The Town of Ruins

Chapter Thirteen

            Carter tried to talk to me once we got down in The Offices, but I just walked away. How could I face him or anyone else now that they all knew how many people got hurt and killed because I insisted on going to find my father? How could I stay here knowing that I might have just doomed the entire population by leading Marines to our entrance? I walked through the hallways faster when I heard Simon tell Carter, "Just give her some time, she needs to process everything that happened up there." I went to Nuno's office and walked in. I saw Sammy, Bella, and Vieanna standing in front of Nuno. "Cassie, what is it? What is so important that you could not wait until you could come into this room to tell me?" He asked me, his voice raised a little. "I want to see my mother."
            Nuno called Grandma Sarah to his office and had her lead me to my mother's room. "I must warn you, she hasn't woken up since we found out that your father went missing." She said with tears in her eyes. "She isn't breathing on her own. We can't keep her artificially alive for much longer." I nodded and walked in to the room. I almost dropped to the floor right there, she looked so helpless. She was just laying there, with some sort of tube down her throat. I walked over to her and held her hand. "Mom, can you hear me? You've got to wake up. You still have to take care of me. I need you Mom. Please, don't leave." I put my head down on her and let the tears flow. "Cassie, we've got to turn this off now. You have to say goodbye." I couldn't even speak. I didn't know what to do. How do you say goodbye to your mother, when you had just watched your father die earlier that same day? I looked up and saw my grandmother, grandfather, Nuno, and Nona all in the room. When did they all come in? I looked at the clock. It read two days after when we had come home. How is that possible? I watched as grandpa turned the life support machine off. Her heartbeat got slower and slower until it stopped. My mother was dead. I was an orphan.