It All Started With A Mouse...

Prologue - "Just Keep Swimming"

Prologue

"Just keep swimming" – Dory (Finding Nemo, 2002)

It was 8pm. We were just coming out of the supermarket, having collected supplies for our 'girly night in': where we eat chocolate and watch Disney movies all night.

I pushed in our 'Now That's What I Call Disney' CD into the player as she started the car. Soon enough, we were singing along to 'When You Wish Upon a Star' at the tops of our voices.

I looked over to her, and saw her eyes shining – like they always do when Disney is even mentioned. She was grinning like a madwoman, showing off her pearly white teeth.

"What's so funny?" She asked, putting the indicator on and swerving around a corner.

"Your singing! It's awful!" I answered, giving a massive grin of my own.

She faked a pout. "Well, that wasn't very nice! Not all of us can be musical like yourself!"

I laughed, and she joined in moments later. Her laugh was so silvery and light, and when she laughed you felt like there was no worries in the world.

"I love you Mum."

Her features softened when she briefly turned to look at me. "I love you too Mouse, never forget that."

I smiled. "I won't."

We sat in silence until the next song started: 'Circle of Life'. Mum began to sing the beginning bit loudly and out of key, making me both wince and laugh at the same time.

I looked up, and saw the pair of headlights heading toward the side of the car. I screamed. "Mum! Look out!"

Too late.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. I heard a squeal of brakes, then I was suddenly lurched sideways, and everything turned black.

-

I managed to somehow peel my eyes open. My head was pounding, and I could feel something slowly dripping down my cheek. I put my hand against my forehead, and came away with blood covering my palm.

The car is crumpled on its right side – Mum's side. I called her name: "Mum? Mum! Please tell me you're okay!"

No answer. She was unconscious.

I needed to ring an ambulance.

Keeping one hand on my head (applying pressure to my wound), I searched for my mobile in my pocket. "Please be working!" I muttered, but, sure enough, the screen came to life in my hands.

Shaking uncontrollably, I dialled 999. I didn't even wait for the person to speak. "Please! My mum and I have been in a car accident just past St. Andrew's Street. She's not answering. Please come quickly!"

I yelled over to Mum again. "It's going to be alright Mum. It's going to be alright. Just keep swimming Mum!"

Then, my vision went blurry, and my world faded to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up in a hospital bed, and my head was absolutely killing me.

Spotting a nearby nurse, I immediately asked her about Mum. "Excuse me? Where is my Mum? Is she okay?"

The nurse gave me a small smile. "I must go and get the doctor to tell him that you've woken up. Your mother is fine; she's just asleep right now. Excuse me." She walked out of the room.

I gave a huge sigh of relief. Mum was okay.

A man in a white coat walked in, holding a clipboard. He was middle-aged, with greying hair, and had a kind face, one that you immediately trusted. "Ah, Minnie. It's nice to see you've woken up. I'm Dr. Galloway, and I'll be looking after you for the few days that you're in hospital. I'm afraid you got a rather nasty cut to your forehead from the accident, so the nurse here is just going to change your bandages for you." The woman I spoke to first walked over and did as the doctor said.

When she was finished, the doctor came to sit next to me. He had a serious, almost sympathetic, look on his face. "Now, I need to talk to you about something very important Minnie. Your mother-" My heart immediately sank.

"What about her?! Is she alright?!" I asked, alarmed.

"Well, she didn't get away from the accident as cleanly as you did. The framework of the car was crushed rather severely, so your mother took the full impact from it. To save you from the gory details, your mother has lost all feeling in her legs-"

I gasped, and tears prickled in my eyes. No. This can't be happening. Not my beloved mother.

"-and I'm afraid she's never going to walk again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mum left the hospital two weeks later, wheelchair bound. She looked so miserable – it broke my heart.

The hospital arranged a cab home for us. When we got home, we could barely get Mum's wheelchair across the threshold and had to ask Mr Smith from next door to help us.

The minute we got inside, Mum burst into tears. I instantly rushed to her side and gave her a hug. "Shhhh. It's alright Mum."

She buried her head into my arms. "No it's not! I'm a bloody waste of space like this! How can I be a proper mother to you when you'll have to constantly be looking after me?!"

I put my hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at me. "Mum. I couldn't care less about whether you're in a wheelchair. You're still the same Disney obsessed mother I know and love, and you're the best mum I could ask for. For the wheelchair thing? We'll work something out; we're a team. All we've got to do is just keep swimming. If we just keep swimming, we'll be able to do anything."

Mum wiped her tears away on her sleeve. "What did I ever do to deserve you Minnie?"

I smiled, then kissed her cheek. "I love you Mum."

"I love you too Mouse."