The Nature of Things

Chapter 53

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Molly sat in the perfectly decorated condo, looking around at all the pictures of Michael sitting before her on the coffee table. Things had spiraled out of control and she wasn't sure she could reign him back in before he fucked it all up.

She was holding a picture of Michael and him, when he came back in. "So how does it feel knowing you may have killed the one man you've always loved?"

"Fuck you."

"Tsk, tsk, now, watch your tongue."

"What are you going to do, kill me?"

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Lindsay sat next to Michael's bed trying to find the words to tell him that there was no hope for Jenny Rebecca. She'd spent the night arguing with herself about giving in and letting her go. Finally at two a.m., when she looked down at the blank face and empty body attached to machines she knew that this was no kind of life for JR.

Through tears she'd told Debbie and Ben her plans, but she needed Michael's consent before she could do it. Gathering up all the strength she could find she tried to explain it to both of them at the same time.

"What would Mel do? She'd fight to keep JR alive. She'd never give up on her and she'd never forgive me for giving up. But she's not here, and I have to do this all by myself. Talk about life not being fair. What do I do, Michael? I see her lying there, but it's not Jenny Rebecca, it's just a shell of who she was. I've seen all the tests; I know what all the doctors say. She's brain dead. There's no hope. But I can't help but have hope that she'll wake up."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Lindsay wiped absently at the tears that fell uncontrollably down her mascara stained cheeks.

"I've been searching for the right answers, but they aren't going to appear. She's gone. Just like Mel. Only JR's body is still alive but only because the machines are breathing for her and her heart is beating because it's doesn't know that it's not supposed to. Do I let her go? And if I don't, what kind of life will she have? Will she ever laugh again? Will she even know that she's alive?

"Tell me what to do, Michael. God I wish Mel were here; she'd make a decision and stick to it no matter how hard it was. She's just a little girl, this shouldn't be happening. She should be at daycare playing with the other kids. She should be allowed to grow up and find someone who loves her and have a family. We should be grandparents someday. But as much as I want that to happen, it's not going to. JR is gone. The Jenny Rebecca we know isn't in there anymore.

"They want us to give her heart to Maya. Because without it, Maya's going to die. Why should our little girl die and Brian's live? Why shouldn't he have to feel this pain too? And what kind of friend am I to think that? But I just can't help it. I don't want Maya to die, but I don't want her to have JR's heart either. Is that selfish? What do I do? Do I let them take JR's heart and put it in Maya? Or do I let them both die?"

"Give Maya her heart, Lindz."

"Are you sure?"

"It's a way to keep JR alive too."

"I don't know. Can we face looking into her eyes and knowing that our daughter had to die so she could live?"

"Can we let her die, just because JR's gone?"

"No."

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Brian put Kinnetik up as collateral for his bail and rushed back to the hospital. He'd just arrived when Ben came in and asked Brian and Justin to come with him to Michael's room. Jennifer promised to have them paged if something happened and the boys set off.

They'd just arrived when Michael opened his eyes. He motioned for them to come close and pressed papers into Justin's hands.

Justin unfolded them and immediately started to cry. He passed them to Brian and Brian read the words that would save Maya's life.

"Thank you."

"Take good care of her."

"I promise," Brian said hugging his friend.

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Seventeen hours later Maya lay in her crib, hooked up to even more machines than the boys thought possible. The surgery had gone as planned and Maya was now the proud recipient of a new heart thanks to Jenny Rebecca Novotny Marcus.

Lindsay donned a mask and gown and slipped into the room. She stood a safe distance away and said a prayer for Maya.

"We share two children now, Lindz."

"You just take care of her, Brian."

"Isn't that what I do best?"

"Only this time you'd better do better than your best."

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Two days later Lindsay laid Melanie and Jenny Rebecca to rest together. Mother and child would spend eternity in one another's embrace. Because of the condition of Melanie's body the service was closed casket and friends and family were just heading off to the cemetery when Leda arrived.

Crossing the parking lot, Lindsay embraced her and led her back to the limo for family. She found it oddly comforting to share her grief with the other great love of Melanie's life.

An hour after the burial, Lindsay stood outside of Maya's hospital room, holding Gus's hand. She told him that his sister's heart was beating inside of Maya's chest. So both of his sisters were together now.

Gus held tightly to her, sad about losing his sister, but confused about why his other mommy wasn't coming home with them. As hard as he tried he couldn't quite figure out why she'd leave him.

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The killer stood outside of Michael's room, nose to the glass, watching him as if in a trance. His breathing was shallow and his heart ached for what he'd done. It wasn't meant to be this way. Michael wasn't meant to die. He'd tried to clear the way for them to be together.

He found it was getting more difficult to tell fantasy from reality in his own mind anymore. He wasn't proud of the things he'd done, but he couldn't resist the urge to do them.

The girl was using him, he was sure of that, to exact her own revenge on those that had betrayed her. He knew that he had his own agenda though and sooner or later she would pay the price for trying to control him.

TBC............

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