After a difficult delivery, Olivia’s mother became comatose, but she woke up years later, not realizing how long it had been. She hated her daughter for everything that happened until she saw something on Olivia’s computer.
“Dad, can you tell me what happened back then?” Olivia asked her father once again. Heath had always been reluctant to tell his daughter this story, but she was old enough to know now.
“I met your mother the night I saw her performing for the first time. Renata was the best ballerina this town had ever seen, and I had to meet her. I thought she would reject me, but she didn’t. We started dating immediately,” Heath reminisced.
Olivia visited her mother constantly for 17 years. | Source: Shutterstock
“What happened?”
“I really wanted a child after we got married, but she would have had to give up her career. Eventually, Renata agreed, and we were so happy. When she was about 7 months pregnant, the doctors told us that she had a big spinal problem,” Olivia’s father continued.
“Oh no!”
“Yeah, honey. It was bad. They told her it would be better to induce her labor then and try to repair it. You were born premature but healthy and thriving. Unfortunately, Renata’s surgery was complicated. The doctors said she pulled through, but she never woke up,” Heath said sadly.
Doctors couldn’t explain exactly what happened. | Source: Pexels
“They didn’t explain why?” Olivia asked.
“No. They said that she could wake up any minute. That’s why we visited her so often. I’ve been waiting, but it doesn’t seem like it will happen. I’m losing hope,” her father added.
“No, dad! She’ll wake up! She’s my mom!” Olivia exclaimed. Coincidentally, the doctor called the next day, as Renata had miraculously awakened.
“How is this possible, Dr. Green?” Heath asked when they arrived at the hospital.
“There’s no explanation right now, Mr. Haney. We’ll have to run some tests, but there might never be an answer,” the physician answered.
Heath wanted to see Renata before she met Olivia. | Source: Pexels
“Honey, let me go in first. Remember, she doesn’t know that 17 years have gone by,” Heath told Olivia. She agreed and stayed back, although the teen girl was dying to talk to her mother after all these years.
Heath walked into Renata’s room. “My love! You’re here! Why am I so tired? Did the surgery go well?” she wondered and hugged Heath. He didn’t know how to answer her questions but settled on hugging her back.
“Where’s the baby? Can I see her?” Renata wondered.
“Yes, darling. But you might be a little surprised,” Heath began. “Olivia, can you come in here, please.”
Olivia greeted her mom happily. | Source: Pexels
Olivia stepped into the room, and there she was. Her mother was sitting up on the bed and smiling. She had been dying to see this after so many years of talking to her sleeping form. “Hello, Mom!” Olivia said.
“What is this, Heath? Is she the nanny? Where’s our baby?” Renata asked in confusion, frowning when Olivia called her “mom.”
“No, darling. It’s a long story,” Heath started. He explained everything to Renata slowly, and at first, she refused to believe it.
“No! You’re lying! This is a prank! That’s impossible!” Renata yelled and cried. “Get that girl out of my room and bring me my baby!”
Renata didn’t want anything to do with her daughter. | Source: Pexels
“Renata, calm down, please,” Heath said. But just then, Renata saw herself in the mirror. She saw all those 17 years on her face, and any chance to be the best ballerina in the world was gone now. She went quiet.
After a few days, the doctor cleared her to go home, but Renata refused to speak to Olivia. Olivia did everything around the house, hoping to please her mother. “Mom, what do you want for dinner?” she asked one evening.
“Don’t call me ‘mom.’ I don’t want anything from you,” she replied disdainfully and went upstairs. That night, she made Heath have dinner alone with her, while Olivia stayed in her room. Over the next few days, Renata treated her daughter worse.
Renata made messes that Olivia had to clean. | Source: Pexels
When Olivia cleaned, Renata purposely made another mess like cracking a raw egg on the kitchen table, which Olivia had to clean again. “Why are you doing this to me?” Olivia asked.
“I’m not doing anything. I just don’t want you in my house,” Renata said nonchalantly.
“I’m your daughter!” Olivia wailed.
“That’s what Heath says, but I don’t care! I don’t want you here! You need to leave now!” Renata added angrily. She walked into Olivia’s room and decided that the girl had to leave immediately. She started packing her things until she saw her computer.
