Mini-Golf
Madeline Series One-Shot #1
By Danielle : - )
7/24/13
Author’s Note: This story takes place sometime in the Madeline universe, but doesn’t necessarily fit into the timeframe of either version, hence I‘m giving it it‘s own little ‘one-shot‘ category. Another story or two might join it here at some point.
Disclaimer: The Pretenderdoesn’t belong to me, and I’m not making any money off of it. I’m very happy to say that it does belong 100% to Steve and Craig now, and want to sincerely thank them for bringing it back to us. They are honestly two of my favorite people in the world.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the awards ceremony, Madeline jogged over to the handsome man waiting for her on the sidelines.
“Hey, Jarod!” she greeted him as he pulled her into an easy hug.
“Great work out there, Madeline!” he told her with his trademark enthusiasm.
“Thanks, but I can’t believe I fell on the uneven bars! I’ve done that release flawlessly countless times! I can’t believe I choked- I never choke!” Madeline was something of a perfectionist and would be beating herself up for that small mistake for a while yet.
“What do you want to do for the rest of the day?” he asked in an attempt to pull her from her self-pity.
Madeline lit up as she remembered what she had come up with, “Have you gone mini-golfing yet?”
Jarod’s eyebrows came together as he thought about that a moment, “I’ve played golf before… I don’t know anything about a small version.”
“Well, it is golf with smaller holes, balls, and clubs, and usually they have cool obstacles you have to work around.”
“Why not just play regular golf?”
“Well, it’s basically for kids, I guess; but people of all ages play it. It’s much more fun than regular golf- I used to go with my parents all the time.” she smiled fondly at the memory.
“I enjoyed playing golf, and this mini golf sounds like even more fun. Is there one nearby?”
“Yeah, there’s one in the next town. And they also have ice cream.”
His eyes lit up like Madeline knew they would at the mention of ice cream, and she knew they were definitely going.
“Let me go get my stuff- I’ll meet you at the hotel in an hour?”
“See you then.”
“God, that friend of yours is so hot!” her teammate, Carrie, said as soon as she entered their section of the vast locker room.
Madeline just smiled as she opened her locker. This was the third competition Jarod had been to- all ones that Miss Parker, Broots, and Debbie hadn’t been able to attend, naturally- and she was used to her friends talking about how good looking Jarod was. Jackie knew the Pretender well enough by now to have no problem when Madeline told her that she’d be staying an additional night with him. She believed Madeline’s little while lies that her guardian knew all about it.
Madeline quickly put on her street clothes over her leotard and slipped her shoes on. When she got back to the hotel, she took a quick shower before putting on her usual minimal makeup and trademark slightly-too-large clothes.
Jarod knocked on the door right on time, like always. She grabbed her purse, directions to the mini golf place, and keycard and followed him out the door. They talked the entire twenty minute ride- Jarod about his latest Pretend and his newest discoveries, and Madeline telling him about her latest adventures with Angelo.
Madeline watched Jarod carefully as they got out of the car once they reached their destination and he got his first look at the mini golf course. She loved seeing his childlike wonder as he came across new things. Every time they were able to hang out, she wanted to be able to introduce him to something new. Last time, it had been cookie dough ice cream.
Jarod’s eyes grew wide as he surveyed the course before them. It was beautifully laid out with numerous man-made waterfalls interspersed with the holes and plenty of colorful obstacles.
“This does look very fun!” he whispered in awe as she led the way to the pro shop/shack where they’d pay and get the necessary equipment. They decided on the full 18 hole course, instead of just nine. Madeline quickly picked a blue golf ball, while Jarod stared at the rainbow assortment before settling on black. His choice wasn’t really a surprise to Madeline, who had never seen him wear anything but black. As they left the shack, he stopped to study the scorecard they’d been given. He quickly read the rules printed on the back of the card while they waited for the people at the first hole to finish up.
“I’ll go first. You have to hit the ball gently- they’re pretty light compared to regular golfballs. The first time I went minigolfing with my dad after he started teaching me to play golf, I hit the ball really hard on the first hole. I had to yell ‘Fore!’ because it ended up on the next hole! The teenage guys there looked at me wicked weird.”
Madeline set her ball in the middle of the green mat and studied the windmill in front of her.
