Return III

Prologue (Recap)

"I wanted to tell you that I thought about what you told me to think about," I begin. Her smile fades. "Let's have a seat." she suggests and I nod. We walk to the chairs that Blanket previously rested in and sit. A few moments of silence pass. I release a heavy breath before speaking.

"I've been thinking a lot, I really have. And, as a mother, things like this are extremely difficult to think about, much less decide." Ainsley nods. "I know, I have a son." she rests her hands on top of my folded ones."Anyway, I know that I should hold on and wait to see if she climbs out of this, but I feel like keeping her here and on that support system is just making her suffer." I pause and sniffle. Tears prick my eyes, but I ignore them. I could care less if I cry in front of the nurse. I'm sure she has seen and talked to many mothers who have made  decisions similar to this.

"So, I made a decision, and I think I'm going to... discharge her." I stutter slowly, barley knowing how to string the jumbled words in my mind together.  As I begin to cry, Ainsely brings me into a sympathetic embrace. "I'm so sorry." she whispers in my ear.

The door of the room my daughter and family is in slams and I yank myself from Ainsley's shoulder just as the latch meets the frame. Only part of my son's face was visible through the small space.

Blanket. He heard.

...

"Do you think it's worth it?" Blanket asks. I tilt my head. He looks at me and wets his lips, then bites the lower one; the way I used to when I was younger. 

"What is?" I ask. He shakes his head. "It's not fair, dad. Not to her. Not to us. It's just—" he trails off, shaking his head. I place my hand on his knee. "What's bothering you, Blanket?" I ask, a single tear falling from his left cheek. "Mom wants to take Natalie off." Blanket mumbles, staring at the ground. 

What?

"She's just gonna let her die, she—" he pauses and begins sobbing.

This is what Taryn wanted to talk to me about. This was the bad feeling I had gotten looking at my injured daughter. I can't let this happen. I cannot let Taryn do this to our little girl. 

...

"The nurse told us that it's too late to change our minds now." Joseph explains. My heart sinks into my stomach. "What?" I blurt, astonished and angry. "Yeah. When Taryn told the nurse that she made up her mind, she filed all the papers and every nurse that is in charge of Natalie's medication doses and monitors was informed."

My father's voice is very soft and calm. I have no words for the man that has torn down the last bit of hope I had held onto for so long. In a split second, just a few words made everything disappear. 

"I have to talk to her." I storm past my father. He holds his hand out to stop me and I look down at him as he shakes his head. "You can't do that." his voice is so quiet it is nearly a whisper. "Yes, I can." I fire back and shove past him."The doctors and nurses are already on the job. They came and talked to your mother and I." Joseph calls. I ignore him and continue walking. I stop myself at the front desk and slam my hands on it. The lady behind the desk flinches and snaps her head up to look at me. Anger has taken over sadness at this point. I want to know who it is that is taking my daughter off of life support without my consent.

"C-Can I help you, sir?" the woman behind the front desk asks and I nod. "Natalie Spethan." I say and she nods. "I have been informed that she is being taken off of life support." the woman's chin quivers. "Um, yes," she grabs the mouse and clicks a few times on her computer before pushing her glasses up on her face and looking at me again. "Yeah, that should have been at 3:00 today." she informs me and I shake my head. "No," I say firmly and she swallows.