Until The End

Chang stared at her mother's pale form that lay on the hospital bed, hooked to a number of machines. The constant beep of the brain wave reader and heart monitors were the only thing that let her know that her mother was alive.

Li Hua looked small, she had always been a small, slender woman no more than 5 feet tall. Only now she looked shrunken on the bed, wasted to almost nothing. A week of feeding tubes and drip liquid had withered away her already petite form.

When they had arrived after scanning her mother and hooking her up, the doctor came to her with a look of condolence.

"I'm sorry but the cancer in Mrs. Dumont's brain has been aggressively attacking her brainstem as well as spinal column. I regret to tell you there is nothing we can do except to help ease her passing a little."

"Is she going to be like this the whole time? Will she wake up again?"

"I'm sorry Miss Dumont, but the possibility of that happening is very remote."

Chang started to sob as the doctor answered her questions. A week, maybe two and one of the people she loved most in this world would be gone. Her only remaining parent would soon be taken away as well.

She would never see her mom smile again. Never see her open her eyes. Never again would she hear her voice again, or hear the special nickname she called her by, Xiao Xie.

It had almost been Xiao Xing, her little star, her mom had once told her, but once she held her she had been so happy and thankful. Far more than she ever had been before in her life. Li Hua and Hénri decided then to change it to "Xie."

Chang gripped one of her mom's hands, gently, afraid to apply to much pressure as she looked so fragile. The doctor had told her that even though she was unable to respond, she could still most likely hear her. So until the end she was going to be there every day, she couldn't not be.

Chang had spent every day talking to her, she couldn't bear to leave her alone. It was mostly remiscings from her favorite moments growing up. Her life had been filled with such joy and gladness that it was almost hard to recall, there were so many moments that were her favorite.

Dad almost burning the kitchen, mom breaking her head, the time when her mom pranked her dad by switching the sugar with the salt, who then got caught by her own prank having forgotten.

Learning to ride a bike with her dad only to find her brakes didn't work when going downhill, and he had to chase her down as she screamed. Taking the bus with her mom as a little girl, to get hot fresh bagels and doughnuts from the local bakery. Learning piano with her mom, singing with her dad, cooking with her mom.

Watching her mom and dance slowly to old romantic songs through the night.

Even the moments that weren't her favorite she shared as she tried to fill the silence.

When she'd gotten into a fight with her mom as a teen and ran away for a few hours to come back to her dad waiting for her. He had let her in silently, after giving her a stern look, to see her mom sobbing to herself.

"Remember you are not the only one who hurts too." Her dad had whispered it to her before she cried and held her mom begging her forgiveness. She didn't even remember why they had even fought that day as it had been something trivial.

"I'm sorry I hurt you then mom. I'm sorry when I hurt you when I was gone all that time. I was just so ashamed. Please don't leave me mom. Please don't leave me alone. Not yet at least, I'm not ready." Chang couldn't help but beg a little as she cried through clenched teeth.