Chapter 47

"It's settled," he said in my ear, his voice soft, as if afraid to scare something away. "You did it." That night, my mother woke up from the anesthesia once. She opened her eyes, saw me sitting outside the ICU glass, blinked at me through the window, and her lips moved. I understood what she was saying. She was saying, "Don't be afraid." My tears finally fell. Three days after the surgery, my mother was moved from the ICU back to a regular room. She could sit up leaning against the headboard,...