didn't realize how much I had missed until I walked into that room.
For a second, I couldn't move.
I had imagined this moment too many times, but none of those versions prepared me for how real it felt now. How far away she seemed even though she was right in front of me.
"Mum…"
Her eyes opened slowly. It took a second for her to focus, and when she did, she just stared at me.
Then her expression shifted.
"Ava…"
That was all it took. I moved closer immediately, sitting beside her and taking her hand carefully. Her skin was warm, but there was a weakness there I wasn't used to. It made my grip lighter, more cautious.
"I'm here," I said.
She looked at me like she was trying to read something in my face, like she was searching for answers to questions she hadn't asked yet.
"I called you," she said after a moment.
"I know."
I didn't say that I had ignored them. I didn't say anything that would make it worse than it already was.
