The day my mother told my family about the surgery she had to get on her back I was not worried about her to be honest. My mom had explained what the surgery was, why she needed it, and how long she would be gone, so I knew she was going to be fine. She was only supposed to be in the hospital for three days, that turned into a week, and that turned into a month in rehab.

My mother had nerve damage in her leg from when she was little and the surgery caused more damage to  her leg. She was supposed to be able to walk after a couple of days, but, the nerves made it much harder. She had to relearn how to walk at the rehab center. We all missed her but visited almost everyday.

The first few days after the operation only my father visited my mom, my sister and I only talked to her on the phone. Her voice was extremely raspy from the tube the doctors used to help her breathe during surgery. When we finally got to visit her, she looked so drained she had also gotten sick from an antibiotic that she had taken and a rash from the tape the hospital used, but, she was elated to see us. The room was small and drab, all grey and white, the only color was from the small gifts from family lining the windowsill and there was a strong scent of medicine. It was a little hard to talk to her when we got the chance because the medication made her doze off mid-conversation but we ignored it because we had missed talking to her. 

Then, my mom was moved to a rehab center that looked much nicer and was very warm. We did not visit the first few days she was there either, but we visited every day after. I was always felt relieved when we visited because I used to always talked to my mom about my day in school right when I got home and now that she in the rehab building I could not. When visiting hours were over everyone was sad, my mom missed us and we missed her.
Our house was oddly quiet without her, the tv was off, and her room was empty until my dad went to sleep. My dad had to cook now, so he cooked what he liked and my sister and I missed the meals my mom would make. There was no one for me to talk to until we went to see her, the house seemed vacant and lonely. Even our dog was not as energetic without my mother and our cat just sat in her room all day. Everyday was the same dull and monotonous routine without her. We got up, went to school, came home, did homework, ate, visited her, came home, and went to sleep everyday for a month.

Of course now she is home and we talk when I get back from school, our house is filled with noise again, our pets have their energy back, and everyone is jubilant again. Things are different now though, my father still cooks, my mother still needs help walking, there are bars around the house on the walls to help her move around, three different nurses come everyday to assist her, we need to remind her not to do certain things so she can heal, and now she can never be left alone. Her back has also recently become infected so she goes to the doctor once a week and I have to change her bandages sometimes. It may seem like a lot but it is worth it to have my mom back home. The month without mom made me realize how much I love her and how much I would miss her if she was gone. I will never take her and her company for granted.