Blurred

The Moon Rises

The arrival of the ambulance, the paramedics, the drive to the hospital was a blur to you. All you could remember was holding your mother's hands, trying to extract a response from her. There was none, only low breathing and heartbeat, as depicted by the monitor. Your mother was taken into the emergency ward as soon as the ambulance reached the hospital. You were compelled to wait outside, to be tormented with worry and anxiety while your mother was falling short of her life breath.        

It was hours later when the doctor finally spoke to you, he remained composed while you flooded him with anxious questions, the panic had subdued, the anxiety and fear remained.

"Miss (mother's last name(m/l/n)), I will be handing this case over to Dr Smith, she is a soul-sickness specialist and would be able to help you...But I would not recommend keeping your hopes high." his tone was grim, but you had not been able to grasp even half of the provided information.

"Doctor, w-what soul-sickness? I did not...I'm sorry?" his gaze softened as he studied you.

"Your mother is suffering from soul-sickness, it usually happens when a person's soulmate dies or leaves them, in short, the emotional pain manifests itself into this sickness. The melancholy is soul-deep, if not cured, it affects the body in the end."

"So what is the cure then? There has to be one, right?"

"Miss (l/m/n), I'm not an expert in this field. Dr Smith would be arriving soon,  Miss (m/l/n) is kept under observation for now. You can speak to Dr Smith, she would be able to answer better."  with that, the doctor walked past you, while you stood there, still processing the new-found information. 

"...it usually happens when a person's soulmate dies or leaves them, in short, the emotional pain manifests itself into this sickness."

 "...I would not recommend keeping your hopes high. "

You found a bench two steps away before letting your weakening knees turn completely boneless and bent so that your body could slump over the hospital bench.

---+++---

The voices were muffled, but loud enough to reach your ears and wake up your seven-year-old self. With a yawn, you groggily swung your legs over the edge of the bed and walk over the door while rubbing your eyes. The bedrooms were upstairs, only a narrow corridor that had the laundry room's door on the right, separated your room that of your parents'. The walls were not very thin, they allowed the residents to maintain their privacy. But when the voices began to float into your room, you knew, even as a seven-year-old girl, that something was up.                 You opened the door of your room with caution, your eyes, slightly heavy with sleep assessed the corridor. It was empty, and the muffled voices were of your parents, they were coming from their room that had the door shut. 

As you walked closer, the incoherent words turned clearer. Your parents were not screaming at each other, but they were being fairly loud, at least loud enough to wake you up. You reached for the door handle before twisting it. It was locked.

"Why won't you let me in! Let me in Honey, please..." the rest was just muffled whispers, but you could recognise your mother's voice.

Without a second thought, you knocked "Mommy? Are you alright?" there was shuffling before the door was unlocked and your mother's smiling face greeted you.

"Why are you up Sweetheart? It's late." she was on her knees,  her eyes levelling with yours.

"I could hear you, are you okay Mommy?" you rubbed your eyes for a clearer vision, from the corner of your eyes, you could see your father standing still.