Rachel's pov
I woke to a soft morning light filtering through silk curtains and the gentle beeping of a heart monitor.
For a moment, I didn't remember where I was.
I turned my head slightly and found Petra sitting in a chair beside my bed, her hand wrapped around mine. She was asleep, her head resting at an awkward angle against the cushioned back of the chair.
She must have been here all night.
I studied her face, trying to reconcile this woman with the hazy memories I had of a mother from twenty years ago. The eyes were the same warm brown, kind eyes I have always known. But there were lines now around them, she must have grieved.
Years of searching for me.
Petra's eyes fluttered open, and when she saw me watching her, her whole face lit up.
"Rachel." She sat up quickly, squee
