Chapter 7 - The Nurse's Report
True to her word, Brenda arrived right at 9:00 AM, carrying her medical bag in one hand and a bright yellow gift bag filled with word searches, colored pencils, and sticker sheets in the other.
When she walked into the living room where Daddy and I were sitting on the couch watching cartoons, her face beamed with a warm, professional smile.
"Good morning, my favorite superstar!" Brenda said brightly, walking over to check my temperature and take my pulse. "How are we feeling today, Chloe?"
"Good!" I said, holding up my wrist for the blood pressure cuff. "My head doesn't hurt as much, and I ate half a bowl of soup yesterday!"
"More than half," Daddy corrected with a proud grin from the armchair. "She practically licked the bowl clean."
Brenda chuckled, jotting down my stats on her clipboard. Her eyes flicked toward the kitchen and down the hallway, taking in the serene, quiet atmosphere of the house. She paused, looking back at Daddy with a knowing, questioning look in her eyes.
"I take it the situation from two nights ago has been handled?" Brenda asked quietly, keeping her voice low so it felt like an adult secret.
"Permanently," Daddy replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Marcus filed the emergency injunctions yesterday morning, along with the no-contact orders. She came by late last night trying to bang the door down, but we didn't open it. I've already changed the deadbolts just in case she tries to use an old spare."
Brenda let out a long, audible sigh of relief, dropping her pen onto her clipboard. "Thank goodness. Robert, you have no idea how worried I've been about leaving you two alone in that environment. Stress is a physical toxin for pediatric oncology patients. Her white blood cell count has enough to fight off without having to dodge emotional shrapnel in her own home."
"I know," Daddy said, his voice tightening slightly with guilt. "I stayed blind to it for too long because I was trying to keep the family together. I kept telling myself she was just stressed about the medical bills and the routine."
"You did what you thought was right until you saw the truth," Brenda said gently, reaching out to pat his arm. "And the moment you saw it, you drew a hard line. That's what a real father does."
She turned back to me, opening the yellow gift bag and pulling out a sparkly unicorn sticker sheet. "Here you go, Chloe. A reward for being the bravest girl in Oklahoma."
"Thank you, Miss Brenda!" I beamed, immediately peeling a sticker of a rainbow-maned unicorn and sticking it proudly to the back of my hand.
Brenda packed up her stethoscope and blood pressure monitor, standing up to leave. "I'll be back on Thursday for your scheduled check-in, Robert. But if you need anything before then—legal documentation, extra medical supplies, or just a second opinion on her recovery milestones—you call my personal cell. Understand?"
"I appreciate it more than you know, Brenda," Daddy said, walking her to the front door.
May you like
As the door clicked shut behind her, the house felt even more like our own fortress. No negativity, no cruel remarks, no cold stares. Just the steady, safe rhythm of recovery.
---
