92

VIVIAN

I stood outside the hospital room trying to pace myself.

It had only been a few days but it felt like an eternity since I last saw her. The image of her looking lost as she lay on the bed, extremely weak and unable to move filtered through my mind and sent a sharp stab of pain through my heart, I thought I might cry.

But I knew I couldn't show my true emotions in front of my mother. I needed to be strong and be excited so she would be happy too.

I took in three calming breaths in quick succession before I knocked and opened the door. The sight that greeted me was surprising in a pleasant way.

My mother was seated on bed and being fed by a caregiver. She looked up and me with twinkling eyes and my heart melted. A wide smile broke out on my face as I inched closer to the bed.

"Hello, good morning." I greeted the caregiver.

She was a small woman with a kind face who looked to be in her late thirties or early forties. I had heard stories about caregivers who got violent with