Linda walked towards the room were her mum was.
She was scared, she didn't even know why she was doing here. She couldn't do it
"Are you okay?" Nikki said as Linda stopped
"I'm not sure I can do this Nikki.." Linda said
"Come on, your here now, just see what she has to say" Nikki said
"Okay.." said Linda slowly walking round the corner and pausing at the door
Room 23
"This is it" Nikki said
Linda opened the door as Nikki waiting outside giving them some space.
Linda stared at the old women in the bed. She felt so familiar yet like a stranger. This old, frail women who looked tiny in the big hospital bed showed no resemblance to the previous mother she had know when she was 16 her eyes which were sharp and piercing grey now looked worn out and lifeless
"..Linda" the women said squinting her eyes to check if that was really her daughter
"Yeah, it's me" Linda said keeping a safe distance away from her, not wanting to get to close.
"I never thought you'd come" the women said coughing
"What do you want mu...Mary" Linda said as the word mum was meaningless to her and had been since she was 13
"I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, I've never forgave myself for what happened" Mary said
"It's a bit late now isn't it" Linda said with angrily
"I know I didn't treat you like I should have done" said Mary coughing again
"You were a crap mum..." Linda said "I don't understand how anyone could be so heartless"
"Linda I tried I really did..." Mary said
"Don't you..." Linda said angrily "Don't you dare! Don't you dare pretend like you've ever cared about me...I don't care if your dying I'm not going to forget everything you put me through!"
"I might have not been the best of mums but I always put a roof over your head" Mary said wheezing
"Put a roof over..." Linda said in rage "And whose was that house? You know what since your dying I think we better have this out now before it's to late...Why did you let me live with a pedophile mum"
"If I would have known that he would ever have done that to you I would have never have married him" Mary said coughing and spluttering "When I found out about what he was doing to you I told him I was leaving but he told me how we'd be homeless on the streets and you wouldn't have any were to live...I didn't know what to do for the best Linda"
"We both know the only reason you stayed was because of the life style, you had everything you wanted and you wasn't going to let that go even if it meant I had to suffer" Linda said in rage
"No Linda, it wasn't like that.." Mary said
"You never loved me, you hated me. You told me I was pure evil and I'd never be successful...Well you know what I've made a good life for myself! I've got a good job, and I've got a family...I've got a daughter that will grow up knowing that she's loved because I know how it feels to be unloved!"
"And what about her father...I don't see no ring on her your finger, cleared off has he!" Mary said getting angry showing her true colours
"I'm with her father actually and were happy and he actually loves his daughter" Linda said "I didn't even know my fathers name! And the only substitute for a father that I had was a pedophile"
"Linda I'm..." Mary said pausing to cough
"You know what...I don't even know why I came here I knew it would end up like this"
"Linda..." Marys said coughing and spluttering
Linda grabbed a tissue and give it to Mary who coughed into the tissue. Linda turned to the door and looked back one more time to the women she once called her mother and saw the tissue that she had just coughed in was full of blood.
She looked at her mother and felt nothing. No love. No compassion. She just felt cold towards her.
"Bye Mary.." Linda said opening the door
"Wait, Lin..." She was stopped in her sentence clutching her chest in pain
Linda paused watching as the heart rate monitor beeped rapidly
She wanted to care. But she couldn't find any love in her heart for her mother
"I'm sorry...I can't do this" Linda said walking out the door and sitting next to Nikki outside as the doctors rushed in to the room
"Are you alright?" Nikki said
"Why don't I feel anything Nikki..." Linda said frowning
"Its not surprising with the things she put you through Linda..." Nikki said reassuringly
The doctors came out the door and one took a seat next to Linda.
"She's passed away..." the doctor said
"Right...I better get back to work then, thankyou" Linda said not knowing what to do or say
As Linda arrived back at school Michael had been waiting at the office with Katie
"Are you alright? Nikki rung me up on the phone whilst she was waiting told me all about your mum, and your step dad..." said Michael putting his arm around her "I can't believe you went through all the that"
"I thought it was best to tell him, so you didn't have to explain it all again" Nikki said "Right I'll go and get my stuff, see you later Linda, see you Michael"
"Thanks Nikki" Michael smiled "Come on, lets go home Linda you've had a long day and Katie's getting tired" he said kissing her forehead