I'd never seen so many wires coming out of one person.

As I stood outside the hospital room, sobbing as I looked through the glass at my sleeping mum, I couldn't comprehend how tiny she seemed. So frail. So helpless. But still beautiful.

"Here you go."

I turned to face Noah, walking towards me with two cups of vending machine coffee in his hands, and gave him a weak smile.

"Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I don't want to wake her so I haven't been in yet."

"Come on then, let's wait out here for a bit."

I followed him over to the green leather seats lined up against the wall of the medicinal-smelling corridor. As I sat down on the hard cushion, I placed my coffee on the floor and pulled a tissue from the bottom of my bag to wipe my eyes.

"I can't stand seeing you this upset," Noah whispered, placing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me towards him. Resting my head on his shoulder I drew in a deep breath and let it back out slowly.

"I just don't get it," I whispered. "She's never had anything wrong health-wise. She's always been so strong and independent. Ever since dad died, she's had to be."

"She'll be fine, you know?" Noah said, placing a gentle kiss on my hair. "If she's anything like her daughter, she'll be too stubborn to let this get the better of her."

Allowing a tiny smile to creep across my lips, I snuggled my head further into Noah's neck and closed my eyes as I breathed in his smell. The faint hint of the previous day's aftershave mixed with his unwashed skin wrapped around me like a blanket.

"Thank you for coming with me,' I said softly. "I've never liked hospitals."

"I know," he replied, rubbing his thumb against the top of my arm.

A moment's silence passed between us before I spoke again, my eyes still closed as my head moved gently up and down on his shoulder, in time with each of his breaths.

"Noah?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, Abs," he replied, squeezing me tighter. "Your mum's a fighter, just like you. Everything's going to be okay."

"I hope so."

"It will. I promise."

A soft Scottish voice called my name from a couple of feet away.

"Abi Wilson?"

Sitting bolt upright in my chair, I turned my head quickly to see a short, stocky nurse holding a clipboard in one hand and resting a large box of surgical dressings on her hip.

"Yes?"

"Your mum's awake," she smiled, her teeth glowing brilliant white against the dark warmth of her skin. "Would you like to go in and see her?"

As I shot up out of the seat, the coffee I'd placed on the floor fell victim to a sharp, accidental kick.

I looked up at the nurse as the brown liquid spilled out onto the shiny, plastic floor, the heat already rising in my cheeks.

"I'll get that cleaned up, don't worry," she said with a gentle laugh. "You two go on in."

Noah grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly as he stood up to his full height beside me.

"You go," he said. "She'll want to see you first. I'll be out here when you're ready."

Nodding, I placed a kiss on his lips and turned to walk towards the room my mum was laying in. Those few steps felt like a marathon; as though I was nearing the end of a race across a rugged mountain, the altitude forcing the air out of my lungs and causing my head to spin. 

Her voice was weak and raspy but her eyes lit up as I entered. 

"Abi baby," she croaked.

"Mum," I sobbed, rushing over to take her hand in mine and press the soft, warm skin against my face.

As I clutched her thin fingers and kissed the back of her hand, she smiled at me from behind the thin plastic tubes leading from her nostrils.

"Don't cry, baby girl," she croaked. "I'm going to be fine. They've basically given me a bionic heart. Three new valves, I'll be good as new."

A laugh burst through my tears. The relief of hearing her voice, feeling the warmth of her touch, and seeing the twinkle in her eyes washed over me.

"I can't smoke with it, though," she whispered, her dry lips curling into a coy smile as a middle-aged, handsome man wearing a white coat walked in. "Doctor's orders."

Once the doctor had finished his checks, he perched on the end of my mum's bed and smiled at me as he closed the cardboard file in his hands.

"Your mum's been very lucky," he said. "I told her years ago that she should quit the cigarettes, but she never liked to listen to anyone else's opinion."

Scrunching my forehead into a frown, I looked between the both of them. "Do you two know each other?"

"For a long time," he laughed. "Have you never told her about me, Debbie?"