Jarod spoke out loud as he looked at it, too, “You have to hit the ball through the hole in the windmill, timing it just right so you miss the blades! This may be a game for children, but there are many challenging factors you have to consider!”
Madeline hit the ball cleanly through the windmill and into the hole beyond.
“That was a perfect shot!” his praise was always sincere, and sent a warm glow through the teenager.
“I usually won playing against my parents, and not because they let me win, either- I used to be quite good. Looks like I haven’t lost it!”
“Why would your parents let you win?” Jarod asked in honest confusion.
“Parents often let their young children win when they play games together- I think it helps with the kid’s self esteem or something.”
“That’s very deceptive.” his voice held clear disapproval.
Madeline shrugged, “I think it falls along the lines of small lies you tell for your children’s benefit, like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny…”
Jarod pushed the thoughts aside and set his ball down. He hit it gently through the windmill. It didn’t have quite enough speed and came to a stop about 3 feet from the hole. His second shot landed it, though. He diligently recorded their scores with the small pencil before they moved to the second hole.
Madeline got it in two shots; Jarod, a hole in one. It quickly took on a competitive edge, as both were very skilled at the game. Things never got too serious when the two were together, so they had fun with it- teasing, laughing, and cheering each other on in equal measure. Madeline didn’t care about winning because she was enjoying watching Jarod take pleasure in the game so much. By the second to last hole, they were tied.
Madeline studied the 17th hole, a par 4, carefully- you could hit your ball into one of three pipes that led to the lower level. The hole was down there, situated on a small rise. She leaned over the edge of the railing to see where each pipe came out before deciding on her target. She went back to the starting point and aimed for the left-hand pipe. She was an inch off, causing the ball to bounce off the wall.
“What the--?!” she cried in disbelief.
Jarod hit his neatly through the middle pipe, the black ball coming to rest about 10 feet from the hole. Madeline’s second shot went perfectly through her intended pipe, her ball coming to rest less than five feet from the mound. Jarod took his time lining up his second shot, studying the shape of the rise he needed to conquer in order to sink his shot. He hit the ball with the perfect amount of speed and aim, smoothly sinking the shot. Madeline couldn’t help but return his grin before turning to set her shot up. She took a deep breath to calm her mind and get into the gymnastic-competition mindset.
She stared openmouthed as the blue ball went along the edge of the hole, but then rolled down the opposite side of the mound at the last second. Her next shot went in, leaving Jarod ahead by one.
Their last hole had 2 water hazards they had to get over. Jarod ended up ahead by one again, winning by two. After a congratulatory hug, he went over to collect the balls.
“Where’d they go?” he was looking down into the pipe that served as the last hole.
“That pipe probably goes directly into the shack, so they don’t have to worry about people not returning the balls.”
“Loser buys the ice cream!” he said as they went inside to return their putters. Madeline nodded with a good-natured smile as they followed the signs to the ice cream stand.
Jarod’s mouth dropped at the long list of ice creams offered.
“What are you getting?” he asked.
“Peppermint stick.” she answered readily.
“I have no idea what to try!!” he confessed a moment later.
“They’d probably let you get a couple different flavors if you asked.” she was trying to make it easier on him but actually just made deciding harder.
“What’s Coffee Oreo?”
“Coffee-flavored ice cream with pieces of Oreo cookies mixed in.”
“Ice cream that tastes like coffee? That doesn’t sound very good…” the look on his face as he said that made her laugh.
“It doesn’t taste a lot like coffee- I hate coffee, but coffee ice cream is really good.”
“Well, I do love Oreos, so maybe I’ll try that.”
He spent a few more minutes studying the offerings and asking Madeline for clarifications. Finally he announced, “I’m ready!” and they moved to the end of the short line.
Jarod got a three scoop consisting of Coffee-Oreo, Mint-Oreo, and Strawberry Cheesecake. Madeline grimaced slightly at the unusual combo, but it wasn’t the first time she’d seen him order unusual combinations of food. They settled on a park bench in the shade of a big oak. She enjoyed watching Jarod stare at his ice cream, clearly unable to decide which flavor to try first. Finally, he went for the Coffee-Oreo, grabbing a big chunk of cookie. He closed his eyes, letting it melt in his mouth to fully appreciate the flavor. The joy on his face made her heart feel like it was going to explode, she was so happy for him, and heartbroken at his missed childhood at the same time. He eagerly moved on to the Mint-Oreo, and then the Strawberry Cheesecake, savoring the first taste of each in the same manner. Then he continued to alternate one flavor after the other. Madeline ate her ice cream slowly as well, trying to enjoy it as much as he clearly was.
