Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. >Madison by Demonhead Copyright(C) 2021 by Demonhead Chapter 33: Sam -(TM)s Nightmare Sam felt relieved as Becca pushed her down the hall, somehow sharing all the details of what her daddy did allowed her to start to process it all. She looked up at her mom walking next to her and saw sadness. There would have to be plenty of talks before her mom would be able to come to terms with everything. They would have time to heal, now that they were not afraid anymore. She grabbed her mom -(TM)s hand and squeezed, her mom smiled down at her, but Sam saw pain and guilt. -I love you, mom. - Sam said softly. -I love you so much sweetie, I am so sorry. - Sarah said. -It -(TM)s over now mom, we can start working on getting better. - Sam said. -Yes, my strong girl, we definitely can. - Sarah said and squeezed her daughter -(TM)s hand. They moved into the room and Sam saw that Madison was back. Stacy was working on her tubing and the machines. Jordan was back and holding her right hand. Her daddy was hugging himself standing behind Jordan. Katie was on the other side of the bed talking to Stacy. Aaron, Alex, and Mr. Thompson were sitting on the rollaway, talking. She saw that Madison looked like she was sleeping, she was not moving. There were bandages over her eyes and half of her face. -Hey, Sam, welcome back. - Stacy said as she looked over. -Hi, Stacy, how is Madison? - Sam said as Becca rolled her next to the bed. -She is good, the doctor said everything went well. She will be asleep for a little while. - Stacy said. Sam moved into her bed, and it felt good to lie down. She suddenly felt a little tired, the meeting was harder than she thought. Stacy came over and looked down at her. She touched her face and ran her fingers around her head. It felt good. -You are healing nicely; your pretty face is almost perfect. - Stacy said and Sam smiled. -How do you know I am pretty? I didn -(TM)t know you before and I have not been very pretty while I have been here. - Sam said. -Sweetheart, real beauty is impossible to hide. I can see it poking out all over your face. You are a very beautiful girl, and these little blemishes cannot hide that. - Stacy said and touched Sam on her cheek. -Thank you, the nurses here are very cool. - Sam said and looked over at Becca, who was messing with her equipment. -Yes, we are, but some of us need to go home and get some rest. - Stacy said and motioned to Becca. Sam looked over at Becca. -Ok, I am going, you two can lighten up. - Becca said and moved closer to Sam. -Thank you for everything, are you coming back tonight? - Sam said. -Yes, ma -(TM)am, I will see you very soon. - Becca said and Sam motioned for her to move closer. Becca moved her head closer to Sam. Sam whispered in her ear. -I am going to need another shower tonight. - Sam whispered. Becca moaned and stood up. -You are a crazy little girl. - Becca said and Sam giggled. Becca moved away from the bed. -Bec, I will help you close out so you can go. - Stacy said and walked out the room with Becca. They made their way to the desk. -How did it go with the police? - Stacy said and Becca felt her throat tighten. Stacy put her hand on Becca -(TM)s arm. -Stace, it was horrible, the things that evil man did to that sweet girl. It broke my heart. - Becca said, her voice cracking. -Baby, I am so sorry, she got to you already? - Stacy said and Becca nodded. -Yeah, she is really sweet, I find myself not wanting to leave her. - Becca said. -I totally understand, that other one has already tugged on my heart, and I think she is not done. I will keep Sam comfortable until you get back tonight. I will take care of your paperwork. Now, get out of here. - Stacy said and hugged her friend. -Thank you, I will see you in a few hours. - Becca said and looked at her watch. -See you friend. - Stacy said as Becca walked towards the elevator. Sarah pulled a chair closer to Sam -(TM)s bed and started to arrange the pillows. -Momma, I am really tired. - Sam said and looked at her mom. -I know baby, close your eyes and rest. We will all be here when you wake up. - Sarah said and squeezed Sam -(TM)s hand. She saw her daughter close her eyes. She just sat and watched her sweet baby for a while, her face was almost healed and the bandage on