My child should never cry

Chapter 9 - Life can be cruel

Mary is inside Angel's pediatric doctor's office. Angel had some tests done, and now her mother has come to speak with the pediatrician.

"You should do these medical tests again, Mary dear," said Alice. Alice is a pediatric doctor and a friend of Mary's. Alice is a blonde woman somewhere between the ages of forty and forty-five. She has a short stature and is a little heavy.

"But what could have happened?" Mary asks, a bit concerned. "She tires quickly and sometimes has a very strong cough. And all this since she was hospitalized for those three weeks. Surely you remember how scared I was then."

"Maybe it's because of the treatment she underwent with all those injections and infusions. It looks like there could be something wrong with the analysis—maybe an error has been made. Probably an error, because Angel in no way has the problem the results of these tests show. No way has Angel been hit by this terrible disease."

"Error in what sense?" Mary asks, trembling. She takes the results sheet to see with her own eyes what problem her dear daughter might have.

"Analyses, such as these routine tests, show that Angel is suffering from a blood immunity, but we should not be scared. These tests must be repeated. Most likely it was a mistake. Angel cannot have such problems. Perhaps the blood samples were compromised," answered Alice. "I'm sure about that."

"But we still need to do some more investigation. It's obvious that something is wrong with her."

"Yes, Mary, but you do not have to worry about it. Certainly it's not anything serious. The analyses were not done in our lab, because you know that Mrs. Johanson is on vacation."

"Yes." Mary continues to read the test results.

"Probably there were problems with transporting or storing the samples or how they were analyzed. You know how it is in large hospitals. It's about a lot of work and all in a hurry, which causes many mistakes, just like Jordan's analyses, or Jim's. Do you remember that?" asked Alice.

"Yes. We'll certainly do the tests again," said Mary.

"That is also my recommendation, because there are still some problems with blood clotting. It's necessary to detect that," Alice responded.

"Thank you, Alice, for everything!"

"You're welcome, Mary. You know you can count on my help any time. Whenever you need something, you know that I'll be available for you," answered Alice.

"Perhaps I will accuse that hospital of committing such errors. Maybe I'll call a lawyer," said Mary going out the door. "Have a nice day, Alice!" she hollered over her shoulder.

"Same to you, and all the best. Give a kiss to Angel from me," Alice hollered back, with a smile on her face.

"I will!"

***

Mary visits Angel's school, where Susan White is the principle. Mary enters Susan's office and sits on a chair. "I came as fast as I could, Susan," said Mary.

Susan smiles faintly. It is obvious that something is bothering her pretty badly. She sits down.

"What happened?" asked Mary.

"You know I had a meeting with the parents' committee?"

"Yes, I know, and I have thousand excuses why I couldn't get here, as you know how much trouble I had with Angel," Mary said all in one gulp. It was clear that she felt rushed.

"We discussed important things," said Susan.

"Yes, Susan, I know I am on the parents committee and that it's very important to be present at all the meetings. And if I cannot, I will be removed. I won't make any problems, and I do not mind if I'm removed. I will even require removal. I will not be upset. I understand the situation. We will still remain friends, so do not worry."