A Mother's Job

"Goddess what happened, Cora?" Penelope asked her, wrapping her in a towel and helping her stand before she hugged her close. 

She rubbed her daughter's back, trying to help her warm up. She had been purple. And gray. Penelope swallowed and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away the terrifying image of her daughter's gray skin—the color of this place. 

Cora shook her head, coughing some more. "I don't know. Suddenly I was in so much pain. It was everywhere, but I couldn't even cry out… like my voice was trapped. I tried to get out of the tub, but I couldn't. I must have eventually passed out from it." 

She started trembling then, her teeth chattering, and Penelope pulled her closer to offer her the warmth she had as she continued to rub her back and arms. But she wondered if it was really the temperature that Cora was trembling from. 

"I will call Dr. Wright," Kat said quickly.

"No!" Both Penelope and Cora shouted at the same time.