Daniel turned pale. For a moment I thought he was going to tell me everything. But then he picked Emma up and carried her to the bathroom.
This time he locked the door from the inside.
A few moments later, my daughter started to cry.
"It hurts, Dad..."
Then I heard Daniel's voice:
"I know, darling. Just hold on a little longer. Mom can't know yet."
My heart almost stopped.
What happened next is in the comments.
I couldn't wait any longer.
Luckily, we kept a spare bathroom key in our bedroom. I grabbed it and ran into the hallway. But at the last moment, I stopped.
If he went in, Daniel would probably find some explanation again.
Instead, I decided to follow him.
After bathing Emma, he put her to bed. Then he put on his jacket and left the house. I called our neighbor and asked her to stay with Emma for a few minutes. Then I got in the car and followed my husband.
He stopped in front of a children's hospital on the other side of town.
With the same small metal box in his hand, he entered the building.
I followed him and saw him go down to the basement. There was a sign on the door:
"Department of Pediatric Oncology"
My legs gave out.
Daniel approached an older doctor and took several small glass jars out of the box, along with photographs of Emma's back.
"The stain was redder today," she said. "It hurt again when the water touched her skin."
The doctor opened a file.
—We already have the final results.
I could no longer remain silent.
—What results?
Daniel turned around. When he saw me, his face went completely pale.
—Laura? How have you…?
—What's wrong with our daughter?
The doctor asked us to sit down.