My mum smiled at him, shaking her head slowly. "No, I guess not."

"Your mum and me are old school friends," he began. "I was even the lucky guy who got to be her date at our graduation prom, but we lost touch when I left to go to med school."

"Oh, wow," I replied, raising my eyebrows. "Well, erm, thanks for saving my mum's life."

His blue eyes crinkled at the corners. "All in a day's work," he laughed. "I just wish she'd listened to me all those years ago about sneaking off behind the bike sheds for a sneaky fag."

"You always did like to stick to the rules," my mum replied.

He shrugged before standing up from the bed and buttoning his medical coat back up. "You always did like to bend them," he smiled, an undeniable glint flashing behind his eyes. "Anyway, I'll be back at the end of my shift to check in on you." 

He turned to face me. "It was nice to meet you..."

"Abi," I replied, standing up to shake his hand.

"Abi," he echoed, "I'm Doctor Maynard. John."

"Nice to meet you, John. And thank you, again. For everything."

"You're very welcome."

As he headed out of the room with one last smile at my mum, I suddenly remembered Noah. Feeling awful about leaving him sat out in the corridor, I rushed out to call him in. But there was no sign of him anywhere.

Deciding he must have gone to the toilet or something, I headed back into my mum's room and resumed my position in the chair next to her bed. Finally, after at least thirty minutes, a gentle knock at the door caused me to look up from watching her quietly drift in and out of sleep.

Noah tiptoed in, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight.

"Where have you been?" I whispered. "Is everything okay?"

"I went for a walk," he said, quietly picking up a chair and placing it down next to mine. "How's she doing?"

I glanced over at my mum, sleeping soundly against the gentle, rhythmic beeping of machines.

"She's alright. It's going to be a long recovery though, I think."

Noah placed his hand on my knee and drew in a deep breath. "Can I tell you something?"

My heart skipped a beat. "You can tell me anything, you know that."

"This whole thing," he began, nodding towards my mum, "It got me thinking about stuff."

"What stuff?"

"My own family," he said with a sigh. "Eloise has tried to reach out to me a couple of times this past year. You know, since the band took off."

"Really?" I answered a little too loud, causing my mum to stir in the bed, but not wake up.

Noah nodded, his thumb making small circles on my knee.

"I ignored her," he whispered. "I thought maybe she was just trying to jump on the bandwagon now I've finally made something of myself."

I placed my hand over his. "But now you're worried it might have been something more?"

He nodded again. "She left a voicemail once, that's how I know it was her."

"A voicemail saying what?"

"Just that she'd love to hear from me again. She said something about things being a lot different at home now, things she thought I'd like to know."

Dropping his head forward, Noah ran his free hand through his hair and closed his eyes.

"What if something's happened to her?" he mumbled. "I know I walked away from her, but she's still my little sister. If anything had happened to her I'd never forgive myself."

Squeezing his hand, I swallowed back the lump in my throat. "Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to make contact with her again?"

He shook his head. "What if she can't forgive me? I mean, I left her, Abs. I left her and my mum with that bastard. What if he turned on them once I was out of the picture?"

"You'll never know unless you speak to her," I whispered. "Did you save the number?"

Noah nodded silently, his eyes glistening as he stared straight ahead.

"Then call her." 

My mum's voice was quiet and raspy, but clear in intention as she used all her effort to speak up from her hospital bed.

Noah and I both snapped our heads to look over at her. With a weak smile, she reached a hand towards Noah. Leaning forward on his chair, he took it in between his palms, being careful not to knock the IV drip out as his large hands engulfed hers.

"You're a good man, Noah," she croaked. "I'm lucky my daughter has found someone like you."

"I'm the lucky one," he smiled.

The breathing tubes in her nose hissed as she drew in a long, labored breath.

"Life's too short," she continued. "Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second chance. But, for some reason, I was given one last night."

Her face twitched with pain, the effort of talking clearly beginning to take its toll on her weakened body. 

"And I think you should take yours. Before it's too late."