her head was much smaller than the original one. She could not believe the things that her husband did to their little girl. How could Sam stay as normal as she did while she was going through all of that? She felt like her emotions were raw, and she felt fragile. Sarah felt a touch on her shoulder and looked up to see Katie. She tried to keep a strong face and smiled at Katie. Katie knelt and looked at Sarah. -Sarah, are you ok? - Katie whispered and Sarah just looked at her for a few seconds. She felt herself losing it and she shook her head slightly. -No. - Sarah forced out the word, trying not to fall apart. Katie hugged her and rubbed her back. Sarah started to cry into Katie -(TM)s shoulder. Katie held onto her friend as she looked at Sam, asleep in her bed. Dr. Jeffery walked into the room, and he was amazed again at the size of the crew around these two young girls. He stood in the doorway and smiled. He felt someone behind him, and he turned to see a massive man standing there with a pretty, young blonde woman. They looked a little lost, they were both wearing jeans, he was wearing what looked like a work shirt and she was wearing a nice white blouse. They both looked very much out of place. -Excuse me, sir, is this Madison -(TM)s room? - The incredibly large man said as he held his baseball cap in his hands. -Yes, it is. - Dr. Jeffery said and moved out of the door. -Thank you, sir. - The woman said in a sweet voice. He nodded as they walked into the room. Dr. Jeffery followed them in and then went to the side of Madison -(TM)s bed. Alex looked up and saw two people walking into the room. They looked really lost. She jumped up and walked over to them. She held out her hand. The man looked at her and took her small hand in his. -Hi, I -(TM)m Alex. - She said and smiled. -Hi Alex, I am Johnny, and this is my wife, Sharon. I am Jordan -(TM)s uncle. - Johnny said and Alex nodded. -Oh, ok, she is right over there with Madison. - Alex said and they all looked over. Alex noticed that Dr. Jeffery was standing next to Madison and checking her bandage. -How is she? - Johnny said softly. -We don -(TM)t really know yet, she just got back from surgery. - Alex said and Sharon put her hand to her mouth. -What kind of surgery? - Sharon asked. -Her left eye, there was damage from when she got hit. - Alex said and she saw Jordan moving towards them. Jordan hugged Johnny and he wrapped his huge arms around her. Alex thought Jordan suddenly looked very small in the huge man -(TM)s hug. Jordan broke the hug and then hugged Sharon. Alex thought she heard Jordan crying as Sharon rubbed her back. Alex moved back and sat next to Aaron. -Who is that? - Aaron said. -Jordan -(TM)s aunt and uncle, Johnny and Sharon. - Alex said. -He is huge. - Brad said. -Yeah, I guess so, I am getting kind of used to huge guys. - Alex said and snuggled into Aaron. -Jordan, sweetie, are you ok? - Johnny said and Jordan broke the hug with Sharon. Johnny saw her eyes were red. -No, not really. She can -(TM)t catch a break. We thought she was good and then yesterday her eye started doing something wonky. She had damage to the orbital bone, I think they said. They operated on her this morning at 6:30, she just got back. That is her doctor, but he said she won -(TM)t wake up for another hour or so. We won -(TM)t know anything definite until then. - Jordan said, sniffling. -Oh baby, I am so sorry. - Sharon said and hugged Jordan again. -Madison has a lot of fans. - Johnny said. -Yeah, they have quite a following. That is Sam over there. - Jordan said. -Wow, so it is not out of the ordinary for people to fall in love with these girls? - Sharon said and smiled. -Yeah, it is a big club. - Jordan said and took Sharon -(TM)s hand. -Let me introduce you. - Jordan said and walked Sharon over to the rollaway. Aaron, Alex, and Brad stood. -Guys, this is my aunt and uncle, Johnny and Sharon. This is Aaron, Alex, and Brad. - Jordan said. Johnny held out his hand and Aaron shook it. Johnny smiled as he rarely met anyone he didn -(TM)t have to hold back in his handshake. -Glad to meet you guys, we met Alex but are you relations? - Johnny said and Alex giggled. -No, Brad here is Henry -(TM)s boss. Henry is Madison -(TM)s father. He is right over there. - Alex said and Johnny looked at the man