My mother walked in first.
Perfume before concern.
Her eyes scanned the machines, the IV lines, the bruises across my collarbone — not with panic, but with irritation, like she’d arrived at an inconvenient appointment.
“Oh my God,” she said. “You look awful.”
My father stood behind her, arms crossed, already defensive.
“Well,” he muttered, “you didn’t say it was life-threatening.”
I stared at him.
“I said I was in the hospital,” I whispered.
Part 3 — The Lawyer Speaks
Naomi didn’t introduce herself immediately.
She simply stood beside my bed, calm and grounded, like a wall between me and them.
My mother finally noticed her.
“And you are?”
Naomi extended her hand politely.
“Naomi Hart. I’m her attorney.”
The word attorney landed in the room like glass breaking.
My father frowned.
“Why does she need an attorney? We’re her parents.”
Naomi’s expression didn’t change.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“That’s exactly why I’m here.”
Part 4 — The Real Cost
She opened the folder.
The paper slid across my tray.
REVOCATION OF HEALTHCARE PROXY
POWER OF ATTORNEY REASSIGNMENT
My mother laughed nervously.
“Oh come on. She’s emotional. She just had an accident.”
Naomi looked at me.
“Do you want them making decisions if you lose consciousness?” she asked.
My throat tightened.
I remembered the voicemail.
“If this is about Lily…”
I picked up the pen.
My hand shook.
“I called you,” I said to my parents. “I thought I might die.”
Silence.
I signed.
Part 5 — What They Didn’t Expect
Naomi gathered the document and then calmly added:
“There’s another matter we should address while everyone is present.”
My father stiffened.
“What matter?”
Naomi opened a second folder.
“Your daughter’s estate structure.”
My mother frowned.
“Estate? She runs a small company.”
Naomi turned the page toward them.
Net worth summary.
Investment holdings.
Property trusts.
Seven figures.
My father’s face drained of color.
“You… you never told us…”
I met his eyes.
“You never cared enough to ask.”
Part 6 — The Consequence
Naomi continued, voice steady:
“As of today, you are no longer medical proxies, financial trustees, or emergency contacts. All authority has been reassigned.”
My mother grabbed the bed rail.
“Wait… what? That’s ridiculous. We’re her family.”
Naomi nodded once.
“Family shows up when someone is bleeding.”
Part 7 — The Sister Revelation
Then the nurse walked in quietly.
“There’s another visitor asking about you,” she said.
My mother turned.
“Lily’s here. She wanted to see you.”
My stomach dropped.
My sister walked in slowly.
For once — she wasn’t dramatic.
No tears.
No meltdown.
Just… guilt.
She looked at me and whispered:
“I didn’t know.”
My parents froze.
“What do you mean you didn’t know?” my mother snapped.
Lily swallowed.
“You told me she was exaggerating. You said she just wanted attention.”
The room went silent.
My father’s head snapped toward my mother.
“You said that?”
Part 8 — The Truth Breaks Them
Lily stepped closer to my bed.
Her voice cracked.
“I would have come. I would have dropped everything. You told me not to call her because she was ‘being dramatic again.’”
My mother’s face went white.
My father stared at her like he’d never seen her before.
For the first time in my life…
They weren’t united.
Final Moment — Not Anger, Just Clarity
I leaned back into the pillow.
Exhausted.
But peaceful.
“I don’t hate you,” I said quietly.
My mother looked relieved for half a second.
Then I finished:
“I just don’t trust you anymore.”
And that hurt them more than anything else.