Chapter Thirty-Nine
“S he’s in a coma. There’s nothing more we can do,” the doctor said. “Your mother is now in a state we call unresponsive wakefulness syndrome. UWS for short. The life support keeps her going, but she won’t regain consciousness.”
I clutched my purse to my chest as though it could shield me from further bad news.
“It was the lack of oxygen to the brain as we battled her numerous infections.” He took off his reading glasses, cleaning them with the hem of his shirt. “We had to put out a lot of fires all at the same time.”
“But she’s not brain-dead?” My voice was steady, dignified.
“No. She can breathe independently but is otherwise not responding to outside stimulation. Aside from breathing on her own, she’s in complete brain atrophy.”
“Okay.” I licked my lips. “What do we do?”
“Well, your mother is not a registered organ donor in the U.S., and even if she was, most of her internal organs are in decline. Once we remove the feeding tube, salts, and electrolytes, she will pass away within days.”
“Starving her to death? That sounds rather cruel.”
Dr. Fields met my gaze head-on. “She won’t feel a thing, Gia. Hunger, thirst, those are things she can no longer experience. Palliative pain management will be administered. She’ll be as comfortable as one can be considering the circumstances.”
“You will let her diminish slowly,” I countered. I wasn’t sure why I was arguing with him. I hadn’t the greenest clue about this procedure.
“She can’t feel . Not pain. Not hunger. Not thirst. None of it.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I inhaled. “Okay.”
“Would you like to take her off the feeding tube?”
“Yes.” I didn’t stutter. I knew my mother. She wouldn’t want to exist like this. “Yes, I would.”
“Do you want to be present when we remove her?”
“Yes.” No hesitation there either.
“Would you like to call your husband or a loved one when we take off her tubes?”
I thought about it briefly. Cal was in London. Dylan was in med school. Tate was busy running an empire and fighting the crime lords. He didn’t have time for this. Besides, he’d be irritable and selfish, knowing her death meant the dissolution of our marriage.
“No.” I smiled politely. “I don’t need anyone with me. I’ll do it alone.”