During breakfast, Nicholas' medical team arrived. To avoid making Tabitha feel anxious, they wore casual clothes instead of uniforms.
The two little ones hadn't finished eating, so I sat with them in the living room while chatting with the doctors.
The team handed me a printed booklet with Tabitha's diagnostic report and a detailed treatment plan. I carefully went through it page by page, asking questions whenever I had doubts, while the doctors patiently explained everything.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the dining room. "Tabitha isn't sick!"
Cory grabbed Tabitha's hand and bolted upstairs without a second thought. When they reached Tabitha's room, he slammed the door shut with a bang.
Cory leaned his back against the door as if guarding against an imminent threat. "Tabitha, I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you!"
With a serious expression, he added, "Let's escape through the window, okay?"
He looked around and continued, "I saw on TV that you can tie bed sheets into a rope, throw it out the window, and climb down. It's totally safe!"
Tabitha, breathing slightly heavily, looked at him as if he were an idiot. She disliked physical activity of any kind.
Walking was already a chore, and she preferred clinging to Wendy's shoulders whenever possible. But now, this little fool had dragged her up to the third floor in one go!
She looked down at her small hand, which had turned red from Cory's grip, and shook it out with a blank expression. Her gaze toward Cory held an indescribable hint of curiosity.
He was a real fool. Everyone said she was sick, but he was the only one who said she wasn't.
…
I opened the door to find Tabitha sitting on the carpet by the bed while Cory stood tall beside her, arms crossed, looking down at her.
I wasn't sure what had transpired between them, but it was clear that Tabitha wasn't the one being bullied. If anything, it looked like the usually assertive Cory had been wronged.
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