“I know.”
“And you thought I wouldn’t notice?”
“I thought you were already exhausted.”
“I’m her mother!”
My voice echoed through the room.
Emily stirred.
I immediately lowered my voice.
Ben whispered.
“Please don’t wake her.”
I stared at him.
“You should have woken me up months ago.”
He looked down.
“I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“That you’d blame yourself.”
I couldn’t answer.
Because that was exactly what I was beginning to do.
Ben told me the whole story.
It had started eleven months earlier.
Emily had been experiencing symptoms that worried her teachers.
After several appointments, the doctors discovered that she needed ongoing treatment.
The condition was treatable, but the care would be expensive and would require regular monitoring.
Ben had helped arrange the medical appointments.
He had contacted the insurance company.
He had appealed the denied claims.
But when the bills began arriving, he panicked.
