Unconditional Love

This story deals with death. It explores the difficult decision of parenting in the face of an adult child's independence to choose death. [Not the parents's choice.]

Stefanie gazed wantingly at the pond and the steam fog coming off it, as her parents rarely let her outside without them---the mist as the water evaporated as it hit the cool morning air---even to the backyard to look at the pond.

Stefanie awoke hours before her family to experience the pond's wonder alone. Her parents had liked to sleep in since they retired, and Stefanie liked it that way, too.

Her wheelchair-accessible main floor accommodations allowed her to move around without too much trouble and gave her the independence she needed to 'recover faster,' according to her doctors.

It had taken her months of hard work and determination to get to this point of being back inside the family home. Physiotherapy, hardcore sweat, and browbeating herself with discipline had been her secret remedy for survival and recovery. She was proud of herself, and she celebrated the small victories. She celebrated alone since her parents pushed her to do more and more.

Stefanie heard them talking around her like she wasn't there—doctors, health care professionals, her parents, and therapists—and she wanted to scream. Her mother rubbed the back of Stef's hand, which annoyed her. Her dad acted as though whatever Stefanie accomplished was never okay with him, and he'd push for bigger and better.

"Stefanie, it's time to do some of your exercises." 

"Dad, I know. Honestly, it's my life and my routine. Got it?"

"Stef, the doctor said you must push yourself a little more each day. That's how you'll improve until you no longer need that chair," her dad smiled at her. "I filled your scripts and left the pills you are to take tonight on your night table," he told her before he jumped in the shower.

"Dad, I already told you. I don't want to take those pills anymore. Why did you get that script filled?"

"But you know you need to take them, like the doctor told us, to keep up your strength. That's why I got that script filled." 

"Strength for what? I'm never allowed to go anywhere. You keep me locked up in here like I'm a precious jewel. I'm not the one who caused the accident, remember? I'm the victim of the accident. You do remember, right, dad?"

"Honey."

Stefanie wheeled her chair to look out the patio doors and shook her head in frustration in the air back and forth. Sometimes, she hated her parents. Especially her dad. He could be such an asshole.

She was glad they were going out tonight. It would give her some time alone. Time to herself without them barking down her backside about something to do with her rehabilitation process.

He and his wife were heading to the Gala, where he would be given an award for bravery in service for saving a drowning boy off the beachfront in Leamington. Stefanie was invited too but declined at the last minute, saying that she had a slight fever and didn't know if she was contagious with something.

Her parents disappeared behind the den doors at that point to discuss what would happen next since they had never left Stefanie home alone before, despite her age of 23. To say they were helicopter parents---would be an understatement---who never left Stefanie's side anymore, and when they did, it was for ten to fifteen minutes at a time.

This evening is exciting for Stefanie since she stole a key to the patio door last week. Her plan just might work. She had time---that was for sure.

Independence was a great thing people took for granted.

She waited half an hour, then placed the notes she had written for her friends and family on the kitchen island. Then she unlocked the patio door and wheeled herself outside and down the ramp into the backyard. She tumbled out of her wheelchair, where the paved area stopped, and began crawling toward her final destination.

The independence to choose an independence was her goal.

Looking at the pond's distance, she figured it would take her at least two hours. She put her head down and concentrated on moving through the grass—one stride after another. Grass-stained legs and bruised knees later, she looked up and saw she had two more strides to make, and she'd be there.

She took out the prescription pill bottle and took the entire bottle. She chewed the pills and swallowed all of them.

Despite her fatigue, she concentrated more on her end game. She got up onto the pond rocks. Her bruised and battered body had made it! The backyard light flicked on.

She faintly heard her mother's screaming. Stefanie froze for a slight second. Then, she hustled with more effort than ever. Her father sprinted past his wife to get to Stefanie. She plunged headfirst into the pond. She understood she would sink to the bottom since she had no use of her legs.

She felt the pills kicking in already. She wasn't sure if she was going to vomit. She felt a wave of heat and then sweat across her body.

Her father dove in after her. He grabbed hold of her arm almost right after he submerged.

She smacked his hand away and pushed him away. After a minute of back-and-forth fussing, he understood. He let go of her arm and kissed her cheek. He darted to the surface, took a huge breath, and returned to the bottom. He could no longer see where she was since the darkness of the pond had taken her body. He felt around for her and panicked. Now, she really was going to die, and it was his fault.

He surfaced and submerged again, but in the end, he resurfaced alone. He sat up in bed for hours alone, unable to fall asleep because of his situation. 

The following morning, he took his coffee out to the pond. He watched the pond mist rise off the pond and looked for Stefanie in each droplet.

He just knew she was no longer in the pond and that she rose with the fog.

Despite dredging the bottom for her body, her body was never recovered.