Kara arrived at St. Paul’s Teaching Hospital where her mom worked as a nurse. When Kara turned ten years, Mrs Vanessa McHinson, who is also, Elena’s friend convinced her to go back to school and finally follow her dreams. So, here she was, fifty years old and a nurse.

Kara sat at the waiting in her mom’s ward. The ward didn’t seem so busy today she noticed. She got lost in her thought while she waited.

“Kara?” her mom said to bring her out of her thoughts

“Hey mom”

“Baby, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to pick you up?”

“I don’t get off for another two hours and you know that. Plus I brought my car. Tell me what’s going on”

“You caught me” she joked but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and her mom noticed

“Kay, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” she pleaded as she took a seat by her daughter

“Can we go somewhere a little private?”

“Yeah, give me a sec. Let me hand over to Abbie”

“Thanks”

Her mom moved to the nurses’ station and handed off her patients to another nurse with the instruction to page her if anything pops up.

“Go, Elena. I got you. Kara doesn’t look too good. Maybe take her home?”

“Let’s see how the talk goes” and she walked back to her baby girl

“Ready?” Kara asked

“Yeah, let’s go to the chapel. It’s usually quiet this time of the day”

“Alright” then the mother and daughter exited the floor to the one below where the chapel could be found.

True to Elena’s words, the room was empty.

They sat at the closest pew to the exit.

“Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m going to be a mom” she blurted out

“What?! You’re pregnant? I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone”

“No, I’m not”

“Then how did you get pregnant. One night stand?”

“Mom, slow down. I’m not pregnant.”

“Okay, so then how are you going to be a mom?”

“More like I’m already a mom”

“Girl, stop talking in riddles”

“Okay, so today, a man came to see me”

“And that’s why you think you’re a mom?” her mom chuckled, “it takes more than meeting honey”

“Mom, this is not the time. Please just listen”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, baby. You just look so tense”

“That’s alright. So, this man that came to see me came with twins. A boy and a girl. They look so much like me.”

“Carry on”

“According to the man, they are my children.”

“What? How? You’ve never been pregnant.”

“I know but that’s not even the crazy part.”

“There’s more?”

“Yeah. These children are about ten years old if I’m not mistaken”

“Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed as everything began to piece together

“So, that time ten years ago when you went missing and can’t recall, that’s what happened?”

“Apparently, his “sister” and her husband couldn’t get pregnant the normal way”

“They hadn’t heard of surrogacy or adoption?”

“Beats me. Anyway, they didn’t want the woman to come back later to ask for an opportunity to be in the child’s life so they decided to get some random person and take their eggs and then erase the memory of it”

“That is crazy, mija!”

“Mom, please don’t start with the Spanish. You always do that when you’re overcome by emotions”

“Perdon but what they did is criminal”

“I told him so when he told me at work today.”

“Okay, but if they didn’t want la mama in the lives of the children, why are they telling you now?”

“Both parents died. The mom more recently”

“Dios mio! Poor children”

“So, que es la problema?”

“The children were told of their origin by their mother before she passed. She handed full custody to me”

“Unbelievable! So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, honestly.”

“At the very least, let’s sue them”

“I really want to but lawyers are expensive and the people are already dead”

“That’s true. So, are you going to take them in?”

“I don’t seem to have a choice. They know about me so I’ll damage them if I reject them now.

“My poor baby,” Elena said and enveloped her in a hug

“Tell me it’s going to be alright.”

“Everything will be fine. Your mom is here. God is also here”

“I know nothing about raising kids”

“But I do and you were going to do it someday”

“When I was ready”

“No one is ever ready for this role, mi hija. No matter how many books you read. It doesn’t prepare you enough for the actual work”

“Let’s pray, mom” and they prayed to God for strength with regards to this new journey.