“There she was on Peacock Road. I drove past her, pulled off the road in front of her, stopped, opened the door and she hopped in the truck. I drove on home. We went in the house, I started cooking dinner. She came to me and wanted to go out so I let her. I never saw her again.”
      “Mom, you couldn’t have seen her.”
      “Yes , I did!”
      “Mom, you couldn’t have seen her.”
      “Why do you say that?”
      “Mom, You never left the hospital once you were admitted. Also, you were in a coma for several months.”
      I would have bet my life that I’d found Daphne…that I’d left the hospital, got in my red, Dodge, Dakota truck and gone to look for her. But, Matthew was right; I couldn’t have. I was too messed up from the accident. It seemed so real, so very real. It took a long time before I could tell the difference between my real life and my coma life.
      After I was made aware of Daphne’s dying, I was heart sick. I loved her and thinking about her dying was almost more than I could bare. I began to have nightmares about her and the accident. I would wake up in a sweat and scared to death that someone was trying to kill me. This went on for months, even years.
      After awhile, Damon Matthew said, “I’m tired; I’m going to lay back on this bed and take a nap.”
      “Sure, go ahead. No one stays in here but me,” I responded.
      Later , when he woke up, I said. You should come up here and stay with me.”
      “Do you really want me to do that?”
      “Yes, I said.
      “I have to go back home and get some clothes and lock up the house so no one can get inside.”
      “Fine. Go home in the morning and do all that and get back here before dinner.”
      “Okay Mom, Whatever you say. I‘m going to sleep now.”
      Matthew left early morning and came back that evening. He arrived with his large suitcase in hand, unpacked and make himself at home in the other bed. The nurse had left him a plate of food which he devoured.
      He was exhausted so after eating, he went to bed and to sleep.
      It gave me a great deal of comfort just having him there in the same room with me. My home was and still is where my children are. My boys are my comfort zone.