Tula’s mind raced as she stared at the door, waiting for the doctor to come. The minutes stretched, bending under the weight of too many tests, too many clipped answers. Ashley sat beside her, fingers laced tight, eyes fixed on the floor. Neither of them spoke. There was nothing left to say.
The doctor came in five minutes later, though it felt longer. He carried no charts this time. Just a name badge clipped too neatly to his coat and a weight behind his eyes. Tula didn’t ask him to sit. She didn’t offer a greeting. She only said, “Tell me the truth.”
Tula’s heart rattled in her chest, and she couldn’t hear anything over her deafening heartbeat. The doctor took a brief pause before speaking up. Then he spoke, and for a moment, Tula thought she hadn’t heard him correctly. Her stomach turned before her mind caught up. She looked at Ashley, but her daughter’s expression had already collapsed.