[D/N= Dad Name]

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FLASHBACK

In a hospital building, there was a well-lit and clean room with the air conditioner keeping it cool. Staff members were busy with their daily tasks, but the atmosphere was peaceful and quiet. A seven-year-old girl named Y/N stood next to her dad, wearing a long-sleeved jumper. She kept her head down, occasionally looking at people walking by.

She noticed other people walking towards the check-in counter in the distance. Nurses and doctors were busy reviewing patient files on computers and chatting with each other. Y/N felt anxious as she and her dad had to wait at a distance from her mother's room, with her hands tightly clenched due to nerves, hoping for an update.

Her face showed signs of distress as a frown appeared. Both of them were anxious, but her dad tried to hide his feelings by smiling softly. He was actually more anxious on the inside, but he put on a brave face for his daughter to reassure her that everything would be okay, or at least that's what he hoped.

A DAY PRIOR

Y/N saw her sick mother lying in the hospital bed. Her mother had no hair and a worried expression on her face, looking pale with a weak smile as Y/N stood beside her. D/N gently held her mother's hand, kissing the knuckles of her wedding ring. Y/N prayed for her mother's recovery, wishing for their family to be happy again. Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, Y/N couldn't help but cry, and her mother weakly reached out to wipe away her tears, trying to reassure her in a hoarse voice.

"There... there, my sunshine. Shh, you should already know that I don't like to see you cry, so please don't cry. You have such a beautiful face." Her mother then softly began to gently caress her daughter's cheek. "Don't worry, your momma can handle this. Your mom is strong," she said with a determined smile as she raised both her arms up, trying to showcase her point by flexing her muscles in a goofy manner. "A sickness like this will fly by in no time."

'You keep saying that, yet you're still not getting any better.' Y/N thought as she looked at her mother trying to cheer her up, causing her to sob. "But I can't... I can't stop crying, it hurts... I don't want to see you like this."

Her mother gently squeezed her husband's hand. "I know, sweetie... shh, I know," she whispered. Her vision became blurry as her words struggled to convey her thoughts, but she pushed through.

"You all bring me so much pride and joy, your happiness lights up my own happiness. Please never forget that. Having you in my life is the best thing I never imagined I would have. I still remember the first time I held you in my arms, you were so adorable then..." Her breathing was becoming shallow, and the blurriness continued to affect her vision. "If anything...I would... like to relieve that moment."

The girl's eyes welled up with tears when she saw the pain in her mother's eyes. She could sense that her mother wanted to say more, but the symptoms she was experiencing were taking a toll on her. Slowly, her mother closed her eyes, and as her vision faded into darkness, she smiled at the thought of seeing two precious people before falling asleep. The two witnessing the scene grew concerned and called for help. Fortunately, it turned out that her mother was just showing signs of tiredness, which made them breathe a sigh of relief.

While her dad talked to the nurse, Y/N looked at her sleeping mother with a small frown of worry on her face. 'Mom... I just hope you'll be okay...'

Children's imaginations can soar with fantasy, as they hope for everything to turn out perfectly. Without the happiness of family, their world would be incomplete. However, not every story has a happy ending, and things don't always go as expected.



The following day arrived, which meant another trip to the hospital. As the two got out of the car and entered the hospital, they requested to visit. Unfortunately, they were told they couldn't visit at that moment.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this patient just received medical treatment. You can visit another time because she is still recovering," a nurse informed Y/N's dad from behind the counter.

"Oh, I see..." he said, looking down at Y/N. Seeing her frown made him feel sad as he noticed her arms crossed and her head low. He then looked back up at the nurse. "Alright. When do you think we can come visit?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure, since she doesn't receive much medical attention due to how busy our staff is. Please forgive us, we're trying our best," the nurse said apologetically, bowing her head slightly.

"It's okay! I'm just worried..." he reassured her, waving his hand around. He began to think about his wife.

The nurse hummed, "I understand, sir... well, the best I can say for now is to come back-"

As the two adults continued to talk, Y/N couldn't help but overhear their conversation and frowned at the thought of not seeing her mother. However, that didn't stop her. She glanced over at the other side of the counter, where she saw the door that allowed access to employees, doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors with permission. Quietly, she slipped away without her father noticing.

