For a moment, everything felt perfect.
Then disaster struck during dessert.
Just as my mother lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth, she began coughing violently. Suddenly, blood gushed uncontrollably from her lips, spattering across the white tablecloth.
I froze in horror, the piece of cake I'd been holding slipping from my fingers onto my new shoes. My mind went completely blank with shock.
Why? Mama was supposed to be better. The doctors said she could go home. Why was she vomiting blood?
In panic, my father scooped up his wife, his voice choked with tears. "Sarah, don't scare me. I'll take you to the hospital right now."
Martha, our housekeeper, frantically called for an ambulance while I stood like a statue, numb and terrified. I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't bre