“I need to come back here again!” Jarod exclaimed as they were finishing their ice cream, “There are so many flavors I still have to try!!”
“Most small towns usually have a local ice cream shop, and they usually have a lot of different flavors, at least around here and New England. Ask the locals where they go for ice cream and they‘ll probably direct you someplace really good.”
They got rid of their empty cups and left to find something fun to do with the rest of their evening together.
Temporary Homes in a Deep and Dark December
Madeline Series One-Shot #3
By Danielle Smiley-Face
~*~*~*~
After meeting with Sydney the night before, Miss Parker called out of work for a few days to get this Madeline situation dealt with. They’d stopped at the grocery store on the way home, the battered young woman staying in the car while Miss Parker bought some much needed food. Madeline had spent the rest of the day eating and sleeping, getting about 14 hours straight sleep.
First thing the next morning, they headed back to the Centre’s fully equipped medical wing. Parker hadn’t wanted to bring her to a “normal” doctor because of all the questions her multitude of bruises would bring up; plus the inevitable police involvement.
Miss Parker had been going to a doctor at the Centre her whole life, with the exception of being away at college. The soft-spoken doctor she’d been seeing the last few years could probably help put Madeline at ease.
They showed up without an appointment, but once the receptionist told Dr Black that Miss Parker was waiting, she quickly began to rearrange her busy morning.
“Don’t they have to call the police for child abuse?” Madeline worried as they sat in the upscale waiting room. All she wanted was for the pain to go away and to find a safe place to live- possible justice wasn’t anywhere on her radar just yet.
“Not if I tell them not to.” Miss Parker answered brusquely.
Madeline wasn’t sure how the woman could influence the doctor like that if the law said she had to file a report, but even with less than 48 hours together, she’d already begun to learn that people don’t question Miss Parker. She still didn’t even know the woman’s first name!! She hadn’t volunteered it and no one else had used it in her presence yet. She supposed it didn’t really matter since this living situation was only going to be temporary.
When the nurse called Miss Parker’s name, Madeline slowly got to her feet, hissing out a painful breath. She didn’t hurt nearly as much as when Parker found her, but bruised ribs were slow to heal. The nurse ushered them into the nicest exam room Madeline had ever seen and motioned her to the scale. She recorded the alarmingly low number and instructed the girl to the table.
Madeline noticed the apprehensive glances the nurse, who was considerably older, kept shooting Miss Parker’s way, increasingly curious about her savior. Miss Parker seemed more than willing to take the lead answering the nurses questions.
“What can we help you with today?” the nurse began as she took Madeline’s temperature and blood pressure.
“She was beat up a few nights ago and we need to make sure nothing’s broken. I also want a complete blood workup and physical.”
The nurse made a few notes in the chart and hurried from the room without another word. Only a few minutes later, the doctor knocked and entered.
“Hello, Miss Parker,” she greeted with a small smile, “You must be Madeline.”
Madeline nodded and tried to work up a polite smile, but didn’t quite have it in her. The small amount of physical activity she’d already done since waking had sapped her strength.
“Those are some considerable bruises, Madeline, how did you get them?”
Miss Parker spoke before Madeline could open her mouth, “Her stepfather beat her up night before last. She say’s nothing’s broken but I want x-rays to be sure.”
“Madeline, has he broken bones before?”
“A couple ribs, I think, maybe six months or so ago. It doesn’t hurt that bad this time, though.”
“Is it alright if I do a physical exam now?” at the girl’s nod, she continued, “Would you like Miss Parker to wait outside?”
Miss Parker was all for avoiding further knowledge of the injuries, but when Madeline said she wanted her to stay, she found herself unable to say ‘no’ to those sad hazel eyes.
Once Madeline changed into the luxurious exam gown, the two older women came back. Dr Black began by examining Madeline’s face, carefully probing at the bruises and gashes for signs of breaks.
