"

"Not that I am aware of. Although I know at the facility we were rescued from, they often used the mother's surname as the middle name given to the babies she gave birth to. This way, they could track defects and see if they came from the mothers or ancient DNA. Sometimes, the mothers were allowed to name their babies, but not all the time. The doctor's used what we consider surnames to track what kind of experimental DNA they used on the fetus. For example, Zaria's full name is Zaria Sahar Trikru because I was her mother, and she received her DNA from the Amazonians. Kalen is Kalen Sahar Floukru because his DNA came from ancient Vikings."

Ash speaks, "So, what you're saying is that Trikru isn't Lexa's last name. It is actually most likely Sahar."

Samiya nods. "That would be my assumption if she has mutated DNA. Which would explain how she was able to survive her injuries."

"When were you taken? How old were you when you gave birth to your first child?" I speak.

"I think it would be easier if I just told you my story and then let you ask questions."

By now, Ash, Zaria, Kalen, Elias, Nasrin, Jasmine, Bellamy, Reed, and Jose have all joined us in the room outside of the OR, awaiting any news on Lexa. When Zaria sees Dakota holding me, she looks confused and says, pointing at us, "What is happening here?"

I smile, "I have no idea! When I came out of the bathroom, she was there, and she said, 'I'm sorry, it's my fault.' Then she took off and huddled in the corner until I started crying. Then she picked me up, hugging me, sitting me in her lap, and here we are. When I asked what was happening here, she said, 'Protect you."

Zaria says, "Wait, she spoke to you?"

"Well, yeah. Why?"

"She doesn't speak. She hasn't spoken in…I'm actually not sure how long it's been, but she just doesn't. Also, she never really touches anyone or lets them touch her."

I look down at Dakota's face, trying to look her in the eyes, but she turns away from me. I gently use my finger to turn her chin so that she is looking at me. "Sweetie, what are you sorry about?"

She shakes her head no and buries her face in my back but doesn't let go of me. I stand up and squat down in front of her making her look me in the eyes. "Please talk to me."

She shakes her head again, no. Zaria says, "See, I told you she doesn't speak. I don't know why but she doesn't."

I look to Zaria and ask, "What does she think is her fault?"

"I'm not sure. I know that Dak was with Lexa when the rocket hit the tree that fell on the building, causing it to collapse but other than that, I don't know. She dug Lexa out of the wreckage and did CPR until we could get the situation under control."

I look back up at Dakota and say, "Sweetie, it's not your fault that Lexa was hurt by what happened. She's going to be okay. We have to believe that, alright."

She suddenly starts to cry, "It is my fault! If she hadn't thrown me out of the way, I would be dead. But, instead, she is hurt and may not live to get back to you, and your babies won't have her. It should have been me, not her. All she wanted was to get back to you and…."

I stand, pulling her into a hug, and as I do, I hear Zaria say, "Holy shit, she can actually speak."

I ignore her and pull back to look at this fragile girl. "Honey, believe me when I tell you that if someone is in danger and Lexa can do something to save them, she will. There was nothing that you could have done to stop her. Come sit with me and listen to some stories about her, and then you will understand. No one here blames you for what happened to her, and you shouldn't either."

Ash looks at Samiya and says, "I would like to hear your story and anything else you might be able to tell us about the facility or the codename Titian. Then I have a story for Dakota about Lexa."

Samiya looks around at everyone and says, "I will tell you everything that I know." Then she begins her story,

"I was born to a poor family in a war-torn. We lived in a remote village that was frequented by the Taliban. As you know, women were considered property of men, whether it was your father or husband. So once you were old enough to work the fields, you were taken out of school and put to work. Our village was impoverished, and often the only way we were able to survive was because of the Taliban. Their soldiers would come into town and offer to buy children, especially males, to train to fight. The villagers soon learned that if they didn't sell the children, the Taliban would just take them by force, so in order to survive, they would take the money.

The women were often sold as wives to the soldiers to replenish the village's population. Sometimes, the Taliban soldiers would sneak into the fields and have their way with the girls working so they wouldn't have to pay. That is what happened to me. It started when I was twelve. They preferred girls that hadn't yet matured enough to become pregnant. That way, they weren't held accountable and didn't have to pay the family.

