THE CAR CRASH

It was a rainy day when my Mom was rushed to the hospital with Stage 3 Glioblastoma after passing out in the living room. I panicked when I found her lying unconscious on the tiled floor and went running to call Dad in the other room. Dad immediately came out and was horrified by the sight . He instantly picked her up and together with me, we went to the hospital in our car.

The nurse and the ward boy came rushing towards us and took Mom to the emergency ward.

About an hour or two later the doctor came out and gave Dad the dreading news about Mom's illness.

I looked at Dad and saw the mortified look on his face. He jumped up and grabbed the Doctor's hands begging him to save my Mom. The doctor assured him that she would still be living for a couple of years if they immediately start her treatment.

Dad started nodding furiously to the proposition while tears trickled down his cheeks continuously. I was only 6 back then and couldn't really understand the whole situation. But suddenly, as the picture of my Mom lying on the floor flashed in my mind I started crying. I was both shocked and in pain.

Seeing me crying, Dad held me against his chest and rubbed my back to soothe me.

Three days passed away in a blur and I was excited to meet Mom as she would be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon.

As soon as I got into the living room, I saw the phone fall from Dad's hand. I was confused and asked him, "Dad are you okay?"

Dad turned to look at me with watery eyes and before I could ask what the matter was, he frantically rushed out of the house.

I was all alone in the house with only my doll to keep me company. Hours passed, but there was neither any sign of Dad nor Mom coming back home. I started getting afraid as the sun slowly went down and darkness creeped in on the bright sky.

At about 8 o'clock in the evening, I heard the knob of the front door click open. It was Dad. Looking as if he had been out in a storm, with his hair ruffled, swollen eyes and hands covered in blood, he came in and slumped heavily on the sofa. Tears rolled out of his eyes uncontrollably and for a while it seemed that he didn't notice me sitting on the edge of the sofa with the doll in my arms.

I was dumbfounded and couldn't bring the courage to ask him anything. When he finally noticed me, he looked at me, his eyes filled with pity.

He came over to me. With eyes that looked like they have been drained out of tears, quivering lips and a hollow smile he said, "My sweet Little Jane, from today onwards, I'm both your Dad and your Mom. I will protect you forever my child."

That day I did not understand what he meant by that. I came to know about it only on her funeral day, that my Mom died in a car crash while she was being brought home in the ambulance.

Since that day, I am terrified of being in the hospital or even meeting any doctor.