“Oh, sweetheart,” he whispered. “This is not okay. We’re getting help right now.”
Her voice trembled. “Am I in trouble?”
He shook his head and gently kissed her hair, careful not to touch her back.
“No. Never. You did the bravest thing you could do.”
The drive to the children’s hospital felt endless. Every bump in the road made Emily whimper. Every sound tightened the knot in Daniel’s chest. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and one resting near her seat, as if that alone could protect her.
“Did you feel sick at all?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “I felt really hot. Mom said it was nothing.”
The emergency staff moved quickly. Emily was taken back immediately, given pain relief, and settled onto a bed surrounded by calm, efficient hands. A pediatric physician, Dr. Michael Lawson, introduced himself with a gentle smile that didn’t fully hide the seriousness in his eyes.
“We’re going to take care of you,” he told Emily. “I need to remove the bandage slowly, okay?”
As the layers came away, the room grew quiet. The injury beneath was inflamed, darkened, and clearly untreated for far too long.