One Tuesday morning, Chloe stood before the bathroom mirror and proudly announced, “Doctor Rosalyn, I don’t look like a pale ghost anymore!”
Brandon suddenly laughed genuinely before catching himself and lowering his eyes awkwardly.
Chloe turned around and looked at him. “Daddy, you’re allowed to laugh.”
“Am I really?” Brandon asked quietly.
“Yes, because Doctor Rosalyn told me being inside a hospital doesn’t mean everybody has to stay sad every minute,” Chloe explained cheerfully.
Rosalyn glanced up from her chart with an amused smile. “I’m fairly certain I never used those exact words, young lady.”
“Well, that’s what you meant anyway,” Chloe replied, grinning.
During the evenings, Brandon often remained late and talked with Rosalyn beside the nursing station. He told stories about teaching himself how to braid hair through online tutorials after his wife p@ssed away, remembering how Chloe once arrived at elementary school with such uneven braids that her teacher eventually taught him how to style them properly.
