Chapter 59: Flatline

Walking down the white clinical hallways reminded me of the history I thought I had left behind. Beeping noises and crying, groaning patients filled the atmosphere. I had been down the hallways of Greenwoods General Hospital. However, Bakersfield Private was a little more up class. Blake said he had mum moved here so she could have the best treatment. He wouldn’t elaborate on what her condition was.

After leaving the bar, we swapped cars and picked up Theresa. Blake had returned my panties, and I quickly went up to the apartment to change.

Us girls sat in the back, and the boys took shotgun. Theresa held Taylor and my hand the entire drive. It was both soothing and heartbreaking. I knew she was trying to comfort me through her grief. Even though Richard had broken the bond between them, Blake had explained that his death would bring a lot of pain upon Theresa. She had still lost her mate.

The police escorted Theresa to see Richard but Rocky refused to go. He said he would go with me after we had seen my mum. He wanted Theresa to have some time alone with her mate. I was a little rattled by all the events, but I knew I had to see mum. After all, today was the day 29 years ago that she and I first started our love-hate relationship.

The doctor stopped at the doorway of mum's room.

“Miss Peters, I must warn you, the sight isn’t pretty. Beth is lucky she even made it out of the wreckage. She has lost her baby and a lot of blood. Her body went into shock due to the blood loss. We have done what we can, but we don’t think she will make it. I’m really sorry.” She bowed her head a little and turned towards the door.

She opened it and walked in. My heart skipped a beat, and a big lump formed in my throat.

She wasn’t going to make it....

There was an ache in my chest, and my whole body felt heavy. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. How do you prepare yourself to see your parents in a life and death situation? I thought back to the number of times I had wished she was dead. The number of times I had actually told her my wish. The number of times I talked about how great life would be without her.

Here I was today, praying for her life, regretting all of those wishes and words of hate.

I took wobbly steps into the room, knowing that Blake was right next to me, ready to catch me if I fell.

The doctor moved the curtain, and my heart sank. I froze in place and couldn’t find the will to move any closer. My eyes fogged up with tears, and I quickly wiped them away, trying so hard to keep myself together.

There, on the bed, lay my unrecognizable mother. Her face was so bruised and battered. If it weren’t for the tattoo on her neck, I wouldn’t have known it was her. She had bandages wrapped around her head and neck. There was a cast on her left arm and right leg. Her lip was busted, and there were big gashes around her face. There were four distinctive gashes right across her face, and they had swollen up. Her left eye was bruised, and you could see a slight bruising around the right one. She had her eyes closed, and you could see her heart monitor fluctuating.

There was an oxygen tube in her nose, and she was hooked up to an IV bag and a blood bag. Without thinking, I inched closer to her, taking in every bruise and bandage. I looked at her face and thought of her smile. The genuine smile that appeared on her face, showing the dimple on her left cheek. The dimple I had inherited.

Her hand twitched a little. I slipped my hand into hers and squeezed it gently.

The tears I was holding back started sliding down my face. My insides quivered, and before I knew it, I was sobbing.

“Ma....” I whispered. I took my free hand up and gently cupped the side of her face.

She unconsciously leaned her face into my hand and groaned.

Her eyes that weren't so bruised slowly opened, and I could see her hazel brown eyes peeking through.

“Rosy..” she croaked and licked her lips.

“Water..” she whispered, and I quickly looked around for a glass.

The doctor and nurse appeared on the other side, and the nurse had a glass of water with a straw in her hand that she held out for me. I quickly took it and placed the tip of the straw on her lips. She groaned as she closed her lips and sucked the liquid.

Once she was done, I put the glass down and looked at mum.

“Happy Birthday,” she croaked.

I closed my eyes and clenched my jaws, holding on to the meltdown I was about to have.

“You remembered?”

“Of course. I gave birth to you. I can never forget that day.” Her eyes moved to look at something behind me.

“I don’t want to die on your birthday. I’m holding on for as long as I can,” she stammered, her voice filled with pain.

“Ma, you will be fine. Stop saying that,” I sobbed.

“There must be something you can do?” I looked up at the doctor. She shook her head and looked down.

Blake wrapped his arms around my shoulder and squeezed me.

“Ma, why did you run? Why didn’t you come to me for help? I know I told you not to, but I wouldn’t have ignored you if you called.”

“I know Rosy, bu-... but you and I both know you’ve embarked on a different journey now. Yo-... you have to move on. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m re-.. really sorry for everything” she was stuttering and stopping to try and breathe.

“I forgive you, ma, I forgive you. Please don’t go. I know we haven’t had it the easiest, but I’m sure we can make this better” my tears weren’t stopping, and I was crying harder now.

My heart was so heavy. I had never imagined this situation. When I walked out of the hospital, leaving mum behind with Richard, I hadn’t considered that it would be the last time I would see mum. I had said not just to Blake but myself that I was cutting the cord, that I had had enough. But deep down, I knew I was so damaged that one phone call from her and I would go running to help.

“I’m so.. so-......” she was panting and trying to catch her breath.

Her chest rose and fell aggressively, and she twitched, trying to breathe.

The doctor quickly increased mum's oxygen and started taking her pulse.

Before we could react, her heart monitor started to beep loudly, and panic washed over me. Blake pulled me back a little and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I clung to him and watched the doctor help mum.

Tears streamed down my face, and I prayed for her. I prayed that some miracle happened, and she sat up and smiled at me like in the old days—the days where she didn’t hate me.

Mum's body spasmed, and she coughed and twitched. The doctor pressed the emergency bell, and within seconds, three other doctors ran in with a crash cart. They all swamped around mum, checking her vitals and trying to manage her breathing.

I buried myself into Blake’s chest and cried. I felt two hands on my back, gently rubbing circles.

“Rosy, I’m so sorry” Taylor’s voice was strained, and I could tell she was crying.

I turned around and grabbed Taylor, pulling her into a hug. She squeezed me tightly, and I felt Rocky’s arms wrap around us too. He was standing behind me, and his arms were long enough to hold both Taylor and me. I buried my face into Taylor’s shoulder and cried. The calmness I had with Blake’s embrace had disappeared, but it was replaced by the love of my two best friends.

At that moment, I wished mum had gotten to know my friends better that she had gotten to see this life I now had.

From behind us, the heart monitor wasn't beeping furiously anymore; it had turned into a long mono beep.

Flatline...

The urgent rustling had stopped, and the only thing you could hear now was the flatline beep.

I didn’t have to turn to know what had happened.

“Time of death, 12:04 am,” called out one of the doctors.

She got her last wish. She held on for as long as she could. She may have made me hate her, but in her ways, she always looked out for me.

I looked over my shoulder and caught the final glimpse of her face before they pulled the sheets over her.

She was gone....