6 A Son & His Mother I : Kira Lee Zhang

Kira Lee Zhang loved coming to the New Saint orphanage home in downtown Los Angeles. People might argue that it's location was in a rather dangerous neighborhood and that it was dangerous for children to live there. But she would probably argue and prove them wrong, she was a lawyer after all. In fact the truth was that the orphanage was the most protected place around.

Due to the increase of gang violence, lot's of kids were orphaned. After loosing their parents, the orphanage took them in. The surviving members of the gangs, knowing that the children of their colleagues live there, protected it. New Saints orphanage was a neutral ground in the middle of seediest neighborhood in Los Angeles. It was home to a lot of people and little Aaron Junior Wade lived here.

Kira remembered the day almost three years ago when her friend Samantha called to tell her that she had a baby she had given up for adoption. She also gave her the baby's name, and the baby's father's name. Aaron Wade, apparently they had met during an international military exercise between a couple of countries that were a part of the U.N.what followed was weeks of Sex and drinking as both people were dealing with a lot of shit in their lives and found solace in each other's company.

It was supposed to be just a simple hook up that lasted longer than expected. She came out of it pregnant, and unable to track the bastard down as he retired from the army just after the exercise was over.

However she found his grandfather, though Samantha never mentioned who this grandfather was, apparently they were filthy rich, and the man offered to take care of her needs and those of her baby.

Samantha refused, something about the family not having a good reputation, and not being a conducive environment for her son to grow up in. At the very least she would have preferred if his father was around.

She couldn't raise him on her own, so she left him in an orphanage when he was just six months old. A month later she called Kira and told her all she needed to know, and just two months after that Samantha passed away after battling a rare strain of cancer that affected the heart.

At that point it all made sense to Kira, the reason why her friend couldn't raise her son. She was dying, and being a mother at that time was the farthest thought in her mind. The father never came looking for his child, probably because he didn't know he had one. Kira would have adopted little Aaron, but her life was too complicated at the moment to take care of a child. So that's how she ended up being the interim mother to a three year old bundle of sunshine and joy.

Being his mother was the most joy she's had in all 28 years of her life. And she wouldn't trade any of those years for anything. It was certainly better than being a major shareholder of the Imperium industries. That company was trying to work her to an early grave.

Kira whistled a jolly tune as she parked her car in he parking lot at the side of orphanage. It was almost the end of the 22nd century, and Kira was proud to say that she was among the few people who had cars that still used wheels. Flying cars were the rage this days, and you only used a four wheel drive if you were dirt poor, or stinky rich.

Thankfully for her, she was the latter rather than the former. She gave the black Camaro a gentle tap as she grabbed the bags of groceries and toys she had with her, she could almost see the smile on his face when she shows him the vintage spider man action figure she got him. Those things were so damn rare and expensive she almost thought she was buying drugs or something.

Kira opened the door to the orphanage, and released a happy laugh as she was swarmed by children. They were all clamoring for a hug, and a gift from her, though mostly they were clinging because of the gifts.

There was a tiny crease to her forehead, as she didn't notice Aaron amongst the children hopping around her in a fervor. He knows she would be here today, of course he was only three years old, so it's hard to say how aware of her arrival he could be, but either way this was the first time she came here that he was not around to greet her.

It took her a while to extricate herself from the children. She gave a jovial nod and wave to the caretaker at the counter, and walked past, heading straight for his room. It did look like the caretaker wanted to say something,but in the end she just kept silent about it and let her pass. Maybe it was just Kira's imagination, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong somewhere. She entered his room a beaming smile on her face as she prepared to tackle him to the ground, but he was not there, there was nothing here.

She knew she was in the right room, and nothing seems to be wrong with the room so there should not be any reason for him to be moved to another room. And even if he was moved, he would have still been waiting for her at the entrance. Kira felt her heart jump into her mouth as she dropped everything in her hands and ran for the head matron's office.

She climbed stairs three at a time, took corners like a champion racer and ignored whatever dignity or image she had to uphold as she ran past the inhabitants of the orphanage. She barged into the matron's office like an angry lioness looking for her cub, she marched up to her desk and slammed her palms on it with a bang, startling the elderly woman as she jumped in fright.

"Where is my son?" there was an edge to her voice, a ferociousness that even Kira herself could never have imagined she had. She was looking for blood at this moment, and if she doesn't get her son, then blood definitely going to be spilt.

"Ms. Kira maybe it would be better if you calm down, I have some tea here that wou......"

BANG!

"I hope you're not trying to make me repeat myself old lady, but for reference sake, let me ask you one more time. Where. The. Hell. Is. My. Son!"

With each words spoken through gritted teeth and her eyes blazing like fire, the old matron knew that not given her the answer she wanted would probably end up causing serious consequences for herself. This was a mother on a war path, and truly there was nothing under heaven or earth, that could withstand the rage of an angry and desperate mother.

