"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?"