Marvelously Mismatched

Prologue

*One year ago*

I rushed into the hospital as soon as I'd received the call. Reaching the room my dad told me about, I saw my mom hooked up in IVs, and my dad sitting beside her bed, holding her hand. The doctor stood there with his notepad talking to them. I couldn't hear the full conversation but I caught the last bit of it.

"-the samples collected, Mrs. Hall and you'll be out of this hospital in no time. I'll be back with the reports. There's absolutely nothing to worry about", he said with so much positivity, which I didn't feel at this moment but his happy-go-lucky nature gave me hope, a tiny bit of hope. He gave me full blown pearly teeth on display, lips stretched beyond the limits, eyes crinkling smile and I smiled back, not that enthusiastically, but I did my best.

"What happened, dad?" I asked the moment the happy doctor left. I sat down beside him, he looked even older than the last time I'd met him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face looked so drawn and wrinkled. But when he saw me, his face stretched into a small smile.
"Nothing to worry about, kiddo. It was just slight congestion in her lungs, which caused some trouble in breathing. I asked her to visit a doctor, but you know your mom, always downplaying her pain." He glared at her, but she smiled in return, and it worked. My dad's glare disappeared, replaced again with worry.

"Why wouldn't she take care of herself? She isn't a kid now." I grumbled. Dad nodded his head agreeing with me. He squeezed mom's hand, like a supportive and loving husband. My mom is a force of nature, an absolute disaster, and to see her in this condition, looking so fragile, it made me feel helpless.
"I almost aged 10 years when I walked into the kitchen and saw your mom lying unconscious on the floor!"

"She fainted? It was that serious and no one thought about informing me once?" I was furious. I'd had no clue about her deteriorating health, until this morning. The guilty expression on my mom's face told me that she didn't want me to know about this, my anger reached a different level.
"You were already stressed out because of your work, so your mom thought not to tell you because it wasn't that serious."

I glared at my dad, "You should've told me dad. I deserve to know even if it's something trivial. Okay?" I sighed.
"It's all your mom's fault, princess. Next time, I'll tell you everything."
"Hey! I'm right here, you know." She grumbled. I looked at her fragile body, and all of my anger melted away.
"Mom, you have to take care of yourself. Please. I'll help you, whatever it is I'll do it." I begged.
"Will you get married?" An involuntary groan escaped my lips, damn this woman. This wasn't the time to discuss frivolous things like marriage.

"What? Mom, please. Now is not the time to start that discussion."
"Alexandria, you're not getting any younger. Look at my condition, I don't think I will even be able to attend your wedding, because at this rate, I would be dead!"

"Mom! You know I don't believe in love or marriage, or relationships. I'm happy with my life, why do you want to saddle me with extra responsibilities?"

"We'll talk about this later", she said when the doctor entered the room.
"Mr. Hall, Can I speak to you for a minute?", He said in a serious tone, all hints of previous playfulness gone.
My dad got up and I followed him out, closing the door behind me.

My heart beat escalated, and my palms turned sweaty. He looked at both of us with a grave expression, "Your mom has heart arrhythmia. It cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be kept at bay through medication. I'd suggest you monitor her intake of these medicines. Do not stress her too much about anything. Most cases, people can handle it, but this can be a fatal condition if not treated carefully.

"I'll talk to the nurse and she'll explain everything to you." He said, before walking away. My emotions ranged from panicked to worry, to anger and then back to worry. For the first time in my life, it felt like I could do nothing to help my mom. The perfect balance in my life was tipping and I had no clue how to stop it.
I sat there stunned and scared, having no clue what awaited me on the other side.

******
Author's note:
So, thats the first part.
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