Her skin wasn’t very warm, and she could only keep her hand in place for a few seconds before it got shaky and fell to the bed. “Can you do that for Mommy? Can you remember what I’m about to say?” I nodded again, and she raised a hand to my cheek. She took another breath, and tried again. “Pain getting unmanageable, Diane?” Becky said, pushing a needle into Mom’s IV. ” She trailed off, the pain too big for a bit. I’ve been trying to remember things from when I was three, and I. “Travis, I need you to listen to what I’m going to say, and even more important, I need you to remember. Smiling when she looked so tired and uncomfortable didn’t feel right, but being brave made her happy. I nodded again, mirroring her smile, even if I didn’t mean it. I know you can do it, because you’re a big boy now.” “What I’m going to ask you will be very hard, son. She used what was left of her strength to scoot closer to me, and then she took a breath.
Nodding made her small smile bigger, so I made sure to make big movements with my head as I stepped toward her face. I stuck my finger in my mouth, and pushed it around on my gums, fidgeting. She stretched her long, elegant fingers, and brushed my arm. I knew she might have been there to help, but it wasn’t a good thing, even though Dad was okay with her.ĭad’s nudge shoved me forward several steps, close enough to where Mommy could touch me. I couldn’t explain it, but her being there was scary. Her words were soft, and her eyes were kinda nice, but I didn’t like Becky. She came to the house for the first time a few days ago. C’mere.”ĭad put a few fingers on the base of my neck and pushed me forward while listening to the nurse. She cleared her throat, and the corners of her mouth turned up. She listened, and it made her really happy.Įveryone else seemed to nod without listening, but not her. She didn’t look past me to the other dozens of things she needed to do with her day, or tune out my stupid stories.
When she looked at me, she really saw me. She was looking down at me, her lids two slits, just enough to let me know she knew I was there.
My eyes trailed from her brittle, yellowing nails, up her thin arm, to her bony shoulder, finally settling on her eyes. Her hand flopped off the bed, and her finger twitched.
The most beautiful woman I would ever see. Her skin didn’t have the peachy glow I was used to, and her eyes weren’t as bright, but she was still beautiful. EVEN WITH THE SWEAT ON HER FOREHEAD AND THE skip in her breath, she didn’t look sick.
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