Letters To Layla

Chapter 1

It was a crisp autumn morning. The grass was still wet from the early morning dew. The air felt light with a pleasant breeze. As Layla perched her self on her front porch chair. With a cup of fresh brewed coffee in one hand and a stack of folders as well as her laptop in the other. Plucking her glasses that hung around the beads on her neck onto her thin nose. She began reading through the files. Layla had been assigned to work a case regarding a young woman in her 20's.

However just as she was just beginning to collect the old data retaining to the events that happened her phone rang abruptly almost startling her. Looking over at the name appearing on her screen she chuckled to notice it was her mother's name. They had just spoken to each other the night before, but Layla swore her mother was obsessed with her. Always calling to check in making sure she was okay and had everything she needed. Even on occasion sending what her mother would call care packages. The content of it either being groceries, house essential, or something out of the blue that just reminded her mother of her.

"Did you missed me already mother," Layla jokingly spoke into the phone as she answered.
"Layla, it's me." A deep male voice replied. Which she could clearly recognize as her Uncle Fletcher.
"Uncle Fletcher what are you-" Layla was quickly cut off by his response.
"Listen it's your mom. I came over to the house for our usual visit and found her unconscious. We are headed to the memorial hospital. Please meet me there." Her uncle Fletcher spoke in a rush tone then proceeded to end the call. Layla jumped from her chair. Running to grab her car keys and dashing for her car. Leaving everything where she had left it.

Layla tried hard not to let her thoughts overwhelm her. For typically she was a level headed person. However her mother was her everything so it seemed fruitile not to do as such. Her mind racing as to what could have possibly been the reasoning for her mother to be found unconscious in her own home. Her mother was not sick to her knowledge, then again her mother didn't like to let Layla worry about such things. Did she not eat anything. She knew her mother had a tendency to be forgetful about her own needs and Layla would often scold her for it. Though that didn't seem quite right to her. Layla's mind kept pondering with ideas until she reached the hospital not 15 minutes after. Normally it would have been about a 30 minute drive, but not today. She rushed into the hospital following the instructions that her Uncle Fletcher had sent to her.

Walking into the room Layla found her Uncle Fletcher pacing back and forth. His arms folded into himself as he had a worrisome look on his face. His salt and pepper hair was disheveled. Probably from the amount of times he ran his fingers through it. The wrinkles being more prominent with the expression on his face. Fletcher hadn't noticed Layla entering the room until the gasped had escaped from her lips at the sight of her mother. Layla slowly walked to her mother's bedside just absorbing the image in front of her. Layla's mother laid on the bed with a tube in her throat a machine chirping beside her with a bunch of numbers. Her mother's usual auburn hair curls lay sprawled out around her head. Her small frame looks more fragile than ever. However her face held a look of serenity to it. As Layla eyes scanned her mothers figure she couldn't help but to notice how she almost resembled a porcelain doll. One so fragile just a simple touch could shatter it.

Layla had not yet noticed that the doctor had walked in and began speaking to her Uncle Fletcher. She couldn't even make out the words that were slipping past their lips. All she heard was the pounding drum of her heart beat in her ears. At the possibility that she was going to be losing her favorite person. Layla closed her eyes as she took a shallow breath. Not wanting to see the heart wrenching picture in front of her. Instead, wanting to remember her mother as the way she was before. Layla then felt a cold hand being placed on her shoulder that brought her back to reality.

"Miss Grace," the gentlemen in the white lab coat spoke softly as to not startle her. She didn't speak, but she did meet his gaze.
"My name is Dr. Jefferson. I'm the one assigned to your mother's medical case. We are currently running some tests at the moment, but from what I've gathered it seems that your mother had a heart attack. We have put her In a medically induced coma until we can figure out more information. Her body has been under a lot of strain. She went into cardiac arrest once already, but I'll have my nurses Emory and Stacey look after her." Dr. Jefferson's voice sounded calm as he spoke. As he has recited these lines numerous times before.