Chapter 3: Memories
It had been a long never-ending night at the hospital. Kate felt so exhausted though she kept passing in and out of sleep. She had been thinking of everything that happened that same night. Her son Daniel had almost been killed. Her husband John hadn't been so lucky. She shed tears when she remembered him. He had absolute faith and belief that there was good in Esther, their adopted daughter. It all began with Esther. She had come into their lives and changed everything. John just wanted everything to work out with the best intentions.
Esther Coleman was not real. She was the product of something else, something far more sinister. Kate and her family could never have expected what would come next. Someone had fooled them into thinking that they were going to change they're lives for the better. A new member of the family was something they had always wanted ever since Kate lost her unborn baby Jessica. That void would never be filled. It killed Kate to run it over and over in her head. She could never put trust in that again. She wiped her eyes off with her hand, lying there remembering that it was all over. She was safe now and Esther was gone. Her, Max and Daniel were safe. She sniffled once more before turning over and falling asleep.
The next morning came sooner than expected. Kate sat up and groaned, her muscles still burning from the previous night. "Good morning ma'am, how are we doing?" asked a voice. She turned her head, seeing a doctor checking the equipment beside Kate's head. She grunted and sank back into the bed. A nurse came into the room left set the food tray down. She then left the room. Kate moved it away and sat up. "Now, now Mrs. Coleman" he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "don't strain yourself." "I'm fine," she snapped at him, catching them both off guard. "Alright" he said, moving his hands away.
As he started writing on his clipboard, he looked up. "Looks like you have a visitor," he said, as Max opened the door quietly and peeked in at them. "Max!" Kate called, "come here." Max came on over, escorted by John's mother Barbara. "Hey pumpkin" Kate said, signing along with her fingers. She reached over and picked up her daughter and lay there holding her. Max moaned, Kate knowing it was about John. "I'm sorry angel" she whispered into Max's earpiece, "I miss him too." She turned to Barbara who stared at her coldly.
"I've been awake all night" Barbara told her, her voice full of desolation, "I couldn't bring myself to accept it." "John loved all of us" Kate said, "and I loved him very much. It's unfair to all of us." The doctor left the room abruptly, closing the door quietly behind him. "Max, how are you holding up?" Kate asked her. Max stared glassy eyed up at her, not knowing what to say. "You being good?" Kate asked. Max nodded her head slowly. "What about Daniel?" she asked, trying to sit up. "He's going to be fine" Barbara reassured her, "we checked on him this morning while you were still asleep." "Was he awake?" Kate asked. "Yes," Barbara replied. She paused before asking. "Does he know?" she hesitantly asked. "Yes, he found out this morning" Barbara said, "he's taking it pretty hard." "I have to see him," said Kate, getting up, grabbing a white housecoat from the closet and started out the door, carrying Max. Barbara quietly left.
Daniel was lying there asleep when they all came in quietly. His mother let out a light sob at the sight of him. Last night, he looked awful after his fall from the tree house. Today he looked worse after Esther tried unsuccessfully to smother him. He opened his eyes when he heard her sobbing noise. He smiled under his oxygen mask. She covered her mouth with one hand and the other stroked his hair back. Max looked up at her then at Daniel and followed after her. "Hi Daniel" Kate almost whispered, "my son." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the brow. "You must have an angel watching over you, pal," she added. He weakly hugged his mother.
As they all held each other, Kate wondered if they could ever function normally again. Earlier it seemed as if all had been lost. But being together now with her family, she had a little faith that maybe they could try and be normal again. It's what John would've wanted. He would've never wanted them to stay saddened. She knew it was going to be hard without him. But she knew as long as she remembered him for who he was, spiritually he'd never leave her side.