The first time it happened, I was devastated and ran crying to my father. I thought that he would do something to make it stop, but he was scared. I pointed out to him the one that did this horrible thing to me, and he simply tried to get him to pay the family restitution, but the soldier threatened my father, so he just let it go. He said he couldn't do anything about it, and I just needed to learn to deal with it. After that, I had to be drug out to the fields to work because I was scared of it happening again, which it did several more times.

A couple of months after I turned fourteen, I had my first cycle, and I thought this would mean the end of the torture because now I could become pregnant. But, unfortunately, this just meant that my father started taking offers from the soldiers to make me their wife. Everyone in the village knew what the soldiers were doing to their daughters, but none would do anything about it.

Before my father decided on a husband for me, a white Taliban soldier caught me by surprise in the fields. I tried to fight him and tell him that I had already had my first cycle, but he said he didn't care. I think he was American and didn't care about our customs or whatever deal the village had with the Taliban. It wasn't long after that I started getting sick, and my father realized that I was pregnant. He was angry with me because now he wouldn't be able to get anyone to pay him for me. He said that I was a disgrace to the family.

When I was about four months into the pregnancy, a group of Americans came through the village looking for workers to help in a research facility that they were building. The men were looking for unwed women, especially pregnant ones. The elders worked out a price and sold me along with a few others without asking questions about why they preferred us to be pregnant.

We were blindfolded and taken to a secret location in the mountains where we were held in hospital-like rooms and forced to take drugs to keep us compliant to whatever they wanted us to do. Of course, none of us had any idea what they were doing to us or what we were expected to do. Eventually, a couple of doctors came for me and took me into a room where they strapped me to a table and used a large needle to inject something into my stomach. All they would tell me was that it wouldn't hurt my baby.

After a couple of months, I became friends with some of the other pregnant girls and a couple of the lab workers. One of the lab workers, Carin, was in charge of giving out our medicines. She would talk to us, and slowly we could piece together some of what was happening to us. But, unfortunately, all we could really understand, with the limited schooling we had, was that the doctors were injecting our unborn babies with something that they hoped would create a super-soldier.

When Carin found this out, she worked out a plan to help us escape. The only problem was we were all at least seven months pregnant and in the middle of nowhere. Long story short, Carin was able to get a few of us out and to a nearby military base where we were allowed to stay until they could find somewhere for us to go. Since I was only fourteen, I was sent to an orphanage in Kabul, where I delivered my baby girl. I was allowed to keep her until they had found a family to adopt her. As much as I didn't want to give up my baby, I knew that she would be better growing up somewhere other than in an orphanage. Besides, I was only fourteen and couldn't care for her.

She was the most beautiful baby, with dark brown hair, bronze skin, and steel bluish-grey eyes. When she was just two months old, she was taken from me. Then right before I was to age out of the system at eighteen, we were told the orphanage had become overcrowded, and the older girls were being transferred to a different location. Ten of us girls were to be transferred to what they called a sister orphanage in Ukraine. When we finally got to the new place, it turned out to be another research facility.

Apparently, after I escaped the one in Afghanistan, the American military shut down that facility. But, unfortunately, instead of completely shutting down, they just relocated. It turned out that this facility was performing the same experiments, but since I wasn't pregnant, I was trained to become a midwife because they were short doctors.

I actually learned quickly and enjoyed helping the women through their labor until delivery which the doctors would come in and do. Soon all the women had delivered their babies, and they were having a hard time finding expectant mothers willing to join their experiments. That's when the new group of doctors came into the facility. These were geneticists and fertility experts who were brought in to impregnate us instead of finding willing pregnant women.

After being at this facility for about a year, I became pregnant with my second child, and we were expected to have babies every one-and-a-half to two years. Unfortunately, during the birth of my last child at the age of 21, there were complications, and they had to remove my uterus so that I could no longer have children after that. I named her Zaria because she came into this world early and needed to be strong to survive.

Since I was of no use to them as a baby factory anymore and they couldn't just let me go because they were afraid that I would expose them, I continued to be a midwife and eventually was allowed to start delivering babies. However, it wasn't until I found Zaria in the rescue that I found out about her twin Kalen. He must have been born after I passed out giving birth to Zaria."

Ash says, "So…you were fourteen when you gave birth to your first child who was adopted, and how old are you now?"

"35. I had Zaria and Kalen at 21, which would make them fourteen."

