It took a while to find a parking spot, and then I pulled the hem of my shirt up to wipe my eyes. I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror and gave a reassuring grin to my reflection. Then I got out of the car and headed to the nearest entrance. It took a few minutes for me to find the correct reception desk, and they had to call and talk to Miss Cahill before they would let me know where she was. I wasn't a relative, after all.
I don't know why, but I had expected she would have lots of people visiting her. She had gone to high school here, and I assumed she had family in the area. When I got to her room, though, she had only one visitor. I stopped in the doorway and stared. My mother was in a chair by Brenda's bedside, smiling sadly and holding her hand.
"Mom?" I asked, "What are you