“It doesn’t feel like your eye sockets or cheekbones are broken but I’ll get an x-ray of the area to be sure. How long has the abuse been going on?”
“Almost two years.”
“Was there sexual abuse as well as physical?” the doctor asked gently.
Madeline took a deep breath before answering, “Not by my stepfather, no, but he um, pimped me out to his friends.”
Dr Black listened to her lungs and heart, then asked her to open the robe to examine her ribs and collarbone for obvious fractures. The Centre doctor didn’t seem fazed by the bruises or ribs sticking out, but Miss Parker caught one glimpse and had to turn away. Her blood was boiling and she wanted nothing more than to beat the man responsible to death. She called to mind her father’s many lectures about avoiding emotional attachments and reminded herself that the girl would be moving on as soon as Broots could track down a long-last relative or the MIA godparents.
“You clearly haven’t eaten enough for quite some time.” the doctor observed.
“Anthony’s drugs were more important than my food. I usually just had to hope someone would give me a little extra money and I could sneak to McDonald’s or something.” Madeline explained somberly.
“You need to reintroduce food into your system slowly. Start with blander foods, small quantities every few hours throughout the day. I don’t need bloodwork to know you’re going to need a vitamin supplement so I’ll give you a prescription for a high-dose one before you leave. I want to check on you again in a week to make sure you’re gaining weight and everything else is returning to normal.”
Miss Parker couldn’t resist turning back at the pained intake of breath as the doctor probed a particularly nasty bruise on Madeline’s abdomen. She desperately tried to tune out the conversation about how and when the bruises occurred but wasn’t very successful.
“I’ll give you a prescription for the pain. What other injuries can you remember?”
“I got hit so hard on the side of my head a couple times that my ears bled.”
“Both sides and both ears?”
Madeline stopped to think, “I think the right only bled once but the left was a couple times- Anthony’s right handed so he usually hit me on the left.”
“Was there any ringing in your ears, or did you notice any hearing loss?”
“Umm, no, there was too much going on for more than an ‘oh shit, that can’t be good’.” Madeline shrugged apologetically.
“That’s ok.” Dr Black assured her, “We should definitely run a hearing test, though, because you’re right- bleeding isn’t a good sign.”
“How much is all this gonna cost? I don’t have health insurance anymore.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Miss Parker answered in the kindest voice the doctor had ever heard her use before. She wasn’t quite sure of their connection, but knew The Centre rumor mill was sure going to be busy talking about this!
Madeline opened her mouth, “But-”
“It’s taken care of.” Miss Parker snapped, although not with her usual ferocity.
“Before we run the tests and take blood, we need to do a gynecological exam to make sure there’re no internal injuries. Is that ok, Madeline?”
The girl’s thin face blanched slightly, but she nodded, aware of the importance of the exam.
Parker definitely did not want to be around for this and took a few quick steps towards the door.
“Don’t go!” Madeline felt panic begin to rise up. She’d never been clingy, not even as an infant, but the thought of the cold brunette leaving the room filled her with anxiety. For some reason, Miss Parker’s presence had a calming influence on her and was making this whole ordeal bearable. She could see her about to protest and added a beseeching, “Please.”
Muttering under her breath, Parker moved back into the room. She positioned herself at the head of the table, back resolutely to the doctor to give Madeline as much privacy as possible.
At the doctor’s instructions, Madeline positioned herself at the edge of the table, then closed her eyes. She began to breath deeply in and out, using the calming method her mother had taught her early on in her gymnastics career. Even with Dr Black’s warning, the first touch inadvertently made her jump and tense up.
A single tear escaped her less bruised right eye, the first Miss Parker had actually seen her shed. Parker instinctively reached out to take her hand. In the few seconds it took her to realize what she’d done, Madeline had taken such a firm grip of her hand, she probably couldn’t have pulled away even if she really wanted to.
Despite the fact that it felt like an eternity for both, the exam didn’t really take that long.
“All done.” the magic words were met with great relief, “You can sit up now. We’re going to step outside so you can get dressed. Then the nurse will come take some blood and I’ll call over to get an abdominal ultrasound, x-rays, and hearing test..”
“Thanks,” Madeline managed a small smile and slowly began to get off the table.
“How long is she going to be with you?” the doctor asked Miss Parker once they were out in the hall, mostly out of curiosity but figuring she could pass it off as professional.