Navigating through the halls unnoticed, she remembered the room number she and her dad had visited together. Sneaking around like a professional, she found the room without any doctors or nurses in sight. Closing the door behind her, she saw her mother gazing out the window at the beautiful blue sky. Y/N wanted to break the silence as she saw her mother's silhouette in the morning sunlight, sitting up in bed with her head turned.

Y/N took a deep breath and looked at her mother's silhouette against the beautiful scenery. Feeling nervous, she hesitantly called out, "Mom?" This caught her mother's attention, who turned to see her daughter standing nervously at the door.

It was a bit surprising, but she gestured for her to come closer with a wave of her hand. "Y/N, why are you here? Is your dad with you?" These questions made the girl feel anxious, but she nodded in response.

As she approached her mother's hospital bed, she reached out and gently grabbed her hand, saying, "Y/N, you know you're not supposed to wander off like that... please don't do that, you know it's going to worry your dad, right?"

"Yes mom... I know." She nodded sadly.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad, just worried. You know it will make him worried too. What if something happened to you?" Her mother lifted the girl's chin and said, "Sweetie... Curiosity can only take you so far. The further you wander, the less you think about the impact you might be having on those around you. Like when you moved out of your dad's sight, it could make him feel really worried."

"But, I was told I couldn't visit you, and I was worried and scared. All I wanted was to see you. I'm sorry..." Tears started to fill Y/N's eyes. "I'm just scared that I won't be able to see you anymore."

The mother watched as tears rolled down her daughter's face, making her eyes look sad. It hurt her to see her daughter cry, knowing she wouldn't live much longer. The idea of leaving her loved ones behind scared her, as she knew they would be very affected by her absence. The mother moved closer and hugged her daughter tightly, tears also falling down her own cheeks. They stayed like this for a while, crying quietly in each other's arms.

"Alright, you should go now. Your father will worry."

The two separated, acknowledging their goodbye. Y/N began to walk towards the door slowly, but suddenly turned around and hugged her mother one last time. Her mother was initially surprised, but then smiled.

"I love you mom."

"I love you too, Y/N."

As Y/N released her mother's hand slowly, she felt a sense of relief knowing that her mother was going to be okay. As she approached the door and cracked it open, a loud ringing sound echoed through the room. Turning back, she saw her sick mother lying in bed, her pale skin illuminated by the morning sun. The monitor beside her bed displayed her heartbeat blinking, but the line indicating her condition was flat. Y/N instinctively reached out her hand towards her mother, but stopped in mid-air as she froze.

The door suddenly swung open, and Y/N's dad, along with several nurses and doctors, rushed in after being alerted to the situation. They immediately began trying to resuscitate her mother. Y/N's father noticed his daughter standing there in shock and quickly hugged her tightly, fearing the worst. Earlier, when discussing the next scheduled visit with the nurse, he hadn't realized his daughter had disappeared. After finishing up, he realized Y/N was missing and frantically searched for her, asking the staff for help.

Fortunately, he found her, but he was taken aback to see her standing there looking shocked. He called out to Y/N in a panic, but she couldn't comprehend him. She could still hear ringing in her ears, and seeing her mother's hand hanging off the bed only added to the girl's stress. Her father continued to shake her, attempting to bring her back to reality, tears forming in his eyes.

Y/N finally looked at her father, seeing the pain in his expression. "Y/N! Y/N sweetie! Can you hear me?!" he asked, worry evident despite the tears streaming down his face.

"D-dad?"

After that event, they were both quickly escorted out of the room. Once in the lobby, they stood at a distance from her room, waiting for news. Y/N and her dad stood side by side, not saying a word as they left her mother's room. Y/N kept her head down, making sure her face wasn't visible. She couldn't stop thinking about what her mother had said before everything went wrong, and the sound of the monitor ringing.

Memories of the room kept flashing in her mind, causing her to clench her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm. Just then, a nurse approached, calling for her father, which made the girl release her grip. Her father looked back at her.

"Y/N, stay here, please," he said, before walking off with the nurse to talk privately. The nurse glanced sympathetically at the little girl before leaving.

Y/N stood in silence, gazing at the ground, lost in thought. Memories of her mother flooded her mind, replaying over and over, including those from the previous day. This was not what she had anticipated. She did not want this. Self-blame crept in as she questioned if she was to blame.

Maybe if she hadn't snuck away, things would be different.

It was the only explanation she could think of.