I look over at Ash, "The timeline adds up to the fact that she could, in theory, be Lexa's mother. But, if Lexa was adopted, how did she end up back at the orphanage. What happened to her adoptive parents?"

Bellamy says, "We may never know the answer to that question because the original orphanage was burned down along with all the records. I tried looking after I first met Lexa to see if I could find any relatives before we came up with the plan to disguise her as a boy."

Samiya looks at Bellamy, "Who are you, and how do you know Lexa?"

Bellamy begins telling everyone his history with Lexa and Ash. First, he tells them how he and Lexa decided to disguise her as Alexander 'Zander' Sahar Trikru when she was transferred to an orphanage in the south so that she could go to school. Ash then moves over closer to Dakota and tells the story of how Lexa saved her in the Valley and how she rescued her from Omar and his people. Then she and Bellamy retell the stories that I have heard a couple of times now about Ahmed and Omar and how Lexa is a citizen of the United States now. The whole time we sat there telling our stories, Dakota never let go of my hand.

As the hour's pass, I become more and more worried. The doctor comes out at one point and asks Zaria and Kalen to give more blood. It seems that their mutations allow for faster blood cell replication, and it is safe for them to give again. I ask, "How is she? What is going on?"

She says, "We were able to drain the fluid around her heart so that she has normal blood flow, but we are still trying to repair her liver. She had a severe liver laceration that had already started to close, but that part of the liver is severely damaged. Several other smaller bleeders had mostly closed. So now we are just checking for any other injuries. Right now, her vitals are normal." Then she turns to go.

"Were you able to do the DNA tests?"

"Not yet, but I will as soon as I can."

Natalia and Anny walk up and sit down with the group. Natalia says, "Anny has told me how you all risked a lot to come and get me. I just wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate it. I don't know what would have happened if I…."

Samiya interrupts, "Like the rest of us, you would have done what you needed to do to survive in the hopes that someday something like this would happen and you would be able to see your baby again."

Natalia says, "Maybe, but I don't know if I could have survived. I was already contemplating taking my own life." She starts to cry. "The only thing that kept me going was the thought of finding Anny again and hoping she would not reject the baby because of how it was conceived."

Anny wraps her in a hug, "Talia, I could never reject anything that came from you. I want to raise this baby with you. I want to be with you."

I break down and start crying, "I'm glad you all are happy. I just hope that I don't pay the ultimate price for your happiness." As soon as I start to cry, Dakota puts her arm around me and pulls me towards her. I can't help but lean into her as I cry.

Ash snaps, "Clarke!"

I hear a growl come from Dakota before I snap, "What? I can't help it. I might lose Lexa because she had to follow you to rescue them. Am I glad you could help so many people? Yes, but not if I have to lose Lexa. I can't have her babies without her. I don't think that I will survive if I lose her. I'm sorry, I'm scared to death."

Ash steps towards me to take my hand, saying, "Why don't we take a quick walk to the cafeteria and get you something to eat and drink, so when Lexa wakes up, she won't be mad at us because you aren't taking care of yourself." But Dakota blocks her path to me in one quick movement, staring at Ash in a defensive position. I've seen Lexa do the same thing when she's protecting me, and I can't help but smile.

"Ash, I'm not leaving this spot until I hear that Lexa is alright. So you go with Natalia and see what she needs. I'm sure Samiya and Dakota don't mind keeping me company, and I would like to get to know them and the twins better."

Ash replies, "Fine, but I'm bringing you a sandwich, and I expect you to eat it." Then she walks away, following Anny and Natalia."

As Ash walks away, I take Dakota's hand and pull her back to her seat. While Ash is gone with Anny and Natalia, I sit and talk with Samiya. The twins and Dakota are pretty quiet. We talk about how Lexa and I met, and I even tell her about how I became pregnant. I hear Dakota making that growling noise again when I talk about being raped by Finn. I feel it is only fitting since she has been honest with me about what happened to her.

Dakota surprises us all again by asking, "Will you tell the story about Lexa singing to you about giving her a chance?"

I smile, "Sure, did she tell you about that?" She just nods. I tell her that story along with a few other ones about Lexa singing to me. I also tell them about the connection that Lexa and I share. I look at her and say, "I don't know how she does it, but she seems to know when I need her, and she just shows up. I don't call her; she just comes when I need her the most."