“Until I can track down her family. I want female doctors to do all those other tests.” Parker stated firmly, then fixed the doctor with her patented glare, “Do not say anything to anyone about this.”
“You know doctor-patient confidentiality prevents that.” she recited nervously.
Miss Parker laughed wryly, “But this is the Centre and we all know things like that aren’t exactly encouraged around here. Just be sure to keep it quiet.”
“Of course, Miss Parker.”
Few people at the Centre intimidated her as much as the woman before her, and she doubted those few would care about some girl Parker had picked up off the street, so she felt confident she could keep the promise without fear for her life, “I’ll go get the nurse and make some calls.”
The nurse entered a few minutes later with a small cup of water, the pain reliever, and vitamin. She instructed Madeline to take two of the pain reliever now.
The blood draw was slightly more difficult than normal because Madeline was so dehydrated. Miss Parker’s increasing glare with each unsuccessful attempt didn’t help the young nurse, either. Madeline was stoic during the ordeal, though, a few poorly positioned needle sticks were nothing compared to other things she’d recently undergone.
Once done, the nurse led them to audiology. Miss Parker sat silently in the chair next to Madeline as she explained the head injuries she’d sustained.
“Have you had hearing tests in the past, before all this began?”
“Quite a few over the years, but I always passed with flying colors. Hearing problems run in my family.”
“How so?”
“My mom’s mom was deaf, ad well as her, umm, uncle or something. And dad was losing his hearing in the last few years before he died… I don’t remember what it’s called, but I think it started with ‘m’.
“Meniere’s disease?” the doctor suggested.
“Yes!” Madeline replied instantly.
“Have you had any trouble with your balance, vertigo, dizziness, recently?”
“I don’t really think so. It’s hard to remember for sure.”
“I’m going to get you set up in the booth. I’m sure you’re familiar with the drill- just raise your hand when you hear a sound in that ear.”
Madeline nodded her understanding and entered the soundproof booth. The audiologist handed her some large headphones, pointing out which side was right and left. She then headed to the control booth outside. Through the glass window, Madeline could see Miss Parker standing closely behind the doctor. She wondered briefly why her temporary guardian was so feared in her own workplace but couldn’t think of it too long because the testing quickly began.
Her right hand went up time and time again in response to the tones. She was surprised that the audiologist was only testing one ear at a time- all her previous hearing tests had been a random mix of both ears.
The doctor and Miss Parker had a short, but heated, conversation and then Parker was opening the door, pulling the headphones off Madeline’s head, and putting them over her own ears. She raised her eyebrows impatiently at the audiologist but the look was quickly replaced by a more somber expression. She took the headphones off and was out of the booth before Madeline could ask what was going on.
“The left side is working.” she admitted begrudgingly to the equally somber doctor.
Madeline had trailed after her asking, “What’s going on?”
“You didn’t pick up any of the tones aimed at your left ear.” the audiologist explained gently.
Madeline’s jaw dropped and she felt like she’d been kicked in the gut, “I just thought you were testing one ear at a time.”
“I’m afraid not, Madeline. We need to run some more tests to be sure, but it looks like you’re profoundly deaf in your left ear.”
“What about the right?” Miss Parker asked.
“She missed a few tones, but nothing too alarming.”
They lapsed into silence, giving Madeline time to process the news.
“If it is profound, what then?”
Miss Parker was impressed, and relieved, the young woman was being so calm about the whole thing.
“We can discuss your options more after the other tests. We could probably do them later this afternoon if that works.”
“That’s fine,” Miss Parker answered, “We still need to go to radiology and then get lunch.”
“Okay, I’ll set it up. Do you have any more questions?” she looked to Madeline.
Madeline shook her head and managed a wane smile as she followed a silent Miss Parker out the door. Parker seemed to know her way to x-ray because she confidently led the way without a guide.
Before they began, the x-ray tech asked if there was a chance she could be pregnant. It was a possibility Madeline had always tried her best to avoid.
“Maybe a small chance,” she admitted with difficulty, “Anthony made me take the pill, but condoms weren’t really enforced.”
“Did Dr Black have bloodwork and a urine sample taken earlier?”
“Yes,” both women replied.
