SWNOVELS Chapter 18
It was the same hospital in New Jersey where Kevin had been born but he was now in an upper section he had never seen before. The halls were long and smelled sterile. The lights were dim and made the hallway look gloomy. At the end of the hall, the lights were brighter and there was a large Hispanic man with a mop and bucket. Kevin guessed he was about to mop the floors since the bucket was full of a steaming soapy water but the floors were dry.
As he and the Gaydos men walked past, the man gave Kevin a toothy grin and nodded his head to him. Kevin turned to look at him but was gently urged forward by Trent’s hand on his shoulder blade.
Annie watched every detail of Kevin’s approach. She memorized all the doors, stairwells, elevators and exits. She noted how few or many people Kevin passed and where they were. She knew the Hispanic man was not a janitor and he would not be mopping the floors. She saw the cameras recording their progression. She knew the room she was in also recorded her. There was a camera in every corner.
Her grip around Anastasia tightened as she heard the footsteps of her son outside the door. Anastasia flapped her arms and cooed as though she knew what was taking place.
The door opened slowly and then was flung wide. Kevin broke away from Trent and ran towards his mother and sister who were sitting on a couch towards the back of the room.
“Don’t forget to act like you’ve never met me, Kevin!” Annie quickly warned him. He stopped about a foot from them and peered into his mother’s greening eyes.
“Are you my mommy?” he said with a huge grin. She smiled back at him. What a joy to finally hear his voice with her ears.
“If you are Kevin then yes I am your mommy!” Kevin gingerly closed the gap between them and hugged her. “And this is your baby sister Anastasia.”
Kevin looked at the small bundle in his mother’s arms. She was even prettier in person. He climbed on his mother’s lap and reached over to touch his sister’s cheek. As soon as he made contact he could feel a surge of warmth go through his hand, skipping through his body and entering his mother’s lap. He was not shocked by the warmth because somehow he knew it would happen. He knew now that his mother would be alright.
Kevin removed his hand and looked up at Annie. Her eyes were much closer to the hues of her children’s eyes now but slightly different. Kevin’s smile widened. Anastasia cooed happily.
The Gaydos men still stood in the doorway watching the reunion. Only Trent saw the small green spark when Kevin touched his sister. He thought it was good to have brought them all together. Certainly, the serum had done more than their studies revealed.
As he watched the family a fear began to well up within him. He sensed something was not right. There was a feeling of power emanating from the end of the room but he couldn’t quite get the feel of it. It seemed fleeting yet pulsating. It made him dizzy with worry.
He looked at his father who was always so strong. He was surprised to see an expression of worry and perhaps pain on his face also.
He looked back at the family. Kevin was looking at him smiling. He had never seen the boy so ecstatic. Annie was looking at his father. Their eyes were locked.
“Let’s give them some time alone,” he suggested to his father.
Mr. Gaydos seemed to have just escaped from a daze as he answered his son. “Yes,” he replied weakly as he backed out of the room. Trent took one more look at the happy family and closed the door behind him. It would be many years before he saw any of them again.
PART THREE