Chapter 2 - The Haven on the 40th Floor
The private elevator ride was silent. Maddie stared at the brass railing, her body tense as the car shot upward. She pressed Rosie closer to her chest, her small eyes widening as the digital floor indicator climbed to forty.
When the doors slid open, they stepped into a world of quiet luxury. The penthouse office of Whitaker Financial was covered in thick navy carpets that muffled every footstep. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows offered a panoramic view of the snow-covered Pittsburgh rivers, but Maddie didn't look at the view. She looked at the warmth radiating from the hidden vents. She took a deep, shaky breath of the clean, warm air.
"Over here," Elliot said, guiding her toward a massive leather sofa in the corner of his office.
He helped her sit down. Maddie sank into the leather, looking tiny against the vastness of the furniture. She carefully laid Rosie across her lap, her hands hovering over the baby as if she expected someone to snatch her away.
Within five minutes, the door burst open. Marcus, the security guard, was breathing heavily, his chest heaving. He carried a heavy plastic bag filled with three different brands of infant formula, a gallon of milk, and several bottles of warm water.
"I didn't know which one she drank, Mr. Whitaker," Marcus panted. "So I bought them all."
"Thank you, Marcus. Go back to the lobby. You did well," Elliot said.
He took the bag and sat on the low mahogany coffee table opposite Maddie. He pulled out a bottle of warm water and a can of formula.
"Do you know how to mix it, Maddie?" he asked gently.
"Two scoops," she said, her voice trembling with sudden urgency. "Two scoops for every four ounces. But... but we don't have a clean bottle."
Elliot looked at the sticky, near-empty bottle she had pulled from her pocket earlier. He stood up, walked to his private executive bathroom, and spent five minutes thoroughly washing the bottle with boiling hot water and antibacterial soap. When he returned, he carefully measured the warm water and the formula, shaking the bottle until the powder dissolved.
He handed it to Maddie.
Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped it. She quickly guided the nipple into Rosie's mouth.
The effect was instantaneous. The baby's tiny hands flailed for a second before wrapping around Maddie's fingers. Rosie began to drink with a desperate, frantic hunger, her small chest rising and falling, a soft, sniffling sound escaping her nose.
Maddie watched her sister, her own face twisting with a relief so profound she looked as if she might cry. But she forced the tears back, her thumb gently stroking Rosie's cheek.
"Thank you," Maddie whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the heating system.
Elliot watched them, his hands resting on his knees. The silence in the office was no longer heavy or suffocating; it was sacred.
"Maddie," Elliot said quietly, after Rosie had finished half the bottle and her eyes began to flutter shut in a milk-induced sleep. "Where are your parents?"
The little girl’s shoulders tensed. She didn't look up from her sister.
"My mom went to the store," Maddie said.
"When did she go to the store, Maddie?"
May you like
A long pause. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked.
"Friday," Maddie whispered.
