"Mom," Christina's voice wavered, a strangled whisper as the cloth lowered further, revealing Lillian's upper body. She rushed to the bedside, her hands trembling as they reached out to touch her mother's cold cheek.
"Mom, wake up!" Christina called again, tears slowly streaming down her face. She continued to pat her mother's cheek, pleading and praying that Lillian was merely in a deep sleep.
When there was no response, Christina shook Lillian's shoulders, not deterred by her mother's horrid condition. All that scared her was never seeing her smile again, hearing her call her name, or laughing at her silly jokes. She couldn't lose her, not even in a nightmare!
"Mom, you're scaring me! Please… wake up!" Christina's voice shattered into raw sobs, her tears falling onto Lillian's lifeless body. She tightly clung to her mother, as if her anguished cries, the warmth of her touch could somehow bring her back to life.
