Page 38 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

She ended the call and pressed the voice command button in her car. “Call James,” she said. After three rings, he answered.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“My mom fell! She’s on her way to Norwalk Hospital. Can you meet us in the Emergency Room?”

“Of course. I’ll meet the ambo and stay with her until you come.”

“Thank you.”

She suppressed the urge to lay on the horn when the idiot in front of her slowed down at the green and made them miss the light. She tapped the wheel nervously, willing the light to change faster. Don’t panic, she told herself. It wouldn’t do any good for her to get into an accident. Thank God James was there. He’d been to visit her mother with her a few times, so hopefully, her mom would recognize him. She was going to be so confused. And what if she needed surgery? Anesthesia was the last thing her mother’s brain needed. It could hasten her decline even more.

She pulled into the parking lot and ran in through the double doors.

“I’m looking for my mother. Miriam Morgan. She was brought in by ambulance.”

The woman typed something in her computer, then nodded. “Yes, they took her back. I’ll have someone come and get you to be with her.”

“Thank you.”

Moments later, James walked out. She ran up to him. “How is she?”

“Confused and upset. Come on, I’ll take you to her.”

She followed him back. She could hear her mother before she even saw her.

“Where am I? Who are you? I want to go home.”

“Mom, you hurt your arm. The doctors are going to fix it,” Annabelle said.

Miriam looked down at her arm and tried to move it, then winced in pain. James was at her side instantly, taking her hand in his and speaking to her in a quiet tone. “Try not to move your arm. We’re going to get you all fixed up. Nothing to worry about. Annabelle’s here, and I’m here. We won’t leave you.”

Miriam smiled at him. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.” She looked over at Annabelle. “I like your young man. You’ve made a good choice.”

Annabelle felt her face grow warm, and she looked at James sheepishly. “No, Mom…” She let her words trail off. What was the point in making a big deal out of it? Chances were that James would be forgotten by tomorrow. But Miriam didn’t stop there.

“How long have you been together?” she asked James.

James didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve known your daughter for a few months now. She’s a lovely person. You did a wonderful job raising her.”

Miriam beamed. “Thank you, dear. I hope you’ll take good care of her. She’s my pride and joy.”

Tears sprang to Annabelle’s eyes. “I love you, Mom,” she said, grateful. It almost felt like before. These glimpses of her true mother came less and less these days, which made them all the more precious. Her mother started to speak again but stopped when a man in a white coat pushed the curtain aside and entered.

“Mrs. Morgan? I’m Doctor Blanchard. I understand you had a fall?”

“I don’t remember falling. But my arm hurts.”

James walked over to him. “Could we speak privately for a moment?”

They stepped away, and Annabelle took James’s place next to her mother.

“He’s a good one. Hold on to him,” Miriam said, looking past her.

“How can you tell?” she asked, curious.

“His eyes are kind. He’s a man who won’t leave.”

It was as though an arrow pierced her heart. Even in her current state, her mother remembered and was in pain over what Annabelle’s father had done. At that moment, she hated him with every fiber of her being.