“Let me call the lab and get a rush on the pregnancy test. I’ll be right back.”
The middle aged woman stepped into her small office and closed the door.
“Is the Percocet helping yet?” Miss Parker asked out of curiosity.
“Yes,” Madeline smiled gratefully.
They stood in silence until the x-ray tech returned, “Good news- you’re not pregnant!”
Madeline let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding for months. X-rays were taken of literally her entire body, while Miss Parker waited impatiently in the office. The tech may have been a few decades older than her, but the scrutiny caused her hands to start shaking slightly.
“I don’t see any current breaks, but I’ll send them to be read by the doctor.”
“Where’s ultrasound?” Parker questioned.
The x-ray tech led the way across the hall and gladly handed Miss Parker off to someone else.
That unlucky someone else realized with dismay that the intimidating brunette wasn’t going to leave the young girl’s side so she instructed Madeline to lie down and lift her shirt up to just below her breasts. She performed a complete abdominal ultrasound, looking for any possible problems. She actually went over the entire area twice because she didn’t want to miss something and incur Miss Parker’s well-known wrath.
She was tempted to go over things a third time, but Miss Parker had begun impatiently tapping her foot, so she decided not to push her luck.
“I don‘t see any internal bleeding, but I’ll send the images to the doctor.”
~*~
During lunch in between all of yesterday’s tests, Madeline had mentioned how she hoped to enroll in school as soon as possible to begin catching up on all she’d missed. She agreed, with considerable disappointment, that she needed to wait until her bruises healed.
The next morning, Miss Parker left Madeline at home to run a quick errand. Somehow, in the short hour she was out, she had been able to procure a set of freshman level textbooks and the corresponding Blue Cove curriculum.
Madeline spent the rest of the day in her room catching up on more sleep in between small meals, while Parker made calls in an effort to track down someone to take the girl off her hands. Broots was given the majority of the workload. Unfortunately for the already-stressed tech, it meant that Miss Parker was calling him repeatedly throughout the afternoon; each time, more and more irate over his lack of results.
~*~
The next day, Miss Parker had to head back to work to follow up on a lead on Jarod and wasn’t sure what to do with Madeline. The Centre certainly wasn’t a place for a child to hang out, she thought ironically, especially if they had to fly to one of Jarod’s lairs.
“I can stay here if that‘s ok- get a head start catching up on all that schoolwork.” Madeline nodded towards the pile of books sitting at the end of the kitchen counter.
Parker fixed her with a hard glare while she thought about it, “Fine, but don’t go in my room.”
“Sure.” Madeline replied, still not the least bit intimidated by her guardian. She finished her second bowl of cereal while Miss Parker prepared to leave.
Miss Parker came off as a bitch, quite frankly; but Madeline knew she was a good person, even if she tried to hide it behind glares and derisive comments. Why else would she have taken a cold, battered girl in and given her the first sense of security she’d had in more months than she cared to count?
“I’ll call and check in later.” Parker said before firmly shutting her bedroom door and leaving.
“Bye!” Madeline called to the woman’s back, then glanced at her pile of books. She sighed, not quite ready to start in on the seemingly insurmountable workload so early in the morning. She glanced around the kitchen as she tried to motivate herself and decided to do a little cleaning first. She didn’t have any money so it was the only way she could think of to pay Miss Parker back for her kindness.
She washed the dishes from the last few days that had been piled up in the sink and then cleaned the sink and kitchen counters. After a quick search, she found the cleaning supplies and grabbed the broom. It wasn’t too painful so she thought, Why stop at the kitchen? and moved on to the rest of the downstairs, save Miss Parker’s room. The living and dining rooms didn’t look too bad, but she figured dusting couldn’t hurt.
All the activity wore her out so she grabbed the cordless phone and went upstairs to lay down for a little while. After a brief nap, she made herself a light snack and decided she couldn’t put the schoolwork off any longer, so she started with her favorite subject, history.
Madeline worked diligently at the kitchen table until the phone ringing caused her to jump. After assuring Miss Parker she was fine and being told she‘d be home by 7, Madeline contemplated vacuuming but ultimately decided she didn’t want to risk somehow ruining the extremely expensive-looking rug that took up the majority of the living room floor.
