Chapter 4 The Three Needle Marks

The nurse gave me a cautious look. "I'd recommend discussing this directly with the attending physician."

I got copies of all three test reports, along with the appointment slip for the stem cell collection.

…

When I got home, Sawyer was sitting in the living room.

His eyes immediately narrowed when he saw the folder in my hand. "You went to the hospital?"

I slapped the appointment slip onto the table. "Your daughter's stem cell collection is scheduled for next Tuesday. When were you planning to tell me?"

He picked up the slip and glanced at it before setting it back down. "I was going to tell you today."

"Tell me what? That you've already arranged my daughter's procedure and all that's left is to notify me so I can sign a consent form?"

"This isn't surgery," he corrected me. "It's a peripheral blood stem cell collection. They'll give her shots to mobilize the stem cells for a few days, then collect them through a vein in her arm. It's basically like donating blood."

"Basically like donating blood? She's only seven!"

"The initial tests suggest she may be suitable. The full evaluation is next Tuesday."

"Which doctors? Yours? Or the ones Juliet found?"

His expression darkened. "The chief of hematology at one of the best hospitals. You can ask them yourself."

"Do you even know the side effects of those shots? Bone pain, headaches, fever?"

"They're all manageable." He stood up, his voice growing more impatient.

"Sienna, I know you hate seeing Piper go through this. I do too. But Tatum really can't wait any longer. He's been waiting for three months. The bone marrow registry hasn't found a match, and none of his relatives are a full match.

"Juliet is only a partial match herself, so the chances of a successful transplant are too low. Piper is our best option right now." His voice softened again. "She'll recover after a week or two of rest. I'll be with her the entire time."

"Like you were there when they drew her blood? When you promised her they'd only stick her once, but they ended up sticking her three times?"

He had no answer.

I picked up the appointment slip and tore it in half right in front of him. The torn pieces fell at his feet.

He bent down to pick them up, his knuckles turning white. "Sienna, I'm her father. I have the right to make medical decisions for her."

"You have that right?" I laughed. "What have you done for her in the past seven years that makes you think you have that right? And now you suddenly have that right? Because Juliet needs something?"

His chest heaved.

Juliet's voice came from the doorway. "Sienna, can't you stop fighting with Sawyer for the children's sake?"

When had she gotten here?

She was holding Tatum's hand.

He was much thinner than the last time I had seen him. His complexion was ashen, and he wore a mask.

When he saw us arguing, he shrank behind Juliet without saying a word.

She bent down and pushed Tatum toward me. "Tatum, say hello to Ms. Thorne. Ask her to let Piper help you."

Tatum looked up at me. His eyes were wide, with dark circles underneath.

"Ms. Thorne." His voice was barely audible. "I don't want to stay in the hospital anymore. I want to go back to school."

For a moment, something stirred inside me.

Piper's bedroom door opened, and she appeared in the doorway. I had no idea how long she had been listening.

She looked at Tatum, then at Sawyer, and slowly rolled up her sleeve. Three needle marks dotted her arm.

The oldest had already scabbed over. The newest was still covered by a flesh-colored bandage. One edge had peeled back, revealing a dark purple bruise underneath.

"Mommy…" Piper's voice was barely a whisper.

She stood there, only seven years old and so thin, with three needle marks on her arm like three tiny nails.

"Daddy said they'd only take one tube of blood, and then it wouldn't hurt. But they took three."

She pulled her sleeve back down to her wrist.

"I didn't cry the first time. I didn't cry the second time, either. The third time, it took the nurse a long time to draw my blood. I still didn't cry. Daddy said I was brave."

She did not cry.

She just looked at Sawyer, dazed. The last bit of color drained from his face. "Daddy, where did my blood go?"