No One Came Chapter 09
The color drained from Dad’s face.
His legs trembled. His lips quivered.
“How could… wasn’t she just throwing a tantrum…”
Mom pulled my medical records from her purse.
One page stated it clearly:
“Severe peanut allergy. History of anaphylactic shock. Recommended to carry an EpiPen at all times.”
She had never looked closely at this record before.
Every time she took me to the doctor, she’d thought they were being overly dramatic.
She thought allergies were no big deal. She thought I was just overreacting.
Now she stared at the words, reading them over and over.
“It says she needed to carry an EpiPen.”
Her voice began to tremble.
“I don’t even know what that is. I never bought one for her. I didn’t even know her allergy could be this serious…”
She covered her face, her shoulders shaking violently.
“Every time she said she didn’t feel well, I told her she was faking it.”
“Every time she broke out in hives, I said she’d scratched herself.”
“Every time she couldn’t breathe, I told her she was just being anxious…”
“Enough!”
Dad suddenly roared.
“What’s the point of saying all this now? Is it going to bring her back?”
“Then tell me what I’m supposed to do!”
Mom shot to her feet, the medical record crumpled in her fist.
“My daughter is dead! I didn’t even know how she died!”
“And what was I doing while she was dying? I was eating dinner! I was serving my son! I was watching TV! I was laughing!”