A Heartless Morning

“She’s awake. You can go see her now,” the nurse said as she held the door open.

Grace looked up at the nurse staring at her, and promptly got up out of the seat. “How is she? What happened to her?” she asked frantically.

“I will inform the doctor that your mother’s awake,” which made Grace finally let a tear run down her face, but quickly wiped it away facing away from her mother's room door.

“Grace?” her mother whispered. She walked in, and leaned forward to hold her mother’s hands, trying to ignore the faint smile on her face which was clearly hiding the pain and sadness. The pain in her eyes hurt more than Grace had ever imagined.

“I’m here, mom. I will take care of you,” she whispered.
"I know you will. But I need to tell you something."
Grace knew what she was about to tell her and nodded her head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her mother was dying and she wished she can do something.

"Mom, I will help you get better, and I will get you out of this place as soon as you are up on your feet."

"Grace" her mother whispered, closing her eyes. "I’m dying."

Grace kept denying and changing the subject. She thought about how hard it was to go through Nita's death, and now she was losing her mother.

"Can you close the door?" she said as she wiped her tears off her face.

“Mom, what is happening to you? Are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked as she sat back down and squeezed her mother's hands, making it clear that she was disappointed in her mother for not letting her take care of her earlier.

“I just have a weak heart. I didn’t want to tell you so you can finish your studies, and take over for me. You can take over my cases as a lawyer. Grace, was someone else in the hallways?"

"No, why?"

"Remember Nita's death? Nita your dearest baby sitter?" Grace stopped her mother, telling her she doesn't have to bring that up.

"No. I have to confess something. Come closer. Her death was not suicide. She was murdered."

Grace noticed something different in her mother. She was scared, and distressed. She went on, telling Grace that it is not safe for her to be alone now, and how she should go back to the city. But she did not believe her. Grace figured her mother was panicking, lying in a hospital bed.

“Mom, don't worry about it. I am going to get you some water”. She got up, and went into the hall. Leaned against the wall and slid down, crying.

The next morning, Grace raced home, to grab somethings. As she was sliding in the house keys, she noticed the front door was already unlocked. She opened the door slowly and walked in muddled. She went through the house, wondering if someone had broken in or if she left it unlocked. None of the rooms were missing anything big, until she opened the door to her mother's office. There were papers everywhere. Grace walked in, to see a file on her desk, opened, but with papers missing. She read the outside of the folder, which was labeled Nita. 

Grace did not have much time to look at the other papers, since she got a call from the hospital. She rushed back, and ran into the room to watch her mother crashing. After the nurses turned the monitors off, one of them walked up to Grace and told her that her mother left a message. “She wanted you to know that you will be able to know more about your father,” handing a piece of paper to Grace. Grace opened up the letter and did not know how to react to the letter her mother left her before passing away. She thought about the guilt of how she should have been with her.

Later that night, Grace went back home, to search the rest of the office. She couldn’t figure out how Nita found out about her father. She had a faint memory about him, from when she was little, and then he disappeared. As she got older, Grace only asked once, about where who her father was. Her mother did not know how to tell Grace,  that her father was a criminal. All she told her was that he did not make the right choices, and is responsible for some detrimental actions.

After going through most of the cases her mother had defended and 4 cups of coffee, Grace still had no idea why Nita’s file was so important. As she picked up another file, instead of reading the synopsis, she looked through who else was involved in the case. She suddenly realized most of her cases were somehow connected to an Aidan Flores.

She kept looking through her papers, but did not know what to do next. She decided to pack up her stuff and move on. She never wanted to know more about her father, and figured she can stay out of this. Grace went back to the city where she thought she can escape it all. Escape the death of her mother and the mystery of Nita.

A few months later Grace got a letter from a name she didn’t recognize. She opened it to find one of the missing papers from Nita’s file. It did not have much information, but enough to find out Aiden Flores was also involved in this case. Grace waited to find out more information, but knew she and this Aiden Flores have some unfinished business.
Part 2
It had been 5 months since Grace’s mother had passed away. Grace still had the letter, her mother left her. She read it often. Trying to figure out this puzzle she left. And what someone is trying to continue. Grace had many thoughts going through her head such as, is Aiden Flores my father? Was he the killer? Did he kill Nita? Why would knowing my father, be dangerous?

Grace went to the police station, and hospitals to figure out who her father is and who Aiden Flores is. She payed a private investigator to find Aiden Flores, and figure out what he is up to. A month later, the private investigator found Aiden Flores. He found out that he lives in the city, and is the one being cased. He is a criminal, that her mother was trying to fight against. Grace’s mother was trying to get him into jail, which is why most of her cases were involving him. This made Grace wonder, if her mother wanted her to take her father down. If bringing her father down, make her mother rest in peace.

Months ago when Grace was clearing up the house where her mother lived, she found a few diaries. She did not open them until she got the piece of paper from Aiden Flores. She read her mother’s diaries, which were filled with her personal experiences of each case she had fought. Grace realized how strong her mother was. She had fought so hard against this man, because she wanted to make sure he was not to intervene with Grace. At the end of one of the diaries, her mother had confessed. She confessed that the name of Grace’s father was Aiden. Her mother loved him, and he betrayed her. He lied to her and abandoned her and Grace. Which was why Grace’s mother wanted to get back at him, and make sure he was not able to do more harm to other people.

After reading the diary, Grace was not sure if she wanted to fight against this man. She did not understand how she was going to stand up against her father, who was responsible for hurting her, by snatching Nita away. Grace took sometime away, to take everything in, and finish with her schooling.

Not knowing she did not have much time left, Grace lost her opportunity to continue what her mother had started. There it was on the news, everywhere. Aiden Flores finally dead. During a gang fight, someone finally killed him. Part of Grace was relieved, that she would not have to fight against him, but part of her regretted, that her mother wanted Grace to finish it. Maybe it was for the good.