Again, I own nothing from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
"I'm sorry Miss, but it's outside of visiting hours"
"Please, I need to see Zack and Cody martin urgently, have you got any idea what we've been through these past few days?" Maddie Fitzpatrick was arguing with a security guard at Boston Medical Centre, it was 10pm and well outside of visiting hours, but she wanted to speak to Zack and Cody desperately, she had their letters from London and she wanted to go through London's funeral wishes with them.
"I'm sorry Miss, but only family members are allowed to go to the rooms outside of visiting hours" The security guard apologised to Maddie
"What, you didn't say that before, I'm their cousin, so can I go up now?" Maddie lied, seeing that this was probably her only opportunity to get up to Zack and Cody's room at this late hour.
"I have to call the room and see Miss, give me a moment" The security guard replied, his tone suggested he suspected Maddie of lying, but it also suggested he didn't mind her going up, but was just following policy.
The security picked up his phone and dialled the room, someone picked up and he began to speak
"Hello Mr. Martin is it? Yes, there is a Miss. Madeline Fitzpatrick here, she says she's your cousin, do you mind if I send her up?" there was a pause as the person on the other end of the phone spoke before the security guard thanked them, hung up and informed Maddie she was granted access to the hospital. Maddie hastily thanked the security guard, who flashed her a kindly smile, and she rushed toward the elevators.
"Hello cousin Maddie" Cody asked inquisitively upon Maddie's arrival in their room
"Hi guys, the nuns always said lying was wrong, but I think it was justified, I had to get in to see you" Maddie replied, happy to see Zack and Cody up and well still.
"Where are Carey and Kurt?" Maddie continued upon realising that there weren't in the room
"Oh, yeah, they went back to the hotel for the night sweet thang, so now if we just get rid of Cody here we've got this room all to ourselves" Zack said suggestively, Maddie snorted and ignored the comment.
"Oh yeah Zack, with your stomach stitches and Maddie's broken ribs I'm sure you'd have a great time" Cody quipped, getting a laugh from Maddie and Zack, the laughter was something Cody didn't think he would hear for a long time, but it made him happy to hear it, maybe it meant they were starting to move on.
"How was London's room, Maddie?" Zack asked in a kindly voice, knowing that it would have been painful for Maddie to go in there, but wanting to comfort her and let her know he cared.
"It was horrible going in there, seeing all her self-obsessed paraphernalia, but I'm glad I did, I found some things that might be of interest to you guys, along with the important things we needed to find as well" Maddie replied sadly
"What did you need to do in there?" Cody asked in his usual inquisitive manner
"Mainly we were looking for her will, it's a video will, but no one has seen it yet, the lawyers will watch it first, but Moesby and Mr. Tipton are having the movers come in tomorrow to start packing so we collected all the valuables and put them in the hotel vault" Maddie replied to Cody's question, talking about it was becoming easier all the time which was a very good thing she felt.
"So what's this stuff you found that might interest us?" Zack asked, obviously hoping it was something that would deliver him some fabulous wealth, although it would be a very hollow achievement. Zack wasn't as close to London as Cody and Maddie were, but he felt Cody's pain, both through their twin connection, and by seeing his twin, his best friend, go through such horrible pain hurt Zack so much. Mostly though, Zack's pain came from not recognising his parents, that scared him more than anything else in the world, Tapeworm's death also was like a crushing weight down on his soul, and of course, there was his newly intensified desire for Maddie which was untenable in the current circumstances. Zack had wanted Maddie since he had met her, it had never seemed a truly realistic possibility, but now Zack felt there was a chance, but he knew the sensitive Cody would feel abandoned, and Zack's sense of duty to his brother was stronger than anything else, though it was sometimes a painful duty to carry.
Maddie was still talking to Zack as he had gone into a small trance, lost in thought, she snapped him out of it and continued speaking, Cody was intently listening, he was very interested about what Maddie would have found in London's room
"in London's safe, where we found her will, there was an envelope, marked to be opened upon the death of London Tipton, she left some messages in there, about how she wanted her funeral to be run, I haven't read it yet, I didn't want to do it alone, so I thought I would come here, since the three of us are organising the funeral, also she left letters for us, for me, you Zack and of course, you Cody" Maddie finished by reaching into her bag and giving the letters out.
"Also, Cody, I know this will be hard to hear, and god it's hard to say, but before London died, she wanted me to tell you that she loved you" Maddie broke into tears as she said this, Cody felt like he had died inside, for what seemed like the millionth time.
"What, she said that, why didn't you tell me before?" Cody said quietly, he didn't know what to think, what to do.
"I'm sorry, now seemed like the right time" Maddie softly wept, Cody broke into tears and Zack climbed out his bed and into Cody's, hugging his crying brother
"It's OK man, I'm sorry, but at least you know now she felt the same way about you as about her" Zack tried to comfort Cody, Maddie climbed into Cody's bed too and hugged his other side.
"But, now I feel like I wasted a chance, by being such a wimp" Cody wept
"There's no way you could know, I mean, you're a special guy, you don't go with girls the same way I do, you wanted to know, that's OK" Zacks words were some comfort to Cody, but he still hurt so badly, Cody looked down at the letter from London and he just couldn't bare to read it, he would eventually, but now wasn't the time.
"Zack, Cody are you going to open your letters?" Maddie asked, she kind of wanted to see what hers said, but she didn't want to open it alone, so she would wait if Zack and Cody wanted to.
"I can't, not now" Cody wept
"Then I wont either" Zack backed Cody up
"Ok, that's OK, I'll wait" Maddie replied, slightly disappointed, but very much understanding Cody's logic.
"I'm going to try and sleep, I don't feel like talking anymore" A very sad Cody eventually said.
The three sat in silence, locked in a group hug, keeping each other warm, making each other feel safe. Cody eventually fell into a deep sleep, but Zack and Maddie weren't so easy to fall into slumber land, Cody had tired himself out with the day's events. Zack and Maddie kept catching each others eyes in glances, every time being more drawn together, even though Maddie was 3 years Zack's senior she felt oddly attracted to him, in a special friend way, not a one night stand, but for Cody's sake they tried to fight it, looking away when they noticed they were starting, but after 10 or so glances they were absolutely locked into a lovers stair, and then it happened, Zack and Maddie lent across Cody and shared their first kiss. The kiss was wonderful, but as soon as it happened Zack thought of Cody, a cold sweat came across him, and even though Maddie seemed willing to take the kiss further Zack quickly pulled away, gave her a longing look, and lay down, rolled over, and tried to sleep, left with a mind filled of thoughts of what was, and what could have been.
Zack and Maddie sitting in a tree…, I couldn't resist. I hope I didn't get anyone's hopes up of a new chapter a few hours ago when I changed chapter 1's author note, because I noticed on the stats chapter 1 got tons of hits, but then they dissipated rapidly along the story, so I wanted to plead with people to keep reading past chapter 1 even if it starts off slow! Either way, I'm glad anyone is reading still 35 chapters in, so keep those reviews coming and keep reading, we're not all that far from the end now I think.