My Ten-Year-Old’s Pregnancy Test Was Positive PART 2

Chapter Seven

The Number That Kept Falling

By Sophie’s third treatment cycle, most of her hair was gone.

Daniel helped her shave the remaining strands. He shaved his own head afterward, although Sophie told him it made his ears look enormous.

Eric offered to do the same.

“No,” Sophie said. “One bald dad is enough.”

It was the closest our family came to normal.

The headaches became less frequent. Sophie stopped waking every hour for water, and during a vision test, she saw movement farther to each side than she had before treatment.

Every improvement came with a price. She lost weight. Food tasted metallic. Some mornings, she was too tired to lift her stuffed rabbit.

Still, her hCG fell after every cycle.

The school district completed its review of Daniel. He was allowed to return, but several parents requested that their children be moved from his class.

“The district cleared you,” I said.

“Rumors don’t care what a district decides.”

Eric stood in the hospital doorway and heard him.

“I can speak at the school board meeting.”

Daniel looked up.

“That would make this public again.”

“It’s already public.”

“You don’t get to play the hero after starting it.”

“No,” Eric said. “But I can tell the truth.”

The meeting was held the following Thursday. Daniel refused to attend, so I watched the livestream from Sophie’s hospital room.

Eric stood alone at the microphone.

He did not mention the details of Sophie’s illness. He simply stated that he had contacted the district while terrified and without complete information. He said the medical investigation found no evidence that Daniel had harmed any child.

Then he said the words Daniel had demanded.

“I accused him without evidence. I was wrong.”

When the meeting ended, Sophie looked toward Daniel.

“Are you still mad at Dad?”

“Yes,” he answered honestly.

“Are you going to stay mad forever?”

“I don’t know.”

She considered that.

“You tell me science changes when there’s new evidence.”

Daniel smiled faintly.

“People are harder than science.”

“But you can try.”

The next MRI showed that the tumor had shrunk significantly. The pressure near Sophie’s visual pathways had decreased, although Dr. Shah warned that treatment was not finished.

“The scan looks better,” she said. “And the hCG is approaching the normal range.”

Eric stared at the monitor.

“How can something that small have done all this?”

“It affected a very sensitive area,” Dr. Shah replied.

I thought of how the test result had done the same thing to our family. A few words on a screen had exposed every crack between us and forced those cracks wider.

Eric withdrew his emergency custody petition. He did not ask me to forgive him. He only asked for permission to keep showing up.

I gave it because Sophie wanted him there.

After the final chemotherapy cycle, we gathered around her bed while a nurse drew one more blood sample. Sophie watched the vial leave the room as though it carried the verdict on her entire future.

The result took four hours.

Dr. Shah arrived just before sunset.

She carried the report against her chest.

Daniel stood. Eric stopped pacing. I felt Sophie’s fingers close around mine.

“Please don’t make us wait,” I said.

Dr. Shah looked at Sophie.

“Your hCG is now below the laboratory’s detectable level.”

For a moment, none of us moved.

Then Sophie began to cry.

“Does that mean it’s gone?”

“It means the treatment has stopped the tumor from producing the hormone. That is an excellent sign.”

Daniel hugged her from one side. Eric leaned in from the other.

They did not look at each other.

They did not need to.

For the first time, both men were holding our daughter instead of fighting over her.