standing next to Madison -(TM)s bed, looking very sad. -This guy is Aaron; he is Brad -(TM)s driver and a friend of the girls. He saved them after Sam -(TM)s dad attacked them. - Alex said and looked at Aaron with pride in her eyes. Aaron felt his heart skip a little. -I am just Aaron -(TM)s girlfriend. - Alex said and smiled. -Honey, we are never just anything. - Sharon said and smiled. -I -(TM)m going to like you. - Alex said. -That over there is Sam and her mom is Sarah, sitting in the chair. The lady hugging her is Katie, she is Brad -(TM)s wife. - Alex said. -I hope there is not a test later. - Johnny said and Alex laughed. -No but stay around here long enough and you will pass it easily. Come, I will introduce you to Henry, if that -(TM)s alright with Jordan. - Alex said and looked at Jordan. -Oh, please. I don -(TM)t mind at all. - Jordan said and stepped back, holding onto Sharon. Alex pulled Johnny over to Henry. -She is a little spitfire, that one. - Sharon said and Jordan laughed. Henry saw Alex walking up, dragging a massive man behind her. He looked even larger behind Alex, who was not much bigger than Madison. He chuckled at the contrast. -Henry, this is Jordan -(TM)s uncle, Johnny. - Alex said and the huge man held out a huge hand. Henry took it and suddenly felt really small. -Nice to meet you Henry, you have a wonderful daughter, and she sure has my niece all twisted up. - Johnny said. -Thank you, yes, your niece is a very nice girl and I appreciate her being here for Madison. - Henry said and Johnny heard the sadness in his voice. Johnny looked at the girl in the bed and he knew she was the little sprite that bounced around his farm and seemed to tame all of his animals, but she looked very small and helpless in the big bed. Her head was wrapped in white bandages, and he felt his own heart fill with sadness for her. -Henry, you let us know if you need anything. - Johnny said. -Thank you. - Henry said and turned back to look at his daughter. Katie saw the huge man and the pretty blonde girl walk in and hug Jordan. Sarah continued to cry on her shoulder so she would have to wait to meet these new people. She felt Sarah pull back a little. -Sarah, is Sam ok? - Katie said. -Yes, but I don -(TM)t understand how. Her father has been doing terrible things to her for months right under my nose. She never let on that she was being hurt. How is that possible? - Sarah said and looked up at Katie. -I don -(TM)t know either honey, other than you have a very strong daughter. These two girls are surprisingly resilient. - Katie said. -Yeah, but I am not sure I would have been able to survive those things. - Sarah said and Katie started to wonder exactly what had Sarah so shaken. What did he do other than rape her and get her pregnant? -She is past it now, we need to look forward and start healing, all of us. We will help you. - Katie said and hugged Sarah again. -Thank you so much, we don -(TM)t deserve all of this kindness. - Sarah said. -We will have to agree to disagree on that one. With what you two have been through it would border on cruelty not to help you. - Katie said. -Thank you again. - Sarah said and squeezed Katie -(TM)s hand. -Now, sit and hold your daughter -(TM)s hand and get some sleep yourself, you look exhausted. - Katie said and put Sarah -(TM)s hand over Sam -(TM)s. -That sounds like a great plan. - Sarah said and smiled. She leaned her head onto a pillow and closed her eyes. Katie walked over and Dr. Jeffery was talking to Henry. She went and stood next to Henry. -Hi, Mrs. Thompson, I was about to give Henry the details on the surgery, I am glad you are here as well. - Dr. Jeffery said. -Thank you doctor. - Katie said. -Ok, so first of all, everything that we wanted to do worked fine and we are very happy with the repairs. - Dr. Jeffery said. -I hear a but in there. - Katie said and the doctor sighed. -Yes, we found more damage than we thought. She had an orbital floor fracture as we suspected but she had it in both eyes. - Dr. Jeffery said. -I don -(TM)t understand, her right eye was fine. - Katie said. -Yeah, I thought so too, it was responsive, and her vision seemed fine. However, when we got in there, we noticed there was a hairline fracture on the right side in addition to the fracture we saw on the x-ray on the