"So what should I do?"

"I can't tell you that. Well, I think you should talk to him. This isn't going to go away. Look at this from his perspective for a sec.

No, just hear me out. He just found out that a daughter he had never met and was told was dead may be sitting right here in this room. He wants . . . no, he NEEDS to know. And honestly, he has a right to know."

Madison sniffed again, but this time managed to wipe her nose on tissue instead.

"How can I? What do I say? What about his wife?"

“His wife and Alvin are pretty much under . . . how to say this?

Hotel arrest? He told them to go there and to under no circumstances leave. My mother is circling the building, and has his permission to keep her from leaving. I think Mom is hoping she tries something.

She really wants to kick that woman's ass."

Madison actually snickered, though mirth was somewhat absent from the sound.

"I like your Mom.

"Yeah, she's all right. She's a bit overbearing, but I love her anyway."

"Overbearing? Coming from you?"

("Hey! Okay, maybe I deserved that." Then Heda leaned over and kissed Madison's quivering Lips.

Madison smiled shyly.

“You shouldn't be kissing me. I'm gross and snotty right now."

"How romantic," Heda laughed.

"Now clean up and go talk to him."

Madison washed her face, thanked the doctor for his help, got a few words of advice and made a follow-up for the next week. She was actually at the hospital, seeing as she had a head injury from falling and the student medical center was really hesitant to handle head-cases. So to speak. Heda followed her all the way to the lobby, and every step got louder and heavier for her, and every part of her brain was screaming at her to turn around and run. Well, almost every part. The part that held her last unbroken dreams was cautiously telling her to move forward.

Mr. William Hannity was sitting in a horribly uncomfortable looking naugahyde chair just past the reception desk. As soon as Madison appeared in the hallway he stood up, gripping his hands together so tightly that she could hear his knuckles cracking from thirty feet away. She was in public, so Madison was using her cane to navigate, though she had her echolocation on every excruciating step down the hall. She suppressed a small smile when she noticed Heda make the "I'm watching you" sign of pointing to her own eyes and then towards Mr. Hannity's. He nodded, but his attention was pretty much on Madison.

"Well, I'm here," she said a bit coldly.

"You want to talk? Talk."

“Could we step outside? Please?" Mr. Hannity said properly. He sounded a hell of a lot more nervous than even Madison did.

“Some things are not meant to be discussed quite so publicly, and I think we have both had enough of that for the day.”

Madison nodded, then waved towards Heda to let her know that this was okay. She figured her girlfriend would follow and try to listen anyway. She walked side by side with this man until they reached the outer door, then passed Mr. Hannity's limousine and strolled to the small park across the street, finally coming to rest on a park bench.