My head felt fuzzy and my body seems to be weighted down. I looked around me and couldn’t recognize where I was. I sat up in the strange bed that definitely wasn’t my own. I walked towards the door and peeked around the corner. To my left were what appeared to be three more rooms and at the end was a window. An end table sat under the window with a white flower in a vase. To my right was a longer hallway with more doors. At the end of this hallway were a set of stairs on the left. I looked over the banister, trying to remember where I was before this. When I looked over the railing, I saw a living area. There were kids of all ages running around; laughing and playing. I made my way down the stairs and heard a woman’s voice telling the children to settle down. When I got to the base of the stairs, the kids turned their heads to my direction. “She’s awake! Mom! The lady is awake!” The woman came around the corner and greeted me with a smile and kind eyes. “Good morning Kate. How are you feeling?” I looked around and asked, “Where am I?” The question seemed to not reach her ears. She put her hand out; motioning for me to the kitchen. “Come with me and I’ll make you so coffee.” I sat down at the island in the kitchen while the woman poured me a cup of coffee. “Where am I and who are you?” The woman looked up from my cup and said her name was Sherry. My head was spinning. I had this strange feeling in my stomach that she was hiding something. Sherry handed me my coffee and walked to the living room. “Gather ‘round kids. I’m going to take a shower. Try to make Kate feel welcome.” I joined the children and sat on a brown leather chair. The younger ones played with toys and the older ones sat and stared at me. Maybe they know. I looked over at a teenage girl and asked, “Do you know where I am or why I’m even here?” She smiled and said, “You’ll have to ask Mom. She can tell you.” I felt a tug at my shirt. I turned my head and my four year old son was staring back into my eyes. I scooped him up and covered him in kisses. He was happy. I smiled back at my baby even though I was terrified for the both of us. He hopped off my lap and ran after the kids to play. I asked the girl where Sherry was and she pointed up the stairs. I walked back up the stairs to the hallway where I first woke up from. I saw Sherry walk out of the last door on the left which I know figured was the bathroom. I stopped her in the hallway. “Sherry, please. I have no idea why I’m here or why my son is here. What am I doing here?” Her smiled faded and a solemn expression flooded her face. “I don’t feel like talking about it right now. When the time is right; we’ll talk.” Now I was REALLY confused. “Sherry, please, why are we here? You need to tell me now!” She looked down at her feet then back up at me. “You were found on the ground outside of your house. Unconscious. You were brought here to my facility and the doctors ran some tests. They weren’t good, Kate.” My heart sank. “What did the tests say? What is this place?” I was scared. “Kate, this place is where people who have children and are… terminal. Our mission is to make the patient as comfortable as possible.” I felt sick. Terminal? What the hell does she mean terminal? I swallowed the egg size lump in my throat and choked out, “ So you’re telling me… that I’m… ...dying?” Sherry began to tear up as she nodded. My legs gave out from under me and I collapsed. Sherry ran to my side and I cried. “I don’t want to be here! I want to go home. I want to go home, Sherry. I want my mother. I need to be with her.” Then all the air escaped my body when I realized it. Him. I screamed out, “My baby! What about my baby? My sweet baby boy! I can’t leave him!” Sherry placed my head in her lap as she stroked my hair. I sobbed, “I want to go home.”
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