Chapter 42: Stronger Together
I was met with silence when I walked into my house. As I crept down the hallway toward my mother’s room, my heart slammed against my chest as I prepared myself for the state I’d find her in.
It was worse than I could ever imagine.
My mom was on her bed, curled up in a ball, facing away from me. At first, I thought she was sleeping. But when I walked around the bed, a jolt went through me. Her green eyes were dull and lifeless. She looked catatonic, like her very soul had been sucked out of her.
“Hi, Mom,” I said tentatively. “How are you feeling?”
She looked up at me, and I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t gasp. My own mother was looking at me like she’d never seen before.
I took a seat on her bed and tried to get her to respond, but it was no use. My stomach knotted when I saw painkillers on her bedside table. The clear orange bottle was almost empty. Had my mom been forcing herself to endure the emotional stress because I’d been in the hospital, and she felt like she had to be strong for me?
Guilt stabbed at my heart. But I couldn’t allow myself to wallow in my remorse. My shoulders straightened, and determination flowed through me. Now, it was my turn to be strong for her.
“I was able to see Dad today,” I told her, leaving it at that. It wouldn’t be helpful to inform her of the awful condition I found him in.
“Don’t lie to me and tell me he’s fine,” my mom replied in a flat voice. “I wouldn’t be in this much pain if he were alright.”
I gently touched her shoulder. “Honestly, I did see him—”
But a deep, guttural wail ripped from my mother’s throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her entire body trembled as she huddled into her blanket.