This is dedicated to Mindi Flanagan, the best mother who was taken too soon. 

Lola had a lot of fun today. Her mom went to get ice cream with her. She was so excited because her mom hadn’t left the house much, she was always hanging out with doctors and people who smelled bad.

Once they got back from the movie, her mom went to her bedroom again. She told Lola, “I just need to have a quick nap, Momma is really tired.”

Lola understood her mom, and she listened to her, even though she missed all the play time they used to have.

Lola’s dad came home at 5 o’clock, but he didn’t say hi to her like he usually did. He went straight into her mom’s room. Lola was confused…her dad never forgot to say hi. But then, as she was thinking about it, her dad came out of the room.

“Hey kiddo!” he said. Lola smiled and said hello back. Her dad sat with her on the couch, his eyes sad. 

“What’s wrong, Dad?” She asked him. 

“Well, Lola, I have to tell you something. Mom is really sick, and she needs to go to the doctor today to get better. You’re gonna go have fun at Grandpa Joe's house for a little while.”

While Lola was worried about her mom, she was also excited to go see her grandpa. He had really cute dogs. 

As Lola waited for grandpa to come pick her up, she was still worried about her mom. She knew her mom hadn’t been feeling the best lately, but her mom had never been this sick for this long. It was kind of scary for Lola to think about.

Her grandpa came to pick her up, and he brought his dog Ivy. Lola loved Ivy, she got so excited when she saw the dog. Once she got in the car, her dad walked out. 

“Bye, Lola! Mom and I will see you soon!” He said, smiling at her. 

“Bye, Dad! Tell Mom goodbye for me too!” She replied as her grandpa backed out onto the street.

On the way to Grandpa Joe’s, his phone started ringing. Lola was confused when she saw that it was her dad calling. Her grandpa picked up the phone, but Lola couldn’t hear exactly what her dad was saying. From what she heard, he sounded serious. Lola felt worried, and she wondered why he’d called. Grandpa Joe said seriously, “Okay, we’ll be right there” and hung up the phone. 

“Where are we going grandpa?” She asked quietly. Lola started to get really scared. 

“We’re gonna go see your parents Lola, we’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” he replied.

The car pulled into a scary looking building. Lola read it and it said Hospice. She didn’t know what that was, but it sounded like hospital. Lola’s dad walked up to the car and let Lola out. He led her through the doors of the “Hospice” place. He walked to a room with the door closed. “Honey, your mom is really sick. She wants to see you really badly. Make sure you tell her you love her and tell her goodbye,” her dad explained. Lola was even more confused, but before she could ask questions she was pushed into the room.

Lola saw her mom, attached to a bunch of tubes in a bed. She looked really sick, and Lola was scared. She walked slowly towards her mom. “Hi momma! I love you!” Lola said, doing what her dad told her. She didn’t know why she had to say goodbye, she thought her mom was just sick and would get better. 
“I love you too Lola! I’ll always be here darling, all you have to do is think of me.” Her mom replied, and Lola noticed that her voice was really quiet.