Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

Author:Lisa Albert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, young adult, YA fiction, young adult fiction, teen, teen fiction, relationships, drama, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, death, Death With Dignity, first love
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2011-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

Nine

I throw my things to the floor and fumble for the row of light switches. The porch bulb flicks on when I test it. My fingers tremble as I turn it off and touch the kitchen lamp. I rake my fingers through my damp hair and rush to the refrigerator. Mom’s turkey sandwich is untouched.

Pepper sticks her face into the fridge and snuffles. I nudge her with my knee as I shut the door. “Get out of there, you stupid dog!” Hot tears trickle down my face. I fall to my knees and grab Pepper, pulling her toward me as she cowers. I plunge my face into her furry shoulder. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I whisper. She laps up my tears and then follows me toward Mom’s bedroom.

I flick on the chandelier in the dining room, casting some light into Mom’s room. The hum of the air conditioner fills the silence. I focus on the heap under the sheet until my eyes adjust and I see my note perched on her water glass, right where I left it.

My chest tightens. My body becomes rigid. I suck in staggered breaths. “Mom?” I whisper. Her back is facing me. She’s curled up on her side with her arm stretched out behind her. I clear my throat. “Mom?” I say a bit louder.

Pepper reacts with a thump-thump of her tail. She moves to Mom’s bedside and sniffs. Her tail wags harder while she sniffs deeper and deeper, finally licking Mom’s hand.

The sheets roll as Mom stirs. I burst into tears and rush the bed. Pepper whines and frantically licks. Mom stretches and yawns. She sits up abruptly and wipes my face. “What’s wrong?” she says, oblivious to my fears.

“Wrong?” I say and pat the bed, giving the all clear to Pepper. She springs up in one leap and nuzzles next to Mom.

Mom traces my eyes with her thumbs. “Are you crying?”

I wipe my face, smooth my hair, and lie. “No. I was swimming.” I flick on her reading lamp and grab her comb off the nightstand. “It’s almost eight o’clock. You should eat. I made you a sandwich.”

She takes my note off her glass and reads it. “You’re a doll, Lily.” She eases off the bed and wraps her summer robe around her before taking my elbow.

On our way to the kitchen, we shuffle through the living room. “What’s all that?” I ask, directing my chin toward the stacks of files on the coffee table.

She sits at the kitchen table. I set her sandwich in front of her, along with a glass of iced tea. “Papers for the lawyer next week,” she says.

I roll a napkin between my palms to soak up my sweat. I dab my forehead and let my breath out. I try not to let on that I peeked at the will. “Do I need to be there?”

She swallows and takes a sip of tea. “No. We’re just signing papers.” She sets the half-eaten sandwich down and pushes the plate away. “Papers for my … living will.

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