We hired an insurance advocate.
We contacted the hospital billing department.
We spoke with Emily’s doctors.
We made a complete plan.
For the first time in almost a year, Ben stopped taking every extra shift.
He started coming home.
We began eating dinner together again.
Sometimes we talked about Emily.
Sometimes we talked about ordinary things.
Sometimes we sat in silence.
But we were together.
And that mattered.
The Birthday He Thought He Had Ruined
A few months later, Emily’s ninth birthday arrived.
Ben had been afraid of that day.
He kept saying he wanted to make it special.
But he didn’t know how.
So I planned a small celebration at home.
Nothing extravagant.
Just balloons, cake, and a few of Emily’s favorite people.
When Ben came home from work, Emily ran toward him.
“Dad!”
He dropped his bag and hugged her.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
She smiled.
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