Chapter
7
"Where's
my daughter? Where is she?"
"Mrs.
Henson, please, you'll be able to see her in a minute. She's in her room with
the doctor," said the nurse.
Mrs.
Henson sat down in a chair in the waiting room. It felt like forever before the
doctor came out of Mariah's room. Finally, he did.
"Mrs.
Henson?"
"Yes,
what happened to her?"
The
doctor explained to Mariah's mother that Mariah had a bad relapse, but the coma
was small. It wasn't something that would last long. Her body just needed time
to recover and save energy.
"Her
body is just worn out. She just needed some rest, that's all. She'll be all
right. We just need to keep her under stricter surveillance now."
Mariah's
mother began to cry.
"Can
I go in and see her now?" asked Mrs. Henson.
"Of
course. Go ahead." replied the doctor.
Mrs.
Henson walked up to her daughter's room and started crying harder standing at
the door of Mariah's room. She finally got enough courage to walk in. When she
saw Mariah with tubes hooked up to her, she couldn't take it anymore and broke
down. She knew the doctor had said that it was only temporary, but what if
something else went wrong. She couldn't think about it. She began to talk
softly to her daughter, hoping that she'd hear her. She'd do anything to get
her daughter back. Mariah's life still needed living, she's too young to die,
and didn't deserve this.
Mrs.
Henson spent that night and the rest of the week at the hospital by Mariah's
bedside holding her hand. If there was going to be any change at all, she was
going to be there no matter what.
* * *
Days later...
"Come
on Mariah, open your eyes. Please..." pleaded Mrs. Henson.
"Mrs.
Henson?" came a voice at the door.
Mariah's
mother turned her head and saw a young man standing at the door. He was holding
flowers.
"Jake,
come on in!" said Mrs. Henson. "Mariah would be glad that you're
here.
Mrs.
Henson had called Jake and told him the whole story, thinking that Mariah
would've told Jake sooner or later. She loved Jake, of course she would. Mrs.
Henson adored Jake, she thought he was one of the best guys that Mariah's ever
dated.
"I
can't believe she didn't tell me." said Jake. "I would've been here
the whole time with her."
"I
know Jake, but I'm sure that she was afraid. She never told anyone."
They
sat together talking about different things. Jake explained why he wasn't there
earlier. They just had spring break and he had gone on a skiing trip with his
friends. They talked about college life.
Although
Mariah was going out with Jake and spent time with her friends, Mariah was not
yet out of high school. Mariah told her friends that she had taken some time
off of school because she moved around so much. Also because of what happened
to her dad. They seemed to buy it.
She
had missed too much school when she was younger because of her cancer. She
worked hard and finally graduated. She graduated a semester early so during
second semester, she worked at the mall. She also had been looking at brochures
and wondered which college or university to go to. She was a smart girl.
Jake
left after a little while. He said he had a lot of homework to do. Mrs. Henson
sat and ate her dinner with her daughter as usual, by her bedside.
Later
on that night, Mrs. Henson was talking with the doctor out in the hall and the
doctor said that she was progressing very well. Things should be better by
early next week. Mrs. Henson was so happy to hear the news.
She
watched the news and read a magazine to her daughter, and then soon fell
asleep.
4:05 am
Mariah's
eyes fluttered open.
"Brian?"
***
