Chapter 71

Jojo: I welcomed Valerie into my arms with more joy than I had felt in days. Seeing her here, happy about the news of our mother's waking, everything felt so surreal. Way too good to be true. I loved her more than anything, and I loved my mother too. Mel had a short discussion with the doctor before he stepped out of the room. I told Mel everything the doctor had said. She wanted us to tell Valerie, saying that the girl was old enough to understand some things, and we needed to let her in more. I could not agree more; we spoke to Valerie about our mother's situation. She was sad that our mother could not use a part of her body yet, and that she was not awake yet. But, we did assure her that the doctors were going to do their best to ensure that our mother gets better. She was very happy to hear that. I was angry with myself for doubting my sister's capabilities in the first place. She had proven to me, time and time again, how strong she could be. Yet, I was still overly protective of