left. The other issue was that there were some muscles and nerves that were trapped in the fracture, more in the left but there was some restriction on the right as well. - Dr. Jeffery said. -So, what should we expect? - Katie said. -That is tough to say. She will heal from the surgery in a few days, we repaired the fracture, and it should heal very quickly. - Dr. Jeffery said. -But? - Katie said. -But we did have to mess around with the muscles and the nerves quite a bit to free them. I am not worried about the muscles, but nerves can be tricky. They do recover and rebuild themselves but sometimes they manifest in different ways. - Dr. Jeffery said. -Manifest how? - Katie said. -Her vision will be compromised most likely at first, it is impossible to say how much. I am very convinced that she will recover completely, there didn -(TM)t appear to be any damage to the nerves, it is just they bruise easily and being trapped in the fracture was not kind to them. I am very glad we operated so quickly. - Dr. Jeffery said. -So basically, we have to prepare her for anything. When will we know? - Katie said. -As soon as she opens her eyes. I want to wake her up soon so we can evaluate. - Dr. Jeffery said. -Ok, if this is not good, how long will she take to recover? - Katie said. -That is a factor of many things, her youth will be a huge help, kids tend to heal way faster than us old people. The other thing will be the extent of the bruising to the nerves, we have no way of seeing that so the recovery time will be sort of dynamic. I am really sorry I can -(TM)t be more specific. - Dr. Jeffery said. -It ok, doctor, we know you are doing everything you can. Thank you for telling us everything. - Katie said. -Yeah, I found bad news is way better than surprises. - Dr. Jeffery said. -What is worse case, doctor? - Katie said. -Her vision may be seriously compromised for a while if the bruising is extensive or if there is swelling. - Dr. Jeffery said and Henry took a quick breath. Katie looked at him and he looked on the verge of losing it. She grabbed his hand. Dr. Jeffery nodded and left. -Henry, we are here for you. We have to wait and see. - Katie said and squeezed his hand. Henry looked at her and she could see tears in his eyes. -Come on, let -(TM)s go walk. I think Jordan and her folks can hold down the fort for us. - Katie said and took Henry -(TM)s hand. He allowed her to lead him out of the room. Katie saw Stacy sitting at the desk. -Stacy, please get us if Dr. Jeffery comes back. - Katie said. -Absolutely, here, take this. If this starts flashing come back. - Stacy said and handed her a small black device. She stuck it in her pocket and led Henry to the lounge. Jordan walked over to Madison -(TM)s bed, holding Sharon -(TM)s hand. They stopped on the left side, Johnny standing behind them. -Honey, she looks so little in that bed. Has she been awake? - Sharon said. -Yeah, at first, we were all worried about Sam, she had a concussion and a lot of damage to her face. Madison was awake and fine Saturday morning, cracking jokes and doing her thing. Then the doctor came in and took the bandage off her left eye. She had blurry vision and her eye was acting weird, like she was not able to control it. It was scary. - Jordan said. -Baby, that does sound scary. Was she in pain? - Sharon said. -Yeah, when she first woke up it was bad. They gave her some pain meds and she was fine. They took her to x-ray later to confirm what the doctor thought. He says she has an orbital bone fracture; I think. - Jordan said. -That does not sound good. - Sharon said. -They said it was very common in car wrecks and when you get hit with a fist. - Jordan said and her voice broke. Sharon hugged her as Jordan cried. -You know all this is not helping me calm down. Do we have any idea what Sam said to the police? - Aaron said. Alex and Brad looked at him. -I don -(TM)t think Sarah has said anything yet, but she looked very upset. - Alex said. -Yeah, I saw that. I think you may be right about what you said this morning. - Aaron said. -I was afraid of that. - Alex said. -Part of me doesn -(TM)t want to know. Now Madison is lying there with bandages all over her head. Why is her right eye covered, I thought that one was fine? - Aaron said and Alex felt his anger rising. She took his hand