Shortly after, the nurse came back with Y/N's dad, causing the girl to lift her head slightly. Her eyes looked dull and lacked any sparkle. When she made eye contact with the nurse, they were filled with remorse. Feeling conflicted by the tension and emotions in the room, she wanted to speak up to seek answers. The silence felt suffocating and nerve-wracking.

Y/N needed reassurance that her mom would be okay. Nervously, she spoke in a quivering tone: "Dad, is... is mom going to be okay?"

The nurse then approached, crouching down and pulling down her mask in the process. She spoke gently, saying, "Listen, sweetie... I'm so sorry, but your mommy has passed away." Her eyes were filled with sadness as the girl's dad stayed silent.

"Dad, why aren't you saying anything? What is she talking about?" The girl's heart raced as she tried to understand the situation.

Her dad moved closer, dropping to his knees in front of her, hugging her tightly as tears filled his eyes. "She's... She's gone. She's dead." When he said those words, the girl's heart sank into darkness.

The image of her smiling mother shattered instantly. She was overwhelmed with negative emotions but couldn't express them. Suddenly, the emotions she felt seemed too complex to understand, making it hard for her to express them. It was as if all the emotions she once had were now gone. In that moment, she just felt empty.



THREE DAYS LATER

In a field filled with graves, a casket was seen hanging above a freshly dug grave, containing the deceased mother of Y/N. There was a lot to take in before the funeral could proceed, but they continued with respect, despite the difficulty. Everyone present wore black as a sign of respect. Suddenly, rain began to fall, and everyone opened their umbrellas that they had brought, thankfully prepared for the predicted weather.

Despite the rain, they continued with the funeral, using umbrellas. Only some of her dad's family, such as her grandparents, were there. She didn't see her mother's parents, whom she had never met or seen in pictures. It was disappointing that they didn't come to their own daughter's funeral. Despite this, Y/N and her dad received condolences from others, mainly from her grandparents.

Y/N's father had hoped more people would attend, but they didn't. As they laid the casket in the ground, everyone expressed their sadness for the loss of D/N's wife. She was remembered as a kind, beautiful, and compassionate woman. Y/N stood by her father's side during the funeral, with her grandparents standing behind them. Her grandmother wiped away tears with a handkerchief, while her grandfather held an umbrella to shield them from the rain.

After the funeral, everyone else left except for Y/N. She stood by her mother's tombstone with a blank expression as the rain soaked her clothes. Her father eventually approached her and gently signaled that it was time to leave, but he also needed a moment to grieve. They stayed a little longer before finally heading home. Once they arrived home, Y/N immediately sought comfort in her bed, covering herself with the sheet without changing out of her wet clothes.

After that incident, she always stayed cooped up in her room, never leaving and only staring into space. She didn't eat breakfast or step outside. All she did was keep to herself, not even caring about her own health. Her dad noticed her behavior and tried to help, but it didn't work. He decided to take the chance of therapy, but that also didn't help.

In that moment, all she wanted was to break and destroy anything. It was too overwhelming to be true, all these emotions were just too much. She wanted it all to be gone, she wanted to feel empty.

Realizing that his previous methods were not effective, he decided to help in his own way. As another day passed under the midnight sky, Y/N left her door wide open, allowing light to fill her room as she stayed covered under the sheets. Footsteps approached her room, and she recognized the person but was not bothered. Her dad stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and softly chuckled as he saw her under the sheets. However, his face showed a sad expression as he understood why she was feeling this way.

He then began walking towards her. When he reached the bed, he sat down, and she didn't move at all in his presence as they both embraced the quiet silence. However, this silence wasn't going to help his plan succeed. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and proceeded.

"I understand how difficult this is. I miss her too, deeply. She was the love of my life, and I think about her every single moment. It's hard for someone your age to go through such a loss, and I'm sorry that you have to. We never could have predicted this would happen, and it's not anyone's fault." His voice cracked a bit as he spoke, but he kept going. "I'm sure your mother doesn't blame any of us. These things happen, and it's natural, although I do feel regret. I imagine you feel the same. That's why... I want us to work through this burden together."

He noticed that she didn't say anything, which made him worried. However, he then remembered something. He got out of bed and left the room, leaving her to ponder his words. It seemed to strike a chord with her, but she remained silent. After some time, he returned with something in hand and sat back down.