She made herself a turkey sandwich for lunch and continued plowing through her history text. She only paused for a brief visit with the white bunny in the corner of the living room.
Miss Parker drove home that evening in a bad mood courtesy of everyone’s favorite escaped lab rat. Add to that the fact that Broots still hadn’t found anyone to take Madeline off her hands. She stopped short when she entered the house, trying to figure out what smelled so good.
“Madeline?” she called. When she got no reply, she called louder, “Madeline!”
“Hi!” the girl called from the kitchen, getting up to meet her halfway.
“Are you cooking dinner?” she asked harshly, out of habit.
Madeline bit her lip, looking worried, “Um, yeah, I hope it’s ok. It‘s, um, roasted chicken and garlic mashed potatoes. It‘ll be ready in about half an hour.”
“It smells good, thank you.”
The empty sink and sparkling counters behind Madeline caught Parker’s attention.
“You cleaned, too?!”
“Yeah, it’s the least I could do after all you’ve done for me the past couple days.” Madeline shrugged self-consciously, then quickly added, “I stayed away from your room, though!”
The rest of the evening helped improve Miss Parker’s mood considerably. The home cooked meal was delicious, plus Madeline had a natural ability to make Parker laugh and smile. She was sure the serious brunette could use more of both in her life, but she could have no idea how rarely either happened.
The next week passed quickly for the two. Miss Parker and Broots’ search for someone to take Madeline was as fruitless as the continued hunt for Jarod. Dr. Black was pleased with Madeline’s progress when she went in for her one-week checkup. Madeline filled her days with studying, cooking, and cleaning, plus a good deal of restorative sleep.
As they were finishing up supper one night early in the second week, Miss Parker brought up the subject they’d both been expecting with growing dread.
“We haven’t been able to find your godparents or any relatives for you to stay with.”
Madeline’s heart sank and she spoke in a rush, “Can I stay here? I’ll pay my way cooking and cleaning until I get caught up with school enough to get a job. Please?”
Parker was silent for a minute as what she wanted to do and what she thought she should do fought for dominance.
“Fine, you can stay.” she finally allowed grudgingly.
“Thank you, thank you!” Madeline jumped up and ran around the table for a grateful hug. Miss Parker uncomfortably allowed it for a moment before getting up to bring her dishes to the sink.
“Since I’m staying, does that mean you’ll tell me your first name?” she asked mischievously.
Miss Parker raised an eyebrow in warning as she cautioned, “Don’t push your luck, kid! We need to set some house rules.”
Madeline instantly grew serious and resumed her seat across from Parker, waiting expectantly while the older woman gathered her thoughts.
“My room is still off-limits, even for cleaning. If you do something stupid enough to get arrested, I’m going to make you spend the night in jail and bail you out the next morning.”
“Fair enough.” Madeline broke in.
“I go on a lot of business trips, but don’t even think about throwing a party. One or two friends can come over occasionally with my permission. Are we clear?”
“Absolutely.” she waited a beat to see if Miss Parker had any more before returning to her meal.
Persistence
Madeline Series One-Shot #4
By Danielle Smiley-Face
~*~*~*~
Madeline put her dishes in the sink before heading to the living room to grab her school bag. Miss Parker didn’t hear her enter- she had her back turned and was bent at the waist, clutching her abdomen.
“Park, what’s wrong?” Madeline rushed to her side.
The woman straightened, slamming her impenetrable mask into place, “Just a little gas. I’m fine.”
Madeline’s grey eyes looked her over suspiciously. Knowing Parker as well as she did, she could easily see through the façade, identifying the real amount of pain her guardian was actually in.
“You’ve seemed stressed lately. It could be your ulcer again. You need to go to the doctor.”
“Madeline, I’m fine.” she said through gritted teeth- from annoyance or pain, Madeline wasn’t sure.
“You still should get it checked out today.”
Miss Parker breezed by her with a glare that would make most people soil their pants and headed out the door without another word. Madeline just rolled her eyes and followed.
“What are you doing?” Miss Parker asked when Madeline opened the passenger side door.
“Going to the doctor with you.” Madeline said evenly as she got in and buckled her seat belt.
Madeline knew annoyance was heading towards anger but refused to back down.
“I told you, I! Don’t! Need! To! Go! To! The! Doctor!”
