Abandoned

Chapter 19

Ryan POV

I was staring at her, and I couldn’t move a muscle.

It was really her.

It was really my Addie.

I didn’t need the DNA test results to tell me that. I knew it was her the moment I saw her. She had the same features as she did when she was a child. She was just a little bit bigger now.

It was really her.

Oh, my God.

I wanted to move. I wanted to grab her and tell her how fucking much I loved and missed her.

She wasn’t dead?

She really wasn’t dead?

I started to feel parts of my body. Anger was waking them up.

They told us that she died.

We had a funeral for her.

There was a tombstone with her name and picture on it.

Why would they do that?! Why would they fake her death? Why would they tell us that she died?

I was going to kill them. I was going to rip their fucking throats out.

“Hi, Maddie.” Sam said first, trying to take a step toward her.

Max stopped him.

Addie kept staring at him, wide-eyed.

“Hi, my little girl.” Sam said, sobbing. “I am Sam. I am your cousin.”

Addie looked at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

“I remember you.” Addie mumbled, making both Sam and I sob.

“You do?” Sam asked, taking another step toward her.

Addie looked back at him and nodded. “You carried me on your shoulders all the time. I called it an airplane ride because it was really high.”

Sam sobbed and nodded.

She remembered. She really remembered.
Addie looked at me and I had to hold back from grabbing her.

“You called me Addie.” she mumbled.

I nodded and wiped my cheeks. “You couldn’t pronounce the ‘M’.”

“Can I hold you, baby, please?” Sam asked as another quiet sob escaped him.

Addie looked up at Milo and Max.

“You don’t have to, love.” Milo told her.

“But they would never hurt you.” Max added.

“God, no, Maddie.” Sam said, making Addie look back at him. “We will never hurt you. You are my baby. I took care of you. I fed you, I changed your dippers, I raised you. I could never hurt you.”

Addie took a deep breath and stepped toward Sam and me.

Sam sobbed, rushed toward her, and picked her up in his arms. I forced my body to move, approached them, and wrapped my arms around both of them. I placed a hand on Addie’s head and kissed her temple.

“Hi, sweetie.” I mumbled. “I missed you. I love you so much.”

Sam was sobbing into her hair. I didn’t think he would calm down anytime soon.

I leaned my head on hers and took a deep breath.

She wasn’t dead.

She really wasn’t dead.

I was so fucking afraid that I would wake up and realize that this was all a dream.

I dreamed of her all the time. I dreamed that she came back into my life. I dreamt that she ran into my arms just like she did when she was a baby.

What if this was just another dream?

Addie moved her arm and wrapped it around me.

I could feel her shaking a little. I could feel that she was tense.

She was still scared of us.

“We will never hurt you, Addie.” I mumbled, lifting my head and looking at her. “You are our baby. We will never do anything to hurt you.”

I lifted my hand and caressed her cheek softly.

She was too warm.

Why was she warm?

I placed my hand on her forehead and froze.

She had a fever.

“She has a fever.” I mumbled, feeling the panic inside me rise.

“We know.” Max said, making me look at him. “That’s why we came downstairs. I wanted Sam to examine her.”

Sam lifted his head and took a deep breath. He kissed the top of her head and looked down at her.

“Okay, my baby.” Sam said softly. “Let’s see what’s wrong.”

I reluctantly unwrapped my arms from her, and Sam placed her down on the couch.

Max and Milo sat down next to her immediately.

“Okay, baby.” Sam said, wiping his cheeks. “What hurts?”

“My head and my throat.” Addie said quietly.

“Max, can you go get my bag from my car?” Sam said as he pulled his keys out of his back pocket. “It’s in the trunk.”

Max took his keys and hurried outside.

“How long ago did the symptoms start?” Sam asked as he sat down next to her and placed a hand on her forehead.

“A few days ago.” Addie said.

The front door opened, and Max rushed back inside. He handed the bag to Sam and came to stand next to me.

I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him to me.

Sam took out some stuff and turned to Addie.

“I need to see your throat.” Sam said as he placed something in front of Addie’s mouth.

She opened her mouth, and Sam looked inside.

“Okay, just as I thought.” Sam mumbled.

“What is it?” Milo asked worriedly.

“It’s tonsillitis.” Sam said, taking the thermometer out of his bag.

He placed it against her forehead, and it beeped.

“102.” Sam mumbled.

Shit. That was high.

“Do your ears hurt, baby?” Sam asked, looking at Addie.

“No.” she said, shaking her head.

“Okay.” Sam said, giving her a small smile. “I will give you some ibuprofen, and you will need to drink plenty of fluids.”

“What about antibiotics?” Max asked, making Sam look at him.

“There is no need unless it’s bacterial.” Sam explained. “If it doesn’t go away in a few days, I will start her on an antibiotic.”

Max nodded, and Sam turned back to look at Addie.

“You were in foster care, right, baby?” Sam asked, making Addie freeze.

She looked at him and gave him a small nod.

“Okay.” Sam nodded. “I am taking custody of you. Ryan is a lawyer. He will deal with everything.”

Sam looked at me, and I nodded.

“We will need to call social services.” I said. “Were you here in a foster home or in a group home, Addie?”

She looked at me wide-eyed. Her breathing picked up. She started panicking.

Why was she panicking?

“Maddie?” Sam called her worriedly.

She turned abruptly toward Milo.

“I want to go upstairs.” she said, making me freeze.

“Maddie, love…” Milo spoke, but she interrupted him.

“You said I could go after the checkup.” she said, and I could hear panic in her voice. “You said that you would take me.”

Milo glanced at Max before he gave a small nod to Addie.

“Okay, love.” he said as he took her hand in his and stood up. “Let’s go.”

Addie practically ran away from the living room. She didn’t look up at us. She didn’t say anything. She just pulled Milo out of the room.

“What the hell was that?” Sam asked when we couldn’t see Addie and Milo anymore.

“She didn’t live in a foster home or in a group home.” Max mumbled, making us look at him.

“Where did she live then?” Sam asked, confused.

“In a tent in the abandoned school shelter.” Max said, clenching his fists.

What?