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When Daniel closed the door, the party noise rushed back in like someone unmuted the world.
“Everything okay?” my sister called.
Sophie ran up, frosting on her chin.
“Mom!
Where were you?” she asked. “We’re opening presents!”
I pulled her into my arms and squeezed.
“You’re squishing me,” she giggled.
“Sorry,” I said, kissing her hair. “I just love you a lot.”
The next morning, we were at the pediatrician.
I told our doctor everything.
She didn’t wave it off.
“Okay,” she said.
“We’ll run her bloodwork today, and I’ll refer you to a pediatric oncologist. We won’t panic before we know, but we are not ignoring this.”
Sophie swung her legs on the exam table.
“Do I have to get a shot?” she asked.
“Just a little poke,” the nurse said. “Then you get a sticker.”
“I want three,” Sophie said.
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