Chapter 10

All the way to James's house, Maddie felt nervous. She wanted to see him badly, but she was heartbroken for the way he treated her when she came to see him two weeks ago.

An hour later, Maddie stopped her car at the front of his house. She looked at the house that she used to live in with them. It's still having theses red roses that she first saw upon arriving at this place for the interview. Maddie took a deep breath and released it. I only comeback to here for Drew, not for James. Only focus on Drew! Maddie reminded herself and got out of the car.

Before she could knock on the door, James opened the door, looking worn out. "Thanks for coming Maddie, I really appreciate it."

"Where is Drew?" She asked. She sounded cold, but she just came for one person.

"He's in my room…" Maddie just ran upstairs, ignoring James's words that were coming from him. When she entered his room, she saw the poor Drew crying his eyes out.

"Oh Drew, don't cry baby. I'm here now!" Maddie picked Drew to her hands and tried to calm him down. When she touched his forehead, she knew he has a high fever and was concern about him.

"Look, I understand you hate me, Maddie. Was it necessary to ignore me?"

"What the doctor told you to do?"

Maddie felt James's eyes at the back of her head and heard him sigh. "Fine, ignore me. The doctor told me to make a vapor steam in the bathroom and take Drew so he could inhale the vapor, we'll have to be inside for 20 minutes each of us and change between us, until Drew's fever went down and let him drink water. I'll go first with him and then you, Maddie."

Maddie gave James his son and saw him going inside his bathroom were disappeared too with Drew with all this vapor that was coming from the bathroom. Maybe, for Drew's sake, I'll just talk to James normal until Drew's fever is down. Maddie thought to herself.

After 20 minutes, James came out of his bathroom with Drew in his hands and she couldn't take her eyes off his body that was shining with sweat from the vapor. He was topless and was holding Drew, that was only in his diaper. Maddie shakes her head and goes to James to take Drew from his hands, to go inside the vapor.

#

James waited for Maddie to come out from the vapor of his bathroom, they have been doing the vapor for the past an hour and they noticed Drew was not crying as much as he did before, and his fever was going down now. James heard the door of his bathroom being opened and he saw Maddie coming out of there all sweaty, with his son in her hands. He knew that, if he's not careful, it will end up in his bed and him on top of her devouring her. He shakes his head from those images that came to his head from just looking at her, all sweaty and beautiful.

"Thank GOD, tour fever went down now. Do you have the thermometer to check for his fever?" Maddie was talking to him, so he shook his head and got out of his bedroom and went to bring her the thermometer. HE felt good to have her there with him and helping cure his son.

James came back in a few minutes and checked his son's temperature and saw that it was 35 degree and they both let out the breath that they had held inside.

"Finally, the fever is over. Thanks, Maddie, for helping me, I know I own you a apologize for yelling at you, but you need to understand me too. I didn't want me to have false hopes for the person the likes. Please forgive me." James looked at Maddie that was battling with herself.

"I'm also sorry for yelling at you, I know that you've been thinking about Drew, I would have done it too if I had a child." James smiled at her and watched her as she approached Drew's crib. "I'm just happy, the fever the gone and now he can rest and sleep."

"You're right." James looked at Maddie and didn't know what to feel toward her now, the only thing he sees is her smile while she smiles at his sleeping son. "Will you stay here to have a dinner with us?"

"I will… I'll go to make the dinner." James watched Maddie walking to his kitchen for the first time since she disappeared on him last month.

For the first time in many months for feeling lonely since Paula died, James feels that if he let go of his past, maybe he'll be able to find something alongside Maddie and his son. Will I'll be able to show her that I'm serious about her? I hope she'll be frank with me and let me know her secrets. James thought to himself while he was sitting in the living room with his sleepy son beside him.

#

While Maddie was at the kitchen preparing the dinner, James was sitting on the couch with Drew at his feet playing with his toys. James felt like it was a happy family, now that Maddie was in his house preparing the food.

"Are you happy now, buddy? You favorite person is with us now." James saw the smile that his son has as he looked up at him.

"Mada Mada" Drew soon was going to say Maddie's name, and that made his happy, but sad because Drew never will know his true mother even if he will tell him when he grow up.

"Dinner is ready. Go sit at the table and I'll grab Drew." Maddie came to the living room and lifted Drew to her hip. "Are hungry little man?" Maddie tickled Drew while she was walking with him to the dining room.

When she arrived at the dining room, she saw James have eaten nothing yet.

"Why are you not eating?"

"I was waiting for you and Drew, so we could eat together." Maddie looked at with disbelief.

"You didn't have to wait for me, just eat while I feed Drew and after you finish, I'll clean the dishes and I'll go home because I have work in an hour."

"Why didn't you tell me that? You sit down and eat. I'll feed Drew and clean the dishes, you did enough for us already by coming to here to help me. Just sit and eat, please don't worry about us." James didn't want her to worry too much about them, it was enough that she helped him when Drew got sick.

Maddie looked at him, "but you must eat too, James. I'll feed Drew and you eat."

"No Maddie! Don't argue with me, eat your dinner before work. After I'll feed my son, I'll eat my dinner, don't worry about me." Maddie resigned from arguing with James and ate the dinner that she prepared for him.

Half an hour later, James was seeing Maddie to the door with Drew in his arms. "Thanks for coming, Maddie. I really appreciate it," He didn't want her to leave, but he knew she had to leave in the middle of her job to help him. James coughed a little, "and thanks for preparing the dinner for us, it was delicious as always."

Maddie looked at James with worried eyes, he looked pale, "you don't have to thank me, James. You know I love Drew; I'll do anything for him. Please take care of yourself too. I'll see you soon, if it's fine by you."

"You can come when you have time, just let me know when OK?" Maddie nodded her head and opened the door and went outside of his house.

"Thanks, I'll let you know when I come. See you soon James, I come to visit you Drew." Maddie looks to her right and noticed that she was too close to James's face, she swallowed her breath the moment that she felt his breath on her. "Goodbye James." She said silently while still be so close to his face.

"Goodbye Maddie." James said silently too, he could almost feel her lips on him, but he had to take a step back because he felt the need to cough badly.

"Are sure you feel good?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll drink some medicine for coughing, and I'll be fine, just go."

"OK, if something, just let me know." James nodded to her and watched her getting to her car and leaving his house.