Book Three: A Final Good-bye

Epilogue

“How is she?” a frantic JC demanded when his mother greeted him at the door.

“Calm down, Josh,” Karen Chasez soothed. “She’s fine. She broke her arm—“

“Broke her arm? My God, she isn’t fine!” He raked his hands through his hair and took several deep breaths. Less agitated, he asked, "How did it happen?”

“Your daughter is half-monkey. She likes to climb trees.”

He groaned. “Not again. I’ve begged…I’ve threatened…and she still does it.” He thought he’d found his first gray hair that morning. He was pretty sure Madison was the cause!

“You have a very high-spirited daughter,” Karen mused.

“That she got from Mel.” In fact, his five year old daughter was more like her mother with each passing day. She looked like Melissa with her dark auburn braids and deep emerald eyes. Madison was bold and full of mischief one minute, then sweet and cuddly the next, declaring her daddy would be the only boy she would ever love. She was practically Melissa reincarnated!

“Where is she?” he sighed, resigning himself to the fact the child, so like her mother, was bound to make him an old man before his time.

“In her room.”

JC continued to calm himself as he headed upstairs to his daughter’s room. He smiled when he thought of the day he took her shopping for her room. He was surprised his seemingly tomboy daughter wanted pink and lace – a girly girl at heart – again, like Melissa. He knocked to announce himself.

When Madison saw him, she smiled brightly from her bed. “Hi, Daddy! I was brave!”

“You wouldn’t have to be so brave, if you’d quit climbing trees like I asked,” he reminded her as he sat on the bed. He took her small face in one hand to examine the scrapes on her chin and nose. “Left some skin on the branches on the way down, huh?”

“Yeah. Melly told me not to go up…She’s like you.”

“How’s that?” This was not the first time Madison had mentioned ‘Melly’.

“She warns me, but she doesn’t scold. She stayed with me all through the fall and getting the cast and everything.” The little girl nodded towards the opposite side of the bed. “She’s still here. I think I really scared her this time.”

“I just bet you did.” JC wished he could see his daughter’s guardian angel and thank her for the troublesome, loveable miracle that was Madison. It seemed she only appeared to the child.

“She looks kinda sad when she sees you.”

“I still miss her, too,” he whispered as tears threatened.

Madison crawled onto his lap and snuggled her face against his neck, just like Melissa had so many times. “She says we have to take care of each other until we find a new mommy.”

JC wanted to deny anyone could take Melissa’s place in his heart.

“Not take my place, Josh. Share your heart.” JC heard Melissa’s whisper in his ear, like she was standing over him. “You and Madison have so much love to give.”

“Mel…” JC could have sworn he felt her lips on his cheek.

“I love you, Daddy,” Madison sighed and closed her eyes.

“I love you, too, baby.”

Even though he couldn’t see Melissa, he knew she was there. “Thank you, sweetness,” he whispered to her.

Madison’s guardian angel smiled. “You’re welcome, blue-eyes.”

[*N'satiable Fiction] [*N'satiable]