and started rubbing his arm gently. -I don -(TM)t know, when Katie comes back, I am sure she will fill us in. - Alex said. -I am sure that was not good news, Henry looked like he saw a ghost. This really sucks. - Aaron said and Alex rubbed his arm. -Come on, let -(TM)s go see Madison. - Alex stood up and pulled him to his feet. They walked to the left side of her bed and Alex put Aaron right next to the bed. She put his hand on the bed and picked up Madison -(TM)s left hand and put it in Aaron -(TM)s. She closed his hand around the little white hand. -Now, talk to her, even if it is in your head. - Alex said. Jordan, Johnny, and Sharon watched as Aaron held Madison -(TM)s hand and looked at her. They could see that his eyes were glassy. He rubbed Madison -(TM)s arm and whispered something. They saw him flinch and look up at her face. Aaron held Madison -(TM)s hand in his, amazed again at how small and delicate it was. He touched her nails with the pink polish, chipped in a lot of places. He smiled as he picked up each of her fingers and ran his own finger across it. They were so small, but he had felt these same fingers hug him fiercely. He remembered how hard she held onto his arm when she rode next to him in the front seat. He really wanted to be in that front seat with her again, he missed that. He rubbed her arm gently and whispered that he loved her and wanted her to get out of this bed right now and ride home with him. He felt her fingers close around one of his and squeeze. He jerked his head up. -You know it is impossible to hear if you whisper. - A small voice said, and Aaron felt his eyes get wet instantly. -Yeah, but maybe you weren -(TM)t supposed to hear. - Aaron said softly, his voice cracking. -Liar. - Madison whispered and he smiled. -My head feels weird. Alex, are you there? - Madison said and turned her head. -You bet, kid. - Alex said and touched Madison -(TM)s arm. -Did you finally get to change out of that dress? - Madison said softly and Alex laughed. -Yeah, but I may have to burn that one. - Alex said. -No, I love that dress. If you burn it, we are going shopping for a new one. - Madison said slowly. -It -(TM)s a date, we can do it the same night as our sleepover. - Alex said and Madison smiled. -That would be a cool night. - Madison said. -Yes, it would. - Alex said and suddenly wanted that night desperately. She rubbed Madison -(TM)s arm. -Jordan, is that you? - Madison said and turned her head. -Yep, and guess who else is here? - Jordan said, holding onto the small hand. -Well, since I can smell cobbler, I am guessing it is Sharon and Johnny. - Madison said and Jordan laughed. -Blackberry, sweetie, Johnny picked the berries yesterday. - Sharon said. -Yummy, did you bring some of that wonderful milk? - Madison said. -Yep, the nice nurse out there put it in the little fridge they have. - Sharon said. -Good, I can -(TM)t wait. Thank you, guys, for coming. - Madison said. -You bet, kiddo, do you know Molly hasn -(TM)t let anyone near those pups since you left? - Johnny said and Madison smiled. -They were so cute. - Madison said. -They will be there waiting for you when you get better. - Johnny said. -Deal. Where -(TM)s daddy? - Madison said. -He went for a walk with Katie. I will go get him. - Alex said and stood up. She leaned over and kissed Madison on the cheek. Alex walked out of the room and saw Stacy sitting at the desk. -Stacy, Madison is awake. Where is Henry? - Alex said. -Oh good, he is in the lounge, I will page the doctor. - Stacy said and Alex walked to the lounge. She saw Henry sitting and talking to Katie. They looked up at her. -Henry, your daughter is asking for you. - Alex said and smiled. Henry got up and left in a flash, Alex took Katie -(TM)s hand and they walked after him. Henry walked in the room and Madison was talking to Aaron and Jordan. He wrapped his arms around himself as he saw her smile. He felt much better already. -I found him sweetie. - Alex said and Henry walked up next to Jordan. He looked over at Aaron and he saw him holding Madison -(TM)s hand with no sign of ever letting go. -Hey, baby girl. - Henry said and Jordan handed him Madison -(TM)s right hand. -Hi, daddy. Why are both of my eyes covered? - Madison said. -They found some small damage in your right eye as well during the