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“Are you sure? Where does it hurt in your head?”
Anne started tugging at the hem of my jacket until I was looking at her.
“What's wrong?”
“Let's gohome.”
“First, we'll go to the hospital to see what's wrong with your sister.”
Anne crossed her arms and seemed irritated by the situation. I put her in the other car seat and drove to the hospital that was closest to our house. I'd been dealing with both on my own since they were babies, and it had never been easy, no matter how many resources I had.
I gave them my best, but sometimes, I still felt I was failing. It probably would have been a lot easier if their mother hadn't been torn away from us, but I avoided thinking about it so as not to mourn.
I stopped at the emergency room and picked up my daughters. I held Mary on my lap and Anne's hand. Soon, one of the on-duty doctors took us to a room to see her.
“How are you, young lady?” He closed the office door and approached Mary, whom I had placed on the stretcher.
“I'mfine now.”
“I was told that she complained of a headache at the end of the lesson, and when I arrived at school, she looked very down.”
“Did they give her medication?”
“They didn't tell me anything.”
“Have you taken any medicine?” He turned to my daughter, hoping she would remember to tell him.
Mary just shook her head no.
“I'm just going to examine you.”
“That'sgood.”
The doctor made Mary open her mouth, checked her throat and her head, probably in search of a bruise, and found nothing. He listened to her chest and checked her temperature before turning to me.
“Look, Dad, she seems fine. Apparently, there's nothing to worry about. No fever or throat infection, but I'll ask you to keep an eye on her and come back here if anything comes up.”
“And the headache?”
“There could be any number of causes, from playing to exposure to the sun. If her complaints become constant, you can come back, and we'll do a CT scan to identify a possible cause, but I believe your daughter is healthy and has nothing to worry about.”
“How nice!” I let out a sigh of relief.
The twins were my most precious possession, and the thought of something happening to them made me desperate.
“Let's go home, girls.” I took Mary from the stretcher and held out my hand for Anne to come with me.
“I want a lollipop,” Anne asked as we walked back to the car.
“Only after dinner.”
“Ah, Dad!”
“Candy is bad for your teeth.”
She pouted, but I was used to dealing with that little face and had acquired a firm hand over the years.
I put them in the car and leaned towards Mary again.