Finding Madeline

Chapter 22

Matt:

"No! No, no, no, no!" I yelled as I helplessly cupped Madeline's head in my hands. "Please, baby, please, please, please, no!"

I stared hopelessly at Maddie. This couldn't be true. Not after everything. She couldn't be gone. It just couldn't be true. She was so young. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her as hard as I could. I was screaming for her to wake up.

"Maddie! Maddie, please! Baby, baby, come on please!" I screamed. "I just got you back," I said in a quieter, whispered tone.

I was suddenly startled by a huge, heavy gasp coming from, the girl I love.

"Maddie? Oh my god, Maddie! Oh thank god!" I said as her eyes fluttered open and looked around.

I embraced her in a hug and stroked her cheek.

"I thought I lost you! I love you so much, baby, I love you so, so, so much!" I exclaimed desperately.

The paramedics rushed around her and hooked her up to oxygen tanks to keep her breathing. I saw her lips curl into a little smile, probably all she could manage at the moment, but it made my heart fill with joy. She was happy. I sat back against the wall of the ambulance and sighed a sigh of relief. She was back. Maddie would get to see the world again. She would get to live again. I just wanted to hold her small frame in my arms forever. I couldn't express the love I had for her.

***

I sat on the hospital chair next to Dylan as we waited to be admitted into Madeline and Taylor's hospital rooms. Taylor has been escorted to the hospital by an ambulance too because she had gone into a full blown panic attack.

"She was already having PTSD symptoms and she didn't want anyone to be near her. She finally calmed down a little and told me to never let her go. She was leaning against me when the kidnapper screamed her name and that caused her to go over the edge. She collapsed and clutched her chest and it sounded like she couldn't breathe. I was so freaked out too because the kidnapper recognized her and I couldn't imagine what she was going through. It was actually really scary for me to see her like that, I've never seen anyone that afraid in my life before. She started screaming and yelling 'stop' and that's when the paramedics stepped in," Dylan had told me.

I filled him in on everything that happened with Madeline and he was shocked after hearing what we went through.

"I just want to see her, I just want to be alone with her again," I told Dylan and he nodded.

"Dylan O'Connor and Matt Kinley?" A nurse asked.

Dylan and I stood at the sound of our names and walked toward the nurse.

"Hello, I'm Anne, I am patient 353's nurse. You guys are here to see patient 353, Taylor O'Brien, right?"

"Yeah and Madeline Pierson," I told the nurse.

"Alright, Madeline isn't quite ready for visitors yet, but you guys are welcome to come see Taylor now if you'd like," the nurse said as she walked away.

Dylan and I rushed to Taylor's room and were greeted by a smiling face.

"Taylor!" Dylan called as he hurried to her side.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm alright now, how about Madeline?" Taylor asked.