Stolen Nine Years, Courtesy of My Mother のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 9

Mom turned back to look at me with a frown. "Ever since Anna got sick, when have you ever come to the table without trying to grab her food? It's better if you eat in your room. That way it's good for you and for Anna."However, I had never tried to take her food. I only wanted to sit there. I wanted to sit under normal lights, like I did a long, long time ago. I wanted to watch Dad eat and listen to him talk about whether work had been tiring that day, instead of sitting alone with a bowl of stew that kept getting greasier the longer it sat.Tears ran down my face without stopping.Mom's expression changed a little. For a moment, something like helplessness, maybe even fatigue, appeared in her eyes.She walked over and said gently, "Stop crying. Pick what you want to eat, then take it back to your room."The kitchen lights were painfully bright, spilling across the counter. The blueberry cake looked soft and fluffy, with bright berries scattered across the peaks of cream. Besid

The needle pierced my skin again, and dark blood flowed steadily through the tubing into the collection tubes. My vision blurred, and the sounds around me were muffled, as if I were underwater."The patient has had multiple bone marrow extractions. We need to assess organ reserve function and schedule an abdominal MRI with contrast," the nurse said, reaching into her pocket for a pen.Mom's brows immediately knitted together. "I said no metal! Why are you still carrying that?"I weakly said, "Mom, I want to write one more wish.""Once you're done, it stays outside," Mom said, looking at my outstretched hand and my pale face. She pressed her lips together, took the pen from the nurse, and placed it gently back in my palm. "Go ahead. Write it."I opened my left hand and set the pen tip on the thin skin of my palm. When I finished, I curled my fingers around the words, holding them like the last fragile spark of hope.Mom's eyes fell on my clenched fist. "What did you write?" I

Mom felt like her throat had been gripped. Panic widened her eyes as she burst into the operating room, flinging the door open. Nurses and doctors rushed to stop her, but she pushed past them.The doorframe screeched as her fingers clawed at it. "Impossible!"When she saw my small body on the table, hidden beneath a white sheet, she crumpled entirely. She sank to her knees with a thud so loud even I could hear it."Please save her…" she wailed. "Return her kidney! I'm begging you!"She looked like a madwoman, hitting the cold tiles with her forehead over and over in her frantic desperation.The doctor sighed. "When you signed the informed consent before the surgery, I clearly explained all the risks. What did you say at that time?"Mom froze in place, with her forehead pressed to the tiles and her shoulders shaking as she cried."All indicators are on the borderline," the doctor had warned. "Postoperative complications are far more likely than usual. You must carefully consider

In the days that followed, Mom's frantic outbursts disappeared. She seemed drained of all her screaming and tears, quietly surrendering to whatever fate had in store. I couldn't help noticing the streaks of white hair sprouting at her temples. Meanwhile, Anna was slowly recovering.That day, they returned home. Dad had nodded off on the couch after drinking the tea Mom gave him. She dumped the cold tea and walked into Anna's room."I'm sorry. I was wrong," she said softly.Anna slowly opened her eyes, blinking through the redness from her tears. "Mom, will you love me the way you did before?" she murmured.Mom forced a nod, gripping Anna's hand tightly. "Of course I will, Jenna."Anna's face paled instantly. "Mom… I'm Anna."I watched as Mom sank to her knees, cradling Anna's face in her hands. Her eyes were unfocused, yet they burned with a fierce, desperate heat. "No, you're Jenna. You've finally returned."Tears streamed down her face in thick rivulets. "I'm so sorry for le