She was tired, sore, and frightened, but she was able to speak.
I sat beside her while a nurse checked her vital signs.
Curtis stood near the window.
He had barely spoken since our argument.
When Sadie saw him, her expression changed.
“Hi, Dad.”
He stepped closer.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Are you mad at me?”
His face tightened.
“No.”
Sadie looked down.
“You said I shouldn’t tell Mom.”
Curtis glanced at me.
“Sadie, I was trying to handle things.”
“But you told me the doctors were exaggerating.”
He swallowed.
“I didn’t know how serious it was.”
“You knew they wanted me to go to the hospital.”
Curtis looked away.
Sadie began crying.
“I thought I was doing something wrong by being sick.”
I moved closer to her.
“You’re not.”
She turned toward her father.
“Why did you make me keep it secret?”
Curtis opened his mouth.
Then he closed it.
For once, he had no explanation ready.