surgery. - Henry said and everyone looked up at him. -Oh, did they fix everything? - Madison said. -Yes, the doctor said they did everything they wanted to do. - Henry said. -When do I get these bandages off? - Madison said. -The doctor said he wanted to wait until you woke up. - Henry said. -Stacy is paging him; he should be here soon. - Alex said. -How is Sam, is she all better? - Madison said and turned her head towards the other side of the room. -She is much better; she was hanging out with the nurses earlier making them all laugh. - Alex said. -Good, I was worried about her. - Madison said softly. Everyone around her bed took a breath at the same time after they heard that. -So, I hear someone is awake. - Dr. Jeffery said and everyone turned to look. Dr. Jeffery walked up to the right side of the bed. Everyone stepped back a little to give him room. -Hi, doctor, I would really like to get these bandages off of me. - Madison said. -I think that is a great plan, so you can tell me about all your peeps. This room is getting awfully small, how many fans do you have, little rock star? - Dr. Jeffery said as he ran his fingers around her cheek. Madison giggled and everyone smiled. -I have a lot; you better send me home soon or you will run out of space. - Madison said and Dr. Jeffery chuckled. He loved this kid. -Another great plan but you have to stay with me at least one more day. I am still getting to know you. - Dr. Jeffery said as he checked the bandages. He pulled a small pair of scissors from his pocket. -Ok, I guess so, you are funny. - Madison said and he smiled. -I try. Now, I am going to start removing these bandages slowly. I need you to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. - Dr. Jeffery said. -Ok. - Madison said. -Stacy, can you hit the lights? - Dr. Jeffery said and everyone noticed Stacy had come in and was now turning off the overhead lights. The small light on the wall behind the bed illuminated Madison. -Now, there will be some bruising around the eyes when I take off the bandage. That is temporary and should clear up in a couple of days. - Dr. Jeffery said. Everyone watched Madison -(TM)s face appear as he pulled off the bandage. She looked like she had two black eyes, the left with a larger, darker bruise. Dr. Jeffery pulled off the bandage and Madison kept her eyes closed. -Ok, sweetie, we are going to take this slow. I need you to turn your head towards me and open your eyes slowly. The vision may take a few seconds to clear. - Dr. Jeffery said and Madison turned towards him. Madison opened her eyes slowly and the room was incredibly quiet, she could hear the beeps from the machines like sirens. She felt her eyes open, and she looked at Dr. Jeffery. She saw nothing, it was all black. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, the doctor said it would take a couple of seconds. She blinked and her eyes felt normal, there was a little soreness, but her left eye did not feel strange anymore. She blinked more and everything stayed black. -Madison, can you follow my finger? - Dr. Jeffery said. -No, everything is black. - Madison said and she felt her daddy and Aaron squeeze her hands. She heard Alex gasp and she turned her head. -Madison, look at me. - Dr. Jeffery said and pointed his flashlight in both of her eyes. He saw no reaction and his heart skipped. He took a breath and tried to stay calm. -Madison, I know it is all black for right now, but I want you to keep your head still and move your eyes to the left like you are looking in that direction. - Dr. Jeffery said. He watched her eyes travel and the left one behaved normally, he sighed with relief at that. -Good, now look the other direction. - Dr. Jeffery said and he watched her eyes travel normally the other direction. -Doctor, why can -(TM)t I see anything? - Madison said and her voice started to crack. -Madison, there was damage to your muscles and nerves in both of your eyes. We repaired them but your optic nerve must have been bruised. It will take a little while to recover. - Dr. Jeffery said, trying to keep his voice calm. -How long? - Madison said in a small voice. -I am not sure Madison. - Dr. Jeffery said softly, and Madison started to cry. -Daddy, Katie? - Madison said and turned her head frantically side to side. Katie rushed to