eyes. She shifted her gaze to the ceiling panels and then the window. Anywhere but her arm, where her daughter was jabbing her with a needle.
"Mom? You okay?"
Darci forced a smile through her tight jaw but didn't take her focus off the windowsill.
"Keep going, Taylor," Joelle said, kindly. "You're doing great."
Darci felt the warm rush of the saline enter her body and a moment later, Taylor withdrew the needle. Almost immediately, the throbbing started and Darci had to remind herself not to reach for her arm with her free hand.
Taylor pressed a cotton ball to the injection site. "All done," she said.
Darci turned and looked at her daughter's smiling face. The ache in her arm vanished, and she smiled. "You're getting better, Tay. I don't think I even felt that one."
"Yeah right, Mom."
"You are getting pretty good at it," Joelle said. "Maybe next time, you can do your own insulin?"
Darci held her breath, but Taylor nodded and her voice only wavered a little when she said, "I think I could try."
"Great!" Joelle gathered up the supplies they'd been working with. "You really are doing well, Taylor. I'm very impressed. Why don't you relax for a bit, maybe go watch some TV? I think we're done for now."
Before she left the room, Darci met Joelle at the door. "Thank you," she said.
"You did great too," Joelle said with a smile.
Darci glanced over her shoulder to make sure Taylor wasn't listening. To the nurse, she asked, "Will it hurt that much when she does it to herself?"
"It might at first. If she's tense," she said. "I imagine you were a little tense?"
Darci nodded. "You could tell?"
Joelle smiled. "Don't worry. She's going to be fine with it. It's amazing how fast kids pick it up. Pretty soon you won't even give it a second thought. The needles will become second nature. I promise you, there will be a time when you'll look back on all this and wonder what you were so worried about."
"We'll see," Darci said. She couldn't imagine ever getting to that point, but she smiled anyway. Taylor did seem to be handling the needles well. Better than she would have, anyway.
"I promise," Joelle said. Darci opened the door for Joelle who had her hands full.
"Oh," the nurse said. "Looks like you have company."
Cam stood, hand poised, in the entryway. "Knock, knock," he said and stepped to the side as Joelle slipped out.
"Coach Cam!" Taylor hopped off the bed and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.
Darci shot a questioning look over her head to Cam who looked just as confused. Taylor had never hugged the coach before, except for once when he'd comforted her after spraining an ankle.
"Hey there, superstar," he said, unwinding her arms from around his waist. "How're you feeling?"
"Not too bad," she said. "Come in. I'll show you my room."
"Is that okay?" Cam asked Darci.
She nodded. Taylor hadn't looked so happy since she'd been admitted. "By all means, come on in."
###
While Taylor was busy showing Cam the highlights of her new room, Darci excused herself out to the hall to check her phone.
She fished her phone out of her pocket. The light wasn't flashing. She'd left more messages with Monica since she'd been at the hospital, but she still hadn't returned them. Felicity would freak out if she knew the store had been left unattended all morning.
She dialed the number to the store and Monica picked up on the first ring. "Golden Moon Health, how can I make your day glow?"
"Oh, thank goodness," Darci said. "You're there."
"Of course I'm here," Monica said. "My shift started an hour ago. But where were you? A sign on the door? Really, Darci, Felicity is going to kill you."
Darci's heart skipped a beat and she clutched her stomach. "Wait a minute. I told you I needed to leave early today." Darci tried to tamp down her panic. "I had to be at the hospital for Taylor. You said you'd come and cover for me. I called you a dozen times."
"How is Taylor?"
"Monica!
"Mom? You okay?"
Darci forced a smile through her tight jaw but didn't take her focus off the windowsill.
"Keep going, Taylor," Joelle said, kindly. "You're doing great."
Darci felt the warm rush of the saline enter her body and a moment later, Taylor withdrew the needle. Almost immediately, the throbbing started and Darci had to remind herself not to reach for her arm with her free hand.
Taylor pressed a cotton ball to the injection site. "All done," she said.
Darci turned and looked at her daughter's smiling face. The ache in her arm vanished, and she smiled. "You're getting better, Tay. I don't think I even felt that one."
"Yeah right, Mom."
"You are getting pretty good at it," Joelle said. "Maybe next time, you can do your own insulin?"
Darci held her breath, but Taylor nodded and her voice only wavered a little when she said, "I think I could try."
"Great!" Joelle gathered up the supplies they'd been working with. "You really are doing well, Taylor. I'm very impressed. Why don't you relax for a bit, maybe go watch some TV? I think we're done for now."
Before she left the room, Darci met Joelle at the door. "Thank you," she said.
"You did great too," Joelle said with a smile.
Darci glanced over her shoulder to make sure Taylor wasn't listening. To the nurse, she asked, "Will it hurt that much when she does it to herself?"
"It might at first. If she's tense," she said. "I imagine you were a little tense?"
Darci nodded. "You could tell?"
Joelle smiled. "Don't worry. She's going to be fine with it. It's amazing how fast kids pick it up. Pretty soon you won't even give it a second thought. The needles will become second nature. I promise you, there will be a time when you'll look back on all this and wonder what you were so worried about."
"We'll see," Darci said. She couldn't imagine ever getting to that point, but she smiled anyway. Taylor did seem to be handling the needles well. Better than she would have, anyway.
"I promise," Joelle said. Darci opened the door for Joelle who had her hands full.
"Oh," the nurse said. "Looks like you have company."
Cam stood, hand poised, in the entryway. "Knock, knock," he said and stepped to the side as Joelle slipped out.
"Coach Cam!" Taylor hopped off the bed and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.
Darci shot a questioning look over her head to Cam who looked just as confused. Taylor had never hugged the coach before, except for once when he'd comforted her after spraining an ankle.
"Hey there, superstar," he said, unwinding her arms from around his waist. "How're you feeling?"
"Not too bad," she said. "Come in. I'll show you my room."
"Is that okay?" Cam asked Darci.
She nodded. Taylor hadn't looked so happy since she'd been admitted. "By all means, come on in."
###
While Taylor was busy showing Cam the highlights of her new room, Darci excused herself out to the hall to check her phone.
She fished her phone out of her pocket. The light wasn't flashing. She'd left more messages with Monica since she'd been at the hospital, but she still hadn't returned them. Felicity would freak out if she knew the store had been left unattended all morning.
She dialed the number to the store and Monica picked up on the first ring. "Golden Moon Health, how can I make your day glow?"
"Oh, thank goodness," Darci said. "You're there."
"Of course I'm here," Monica said. "My shift started an hour ago. But where were you? A sign on the door? Really, Darci, Felicity is going to kill you."
Darci's heart skipped a beat and she clutched her stomach. "Wait a minute. I told you I needed to leave early today." Darci tried to tamp down her panic. "I had to be at the hospital for Taylor. You said you'd come and cover for me. I called you a dozen times."
"How is Taylor?"
"Monica!
Similar Books
