Minnie POV
After a while, my stomach made a small sound, and Will noticed it. He smiled at me, and I felt embarrassed.
He gently placed his hand on my head. "Let's go eat dinner."
smiled back. "Then I'll take you to my favorite restaurant."
He raised his eyebrows in curiosity but didn't say anything. We got into his car, and I guided him through the streets.
When we reached the place, I hesitated for a second. It was a small restaurant. I looked at him nervously and said, "Come on, let's go inside," and pulled him by the hand.
He looked around and asked hesitantly, "So... this is your favorite restaurant?"
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Yes! I know it's small, but the food here is very tasty. You'll love it."
He smiled. "Okay then, you order. I trust you."
I ordered our food and started telling him how everything was prepared and how I was a regular customer there. He listened carefully, smiling at the way I spoke with so much excitement.
When the food arrived, I watched his face as he took the first bite.
"Well?" I asked.
He paused dramatically and said, "I think I'm in danger of liking this place too much."
I laughed. "See? I told you."
As we ate, I talked about my college days and how this little restaurant was my comfort place. He listened quietly, looking at me like he was discovering a new side of me.
"You look really happy here," he said softly.
"Because this place feels like home," I replied.
He smiled and said, "Then I'm glad you brought me"
We finished our dinner, and Will dropped me home. My heart felt light in a way it hadn't for a long time. Today was the happiest day I had lived in years. I wished time would stop right there, in that moment.
When the car stopped in front of my house, I smiled at him.
"Thank you for today," I said softly.
He nodded, and I stepped out of the car.
Then I heard my mother's trembling voice.
I turned-and froze.
My heart stopped.
"NO... NO... NO, MOM!"
saw my father push her out of the door. She lost her balance, hit the side pillar, and collapsed onto the floor.
I ran to her, my legs shaking. Tears blurred my vision as I pulled her into my lap and held her head against my chest.
"Mom... Mom, look at me... please look at me..."
She lifted her hand weakly and touched my cheek. "I'm alright," she whispered.
But she wasn't.
Blood slowly spread from her head, staining my clothes. My breath came out in broken sobs. Anger burned inside me toward my father, but fear was stronger.
Right now, only my mother mattered.
I heard Will's voice behind me, firm but gentle. "Minnie, we need to take her to the hospital. Now."
He helped me lift her into the car. My hands were shaking as I held her close in the back seat.
"Mom, stay with me... please talk to me... don't close your eyes," I begged, choking on my tears. "I'm here... I'm not leaving you."
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream.
But I forced myself to be strong for her.
I had to be her strength.
Will drove faster than I had ever seen him drive. "She will be alright, Minnie," he said, his voice steady though I could see worry in his eyes.
I held my mother tighter, whispering prayers through my tears as the hospital lights came closer.
The happiest day of my life had turned into the most terrifying night and all I could think was please... don't take her away from me
After reached hospital they rushed my mother into the emergency room. The doors closed in front of me with a loud sound that echoed in my ears.
I stood there, frozen.
My hands were still shaking. My clothes were stained with her blood, and my heart felt like it was being crushed slowly.
Will stood beside me. "She will be okay, Minnie," he said softly.
I nodded, but I didn't believe my own breath.
Minutes passed. Then hours. I didn't sit. I didn't cry. I just stared at the emergency room door, praying silently.
Will brought me a glass of water. "Drink," he said gently.
"I can't," I whispered.
He stayed there with me the whole time. He didn't leave. He didn't force me to talk. He just stayed.
"Be strong," he said. "Your mom needs you strong."
I tried. I really tried.
But when he pulled me into his arms... everything inside me broke.
I grabbed his shirt and cried like I had been holding my breath for years.
"My mom is everything to me," I sobbed. "She is all I have... I don't have anyone else..."
My words came out between broken breaths.
"I grew up seeing her suffer... every day... every night... she worked so hard for me... and I couldn't protect her today..."
Tears kept falling as I spoke.
"I studied... I worked... I smiled... but inside I was always scared... scared that one day I would lose her.. and now... now it's happening..."
He didn't stop me. He held me tighter.
"I didn't have a childhood," I whispered. "I only had responsibilities... and she was the only reason I stayed strong... she's my world, Will... my whole world..."
My knees felt weak.
"If something happens to her... I don't know how to live..."
