and called frantically for the doctor. Her mother made a feeble attempt to wave her away, but her mother’s arms were too heavy. Heather’s mother barely lifted them more than a few inches off the bed before they collapsed on the mattress with a soft thump.
“ Mom! Mom!” She thought her mother drew her last breath, and Heather began to weep. “Mommy, I love you!” she cried.
Her mother mustered enough strength to pull the mask away. “It’s . . . OK, honey. I . . . love you.”
“ Oh, Mom, you scared me!”
“ Don’t . . . be scared, honey.” She pulled the mask away again. “I want to . . . tell you . . . something.”
Heather put the mask back over her mother ’s face. “Please, Mom, you need to keep this on. You can talk through the mask.”
Her mother took several deep, congested breaths, and spoke a little easier from under the mask. “You need to . . . be strong now, honey. You need . . . to be independent.”
“ I don’t know how to do that.”
Her mother ’s rapid, shallow breaths whistled in her throat and she gasped for air so she could continue. “Justin will help you, and I’ll always be with . . . you . . . always by your side . . . when you marry . . . Peter.” Her mother gasped again and her chest rumbled. “By your side . . . when your children . . . are born. I’ll always be with you, honey . . . in your heart. I’ll watch over you . . . I’ll be your . . . guardian angel.”
Exhausted, Heather ’s mother rolled her head to the side and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Heather ’s mother never regained consciousness and passed away less than an hour later.
#
Heather’s mouth bowed into a quivering frown, and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“ What’s wrong, honey?” Kenny asked as he placed a bowl of soup on a tray in front of her.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
He patted her hand. “Have some soup and get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Chapter Twenty:
A nagging pain in Heather ’s lower back prevented her from sleeping for any length of time. She squirmed but was unable to reposition herself. She lifted her head up enough to look at the clock on the wall but it was too dark. She could barely see it. The light filtered in through the glass and her eyes adjust enough to read the time. It was after midnight. She put her head back down on the pillow, but she couldn’t lie on her back any longer. Between the painful bruise on her left leg and the incision on her right side, she was unable to turn in either direction. She whimpered and called to Justin.
He jumped off of the stretcher that had been his bed for the last few nights at the sound of her voice. “I’m right here. What’s the matter?”
“ My back.” She moaned. “It hurts.”
Kenny was at her bedside in an instant to see what was wrong. “What is it, honey?”
“ Her back hurts,” Justin answered.
“ Where? The incision?”
“ No.” She cringed and wiggled in the bed. “I don’t know. I think it’s just my back.”
“ I’ll take a look at your chart to see what I can give you for the pain, but first I need to check your incisions and take your temperature.”
Kenny turned on the light above her bed, and Heather squinted at its brightness.
“ You’re going to have to turn on your left side,” Kenny said. “Can you do that for me, honey?”
“ No. I can’t. It hurts.” She whimpered again. “I can’t move.”
“ We’re going to help you.”
Kenny enlisted Justin ’s help and they gently rolled her onto her side. A sharp pain centered in the small of her back and reverberated across her body. It felt like her insides were being ripped apart, and it caused her to cry out. She held Justin’s hand as tight as she could while Kenny checked the incision on her back. He helped her roll back onto the bed, and the pain continued to burn deep inside her gut. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the sheets in her
“ Mom! Mom!” She thought her mother drew her last breath, and Heather began to weep. “Mommy, I love you!” she cried.
Her mother mustered enough strength to pull the mask away. “It’s . . . OK, honey. I . . . love you.”
“ Oh, Mom, you scared me!”
“ Don’t . . . be scared, honey.” She pulled the mask away again. “I want to . . . tell you . . . something.”
Heather put the mask back over her mother ’s face. “Please, Mom, you need to keep this on. You can talk through the mask.”
Her mother took several deep, congested breaths, and spoke a little easier from under the mask. “You need to . . . be strong now, honey. You need . . . to be independent.”
“ I don’t know how to do that.”
Her mother ’s rapid, shallow breaths whistled in her throat and she gasped for air so she could continue. “Justin will help you, and I’ll always be with . . . you . . . always by your side . . . when you marry . . . Peter.” Her mother gasped again and her chest rumbled. “By your side . . . when your children . . . are born. I’ll always be with you, honey . . . in your heart. I’ll watch over you . . . I’ll be your . . . guardian angel.”
Exhausted, Heather ’s mother rolled her head to the side and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Heather ’s mother never regained consciousness and passed away less than an hour later.
#
Heather’s mouth bowed into a quivering frown, and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“ What’s wrong, honey?” Kenny asked as he placed a bowl of soup on a tray in front of her.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
He patted her hand. “Have some soup and get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Chapter Twenty:
A nagging pain in Heather ’s lower back prevented her from sleeping for any length of time. She squirmed but was unable to reposition herself. She lifted her head up enough to look at the clock on the wall but it was too dark. She could barely see it. The light filtered in through the glass and her eyes adjust enough to read the time. It was after midnight. She put her head back down on the pillow, but she couldn’t lie on her back any longer. Between the painful bruise on her left leg and the incision on her right side, she was unable to turn in either direction. She whimpered and called to Justin.
He jumped off of the stretcher that had been his bed for the last few nights at the sound of her voice. “I’m right here. What’s the matter?”
“ My back.” She moaned. “It hurts.”
Kenny was at her bedside in an instant to see what was wrong. “What is it, honey?”
“ Her back hurts,” Justin answered.
“ Where? The incision?”
“ No.” She cringed and wiggled in the bed. “I don’t know. I think it’s just my back.”
“ I’ll take a look at your chart to see what I can give you for the pain, but first I need to check your incisions and take your temperature.”
Kenny turned on the light above her bed, and Heather squinted at its brightness.
“ You’re going to have to turn on your left side,” Kenny said. “Can you do that for me, honey?”
“ No. I can’t. It hurts.” She whimpered again. “I can’t move.”
“ We’re going to help you.”
Kenny enlisted Justin ’s help and they gently rolled her onto her side. A sharp pain centered in the small of her back and reverberated across her body. It felt like her insides were being ripped apart, and it caused her to cry out. She held Justin’s hand as tight as she could while Kenny checked the incision on her back. He helped her roll back onto the bed, and the pain continued to burn deep inside her gut. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the sheets in her
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