His Hometown Redemption by LeAnne Bristow

Author:LeAnne Bristow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-02T19:42:56+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

“GOOD MORNING, MOM.” Stacy waited for a reaction from the still figure on the bed. Nothing. She slid a chair close to the bed and sat before reaching over and squeezing one of the small, frail hands.

Missy squeezed back ever so slightly and Stacy breathed a sigh of relief. “Glad you’re with me. Now, let’s see if we can get you to eat some breakfast.” She pushed the call button and waited for a nurse to come.

The door opened a few minutes later. “You’re a little late this morning.” The nurse carried a food tray to the counter and set it down.

“Sorry, Mrs. Abbott. I had a hard time sleeping last night.” She blamed it on Caden. It was pretty late when she’d finally made it home. Then she’d spent several hours on bookkeeping. It’d been after 2:00 a.m. when she’d finally crawled into bed. Between the market and the campground, she would have enough to make this month’s nursing home payment, as well as a small amount on the balance. Would it be sufficient?

The nurse checked Missy’s vitals and recorded them in the chart hanging at the foot of the bed. “I don’t want to add to your stress, but you need to start preparing for the worst. She’s hardly eating anymore. I hope you can get something down her.”

Stacy’s shoulders tightened. “She’ll be fine. It’s just a slump. Her appetite will pick up soon. You’ll see.” She went across the room to her mother’s food tray and stirred some sugar into the bowl of oatmeal.

The bed hummed as Mrs. Abbott raised it into a sitting position. “You need to face facts, honey. Your mother is dying. There is no cure for Huntington’s disease.”

“Not yet. It takes fifteen to twenty years for death to occur after the onset of symptoms. She still has at least five years.” Stacy had read every book she could get her hands on about her mother’s disease.

Mrs. Abbott shook her head sadly and left the room.

“They don’t know what they’re talking about, Mom. Don’t listen to them.” She pulled a chair next to the bed and patted Missy’s cheek. The skin was softer than velvet and no longer stretched tightly across her high cheekbones. Her mother had lost so much weight. How had she not noticed before? Stacy smiled when Missy finally opened her eyes. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

Missy’s once-clear eyes were now cloudy. She blinked as if she was trying to recognize the face in front of her. The edges of her lips turned up in a smile that made Stacy’s heart leap.

“Yes, Mom, it’s me. I’m here.” She held the spoon to her mother’s mouth. “Open up and eat a little for me.”

It took some coaxing, but Missy managed to swallow a few spoonfuls before turning her head away. Stacy pressed her lips together. She’d never understand why her mother had signed orders that not only prevented her from being resuscitated, but also prevented her from being placed on any type of life-sustaining machines, including a feeding tube.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.