She's not alone," he said quietly. "And neither are you. I'm here."
For the first time that night, I let myself cry freely.
Will POV
The moment the doctors rushed her mother into the emergency room, Minnie stood still like the world had stopped moving for her.
She didn't cry.
She didn't speak.
She just stared at the closed door as if her heart had gone in with her mother.
I stayed beside her, afraid that if I touched her too soon, she would fall apart.
"She will be okay, Minnie," I said softly, even though fear was sitting heavy in my chest too.
Minutes passed. Then more hours. The hospital smelled like medicine and silence. She didn't sit down. She didn't drink the water I gave her. She didn't blink much either.
She was trying to be strong.
Too strong.
When I finally pulled her into my arms, I felt her body shake. All the strength she had been holding cracked in one second.
She cried into my chest like a child who had been lost for years.
"My mom is everything to me..." she whispered between sobs.
And that was when I understood.
This girl wasn't weak. She had just been carrying too much alone.
I listened as she told me about her life-about her struggles, her fears, her responsibilities. About how her mother was her only reason to survive every hard day.
Each word cut into me.
"Why her, Will? Why?" she cried. "She doesn't deserve any of this..."
Her words broke something inside me.
I held her tighter, feeling her tears soak into my shirt. I didn't know the right answer. I didn't know how to explain pain or fate. All I knew was that she was hurting, and I couldn't let her face it alone.
"Life is unfair sometimes," I said quietly, my voice shaking. "But your mother is strong... and so are you. She raised you to be strong."
She shook her head against my chest. "I don't want to be strong right now... I just want her to be okay."
I lifted her face gently so she could look at me.
"She will be okay, Minnie," I said firmly, even if fear was burning inside me too. "She has you. And I' m here with you. You don't have to go through this alone."
Her sobs slowed a little.her hands still clutched my shirt like, she afraid I would disappear.
l've seen you smile today," I continued softly. "And I want to see you smile again. For her. For yourself."
She closed her eyes, tears still falling.
I rested my forehead against hers and whispered, "No matter what happens... I'm not leaving you tonight." I said
Minnie POV
The doors of the operation room slowly opened, and the doctor stepped out. My heart started beating wildly as I rushed toward him, holding onto the last bit of hope inside me.
"Doctor... are you her daughter?" he asked.
"Yes," I said quickly, my voice shaking. "How is my mom? Is she okay?"
He looked at me with gentle eyes before speaking.
"She is out of danger for now," he said. "But she lost a lot of blood due to the injury on her head. We have stitched the wound, but she is still unconscious. We need to observe her for the next twenty-four hours. If she does not regain consciousness, she may go into a coma. Please... prepare yourself."
His words felt like thunder in my ears.
Before I could say anything, he walked away.
I stood there, replaying every word he had just said.
Out of danger... unconscious... coma... prepare yourself.
My legs gave up, and I collapsed onto the cold hospital floor. My chest felt tight, as if I couldn't breathe.
"What will I do if she doesn't wake up?" I whispered to myself.
Tears poured out of my eyes without control. My hands trembled as I covered my face.
Mia POV
When Will called me and told me about Minnie's mother, my heart dropped.
"She's in the hospital, Mom... it's serious," he said.
I didn't wait another second. I grabbed my car key's and rushed out of the house with my husband. All I could think about was that poor girl standing alone in a hospital corridor, carrying more pain than she should at her age.
When I reached the hospital, I saw Minnie sitting on the floor near the emergency ward, her face buried in her hands. She looked so broken.
My heart ached.
I walked quickly to her and knelt beside her. "Minnie..." I called softly.
She looked up at me with red, swollen eyes. The moment she saw me, she tried to stand, but her legs were weak.
I pulled her into my arms without thinking.
"You are not alone, dear," I whispered, stroking her hair. "We are here now"
She cried again, holding onto me like a child holding her mother.
Will stood beside us, silent, his eyes full of worry.
I held Minnie's face gently in my hands.
"What did the doctor say?"
With a trembling voice, she told me everything-the surgery, the blood loss, the coma risk.
My chest tightened, but I kept my voice calm for her.
"Your mother is a fighter," I said firmly.
I made her sit on the chair i asked her in a worried tone "You haven't eaten anything, have you?" I asked.
She shook her head slowly.
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Author Note
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