Tricky Ice

Seventh day in hospital

Next morning Penny woke up totally rest after she clarified everything with Sam. Her heart undeniably felt better now, one big thing less to worry for her. But she hadn't known yet something else has been waiting around the corner of day...

She heard someone opened a door and Penny immediately saw how Diana waved to her at welcome and she slowly entered the room.

"In today's plan, visit doctor Laury and it is all" Penny stood up as Diana announced it to her. Two women went then to the doctor Laury's room and Diana waved for a goodbye to Penny as she was about to open the door.

"Good morning, Ms. Morris, I've been waiting for you" Doctor Laury looked at her patient over her notes. She showed Penny a chair to seat and so Penny politely did. "How is your arm and shoulder?"

"It didn't hurt until now, only a bit pinching from time to time" Penny answered.

"It is a good sign, don't worry if it will be repeating. And it surely will" Doctor Laury winced at Penny assuredly. "Probably two days ago, one woman kept coming and asked about your shoulder, I guess it is your mother, isn't she?" She continued a little curiously.

"It is my aunt, I don't have a mother" Penny admited sadly.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Morris, I didn't know" Doctor Laury apoligised guiltly. It was a silence by long moment until Doctor Laury put one of papers in front of Penny. "Today is probably last time I have an opportunity to talk with you personally in this week, so I want to tell you already everything you need to know about taking care of your shoulder and arm to your next appointment" Doctor Laury announced and continued after Penny nodded her head in agreement. "Most importantly, take your arm and shoulder easy and better don't force yourself too much, take rest at the beginning. Sometimes you can put a little ice on your shoulder to help it or on your hand to help your arm. Here" she showed the paper once again "is everything write down and I also added a prescription if you feel much harder pain, it will help. As I know Doctor Jenkins, he will say the same, but I better say it myself too. Take rest, remember about that and it is better if someone would help you" Doctor Laury ended her speech, looking at Penny sternly above her purple glasses.

"I will I promise, doctor" it was Penny's last words before Diana came back and two women left the room, taking destination back to Penny's room. Diana quickly then disappeared, leaving Penny alone, however Penny noticed the nurse was more happy than by last few days and that made Penny smile authomatically.

Penny didn't notice time pass when she fall asleep. It was dreamless sleep and she felt authomatically weaker when she opened her eyes and white colour of hospital walls and furniture hit her view. And one thing hit her head as well. A person sitting on the chair near her and she smiled when she recognized her aunt's face.

"How are you feeling, little fish?"

"I'm better, aunt" Penny answered honestly, sitting on her bed.

"Please, Penny, stop calling me aunt" Teresa begged, but she lowered her eyes to avoid meeting Penny's.

"Why? You are my aunt, so how else I should call you?" Penny asked shocked, trying to catch her aunt gaze, but it hit the floor too deep.

"Because it is not like you know the story" Teresa tried to explain, but for Penny it was closer to complicatation that to explaination.

"Can you delight me, because I understand absolutely nothing?" Penny tried once more to fight her way to the secret, which surely her aunt was hiding.

"Little fish, I want to give your an answer from your past to let you come across it on your new time in life" Teresa wished misteriously again.

"What is that supposted to mean?" Penny asked puzzled.

"It was not and is not like you think it was and is, sweet donkey" Penny's aunt started misteriously, but when she ended this sentence Penny looked at her insecured, because she remembered the way of naming her from time her mother was still alive, she used to call her donkey from the donkey in Penny's favourite film made by Disney Hercules. "That night when you were little, your mother hasn't died" Teresa announced.

"What?" Penny asked completely took by surprise. How it could be possible?

"I'm your mother, Penny" Teresa confessed seriously, looking Penny straight in the eyes.

"Wait! What?!"

"You see when about few days passed after you were born, I found out about a long-time illness, which could have been contagious. To be back to good again I had to leave Newtown and visit Europe, a small village at the edge of Baltic Sea, because only there I could have been alive again. Therefore I have to make a decision to live you with your father's mother, your grandmother. She died in that terrible fire that unlucky night. When they reached me and informed about you, I wanted to come back, and so did I" Teresa explained to Penny, telling her whole story in short.

"I don't understand one thing there. Why have you been hiding you are my mother from me all this time and why do you confess this now?" Penny asked weakly when the shock passed.

"When you came from hospital to my new house, you were so shy and scared at night and you began to trust me when you thought I was your aunt, so I decided to leave it the way it was back then and when you slowly grow up I was afraid to tell you I'm your mother, because I was scared you would have hated me" Teresa explained when a single pair of tears hit her hands.

"I'm glad you finally make it out, mum" Penny picked her mother's chin up and wiped her tears, sending her encouraging smile at the same time.

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it is so late updated, but I was on trip, lack of time and small problem with this chapter made it that way. Anyway it is finally out and I'm dying from curiousness what is your opinion about Teresa as Penny's mother... I know too crazy, but I can't deny after I wrote the story from Penny's early childhood, this idea began to suit here in my imagination and it landed on electonical paper then...