Author's Note: Thank you so very much, my sweet Kristina (ms antrop) for your sweet and heartfelt review. I love and izzy you so indescribably much and it means everything to me to know that you are enjoying my new story. Anyway, here's the next chapter and as usual it's dedicated to my angel, Kristina. Who is the most loving and compassionate human being to grace not only this planet but all the universes in the multiverse.
Chapter Two
"What the hell's wrong with ya?" Mr. Morello's voice angrily inquired as he made his way into his daughter's ER room. He shook his head disbelievingly, eyes glaring heavily at the young girl who lay on the gurney. "Ya tryna get outta school with this stunt? I'm gettin' real tired a yer shit, Lorna! Your mom is dying from fucking cancer and here ya are having a fake stomachache because ya don't wanna be in school?"
Lorna couldn't even muster up the words to respond with. She felt her chest tighten and her breath nearly caught inside of her throat.
A hand came swinging and smacked roughly against the brunette's cheek. Hard enough to leave a lingering sting, but not enough to leave a mark or bruise. "When I ask ya a question ya better answer. Ya hear me, little girl?" He yelled out, saliva falling out with each word. His head shook with frustration. How could his daughter pull a stunt like this when her mother was suffering so badly with cancer? Oh, how it just infuriated him.
Before either could say anything more on the matter, a nurse came walking into the room with a packet of papers in her hands. "Okay, Miss Morello," she began, handing the packet over to her patient's father. "You are good to go; all the results came back fine. It sounds like you just had a little bit of an anxiety attack. Nothing to worry about. I do recommend making an appointment with your pediatrician, but you should be okay. I did, however, write you a prescription for Zoloft—that'll help anxiety."
Joe rolled his eyes while shaking his head in unison. He grabbed the papers harshly and shoved them into his pocket. He knew full well if the nurse wasn't in the room, he'd have already ripped out the papers and tossed them in the trash. "Let's go Lorna," he demanded, gritting his teeth to keep his anger from showing. The last thing he needed was to be taken to jail for his own child's stupidity.
The minute they made it into the house, Mr. Morello crumbled up the packet and threw it harshly into the trashcan. He grabbed Lorna by the collar of her shirt and looked menacingly into her eyes. "Don't ya ever pull some shit like this again, ya hear me? Little shit. I ain't paying for some bullshit medicine that ya don't need. Ya wanna act like a spoilt brat, fine but ya ain't getting no drugs!"
Concerned at the sound of shouting, Franny walked into the kitchen with her son swaddled in her arms. "Can ya stop all the yellin'? I finally just got the baby to sleep!" She looked over at Lorna, just then realizing the faint red mark on her cheek. Her eyes peered back over at her father. Even more anger pouring through. "Did you hit her?"
"Oh, fuck off, Franny. Ya disgraceful unwed mother. Yer damn well lucky ya motha and I didn't just kick ya out. So, mind yer damn business and don't tell me how to raise my children."
"Could ya just stop dad? Why are you so mean?" It was Lorna who finally spoke up. She swallowed uncomfortably afterwards and hoped she hadn't just ruined her life by asking her father such inquiries.
Those words immediately caused Joe Morello to see red. He slammed his hands roughly against the kitchen counter, not caring that he just woke his grandson. All that mattered to him at the moment was showing his youngest child the consequences of her actions. He balled his hands into fists and swung one of them out in front to come in contact with Lorna's cheek.
"Ya ungrateful shit, you don't have no right to talk to me like that. Yer life is about to be hell."
Franny rapidly acted—grabbing her sister's hand and leading her out of the room in records speed. She led her up the stairs to her room, locking the door behind them. She placed the sleeping baby into the crib that sat beside her bed before sitting Lorna down on the bed beside her. "Are you okay, Lorn? What happened?" Her hands framed around the younger girl's face, eyes searching for any signs of bruising or damage.
"I'm fine, Fran," Lorna muttered, trying to smile yet it barely reached her eyes.
The older sister sighed. She knew her sister was far from fine but would never admit that. She gently used her head to push the younger brunette's hair out of her eyes. "Regardless of if you're fine, dad had no right to hurt ya."
The more weeks that went by the closer to death Stansie Morello was. The farther from the living she was. It was challenging for the entire family to watch but even more so for Lorna, who was just starting her first year of high school. Not only did she have to go through the early signs of puberty, but she also had to watch her mother slowly succumb to the cancer. A terrible combination for any person to go through.
