Chapter 9
Willa spent four days in intensive care.
The bloodstream infection responded slowly.
Her kidneys showed temporary stress.
Chemotherapy was paused.
Every delay frightened Hannah because leukemia treatment followed a carefully designed schedule.
Dr. Patel explained that treating the infection came first.
“We cannot cure cancer by ignoring sepsis.”
“Will the delay make the leukemia return?”
“We will adjust the treatment plan. A short delay does not automatically mean relapse.”
Automatically.
Medicine rarely offered the absolute words Hannah wanted.
Willa woke fully on the second day.
Her first question was whether Elise had gone home.
Elise had.
Owen convinced her after she began having contractions in the hospital corridor.
They were irregular and stopped with rest.
The next morning, Elise returned with a yellow raincoat folded inside a bag.
“I thought you might need something that is not gray,” she said.
Willa looked at it.
“I don’t go outside much.”
“Then save it.”
“For what?”
“The next time rain is just rain.”
Willa touched the sleeve.
“Did you see Theo?”
“Yes.”
“Was he scared?”
“Yes.”
“Did he cry?”
“Yes.”
“He hates people knowing.”
“I won’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know.”
Willa looked toward her mother.
“Mom told the police.”
“Yes.”
“Dad said he’d make Theo disappear.”
“He did not succeed.”
“Because I left.”
“Because you carried information to someone who could help.”
Willa frowned.
“That’s the same.”
“Not exactly.”
Elise sat beside the bed.
“You should never have needed to run from a hospital while receiving chemotherapy.”
“But I did.”
“Yes.”
“And it worked.”
“It helped.”
“Then why does everybody say I shouldn’t have?”
“Because adults are trying to praise your courage without teaching you that saving everyone is your job.”
Willa considered this.
“My mom couldn’t go.”
“No.”
“The nurses didn’t know.”
“No.”
“I knew where Theo was.”
“Yes.”
“So it was my job.”
Elise did not argue immediately.
Children lose trust when adults deny obvious facts.
“It became something you chose to do,” she said. “That is different from something you should have been responsible for.”
Willa traced the blanket seam.
“Would you have gone?”
“I called people trained to enter warehouses.”
“You didn’t answer.”
Elise smiled faintly.
“I wanted to go. Wanting and going are different.”
That answer satisfied Willa more.
May you like
The raincoat remained on the chair until discharge.
When Willa finally left intensive care, she wore it through the hospital corridor despite clear skies outside.
