Ted's Morning

Ted’s Morning

Ted watched the curtain blowing softly, knowing his mother opened the window to wake him up. She’d be back soon with his morning meds and juice. For as long as he could remember in his seven years, this is how his morning began.

He thought of his mother’s face. That face he loved so much. He sighed. All these years, thinking he knew her so well. Last year when they told him they were going to have another child was the first time he saw a flicker in her eyes. He didn’t understand, but he was smart, he figured it out. She was afraid for the new child, and she was afraid that she couldn’t take care of Ted as well.

When Ginny was born, when he saw her, two things happened. One, his heart almost burst at the love he felt for this person he had just met. And two, he saw total joy in his mother’s eyes for the first time in his life. Suddenly he knew how much of a toll his illness was on her.

His heart broke as he’d watched her over the last six months, trying to keep up with his fragile life, his medicines, his daily physical therapy, his home schooling, while keeping up with his beautiful, healthy, active sister. He would never get better; that was acceptable to him before he met his beloved sister and saw that joy in his mother’s eyes. Now it was not.

As he lay there, he heard the bell in Ginny’s crib ringing. He imagined her laughing as she kicked it with her strong healthy legs. He lay back on his bed, closing his eyes, this was his decision, he was ready. He smiled as he went to sleep for the last time, full of love.