THE SUPERANNUATED, BUT YET esteemed building stood the test of time, on a remote hilltop. It was a private rehabilitation facility, which treated substance addiction and mentally depressed patients — amongst the shamed, socially rich and famous — whose primary request, was to remain discrete from the public's eyes. In it, was one of its long staying resident — a red-haired woman, who was twenty-eight years of age — suffering from substance abuse and elation since her teens.

Samantha stared out of the window, disregarding herself from the other fellow patients behind her, who were minded by some female nurses and orderlies on duty. She was sedated with her medications this morning, and she stood like a statue — gazing out blank at a nearby tree branch with a bird's nest — her only movement was the tips of her fingernails — caressing the glass window pane, like she was stroking the baby chicks, in the nest outside — putting the two babies to sleep.

A nurse came over and guided the logy Samantha away from the window.

*

A limousine arrived at the facility. The director of the facility, Betty Hendrix opened the front door of the medical unit to welcome her distinctive visitors — Senator Madeline Cory and her assistant Lucinda Gates. The new bodyguard, Agatha Wolfe opened the sedan door for the Senator, while the obsequious director, Hendrix was declaiming flatteries since their arrival...

"Senator Cory, I am so delighted that you are paying us a visit in between your busy schedule Ma'am. You must be very busy in your campaigning, and I am too following that enthusiastically in the news and also on Twitter, of course." They walked into the hallway of the facility — and the spouting director went on vehemently...

"I am your big supporter, Senator — I know you will win this time around, and you will then fulfil the legacy of your late husband, Senator Richard Cory. I believe you will soon be stepping into the White House in his place, and I was also his big supporter back then — when he first visited us here, twelve years ago before the virus attacks."

That was when Richard Cory admitted his cocaine addict, teenaged daughter over there — and he never came back again to see her.

Madeline Cory spurned back and grumbled with bitterness to the director's fawning. "You can stop patronizing that bastard, Hendrix — well, you saw the news back then — and commonsense will unquestionably point the finger to what an asshole my late husband was at that time — he was so close to being the next damn President, but he screwed it all up — with his pants down with a pop star, who in fact, was just a few years older than his own damn daughter — and that shit led to old man Rosewood gained the footing by exposing the damn scandal — and after then, the senile fool became the President."

Cory sighed out while recollecting the past...

"So now, how is his daughter?"

Although, Hendrix was put into her place, yet — she still responded back with milder fawning...

"Samantha is fine, Ma'am, and she is the model patient in this facility for her good behaviour. Yes, Senator Cory. We have always been providing the very best of nursing care for her, since the day she brought into our doorstep twelve years ago."

*

Samantha was seated in a private parlour and a nurse was with her in the room.

"There are no windows in here, I want to see the mother bird feeding the baby chicks in the nest..."

The sedated patient said anxiously at the unacquainted milieu — and the tolerant nurse replied...

"We will do that in a moment, Samantha, we will see the birds later, okay? You have visitors coming to see you now, dear."

"Who is coming to see me? Is it Daddy?"

The door soon opened, and Senator Madeline Cory stepped in with the rest of the women. Although it had been umpteen years — but, Samantha still recognized her, and screeched out...

"You! Why are you here? What do you fucking want from here now!!?"

Cory ignored the comment — and turned to Director Hendrix...

"I would like a moment alone with her."

Hendrix bowed slightly and replied. "Most certainly Senator Cory, I will be just outside if you need me. Some refreshments are ready to be served for you at my office, once you have done your visitation."

Bodyguard Wolfe snapped her fingers, at the standing nurse beside Samantha. "You too, be out!" Hendrix and the rest of the women left the room — leaving only the two Corys behind.

The younger woman turned away, in the least imperturbable state — the sedative that she was under, was wearing thin when Madeline initiated her conversation...

"How are you, Sam?"

"Why do you fucking care?"

Madeline reciprocated with small laughter, after detecting some old resentment...

"Is this how you greet your mother?"

"You are not my damn mother, Madeline!"

Samantha glowered again. Madeline Cory kept laughing to herself...

"Yes, I am not your biological mother — but, ever since your father died, I am the only damn family you have now, Sam."

Samantha retorted vexing when it came to her mind that she was in-between the delusion effect of her medicament — to finally realize of her father's demise — that made Samantha to release more of her exasperations directly...

"I don't need you, bitch — and he is better off dead too! He was never much of a father to me back then — it is because he listened only to you — and you had influenced him ever since you married him. You made Daddy send me away, to all those screwed-up private schools — and nowhere, in this fucking nut-house!"

She was still the same angry girl that Madeline last saw twelve years ago — it was then — when she had followed her husband, to admit her stepdaughter in that exclusive and private medical institution.