She looked through Olivia’s computer and discovered heartwarming videos. | Source: Pexels
She started clicking stuff and discovered a folder named “For Mom.” It was a collection of videos Olivia made dedicated to her. She was there in the hospital on Renata’s birthday. She talked about missing her mom and how she couldn’t wait to see her wake up.
It brought tears to her eyes and she suddenly grieved all the years she had lost and how she blamed her child for it. “Mother! Why are you packing my things? Is this revenge for what happened when you got pregnant with me?” Olivia exclaimed when she entered her room.
“No, baby. I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have blamed you. None of this was your fault! Waking up from a coma and discovering everything was overwhelming. I love you!” Renata cried. They both hugged and started to build a relationship right there.
Olivia practiced ballet, and Renata was her teacher. | Source: Pexels
Eventually, Renata opened her own ballet studio, and Olivia started taking lessons directly from her mother.
What can we learn from this story?
- You can’t blame others for what happens to you. Sometimes, freak incidents happen, and there might not be someone to blame.
- Pregnancy is a serious matter. You have to research thoroughly before taking that important step because it can derail your life and plans.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who refused to care for her mother in her old age.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
A young businessman had been so caught up in his hectic schedule that he couldn’t find time to care for his sick father. So, he made the tough decision to place him in a nursing home.
The sleek, black sedan hummed along the highway, a stark contrast to the quiet, labored breathing coming from the back seat. Michael, a young businessman with a perpetually furrowed brow, gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Beside him, his eight-year-old son, Ethan, stared out the window, his gaze fixed on the blur of passing trees.
In the back, Michael’s father, Thomas, sat frail and thin, his once vibrant eyes now clouded with illness. Michael had been wrestling with this decision for weeks, maybe even months. His schedule was relentless, a constant barrage of meetings, deadlines, and international calls. Caring for his father, whose health had deteriorated rapidly, had become an impossible task.
He’d visited countless nursing homes, searching for the “best” one, the one with the most amenities, the most attentive staff. He’d convinced himself it was the right thing to do, the responsible thing.
As they neared the facility, a grand, imposing structure nestled amidst manicured lawns, Ethan turned to his father, his eyes wide and innocent. “Dad,” he asked, his voice soft, “what’s the address of this place where we’re leaving Grandpa?”
Michael’s heart clenched. He’d tried to shield Ethan from the reality of the situation, but children, he’d learned, saw everything. “Why do you ask, son?” he replied, his voice strained. “Do you want to visit Grandpa and know where he’ll be?”
Ethan shook his head, his gaze unwavering. “No, Dad. I just want to know where I should bring you when you get old, like Grandpa.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp, like a physical blow. Michael’s hands froze on the steering wheel, the car veering slightly. He stared at his son, his mind reeling. He saw not just Ethan, but a reflection of himself, a future he had unknowingly painted.
He saw the cold, sterile rooms of the nursing home, the lonely faces of the elderly residents, the emptiness of a life devoid of family. He saw himself, years from now, abandoned and forgotten, a victim of his own callousness.
The realization hit him like a tidal wave, washing away the layers of self-deception he’d built around himself. He had been so consumed by his own ambition, his own perceived importance, that he had forgotten the most fundamental truth: family was everything.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road, the hum of the engine a stark contrast to the sudden silence. He turned to his father, his eyes filled with remorse. “Dad,” he began, his voice choked with emotion, “I’m so sorry.”
Thomas, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and understanding, reached out and placed a trembling hand on his son’s arm. “It’s alright, Michael,” he said, his voice weak but filled with love. “We all make mistakes.”
Michael turned the car around, the grand facade of the nursing home shrinking in the rearview mirror. He drove back to their home, a simple, unassuming house filled with memories and love.
The next few months were challenging, a constant balancing act between work and family. But Michael found a way. He rearranged his schedule, delegated tasks, and learned to prioritize. He hired a part-time caregiver to assist with his father’s needs, and he made sure to spend quality time with both his father and his son.
He learned to appreciate the simple moments: a shared meal, a quiet conversation, a walk in the park. He learned that true success wasn’t measured in dollars and cents, but in the love and connection he shared with his family.
Ethan, with his innocent question, had shown him the way, reminding him that the most valuable lessons in life are often taught by the ones we least expect. And Michael, in turn, vowed to never forget the importance of family, the enduring bond that transcends time and circumstance.
Leave a Reply