the left of the bed and Aaron held out Madison -(TM)s hand. Aaron felt the small fingers clinch tightly on his. -Aaron, do not leave me. - Madison said and he held onto her hand. Katie touched her arm. -We are both here, baby. - Katie said softly and Madison turned her head towards Katie. Katie saw that her eyes looked unfocused, like they were looking into space. -Katie, I can -(TM)t see anything, I don -(TM)t want to be blind. - Madison said as she cried. Katie touched her cheek, wiping away some tears. -Sweetheart, the doctor said you will get better. - Katie said. -But he doesn -(TM)t know how long. Doctor, how long could it be? Are you still there? - Madison said, turning her head. -Yes, Madison, I am still here. Your nerves will repair themselves; we just have to wait for that to happen. - Dr. Jeffery said. -How long? - Madison said, her voice raising as she started to sob. Katie rubbed her arm and put her hand on Madison -(TM)s forehead. -I don -(TM)t know, sweetie. - Dr. Jeffery said and Madison started crying uncontrollably. Henry and Katie tried to comfort her, but she was crying hard, the tears covering her cheeks. Jordan was crying as Sharon hugged her from behind and Johnny held her shoulder. Henry was trying to stay strong, but he could feel the tears running down his face. Aaron held onto Madison -(TM)s hand, he felt her delicate fingers and he had to stay calm or risk crushing them. Alex was rubbing his back and his arm, and he felt like his two girls were keeping him under control for the moment. His mind was already thinking of how he could get into the jail and snuff out a small piece of shit. Dr. Jeffery stood up and he could feel the sadness soaking into him from everyone around him. He had felt all the love before, and it was overwhelming but now this was heartbreaking as he felt the despair. He stepped back farther and noticed a small head of blonde hair pass in front of him. Aaron felt a touch on his arm, and he looked down to see Sam looking up at him and smiling. She took his hand in hers and whispered. -Just for a second. - Sam said softly and took Madison -(TM)s hand. -Aaron? - Madison said and turned towards him. Sam started crawling onto the bed. -Hey, rock star, what -(TM)s with all the racket? - Sam said and moved against Madison, laying over her arm. She turned and looked at Aaron. He took Madison -(TM)s small hand back in his. -Sam, I can -(TM)t see. - Madison said, starting to calm down. -I heard, but you can still hear me and feel me, right? - Sam said and touched Madison -(TM)s cheek, running her fingers softly over it. -Yeah, but. - Madison said. -Yeah, but it could be worse, right? - Sam said and kissed her cheek. -But I don -(TM)t want to be blind. - Madison said softly. -I know, but I am thinking you will get better, your doctor seems pretty confident about that. So, until that happens you will just have to master being a blind girl just like you have mastered everything else in your life. - Sam said, rubbing the soft cheek of her friend. Madison felt herself calming down and snuggled up against her friend. She could smell her, and she loved the way she smelled. She wondered what it looked like with Sam laying next to her with everyone around. She felt Sam move close to her ear, she felt her breath. -I think my butt may be showing, these gowns are about useless. - Sam whispered in Madison -(TM)s ear. Everyone in the room heard the little giggle and could not stop themselves from smiling. Katie looked up and saw the doctor standing back. He looked at her and motioned. She walked over and then moved over and touched Henry. He looked at her and she grabbed his hand and led him out of the room. They met Dr. Jeffery in the hallway. -Ok, first the good news. Her eyes are tracking perfectly so there was no damage to the muscles. You remember the left eye did not track properly yesterday? - Dr. Jeffery said and Katie and Henry nodded. -Now, as for the blindness, it could be many things. There are many things that can happen with eye surgery, and we checked for most of them in recovery. We eliminated the most common complications so that is also good news. What I really think is happening is that there is swelling of the retina, and it is pushing on the optic nerve. - Dr. Jeffery said. -What can we do about