Blissful Blooms

Chapter One: Disorientated

Daisy was woken by the panicked screams of her mother. Without any hesitation she quickly slipped out of bed and rushed to her mother's bedroom. A deep sigh fell from Daisy's lips upon seeing her mother pressed up against the far wall. Her mother's eyes darted from the bed, to the door, to the window and her body was shaking. Daisy's mother couldn't focus.

"Mum, are you okay?" Daisy asked, taking a hesitant step towards her.

"Where am I?" she whispered, her eyes still darting all over the room.

"You're at home. You're in your bedroom," Daisy stated, doing her best to reassure her. The bed clothes were strewn on the floor.

"Don't lie to me. Tell me where I am, now! Just tell me!" she shouted, her voice rising with every spoken word.

Daisy took several hesitant steps towards her and placed her hand on her mother's forearm. With a quick movement her mother shook her hand off and backed into the corner. Her dull green eyes sunk into her face and were flickering around the room. 

Breath Daisy, she'll get through this. It's just an episode, that's all it is. 

Keep calm, support her.

Daisy bit her lip as she watched her mother pull at her short brown hair. "Stop that Mum," Daisy pleaded. Her mother's shaking had increased but her eyes had finally focused on Daisy. She squinted, finally focusing on her daughter.

Daisy fiddled with the hem of her pyjama top and bit her lip. Watching her mother deteriorate so quickly was upsetting. Daisy swallowed the lump in her throat. Her mother did not recognise her own bedroom. They had painted the bedroom the shade of green it was now, almost ten years ago. She vividly remembered the clothes that they wore, the bin bags they had put over the carpet so that no paint would end up on the floor. Yet, somehow, Daisy had managed to drop a blob of paint which stained the cream carpet.

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, trying to think what to do. Daisy took a deep breath and tried to remember some of the reading that she had done. Memories can help calm and relax a person who is suffering from Alzheimer's or Dementia. She picked up the gold frame on the side of her mother's bed, a picture that her mother had always loved.

"This is your room, Mum. See," Daisy said softly, handing her the photo frame "I love this photo and you do to... You say it's your favourite photo of us and Nanna."

Her mother took the golden frame in both her hands, slowly walked to her bed and sat down, keeping her eyes on Daisy as she did so. Her eyes wondered over the picture as a small smile formed on her lips. That was the moment that she knew that she was going to be okay, for now. Daisy placed a hand on her knee and gave it a small squeeze. A tear made its way down her mother's cheek. Her mother wiped it away quickly hoping that Daisy had not seen it, but she had.

"I'm sorry Dais," she smiled, but it was not her normal joy filled smile. Her smile seemed forced and weak.

"I don't know what you're apologising for. Come on, I'll go and make us some tea. Take your time." Daisy gave her knee a quick squeeze before heading out of the room and down the stairs.

As the kettle boiled, Daisy tried her best to forget her mother's previous episode, but it kept playing, over and over. She thought that this was just a sign of how things would be from now on. Daisy had never thought that a year ago, when she had the phone call from her mother's doctor, that she would have deteriorated so fast.

That was when Daisy's life changed. She insisted that she was not bitter that she had to leave her studies and move back home, but University was her dream, until she began working for Carlos. She was more frustrated that there was nothing she could do to help her mother as her Alzheimer's progressed. This disease was eating away at both Daisy and her mother.