gasps.
“I spoke with a doctor yesterday,” Richard continued. “He told me she should be examined as soon as possible.”
I felt the strength leave my legs.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He lowered his head.
“I should have. I thought I was protecting you from worrying until I knew more. I was wrong.”
I sat down on the floor.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
The nighttime visits.
The phone.
The five minutes beside Emily’s bed.
While I had been imagining something terrible, her grandfather had been worried about her breathing.
The room began spinning.
I remember Richard calling my name.
Then everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the living room sofa.
Emily was holding my hand, and Richard sat nearby, visibly frightened.
“Mommy, are you okay?” Emily whispered.
I pulled her into my arms and began crying.
The following morning, we took her to
