Max & Me

Ch. 42-Switched

Ch. 42-Switched



*Danielle's POV

I looked from the doctor, to the little girl, back to the doctor, back to the little girl. "Here," Said Nurse Newman, standing up. "Danielle, you can take this chair." I looked at the nurse, not breaking eye contact with her. I hugged Max closer as I stepped towards the chair.

A million thoughts raced through my mind. What the hell is going on here?

I sat down in the chair; turning Max around so Max and I were both facing the same direction. Still, I held my son close to me. "I have some news for you," Said Dr. Card, rolling his chair towards me. He took off his foggy glasses for a moment, and wiped them on his shirt. He put them back on, and took a deep breath.

He clasped his hands together. "Danielle," He said slowly, "Meet your daughter, Madison Jane."

*

I didn't move a muscle. "W-What's going on?" I asked, "Who's trying to prank me?" I began to shake and stutter as I looked back and forth between Violet, Nurse Newman and Dr. Card. Violet's expression was pure shock. Both her hands covered her mouth in surprise.

"I see I need to explain some things." Said Dr. Card, taking off his glasses and cleaning them again. He put them back on. "Max was born on September 30th, correct?" Asked Dr. Card. "Yes..." I whispered. I couldn't take my eyes off the little girl on the hospital bed. Her eyes were drooped down in sadness.

I gulped, and hugged Max closer. "Well, I'm afraid there was a mix-up with the identification bracelets on the babies." Said Dr. Card. "What are you talking about?" I asked, pulling my son even closer. "Max isn't your baby," Said the doctor, "Max was born to Michelle and William Foster." My chest tightened, and a felt like I was just punched in the head.

I pulled Max even closer, probably crushing him into my ribcage. "You're not taking Max away!" I cried, standing up, "Max is my baby! He's my baby and I'm not going to just hand him over to Michelle and William Foster!" The doctor stood up, "Danielle, please calm down." I feel gutted!

My emotions swirled around. Half of me felt embarrassed. Half of me felt vulnerable and weak. A part of me was feeling pure anger. My jaw quavered with emotion. "Please, sit back down." Said the doctor. I began breathing quickly, feeling my adrenaline pumping. I sat back down, and pulled Max close to me.

"You don't have to give Max back," Said Dr. Card, "Because Michelle and William Foster are dead." My eyes widened, as I struggled to take in all the new information. "This morning, a house fire took Michelle and William's lives. The firemen got there just in time to rescue Madison from her bedroom."

My lip quavered. "What do you want with me?" I asked. Wait a moment. If Max is William and Michelle's baby... That means... "Madison is my baby?" I asked, before the doctor could answer my first question. "Well, she's one now." Said the doctor. I turned to the young girl. She was running her fingers over her bandages.

"She got some minor burns on her arms in the fire," Said Nurse Newman, "She'll heal though." I nodded slowly. Now I understand why Max never looked like Liam or me. He was Michelle and William's son. No. He's still my baby. I'm not loving him any less. He is still my child. I don't care what any doctor says. I don't care what my mind tries to convince me of. Max Ethan Payne is my son.

"We called you down here for a couple reasons..." Said the doctor. "We only discovered that Max wasn't your baby when we checked Michelle's hospital record. She'd found out the gender of her baby was a boy. She was surprised when she brought home a girl. But everyone thought it was just a machine glitch."

I nodded for the doctor to continue. I began to wonder. Only two babies were born in the hospital on September 20th of 2012. Max, and Madison. I checked your hospital record. Even though you didn't want to know the gender, the nurses put it in your file anyway. It was a girl. You didn't know any different because you didn't ask to know the sex of your child."

I gulped, tears welling up in my eyes. "So..." I asked, wondering why I was here. "William and Michelle were lonely people. No family, no friends. Both their parents deceased. They never had a will either. So... There is nowhere for Madison to go." My eyes widened ever larger. "So you're saying..."

"Would you like to adopt Madison?" Asked the doctor, taking a deep breath. I looked down at Max, blinking multiple times. "Where will she go if I don't take her?" I asked. "She'll bounce through foster care her whole life, until a new family decides to adopt her."

I turned back to the little girl. Her lip quavered as she touched her bandages. She looks just like Liam and I. She has my curly brown hair, and Liam's caramel-chocolate eyes. She has my nose, and my mum's ears. She's my little girl. Madison turned to me when I saw I was watching her. She didn't bother smiling at me.

I ruffled Max's hair. "Can I... Have a moment?" I asked the doctor, though I was already standing up and heading towards the door. "Of course," Said Dr. Card, standing up also. "You can go out to the waiting room to think about it." I nodded at the doctor, my lip wavering and the tears threatening to spill.

"Come on, Violet." I said, grabbing her arm. Violet pushed the door open, and let me drag her away. The moment we left the room the tears spilled down my cheeks. "Mum?" Asked Max, as we walked down the hall to the Children's Ward Waiting Room. "You okay?" Max asked, giving me a worried yet adorable look.

"You're my baby," I told him. I think I'm trying to convince myself more than I'm trying to convince him. "And I love you." I finished. "I wuv you." He told me, hugging me tightly. We reached the waiting room, and saw that it'd been completely cleared out. I sat down in one of the chairs, and plopped Max on the seat next to me.

"What do I do, Violet?" I asked, putting my head in my hands. "Max isn't biologically mine!" I exclaimed, "He's Michelle and William Fosters baby!" Violet put a sympathetic hand on my knee, "Shh," Said Violet, "Max is your baby, no matter what the DNA says." I began to hiccup.

"What about this new little girl?" I asked. "She's my daughter! I can't have her bouncing through foster care her entire life!" Violet pulled her lips together, struggling to think of what to say.

"I have to adopt her." I whispered. "I have to adopt my daughter."

BA-BAM! This is what the story has been leading up to.

Anyone see the foreshadowing?

How Max doesn't look like Liam or Danielle?

Or in the first chapter Danielle said she passed out when she had Max, so she didn't know his gender until

20 minutes after he was born.

QOTD:What do you guys think? What will Liam think!?!?

♡

Liam James Payne

+

Danielle Claire Peazer

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Max Ethan Payne