Nothing could ever prepare the young teenager to see her mother the way she appeared today. She sat in a chair near her mom, eyes looking tearfully at the woman who lay motionlessly in the bed. There wasn't anything she could ever even imagine that hurt more than seeing her own mother in this state. She didn't look or act like the Italian mother that Lorna remembered. She was an empty shell; it was as if she was in-between the world of the living and the afterlife. Like she was sitting in limbo, not sure whether to stay with her family or let go and make her way towards the light.
Lorna swallowed a harsh gulp. She felt both uncomfortable and at peace to be sitting beside her mother. A sigh escaped her as she gathered up the courage to take hold of one of Stansie's hands. They felt warm, she noticed, warm and alive even though she was merely crossing to the other side. She looked up at her face, wishing she could stare into the blue orbs that always seemed so optimistic and full of life but now those eyes barely opened and when they did, they appeared glossy and so far away. It was a bone-chilling sight. The image stayed with her, even when she wasn't anywhere near her. All she could see when she closed her eyes was her mother's glassy stare.
"Mom?" She called out, not much louder than a whisper.
Stansie shakily turned head towards the voice. Her eyes barely peeped out of their lids. She squeezed the hand that covered hers with a tightness that would surprise anyone. "Mmm. My Lorna," she mumbled, her voice breathy and a faint rattle seemed to come from deep within her airway. She tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt as though they weighed one hundred pounds each.
"I love you, mom," the short brunette whispered, biting the inside of her mouth to help keep her mind from focusing on anything else. It proved to be a challenge to keep herself together. The sound of her mother's rattily breathing echoed heavily in her head. She squeezed her hand even tighter, longing so deeply for that to cure all of her mother's pain and diseased cells.
"Mmm." The older woman muttered, bringing the small hand in hers up to her heart and placing it gently down atop it. She slowly swallowed. It hurt quite a bit to swallow even her own saliva. Yet if she hadn't, she could feel herself drowning in it and that—she knew—was not a peaceful way to go. She very slowly turned her head. "Beautiful little girl," she mumbled no louder than a whisper.
Lorna felt her legs tremor slightly. She silently told herself this wasn't really her mother. This was only the shell of what Mrs. Morello used to be. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, but the sight of her mother laying in that bed continued to surround her. She sucked in a deep breath before reopening her brown orbs.
"Ya see Nonna? She and Nonno are sitting right beside you, my little Lorna."
The comment confirmed all of Lorna's fears. Made the situation that much realer. Her mother was rapidly slipping away from this world, she knew, and that realization felt like a knife to her chest. She really was losing her mom. The one person in her life, aside from her siblings, that showed her what it was like to be loved and cared for—how to live a fulfilling and happy life. And now she had to witness her death…a death that in her eyes appeared slow and torturous. She hoped and prayed that she never had to witness anything like this again.
Another week transformed into the weekend, yet Mrs. Morello still sat between life and death. Lorna sat at her mother's bedside day in and day out. Even though seeing her this way was traumatizing, she knew if she weren't by her side through this entire experience, she would have a world of regrets. No matter how uncomfortable or how difficult it was for her to watch her mother fade away, Lorna vowed to be with her until she breathed her last breath.
"Lorna," Franny's voice called out.
She came through the door, her eyes watching the younger girl sadly. Losing their mother was hard for all of them but she realized it was even worse for Lorna. Sure, she and Mikey loved their mom just as much, however, Lorna had a bond with their mother that those two did not. A bond that would make the grief and mourning process that much more challenging, Franny knew. She sighed, walking over to where her sister sat and placed a comforting hand over her shoulder.
Lorna slightly jumped at the sensation. She kept her grip on her mom's hand and turned her head to stare at who touched her. A deep breath expelled from her body as her eyes landed on her older sister. "Oh, uh, I didn't—I didn't hear ya come in."
"I know. Why don't we get outta here for a while? You've been sitting with mom nonstop since Friday, ya need a break," the older girl suggested, her hand gently stroking comforting circles around Lorna's shoulder.
Such a suggestion immediately had the fourteen-year-old's head shake in response. There was absolutely no way she would be leaving their mother's side today. She couldn't risk leaving and Mrs. Morello dying without her there beside her. She knew if she left, and her mother passed, that she would never be able to forgive herself.
Franny sighed once more. The past two years had been the absolute worst experience for their entire family to have go through. None of them had ever even thought about losing one of their parents, let alone actually witnessing the gradual and painful death of their own mother. She kept her eyes on her sister, watching her sadly. Realizing then how much of a challenge it would prove to be to get her out of that room.