Anna was tired of being treated like a child. Her mother 

　　didn’t seem to know the difference between six and 

　　sixteen. Christine, Anna’s mother, was tired of being 

　　treated like the enemy. Why couldn’t Anna understand that all she wanted was for her daughter to not experience the pain and heartache she had gone through? Of course, she was too ashamed to tell Anna about her past. 

　　Friday night had rolled around again and Anna and Christine were decorating the Christmas tree and 

　　arguing about curfew[儿童晚间必须在家的时间]…again. 

　　“Mom! You are so old-fashioned. My friends stay out until one.” 

　　“What do you do until one o’clock in the morning?” Christine asked. “You’re not old enough to go to clubs, you can’t drink, you can barely even drive…” After a moment of hesitation she added, “I’ve just experienced some things I don’t want you to go through, but I’m going to trust you. You can stay out until one tonight, but absolutely no later! I want you in bed at 1:05. That gives you five minutes to get into the house and get in bed.” 

　　“Thanks Mom! You’re the greatest!” she said, giving her mom a hug. Anna didn’t give a second thought to her mom’s past. 

　　Anna’s best friend, Daphne, was in the driveway at 9:30 pm honking[按喇叭] on the horn as usual. 

　　“I’ll be home at one,” Anna said. “Thanks again, Mom. I love you.” She leaned over and kissed her mom on the cheek. 

　　“I love you, too. Have fun.” Anna practically ran out the front door. She’s so full of life and energy, Christine thought. And I am not going to sit around all night worrying 

　　about her. She popped a movie in and settled down on the couch, looking forward to a quiet, relaxing evening at home. 

　　Anna hopped into the passenger side of Daphne’s car with a huge grin[咧着嘴笑] on her face and screamed, “I’ve just got my curfew extended!” Then she leaned over and turned the radio up. Their favorite song was playing. The two girls belted out[大声唱] every word at the top of their lungs. 

　　Christine had put in a second movie and was finally getting in to it when the phone rang. She paused the movie and grabbed the cordless[无线的] phone. “Hello? …OH…MY…GOD! …I’ll be right there.” 

　　Christine pulled up in front of County General 

　　Hospital. She’d made it there in record time. This isn’t right, she thought as she parked her car and headed for the entrance. She rushed in, unaware of the tears streaming down her face. 

　　Christine headed for the double doors that lead to the 

　　ER[即Emergency Room]. She entered Room 105 with her heart in her throat[提心吊胆]. A nurse was leaning over a heart monitor, adjusting the controls. Christine glanced at her daughter. A pale-faced little girl with a bandage[绷带] on her head laid there in a bed that looked ten times bigger than her body. 

　　The ER nurse on duty turned around when she heard Christine come in. “I’m so sorry. They were hit by a drunk driver,” she said. “The other car hit the passenger side. Anna’s in an induced[诱导] coma[昏迷], and she has swelling[肿胀] in her brain. 

　　Dr. Harland induced the coma to try and bring the swelling down.” 

　　Christine pulled a chair close to her daughter’s bed and held her hand. “I love you so much, baby.” She squeezed her hand three times, their family symbol for “I love you.” Then she put her head down on the bed and wept. She sat up suddenly when she thought she felt three squeezes back. She did it again. There was no response this time, but she knew she had felt it. “I’m right here, baby. Wake up, please, wake up…” 

　　Christine spent every waking moment with Anna for the next two weeks, talking to her, singing to her, praying for her, and 

　　crying for her. It was Christmas Eve and Christine had decorated Anna’s room with lights and a miniature[小型的] tree. She turned on the radio and tuned into a station playing Christmas carols. 

　　She sat down in the chair next to Anna’s bed. “I need to tell you something, honey,” she began. “On the night when you were born, I started having labor pains[阵痛] at around 10:00. I woke your father up, got all our stuff 

　　together and we drove for the hospital. It was dark and rainy and the roads were slippery[滑的]. We were in an accident that night. He hit another car head on when he swerved[突然转向] 

　　into the wrong lane. He killed the other driver.” Christine was crying so hard she was barely able to finish her story. 

　　“Your father was killed as well. The cops and ambulances showed up and they rushed me to the hospital. 

　　You were born two hours later. I’ve never had a better or worse night in my life. You entered it and I lost your father. I’ve never been able to get over the guilt I’ve felt for that night. And now…here you are, lying here. Hit by a drunk driver. Why couldn’t it have been anything else, anyone else?” Christine was worn out. She’d never told her daughter that story. She’d always felt too ashamed. 

　　It had felt good to let it out. She put her head down on the bed. Her tears were gone for now. All that was left to do was pray. She held her baby’s hand and squeezed it three times. 

　　“I…love…you…too, Mom,” Anna answered. Christine looked up, amazed. 

　　“Oh, Anna. You’re awake. Oh, baby, I was so scared!” 

　　“I’m okay, Mom,” she answered quietly. “Mom? I think we should move my curfew back to 11:30.” Christine 

　　started laughing…and crying. 

　　She had an amazing daughter. 

　　“Anna, I have so much to tell you…”