it? - Katie said. -First, we will take a closer look a little later, we should be able to confirm the retina swelling. We will manage the pressure in the eyes to make sure the swelling does not get any worse. - Dr. Jeffery said. -What should we expect? - Katie said and Dr. Jeffery took a deep breath. -Best case scenario, the swelling goes down, the optic nerve frees up and her vision returns. - Dr. Jeffery said. -And worse case? - Katie said. -Worse case is that the swelling and the increased pressure caused damage to the optic nerve, and it continues to impact her. - Dr. Jeffery said. -How do we fix that? - Katie said. -We can -(TM)t. - Dr. Jeffery said and Katie collapsed to her knees. Some of the nurses ran to her and helped her up. Henry stood in the hallway in shock. He didn -(TM)t know what to do or say. -Let us confirm the swelling first but we will start her on drops immediately to make sure we stop the pressure from causing any more damage. Folks, the best thing we can do for her is to stay positive. If she gets upset, it will cause her eye pressure to increase, and we don -(TM)t want that. I know this is traumatic for you and her, but we must stay positive until we know we can -(TM)t. - Dr. Jeffery said and touched Katie -(TM)s arm. Katie looked at him and he was smiling. -Ok, doctor, please let us know as soon as you know. - Katie said. -Of course, now go in there and rejoin the Madison posse. - Dr. Jeffery said and Katie smiled. She took Henry -(TM)s hand and he looked stunned. She hugged him and she felt his arms wrap around her. -Henry, she is a fighter. She will not give up and neither can we. - Katie said as he held onto the firm hug. -I just want her to be better, I need my little girl. - Henry said. -You still have her even now, love her like you always have and we will see how everything works out. - Katie said and Henry pulled back slowly. -Thank you. - Henry said. They walked back into the room and saw Sam laying next to Madison. Madison had her arm around her, and Sam had her hand on Madison -(TM)s neck. They both looked asleep. Aaron and Alex were sitting with Brad on the rollaway. Sarah was talking to Jordan and her aunt and uncle on the right side of Madison -(TM)s bed. Katie walked up and stood in front of Brad. He looked up at his beautiful wife with her hair in disarray and her cheeks covered with streaks of mascara. She had never looked prettier. -Brad, Aaron, would you guys go and get a bunch of food for everyone? I think we need a feast; we are all emotionally drained and it will do us good to eat something. - Katie said. -Sure, honey. How does BBQ sound? - Brad said. -Perfect, Aaron, are you ok to drive? - Katie said and he nodded. -Good, Henry, why don -(TM)t you ride along, all of you need some fresh air. The girls will be fine, there are plenty of mommas in here to take care of them. - Katie said and Henry looked over at the bed. Madison looked like she was resting. -Ok. - Henry said. -Good, Honey, get a bunch, we can feed the staff as well. - Katie said. -Aye aye boss. - Brad said and stood up. He put his arms on Katie -(TM)s hips and looked at her. -What? - Katie said. -I love you. - Brad said and she hugged him. Alex stood and grabbed Aaron -(TM)s hand. He stood and she was now looking at his chest, she looked up at him and smiled. -Get a buttload of ribs. - Alex said and Aaron chuckled. -Ok, guys, let -(TM)s go gather food for our women. - Brad said and started to walk out. Aaron and Henry followed. Alex and Katie watched them leave. -That will be good for them. They needed to get out of here for a little while. - Katie said. -True, I thought Aaron was going to explode. - Alex said. -Yeah, I saw. I thought Henry was in shock in the hallway. - Katie said. -So, what did the doctor say? - Alex said. -Well, he thinks her optic nerve is being pushed on by swelling so we hope that the swelling goes down and her vision recovers. - Katie said. -And what if it doesn -(TM)t recover? - Alex said and Katie looked at her. -Then nothing will change. - Katie said and Alex gasped. -Oh, Katie. - Alex said. -Yeah, I am not going to think about that possibility. We are just going to keep loving her like normal. Kind of like that. - Katie said and looked at Sam and Madison cuddled up and sleeping. -I can do that. - Alex said.