Madeline elucidated vehemently...

"You were not an obedient child yourself back then, and your father had to do what was necessary because he was then at the peak of his political career — and he could not have his reputation ruined by dealing with his party-animal daughter, who snorted cocaine since the age of 14...

"Well Sam, he needed to focus on his career then, rather than you craving, for his attention by acting like a super-brat from hell — with those amounts of trouble you had caused your Daddy at that time, which was really distracting him into many sleepless nights...

"O yes, my sweet dear step-child, I did support your father to have you sent away — so that you, Samantha — you can get a decent education, somewhere far away from Richard as possible."

But, Samantha refused to listen. She was trying to float back into the zone of the sedation that she received from her nurse earlier, but it could not block the scathing words, which the woman standing in front of her was declaiming.

Madeline stopped reproaching and paused before she spoke again...

"But whatever it is, Sam — your Daddy loved you a lot — always remember that."

"No! I still blame you for separating me and Daddy — and look now, where he is today! He is dead, and I did not even attend his funeral!" Samantha was still accusing her bitterly about her erstwhile.

"Hey you, listen to me, you were overdosed on pills and booze that day, remember? You were sent to a different rehab some months back then. Then, I really thought that you would meliorate since, and come to your damn cow-senses — but, your damn rebellious nature got even worst since..."

"What do you mean worst!!?" Samantha's voice rose in denial.

"You don't remember any of it, do you, you fool?

"Your father sent to one of the best schools so that you could get a decent education — but instead, you majored in sex, and you got yourself pregnant — hah! With the other countless trouble that we had to put up with your addiction since then — and not telling about all the cover-ups from the damn press, of your other shameful behaviours that you displayed back then...

"Well, it was a real fucking blessing at that time too, when that the goddamn virus struck us — and everyone's focus was diverted on those dying males in their own families, and not into the razzle-dazzle attention-craving world that you hoped to revolve around yourself in, my dear step-daughter — and also, me dealing equally too with your Daddy — the once-disgraced-senator Richard Cory!

"Hah! Enough now, Samantha! I don't want to talk any more about it — furthermore, I did not come all the way here today, for this damn conversation either."

Madeline sighed and lowered her voice...

The two women became subdued, with their personal yesteryear thoughts...

Samantha was still seated on the couch — noticing Madeline with her back turned, staring at a painting on the wall of a boy playing with building blocks.

"Madeline, my boy — where is he? He is not dead — is he?"

"No, he is not — and he is fine and well — he is now somewhere safe," Madeline divulged...

She sensed Samantha, who was intrepid earlier in rebellious confrontation, was now mellowing down in her tone to the topic of her child — it was a good opportunity to use it as a bargaining chip.

"Madeline please, I want to see him."

The senator slowly went over and sat on the couch beside her.

"In due time Samantha, but first you have to work with me to earn that — can you do that?"

"What? What do I have to do?"

Samantha's voice choked in tears, with the impending possibility of being with her child for the first time — while Madeline appraised their near future together...

"It is that simple, Sam — right now I am making great inroads into the White House, and once I am there — the eyes of the world — will fall again upon you, my only surviving family...

"I honestly don't want the world to see you in this sorry wretched state — but, if you promise me that you will be obedient and listen to what I say from now onwards — and only then, I will let you see your — boy."

"You will really let me see my son?" the younger Cory responded docilely.

"Yes, Samantha — do you want to?"

"Yes, I do so very much. I keep thinking of him a lot."

Senator Cory looked into her teary eyes — and she firmly expressed...

"Then, promise me that you will take care of yourself better, Sam — if you start loving yourself more, that is the only way you will heal faster and get better soon — only then in return, your son too will love you even more, or else — if he were ever to see you in the way, as you are now, he too will even abandon you someday."

Madeline stroked her red hair...

"Can you promise me that, Samantha?"

The younger Cory was now submissive to the auguring words of the older woman...

"Yes, I promise — I promise I will get better for him."

Madeline hugged her crying step-daughter, with her own canny deep thoughts calculating...

Now, Senator Cory had to sordidly find a 'substitute,' to fit into Samantha's inevitable wants — because the newborn who was known in his birth certificate as Joseph Edgar Cory was given away — and he was never spoken about since his birth...

Her long-time friend, and now her election campaign manager — Lucinda Gates — remembered that there were actually 'a set of twins' — born that day, twelve years ago ...

But mysteriously, the female baby was claimed to be stolen from the maternity ward two hours after Samantha's delivery the twins — even Madeline Cory had covered up that track too — prevaricating to her close circle that both the infants were of distinctive stillbirths.