Page 60 of Night By Night

Chapter Fourteen

Hank felt exhausted when he returned home that evening. Using up his weekend working had been great for helping his bank account, but not so much for his body.

When he arrived home he smelled dinner cooking and felt a little guilty he wasn’t the one doing it.

It also surprised him that JJ didn’t come greet him at the door like she usually did.

Dox, however, met Hank when he walked in. The grim look on Dox’s face didn’t bode well.

“What happened?” Hank asked, fear rolling through him. “What’s wrong?”

Dox took his lunch cooler from him. “Kitchen,” he softly said.

“Where’s JJ?”

“She’s napping. Let’s go talk. Come on.”

Hank followed him. Numb, he stood in the kitchen and listened as Dox told him about picking JJ up and taking her to the doctor…and his preliminary diagnosis.

“I…” He felt like he’d been gut-punched. “Can we get a second opinion or something? She’s a healthy kid. She’s rarely sick, even after she started kindergarten.”

“That’s why I’m taking her in tomorrow morning for the additional blood work. That’s when he’ll confirm it, or look elsewhere. I already told Marcia and Derrick I need a couple of days off, and why.”

“I…” He slumped back against the counter. “Can he be wrong?”

“I doubt it. June even told me to have them check her blood sugar. She didn’t tell me she suspected diabetes, but after I called her once we were home, to tell her what was going on and that we might not be there tomorrow, she admitted one of her daughters’ friends when they were kids had T1D.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the type of diabetes. T2D is the insulin-resistant type. This is the one they used to call juvenile diabetes.”

“Wait. That’s the worse one, isn’t it?”

“It can be, if we don’t manage it properly. That’s why it’s critical we get her diagnosed now, if that’s what it is, and get her on a treatment regimen. Does anyone in your family have it?”

Hank shook his head. “I don’t know. Wait…” He thought about it. “Mom’s mom had something. She had to take shots all the time.”

“But you don’t remember why?”

“No.” He felt numb. “She’s going to need one of those testing things, right?”

Dox nodded. “Likely.”

“Those are expensive, aren’t they?” He felt physically sick. “And I heard insulin is really expensive, isn’t it?” He wanted Dox to reassure him, to tell him this was going to be okay.

The grim look on his friend’s face offered no solace. “I was thinking maybe it’s better you go to work tomorrow and let me handle this, and I’ll—”

“Fuck that! I’m her father!” Then something else hit him. “Wait, how much was today’s appointment?”

Dox shook his head a little. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Uh, yeah, Iwillworry about it. How much? Will they bill me, or do I need to pay you back? How’s that work?”

Dox stepped closer and put his hands on Hank’s shoulders. “Stop,” he gently said. “I took care of it.”

“I-I can’t let you do that!”

“There’s no ‘letting’ me do it—it’sdone. I’m taking care of tomorrow, too.”