"Y/N, I have something for you," he said softly, noticing her lack of movement. "It's a sketchbook filled with your mom's artwork from over the years. Some of these pieces hold special meaning to her art, did you know that? She even has canvas paintings in her room."

Y/N could hear the sound of the book opening and pages being flipped to different pieces of art, yet continued to listen. "Did you also know she has many different types of books? She keeps them to reflect on her creations that led to her success."

He continued to flip through the pages of the art, piquing the girl's interest in her mother's work. She shifted her position, sitting up and pulling the sheet over her head, revealing only her face. There were signs of tiredness and redness under her eyes, which worried him. However, her focus was on the pages of the book, so he continued flipping through. She saw drawings of her mother's artwork, including sketches of landscapes and realistic-looking people.

It was clear that a lot of effort went into these drawings, especially considering the medium-sized book. Y/N reached out and took the book from his hand, and he watched as she flipped through the pages, seemingly fascinated.

"There was a time when she had artwork that she wanted to share with the world, but never had the chance to. Her dream was to become successful and show everyone the true beauty behind each piece of art. You could say she was very passionate about what she did. However, despite her own dream, she had a priority - her family."

Suddenly, tears started to flow down the girl's face and fell onto her mother's creation. The realization that her mother had sacrificed something so special for her made her cry. It never occurred to her that her mother would give up on her own dream just for them. She wanted to understand why, but at the same time, she knew she would never get an answer.

"She said she wanted to show you herself, and even give it to you once she left the hospital but..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a tight embrace. Y/N hugged him tightly as she started to cry uncontrollably.

"I miss mom! So much!" Y/N exclaimed through uneven sobs.

"Me too..." They both stayed that way for a few minutes before breaking the hug.

"Hey wait, that's not the actual thing I wanted to give you though." This caught the girl's interest as she watched him retrieve something from the side, revealing a neatly wrapped present.

"What's this?" She took the gift from his hand.

"A gift from your mother..." She looked at her dad in confusion, expecting an explanation for this mysterious gift. "I don't know what it is either, so you'll just have to see for yourself."

Y/N looked at the gift and slowly began to unwrap it. As she tore away the wrapping, she discovered it was a book - a sketchbook. She looked back at her dad and saw a smile on his face, which made her hug him.

"Thanks dad, mom... I will cherish it." She said, bringing a bigger smile to his face as tears welled up in his eyes, holding back his own emotions.

He then slowly revealed his tears as he felt his hand tremble from suppressing his feelings. A conversation like this, an embrace like this, was enough to bring tears to his eyes as he returned the embrace.

Y/N's mother had a talent for art. She excelled in different styles and structures of art, showing passion for anything related to art. She enjoyed exploring new ideas and always found ways to make her art unique, resulting in a beautiful creations.





After a few months, the book brought up some feelings in her, but not enough to fully bring them back. However, it did inspire her to start drawing and sketching, which she still enjoys. Even though she spent less time downstairs, she was happy with her drawing because it was something she loved when she was young. As she entered her pre-teen years, she started to slowly regain some of her emotions, which made her happy. It had been a while since she had expressed herself properly, so she was excited to finally open up about her feelings.

However, she rarely showed her emotions because she didn't have many friends to share them with. Instead, she relied on her hobbies to bring happiness back into her life. At school, people didn't pay much attention to her, but she didn't mind being alone. She never had friends to worry about, so being by herself was fine with her. Some people thought she was strange for being so focused on one thing, which led to her not making any friends, but she didn't care.

Thankfully, she had left her old school days behind and now lives with her grandparents. She expected to have a peaceful life, but things changed when she met unexpected people who brought out emotions she hadn't felt in a long time or thought she would reconnect with.

Why them? And why now?



BONUS... [A note was included with the package, but I wasn't sure where to put it, so here it is. Y/N had already read it a few minutes later and started crying.]

My beloved daughter,

If you are reading this letter from your dad and not me, it means I am no longer alive. I am deeply sorry, my dear. I can only imagine the pain you must be feeling right now. It's completely understandable. But remember, you are a strong young lady. Even though I know this will not be easy to forget, always remember your inner strength. I hope you like the gift I left for you. Please know that I love you more than anything and I will always be by your side. Even though you cannot see me, I will be watching over you and witnessing the progress you make over the years. I love you more than words can express, Y/N.

Sincerely, Mom