Nancy and her husband, Jeff, were married right out of college. She loved her husband and couldn’t wait for them to have children. She had always dreamed of becoming a mother, but was unable to get pregnant.
She had grown up with several health complications, which made it difficult for her to conceive. However, she and her husband were still not giving up. Nancy was adamant about making her dream come true.
While her doctor had always made it clear that it would be nearly impossible for her to conceive, she never gave up hope. On the other hand, while Nancy and Jeff were trying to have a child, he was simultaneously facing problems at work.
Nancy adored her husband dearly, but she was not unaware of his shortcomings. Jeff tended to be lazy, always opting for the easy way out.
He had recently been fired from his job for insubordination and apparently had no intention of getting a job anytime soon.
This became an even bigger problem when Nancy finally became pregnant. She was thrilled, but worried that Jeff would not be able to take responsibility and provide for their family. He assured her that everything would be fine and that he would do right by her and the baby.
Unfortunately, when it came time to give birth, Nancy’s health problems caused serious complications. Doctors were finally forced to put her into a medically induced coma.
She had only seen her son for one minute before falling into a drug-induced coma. In the midst of excruciating placental pain, Nancy’s truest pain was seeing the dream she had so longed for being ripped from her arms after one minute.
Her body began to convulse as the doctors prepared her for the medication that would put her to sleep for a long time.
The last thing she saw was the doctor handing her newborn son to Jeff. And with the last shred of strength in her, she weakly uttered the words, «B…. Bra… Brandon… His… his name is Brandon.» Then she lost consciousness.
Given the severity of the complications of Nancy’s birth and her health condition, she had to remain in a coma for more than three years. Jeff’s financial situation had worsened by this time and he was becoming desperate.
While looking for solutions in addition to getting a job, the man learned that being a single father came with several state-funded benefits and privileges. He decided to become the sole legal guardian of his baby and benefit from everything he could.
Then Jeff succeeded in obtaining full custody of his son, and the court also deprived Nancy of parental rights because she was in a coma. Soon her husband took their little boy back to his hometown to live with his parents rent-free and pocket whatever he could.
A few years later, Nancy came out of the coma and found no one by her side. When she learned how long she had been unconscious, she concluded that her family had moved on. And she was fine with that. She would have wanted them to enjoy their lives.
However, she was determined to get better and see them. She deeply longed to finally become the mother she had always hoped to be. And it was this very longing that helped her through a long and challenging recovery.
Nancy had to learn to walk and eat again. Her muscles had been out of use for so long that every slight movement brought her great agony. However, she overcame the pain, telling herself that it was all for her son, Brandon.
After her recovery, she located Jeff and her son at his parents’ home. She was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to hold her baby in her arms.
She approached the door, still limping, but with a joy like never before at the thought of what awaited her on the other side.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she rang the doorbell and pulled out the freshly cut flowers she had for them. Jeff opened the door, surprised to see Nancy elated at the door with flowers.
«What are you doing here?» he asked, confused.
«Jeff… What do you mean? I thought you’d be happy to see me,» Nancy said, completely bewildered.
«You shouldn’t be here,» the man spat.
«Love, you’re being ridiculous. Let me in,» she said with a smile, approaching Jeff with open arms, hoping for a hug.
«I mean it, Nancy. You’re not welcome here anymore,» he said, gently nudging the woman.
«This isn’t funny, Jeff. Where’s Brandon?» she insisted, trying unsuccessfully to push Jeff away.
«Listen, Nancy! I have full custody of Brandon now! You’ve been in a coma for too long!» he spat before falling into a soft, hesitantly calm tone.
«Don’t come back here again,» he concluded before abruptly slamming the door in Nancy’s face.
The woman returned home, completely confused by what had just happened. She tried to reach Jeff by phone, but he did not answer a single call.
For Nancy, the birth of her son and the love she shared with Jeff were fresh, despite spending years in a coma. But for them, it had been a long time coming, and the man’s response left her much more disoriented.
After a few days of worrying, trying to work things out and rebuild, she put her feelings aside and decided she would get her son back no matter what.
Nancy began going to Jeff’s house every day to ask to see her son, and each time, the man would slam the door in her face, threaten to call the police, or simply ignore her.
One day, she arrived at the house planning to apply the same pressure as before. She was determined to get her son back. She knocked furiously on the door, ready to face the former love of her life again.
The door opened and Nancy was ready to cause a scene, but the sight in front of her stopped her in her tracks, her emotions boiling over.
«B… Brandon?» she said as she looked at her now nine-year-old son with teary eyes, her words trailing off as they did the first time she saw him.
«You’re my mom?» the boy asked.
Nancy stood there in complete amazement. The moment she mustered the strength to answer Jeff burst in and slammed the door in her face once again.
The mother was completely distraught. However, seeing the child she had waited her whole life for, but only held for a minute, awakened something in her. She was now more determined than ever. She was ready to take Jeff to court.
Some time later, Nancy found herself in court at one of the most difficult times of her life. She watched with a broken heart as the court bailiff escorted her tired son to the stand.
As she looked at him, she thought about how only a few words had been spoken in their nine years of existence. The pain of being so close to one’s dream, desire and love, but so far away, was threaded deep in her heart.
The court proceedings up to that point had all been in Jeff’s favor. If it had been for Nancy, she would have stopped everything at that point.
She wanted to be with her son, but more than that, she wanted him to be well and happy. And the last thing she wanted was to subject him to this kind of hardship in front of people he didn’t know, expressing things he surely couldn’t fully understand.
As Brandon approached the bench, the judge banged his gavel and the court fell silent. The boy took a deep breath and shared a look with his grief-stricken mother.
As she looked into his eyes, she remembered the first time she saw her little boy. A tear rolled down Nancy’s face.
And as if by magic, at the very moment the tear hit the bench, Brandon looked up with great confidence.
Not an arrogant confidence, but a real one, his truth. Before the lawyer could even lead him into his testimony, the boy began to speak.
«I… I don’t know any of you. And I honestly believe you’re trying to help. But I do know my parents, the two people who brought us all here,» the boy began, taking a second, not only to think about his next words, but to reflect on his life for a brief moment.
«My father and grandparents raised me. I love my father, but I don’t remember spending much time with him. What I do remember clearly is longing to be with my mother. I remember going to school and seeing my friends being kissed affectionately by their mothers. I longed to understand that,» Brandon continued, emotionally.
«I remember the countless nights I would pray to God asking Him to bring her to me…even if it was just for ice cream or to tuck me in for a night. These… These are the things that I remember every day,» the boy added.
The court was now emotionally engaged by the boy’s words. Brandon gave a hard, tender look to his mother, who looked at him, doing her best not to burst out in pure anguish. Brandon then pointed directly at her, crying.
«And now, she’s here…. As beautiful as ever. I haven’t met her yet, but I’d like to. All I ask is that you give me that chance. We’ve both already wasted too much time not being together,» the boy concluded.
Brandon’s emotional words convinced the jury and Nancy proved her rights in court.
Soon after, the boy began living with her and was happy to finally have a mother. For his part, Jeff disappeared from their lives. It turned out that he had raised the child just for the benefits and privileges.
