Daisy in a Meadow

45 - Awake

As the morning sun cast a warm glow through the hospital room window, I stirred in my bed, slowly regaining consciousness. I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The soft hum of machines and the faint scent of antiseptic told me that I was in a hospital. But, what for? My head throbbed with a dull ache as I tried to remember how I had ended up here.

"Daisy, can you hear me?" A gentle voice cut through the fog in my mind.

Turning my head slightly, my eyes met my mother's concerned gaze. She sat beside the bed, her eyes brimming with tears. "Mom?" I croaked, my voice hoarse.

A smile quivered on her lips as she reached for my hand. "Oh, thank God, you're finally awake!"

"You're... happy?" I repeated, perplexed. After all, this was my mother we were talking about here.

"Of course I'm happy," she exclaimed, wiping away her tears. "Do you even remember what happened?"

A rush of memories flooded back into my mind. The car accident, the searing pain, the screeching tires—everything came back in a horrifying flash. I remembered the panic, the darkness, and then... nothing. "Yes, I do. We were on the way to visit Pamela in the hospital, but then this massive truck came out of nowhere, and—" I suddenly sat up straight and gasped in terror. "Elias! Is he okay?"

"Relax," my mom said, ushering me to lay back down. I reluctantly did so while she continued speaking. "Don't worry about anything else right now, just focus on yourself. You could've died from that accident."

"I know that," I replied, slightly irritated that she hadn't answered my question. However, another one came to mind. "How long have I been unconscious for?"

"Three days."

"What?" I squeaked. "Three whole days?"

"Yes, and Elias came to visit you every single day," she said. I immediately perked up at his name. He came to visit me? That must mean he's okay! A smile graced my lips, although it fell at my mother's next words. "He almost reminds me of your father."

"Elias is nothing like dad," I sharply disagreed.

Mom froze for a moment, surprised by my tone. Then, she sighed. "The world's not black and white, Daisy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you may have known your dad to be this horrible monster. But, there was a time when he was sweet, and loving, and everything you'd look for in a man. I guess that's why I could never really find the courage to leave him. A part of me just hoped I'd get the old him back."

"If you're only here to get me to sympathize with that monster, then you might as well leave," I said firmly, causing my mother to recoil.

"What? Daisy, that's not why I'm here."

"Well, then, why are you here?" I asked, genuinely confused. "It's not like you would've cared if I died."

While my mother looked stunned by my accusation, I was merely being honest. She had acted like I was a burden for as long as I could remember, and frankly, I was surprised she had even bothered visiting me.

"How could you even say that? I'm your mother," she frowned. "You know what? This isn't you. It's those meds they've put you on—"

"Stop it," I weakly shook my head. "Let's face the facts. You've pretty much neglected my entire existence since that night."

We both knew exactly which night I was talking about. The night I'd walked in on my father viciously attacking my mother. The night I'd killed him.