This Little Light of Mine

2: 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐍𝗼𝐭 𝐇𝗼𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝗼𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝗼𝐞𝐬

The weeks and months went on with Tim and Lucy treating Bennett's pediatric, or juvenile, arthritis. While there is no cure, the parents were thankful to the doctor for catching it as early as she did, and prescribing the cream for Bennett. It had seemed to be helping the four year old, for the most part, anyway. Or at least that's what Tim and Lucy had thought.

Life continued on for the small family. Bennett continued going to preschool, and Tim and Lucy continued working. Everything was going great. Bennett was thriving in school, and was showing everyone just how smart she was. On top of that, Bennett also started tee-ball. They only practiced a couple times a week, but Bennett was loving it all. She was a very sporty little girl, and the best part? Lucy convinced Tim to coach the team, and seeing as he would do anything for his baby girl, he accepted. Both he and Lucy loved watching their daughter play the sport, and enjoy it.

Outside of preschool and sports, Bennett was still a seemingly normal little girl. She was usually always happy, unless it was time to apply the cream, and always very playful. She loved anything, including dogs, babies, and princesses. Oftentimes, she would play outside all day long. Of course, Kojo and Max would be there too. Bennett was a very sporty and energetic child, so the outdoor time was great for her.

Bennett especially loved the days when she would get to go to the station with her parents and Tamara, too. She would get to venture around the station, talk to everyone in her path, and spend lots of time in Tim's office. Everyone loved her, and constantly doted on her, giving her whatever she wanted while she was there. But, in all honesty, Bennett typically got what she wanted anyway. She was the true definition of spoiled rotten, but her parents wouldn't have it any other way.

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Bennett had doctors appointments every month to check in on her arthritis, and make sure the cream was still working for her. It continuously appeared that it was working effectively, so the doctor made no changes to her prescription during her most recent office visit.

Typically, after her appointments, Lucy or Tim, or both, depending on who was able to take Bennett, would take the four year old out for lunch and ice cream afterwards. It was a reward for Bennett, as the little girl wasn't the biggest fan of repetitive doctor visits, but who could blame her? So, whenever she would go and do her best at the appointment, she would be rewarded afterwards. If Tim took her by himself, there was at least a one hundred percent chance that the two would return home with a new toy of some sort for Bennett. He was a total softie for his daughter, and it showed. While the appointments were never fun for anyone, taking her out afterwards helped ease the stress of appointments, especially for Bennett.

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June 18, 2025

Everything had been going seemingly well with Bennett's juvenile arthritis treatments. That is, up until three months in. By this point, Bennett had enjoyed her fifth birthday party, and was getting ready to celebrate her actual birthday. On her actual birthday, Tim and Lucy would take her out and spend the entire day doing whatever she wanted to.

About two weeks before her birthday, Bennett had been experiencing some new symptoms. She had been having some odd eye movements, and she had been squinting a lot. Before now, Bennett had perfect vision. However, the doctor had informed them that the arthritis could spread to her eyes, which they assumed this was.

Bennett had also started to experience some more concerning issues. She was having a hard time maintaining her balance, and would fall over a lot more than usual, which was especially evident while she played outside, and at tee-ball practice. She also suffered from headaches, which was something she rarely had. The more concerning part here was that these headaches would cause her to vomit. At first, Tim and Lucy had thought she caught a virus from preschool, which would not manage to surprise them at all.