At first light, I made the decision for both of us.
“Get your jacket,” I told her. “We’re going to see a doctor.”
I didn’t tell Mike.
At the hospital, they took Lily back for blood work, vitals, and questions.
I sat in the waiting area, twisting a tissue to shreds while every moment of the last month replayed in my head. Her saying she felt weird. Mike telling me not to overreact. The closed-door talks.
It was all pointing to something I wasn’t sure I had the strength to face.
Every moment of the last month replayed in my head.
When the doctor finally came in, his expression was careful.
He sat down across from us. Lily was beside me, trembling. “Mrs. R., we need to talk. The test results showed some… unexpected findings.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mom, this is what I wanted to tell you last night…” Lily said. “Please… don’t be mad at me.”
The doctor handed me a folder with Lily’s test results.
The moment I saw the first words on the paper, I clapped my hand over my mouth in shock.
“The test results showed some… unexpected findings.”
“Severe dehydration?” I read aloud. “A significant electrolyte imbalance?”
The doctor glanced at Lily, then back at me. “We also found evidence that she’s been taking a strong supplement that’s generally marketed for weight control.”
For a second, I honestly didn’t understand the sentence.
“What supplements?” I asked.