Samiya smiles, "I have heard tales of connections like this. They are extremely rare. One of the women I met at the facility once told me about an ancient Japanese legend, insisting that love is a magical thing. It says that if two people are destined to be together, they will meet each other sooner or later no matter how far apart they live. Their lives will always cross because they are connected by a 'red thread.' This is how she explained it to me:

Close your eyes. Imagine your body growing transparent. Can you picture the endlessly complex network of blood vessels connecting all parts of your body? Of course, you, as a doctor, know that we owe our existence to these life-giving rivers. Now, take note of one rather unique channel within this system – the one that connects your heart with your pinky finger! It is formed by the ulnar artery; this channel makes your least notable finger a true 'representative' of your heart.

The legend goes, this thread emanating from the heart doesn't end at the tip of the finger. Instead, it continues in the form of an invisible red string. This string 'flows' from your pinkie to intertwine with red strings of other people – connecting your heart to theirs.

Two people who are connected in this way are bound together by fate itself. Sooner or later, they are destined to meet, no matter how far apart they live or how much their life circumstances differ. And, when it happens – that encounter is sure to profoundly affect both of them. Of course, the strings can sometimes stretch and become tangled, which could postpone the fateful meeting. But – those ties will never be broken.

I think this is what you and Lexa share. A connection allowed you to find one another even through a great distance and loves with other people. And…now that you have found one another, your love cannot be broken."

I can feel tears start to run down my cheeks, "That is…that is a very romantic way of looking at our relationship. I do feel more connected with her than I have ever felt with anyone before. I hadn't ever even considered being attracted to another woman until I saw her that first night at the Dragon's Den.

Dakota again surprises us by asking, "If you liked Lexa the first night, why did she have to convince you to give her a chance?"

I sigh, taking a deep breath, "Things at that point were complicated. I was dating Finn and Lexa was in love with Ash. I was scared that if I let myself get close to Lexa that she would eventually hurt me by going back to Ash."

Dakota says, "Why? It's obvious that Lexa loves you very much. You are all she talks about."

"Like I said, things were complicated. It's an exceptionally long story that really isn't all mine to tell."

Samiya retakes my hand, "I know that Lexa loves you enough to come back from the dead multiple times, and I think you love her the same. But, you need to trust or believe in whatever God or deity you believe in, that she is going to be alright."

"Thank you, I trust Lexa completely. But, I have a weird question for you. Before Lexa left on the mission, we talked…well, she talked about names for the twins. She is extremely excited about them…."

She asks, "And you aren't?"

"It's complicated. I've told you how the twins were conceived…and I just don't know whether I will be…."

She finishes my sentence, "Able to love them? Because of how they were conceived."

"Exactly! Even though I've talked to Ash's wife, Callie, who had a similar experience, she swears that once I hold them, it won't matter how they got here…I'm just not convinced. Then Lexa came up with this brilliant plan, that if it works, it will effectively rewrite the babies' DNA so that they are a combination of the two of us and not Finn…but…even then, I'm not sure. Lexa, though, is so excited. She said it doesn't matter to her either way, that in her mind, they are ours no matter what."

"Clarke, I have to agree with this Callie person. Once those babies are in your arms, it will not matter in the least how they came about. The only thing you will care about is them. Even at fourteen, I loved my baby girl with all my heart, even though I knew that I couldn't take care of her. Now, what was your question?"

"Oh, yeah. Like I said, Lexa has already come up with a couple of names for the girls, and I felt so bad that I hadn't given any thought to names, so…I was wondering if you could maybe help me come up with some Arabic names to go along with the ones that she has already picked out. I want them to know where they come from. I would like them to have meanings that go along with the nicknames we have for one another. For example, she calls me Ya Amar, which means My Moon, and I call her Cielo, which means sky. The names she has chosen are Madelyn but call her Maddy, and then she wants to name one after my mother Abigail because she says without her, she wouldn't be here. Do you have any ideas?"

She is quiet for a while, lost in thought. She then says, "Well, there is Soleila, which means star…Aasma meaning sky…Naisha meaning gift from God…Celina meaning heaven…."

"Celina Abigail…I like the sound of that. We could even call her Lena for short. Now, what goes with Madelyn…."

This time it is Zaria that speaks, "What about Madelyn 'Maddy' Lyrah? Lyrah means star."

"That is awesome. I like that a lot. We have the moon, stars, sky, and heaven. It's perfect. I can't wait to tell Lexa. Thank you both."