A Father Came Home Early—Then His Daughter Named Who Hurt Her

I buckled Ella into the back seat of our SUV, placing the stuffed rabbit beside her.

Caroline came outside behind us.

“You are making this bigger than it is,” she said.

I closed Ella’s door before answering.

“I hope I am.”

Then I got into the driver’s seat and left.

The emergency entrance was bright enough to make every person look exhausted.

I carried Ella through the automatic doors while she kept one arm around my neck and the other around the rabbit.

At check-in, the nurse asked when the pain started, where it hurt, and whether Ella felt safe going home.

That last question made Ella look at me.

“You can answer honestly,” I told her.

She whispered, “Not if Mom is there.”

The nurse did not react dramatically.

She simply entered the answer into the intake record and placed an identification band around Ella’s wrist.