Chapter 6
"Hi, Liz. It's Mom. Is Ellie there?"
"Yes." Liz's cool tone let Abbey knew that Liz and Ellie had finally talked.
"I'm in town and would like to come over and talk with her. Can you ask her if it's okay?"
She heard a mumbled conversation in the background and finally Liz came back to the phone. "Come on. By the way, Mom, I know why Ellie's upset. And we do need to talk."
In a few minutes, Abbey was in Liz's living room with Liz and Ellie facing her.
"I just want to know the answer to one question, Ellie. Why did you turn me in to the police?"
"Well, Mom, why don't you answer my question first? Why did you do it? He was dying already, for God's sake. He was on hospice. His time was short. You've seen such suffering before. Why did you have to kill him?"
"Liz, do you feel the same way?" Tears flooded Abbey's eyes as she began to realize that her two oldest daughters were angry at her. Angry at her for an action she did out of love.
"I don't know. I know he was suffering and it was so hard to see him that way. But Ellie has a point. He was dying. Why did you have to hasten the process?"
"Is there anything I can say that will make you change your minds?"
"We just want to know why, Mom?"
"I did it for love."
"That doesn't make it right."
"I know. I know. But both of you don't understand what it was doing to him. To me. To see him suffering like that. And the amount of pain. Hospice couldn't keep the pain under control. To see your loved one hurting so bad and not using the means you have to stop their suffering. You just don't understand." Abbey was pleading with her children for their forgiveness as well as their understanding. Maybe one day, they would understand. Maybe one day, she would understand.
In her heart, Abbey knew Liz was right. Love is not an excuse for what she did. But it was the reason.