C139

"Mama…”

The weak voice sliced through the antiseptic silence of the hospital room. Bernice froze; her breath had seized up in her throat. Whipping toward the bed, she felt her heartbeat suddenly increase.

"Mama…"

Again, Mia's voice whispered weakly, yet clearly.

Bernice took wing to her daughter's bedside, her fingers quavering, gently laying them over Mia's white pale face. "Mia