“Yeah, well, you are.” was the calm reply.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Park’s jaw clench as she put the car in reverse and peeled out of the driveway. The ride was silent and uncomfortable. For once, Madeline was at a loss about how to dissipate the tension. After what seemed like forever, they finally pulled into Miss Parker’s reserved spot. Not a word was spoken as they headed to Miss Parker’s office.
Madeline took a seat on the couch while Parker settled behind her desk. After a few minutes, she spoke without looking up from the file in front of her.
“You’re missing school for no reason, Madeline. I’m not going to the doctor.”
“I’m not leaving until you do.” Madeline replied resolutely, wishing she’d thought to grab a book on her way out of the house. She was beginning to think Park’s stubbornness rivaled her own.
She sat quietly on the couch for over an hour and a half, Miss Parker completely ignoring her. She saw, rather than heard, the sharp intake of breath as Park’s hand unconsciously went to her abdomen again for a brief second.
Madeline‘s quiet, “I saw that.” earned her a scorching glare. The girl refused to look away, their gaze finally broken by the phone ringing.
“WHAT?!” Miss Parker practically shouted.
It was certainly the harshest greeting Madeline had ever seen her use, and she felt bad to be the cause of the caller’s verbal lashing.
“Fine. I’ll be right there.” Park slammed the phone down and stalked from the room, Madeline right behind.
Broots and Sydney were bent over the tech’s computer when the women entered.
“Don’t ask.” Parker barked before they could open their mouths.
Madeline hung back out of earshot to give them some privacy. She had to resist the temptation to read their lips and see if they were talking about Jarod. The Pretender was the only one who knew her father had taught her the skill in grade school and she didn’t want to risk exposing the secret because it could come in handy someday.
She waited patiently against the wall across from the air vents while the three employees did their thing. After making sure they weren’t paying attention to her, she flashed a brief smile to the man peering out at her from behind the grate.
There was just enough light for her to see him sign, ^Miss Parker’s ulcer back.^
She used her body to shield her left hand so she could reply, ^Yes.^
^Miss Parker’s stubborn.^
^Yes.^ she lamented.
^Don’t give up.^ he encouraged her before slipping back into the shadows as Parker breezed by without so much as a glance at her ward.
Madeline waved at Broots and Sydney before hurrying after her. They made a brief stop in a part of SL-19 that Madeline wasn’t familiar with. She respectfully kept her distance until Park was finished and on the move again.
There was a small cluster of people waiting for the elevator when they arrived but they all could see the anger radiating off the fearsome Miss Parker and wisely decided to wait for the next one.
Madeline entered first and pushed the button that would deposit them in the medical wing. Miss Parker’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she pushed the button to return to her office.
Madeline felt the fear that had been with her since first seeing her guardian doubled over rising as they stood on opposite sides of the elevator Catherine Parker had been shot in.
“Please, Park--” she began.
“When we get back to my office, Sam is going to drive you home and you will go to school.”
“No, Park! You need to go to the doctor. I’m not leaving your side until you do.”
Parker stopped the elevator and turned towards her, furious.
“You do not tell me what to do.” Park’s words were harsh and deliberate, she had never spoken to Madeline like that before.
“So, what?” Madeline said with a quiver in her voice caused by equal amounts fear for her death and wrath. “Your ulcer ruptures again and when you fucking flatline again and they can’t revive you, what the hell’s going to happen to me?”
It was the first time in their three years together that Miss Parker had ever heard Madeline swear, and that more than anything gave her pause.
“I’m not going to die.”
Tears filled the teenager’s eyes as she remembered the last time Parker‘s ulcer acted up.
“This is how it started last time and you know it. You ignored it and look what happened. You needed emergency surgery and then you died. For a minute and twenty-three seconds, you were dead, Park. I can’t stand it if another person I love dies.” her voice broke and the tears started to fall as she continued, “I just can’t. My parents and Tommy were enough.”
To hell with the security cameras, Miss Parker decided as she wrapped her arms around the trembling girl before whispering, “After the doctor‘s, you are going to school.”
Madeline gratefully returned the hug and they stayed like that for a minute before Madeline pulled away to dry her tears and Miss Parker reactivated the elevator. She shot daggers at the security camera in the hopes that the guard on duty would value his life enough to erase the last few minutes of footage.