A “Thoughtful” Birthday Gift, an ER Visit, and the Custody Papers Waiting in the Hallway

room has its own kind of time. Minutes feel like hours, and everything around you becomes a blur of fluorescent lights, muffled voices, and the steady beep of machines behind doors you cannot enter.

Lily was rushed through, and I was left sitting in a waiting area with parents from the party texting and calling. Some offered rides home for other children.continue reading …