Maya looked toward the closed hospital door.
Then she looked back at me.
“I didn’t want Dad to know.”
My heart sank.
“Know what, sweetheart?”
She swallowed hard.
“For months, I’ve been getting sick after I eat.”
I stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Dad said I was being dramatic.”
Her voice became smaller.
“He said if I kept complaining, you’d take me to a doctor and we’d waste money.”
I felt a wave of anger rush through me.
But Maya wasn’t finished.
She reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
“I found this in my backpack.”
I opened it.
It was a note from the school nurse.
It said Maya had nearly fainted during class three weeks earlier.
The nurse had recommended that a parent make a medical appointment.
My hands began shaking.
“Why didn’t I see this?”
Maya looked down.
“Dad took it.”
I couldn’t breathe.
Robert had known.
He had known she was becoming weaker.
He had known she was dizzy.
He had known the school nurse was concerned.
And he had still told me she was exaggerating.
Before I could ask another question, Dr. Hawkins knocked softly and returned to the room.
His expression had changed.
He looked at Maya first.
Then at me.
“We’ve received the preliminary blood results.”
He pulled up a chair.
“And there’s something else we need to discuss.”
I reached for Maya’s hand.
Dr. Hawkins looked directly at me.
“Her blood work shows that this has been affecting her body for quite some time.”
And then he told me what they needed to do next.