"They came for him." The matron replied carefully.

"Who?" Kira asked, still looking like a lioness who's tail was just bitten off.

"His father."

Kira felt the world stop. To be honest she had no idea how to react to that. Her baby's father had finally come for him, a man who had more right over him than she ever did. But even if that was the case, she was not going to roll over and let some bum take her child. Samantha had made her promise to love and to cherish the little kid with everything she's got. Maybe she was selfish, but she was completely unwilling to share him with any body, not even his father. Kira turned to matron about to ask for a method to track the bastard who stole her son, but the old lady beat her to the punch.

"He left an address for you." She said, passing over a white sheet of paper with shaking hands. Kira was surprised, she didn't expect this at all.

"He had wanted to talk to you, to see the woman who has been taking care of his son for three years, but you were out of town so there was nothing I could do. So he left an address and said to tell you that you're welcome any time. His name is just the same as the boys, Aaron Wade. Which makes him senior and little Ron junior. I tried reaching you, but I couldn't get through to you. And I couldn't hold him back from his father, not when they had legal DNA test results, and a court order asking us to release the child into his father's care. We...…."

Kira had stopped listening as she stormed out of the orphanage, hopped into her car, and drove west. Her mind in complete turmoil as she looked at the address on the paper. How could she have been so stupid, and how could he have worked so fast. She was just there two days ago for a funeral, and after she's had to deal with a lot of publicity at the sudden scandal that seemed to have thrown the Imperium industries of it's smooth tracks.

Damn it their names were the same, of course it would have been too far fetched to assume that Aaron Wade was the father of her son just because they shared the same name. She was shaken, and she was upset. Too many things ran through her mind at this point, one of it being the fact that she belonged to a faction in the company that supported his father, the same father that he accused of murdering his grandfather.

They were destined to be on opposite sides on a corporate battlefield, and now fate has gone and kicked her in the teeth by making her sweet little boy, the son and next generation heir of the Imperium industries. Why couldn't his father have being a useless bum as she always imagined he would be, why was life such a bitch.

But even with all of her worries and apprehension, Kira didn't notice that she never slowed down or took a turn hesitatingly. In fact she went faster, politics aside, all she knew was that her baby was out there waiting and calling for his mother.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

This was weird, but it was a rather calming kind of weird. It took me three hours and boat load of ice cream to call him down. And then he ended up having a stomach ache, and I had to run around the house looking for a kid friendly pain relief medication that won't kill my son.

I wasn't really successful, and Nanny Florence was out of the house, apparently she had to go to a recruitment center and get some new workers for the manor. The old ones were let go after my grandfather died.

I couldn't find any meds, so I had turned to the internet. They gave me a boat load of home made herbal remedies that I could try. I called a 24 hour pharmacy and ordered more trustworthy medications, but they would not be here for another two hours, and Aaron(it's so weird my son and I share the same name) was crying up a storm. I panicked and tried one of the home remedies, hoping to God I did not murder my son the very day I finally got to meet him.

My gamble worked, his stomach ache stopped, and he was passed out on my shoulder with his arms tightly clenched around my neck in a choke hold. He refused to let go and I was finding it really difficult to breathe. I really had no idea what I was doing, it was only the first day and I had caused such a disaster, and damn this kid has a loud voice. But there was this feeling I couldn't describe, it was warm and cool, and intense at the same time.

Aaron was a spitting image of my mother thank God for that. If he had inherited my less than average looks I would never have forgiven myself. I just knew from the very moment I saw him that this was my blood, my son. And as cheesy as it sounded, I loved the kid from the very moment I set my eyes on him. I was all alone in this world, I had Nanny Florence, but she was not really my blood.

My father and brothers hate me, my mom's side of the family are narrow minded and only chose to hang around me because they knew my mom was rich. But looking at him sitting on his bench, and clutching his Ironman action figure sent a bolt of lightening through my chest. At that moment I never wanted to let him out of my sight again.

DING DONG!

"Hunh!Who could that be?"

I moved towards the foyer and to the main door, staring through the peep hole. It was a woman, and she looked weird. Her hair was a mess, her makeup was smudged, and she was missing a shoe. I looked behind her, and saw the missing shoe hanging on top of a black Camaro, which she parked on top of Nanny Florence's rose garden. Shit! I'm so dead. I pulled the door open, about the give this crazy woman a piece of my mind, but doing it carefully so as not jostle my sleeping angel.

"What the hell is wrong with youuuuuuuuuuu"

THUD

"Give me back my son!"

I was on the ground, and I could feel the woman trying to pry Aaron from me. But before that, I could have sworn she kicked me in the face...…..what the hell?