MOM

CELINE's POV

Since I was already in possession of the money, I quickly went back to the hospital in order to settle my mother's bill. While I was waiting for the receipt, I looked about in an effort to find Dr. Henry so that I might express my gratitude to him; but, he was not yet present.

"Thank you…" I gave the woman at the register a friendly smile, and even though she couldn't see my face in its entirety due to the mask I was wearing, she still managed to give me one in return.

I made my way down the hallway in the direction of the elevator while scrunching up my nose at the pungent odor of disinfection and other substances that I was hesitant to identify. I've never been a fan of hospitals, and if my mother weren't so sick, I would never, ever set foot in this institution.

I took a deep, fortifying breath as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the ward where my mom lay still hoping to recuperate.

When I was in the taxi earlier, I’d fallen asleep with memories of the night spent in my sister’s boyfriend’s arms swimming about my mind and plaguing my dreams. Frankly, I was even surprised I’d gotten any sleep at all. I was thankful to the taxi driver who roused me up when we arrived at the bank where I had to secure half of the money that I got from my dad and deposit it in my account since I only needed a thousand dollars for my mom’s treatment.

Cautiously, I made my way to my mother’s room half hoping she wouldn’t ask about dad and Brylee. Though I knew I would have to answer all of her questions soon, my nerves were just too high-strung from the encounter with Sebastian last night.

I yanked the door open and walked inside as I became aware of the sound of muffled voices emanating from within the room. Because the IV bag had no more fluids in it, a nurse swapped it out for a new one.

"Celine…" my mom looked up and slowly sat up as I entered. "You’re back…"

As I made my way further into the room, I plastered a smile on my face that I hoped would be a happy one. "Mom…" I leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. Her skin was cold against my lips. "How are you? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

"The members of the hospital staff delivered meals to patients earlier. I’m already full…" she said with a smile and grabbed my hand, tucking it inside her quilt. "Didn’t your father ask you to stay the night in his house? It was snowing outside. Aren’t you cold?"

My heart immediately warmed up at her gesture. I shook my head and said, "I’m not cold mom… Don’t worry about me."

I noticed that mom’s eyes were red. Had she been crying while I was away? As she tugged at my hand, motioning me to take a seat beside her, she suddenly caught a glimpse of my locks under my hood. "Your hair… What happened to your hair?"

I was stunned for a moment by the realization that I was unable to take off the wig that I was currently donning.

"Oh…" I brushed off the hood of my coat and ran my fingers through the blonde synthetic hair I was wearing. "It was… Brylee's idea. I ran into her when I went to borrow money from dad and she happened to be styling her hair. She asked me to join in the fun, so, I… tried this color. Is it ugly?"

"No… no." she shook her head. "It looks good on you. I can see Brylee now with you… I'm happy to know that the two of you got along."

"Of course! We’re sisters…" if only you knew mom…

"Did she… did she say anything for me?" I could see hope in her eyes and I didn’t have the heart to hurt her.

"Oh... yes," I'll have to lie about it. "She... she informed me that she would come to visit you once her schedule is cleared up." My eyes were a little evasive. I didn’t want her to find in my eyes that I was lying or she would get hurt.

The brightness in Mom's eyes immediately diminished, but she said nothing in response. She could sense that my sister wouldn't be visiting her, so… her expression changed to one of disappointment and loneliness. In point of fact, both of us were aware that Brylee was hesitant to recognize either one of us; mom was only holding out hope.

"By the way, dad reminded me to tell you to take care of yourself and to make sure that you won't forget to take your medication..." I swiftly shifted the conversation's focus away from my sister by changing the subject.

Her eyes got their mischievous glint back, and she flashed a stern smile in my direction. I could sense that she still loved my father. "Celine… listen to me. Please promise me that you won't bother your father for financial support in the future. It’s unclear what his wife would think if she saw your father handing you money. My condition is not treatable in any way. Therefore, there is no point in—"

"Mom…" I had to cut her off. "Don’t say anything like that. I will do anything for your treatment and trust me, mom… you will be healed."

She gave me a little shake of the head and then gently pulled me so that I could rest my head on her shoulder.

"You don’t have to worry about dad and his family, mom... He told me that I could go and visit him anytime I wanted. I’m also his daughter and he said if I need money, just tell him and he’ll give it to me. He won’t have the heart to see me losing my mother."