Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Later, dressed in her worn nightshirt with a faded chipmunk on the front, Winnie peeked into the living room. Did her mother’s breathing sound quieter? Winnie crept into the room and stood by the side of the bed.
Her mother’s chest rose sporadically. The inhales and exhales were so shallow they were hard to distinguish. Winnie’s first thought was to call an ambulance, but that wasn’t what her mother wanted.
Winnie took her mother’s hand and sat by the bed. She swallowed hard before starting to reminisce aloud about all the fun memories they’d had together over the years. Making snow ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. Family vacations and staycations with a plastic pool in the backyard. Her mother seemed to relax as Winnie talked about how much she treasured having this time with her mother and how much she loved her. Silently this time, she asked her father and stepfather to come to get her mom to end her suffering.
Dashing away the quiet tears that poured down her cheeks, Winnie ignored her breaking heart to reassure her mother. “Mom, it’s okay. You can stop struggling to stay here. You’ve done so much. It’s okay to rest.”
A peaceful silence settled over the room. Winnie kept thinking about all the happiness they’d had together. When she focused on her mother’s face around three in the morning, Winnie knew she was gone. Fresh tears cascaded down her face. She was comforted that her mother wasn’t battling cancer. But Winnie struggled to imagine a world without her in it.
Without second-guessing herself, she called Scythe. He answered on the first ring.
“Chipmunk? What’s wrong?”
“She’s gone.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“I’m supposed to do something, but I can’t remember what that is,” she confessed.
“I’m coming, Little girl. We’ll handle this together. Five minutes.”
“Thank you.”
The emergency techs treated her mother with incredible care as the police asked her questions. Wrapped in her mother’s robe that Scythe had found somewhere, Winnie provided them with copies of her mother’s “do not resuscitate” order, her list of medications and doctors, as well as the signed consent for hospice they hadn’t had time to begin. Winnie held it together with support from the rough-looking man at her side.
When Belinda got home, the house was quiet.
“What are all the lights on for?” Belinda demanded as she came through the front door.
“Mom’s gone, Belinda.” Winnie broke the news, moving forward to hug her stepsister.
“Why did you send her to the hospital? She didn’t want to go back,” Belinda demanded, waving her hands to fend Winnie off.
“I didn’t, Belinda. I was at her side when she passed.”
“She’s dead? Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t know this would happen, Belinda. She’s been bad before but rallied,” Winnie pointed out. Inwardly, she rebuked herself. She should have phoned Belinda. It hadn’t even crossed her mind. She’d focused on her mother and filling the space with good thoughts and energy.
“I didn’t get to say goodbye,” Belinda wailed. “She told me she loved me yesterday afternoon before I got ready for work. Do you think she knew?”
Winnie nodded. “Yes.”
Belinda walked blindly forward to hug Winnie. The two hadn’t always gotten along well, but this wasn’t the time for petty squabbles.
“What do we do now?” Belinda asked.
“She organized all her arrangements in a folder. We just have to do what she wanted.”
“O—Okay,” Belinda said, stepping away to wipe her tears. “I’m so tired. This is overwhelming.”
“Go to sleep, Belinda. I’ll take care of this,” Winnie assured her.
“Thanks.”
As soon as Belinda’s door closed, Scythe wrapped his arms around Winnie and pulled her close. He held her quietly for a few minutes before directing her. “Go find the folder. Let’s get things in order.”
He made everything easier for her. Scythe even reminded Winnie to call in for a substitute. She texted her bestie, Abby, with the location of her emergency sub plans.
Winnie had just sent the message to Abby when her phone rang. “It’s my principal.” She met Scythe’s gaze, hoping she didn’t look as scared as she felt.
“Hello?”
“I have deleted your request for a substitute and will place another reprimand in your file for using paid time off as a weapon to delay a disciplinary meeting. One more letter in your file will result in you losing your job and receiving a negative recommendation,” Lorraine Oberson announced.
“My mother passed away this morning,” Winnie said dully. Her emotional well was completely empty.
“Right. Bring the death certificate to school, and I’ll get you a sub tomorrow.”
Winnie stared at the phone in disbelief. The woman didn’t believe her? Who would make something like this up?
“What’s going on?” Scythe asked.
“She canceled my sub and won’t arrange for one until I bring a death certificate in to prove I’m telling the truth,” Winnie said to him. She pressed the speaker button on the phone and set it down on the table. Her hand trembled too much to hold it without dropping the device.