Dr Osei's practice opened at eight.
I had Eli dressed and fed and ready by seven thirty which meant we sat in Angela's kitchen for twenty minutes doing nothing while Eli explained to Captain bear what was going to happen today in very serious terms.
"It's just a small thing," he told the bear. "It won't hurt much. And after we can get ice cream."
I had not promised ice cream.
But I was absolutely getting him ice cream.
Angela drove us. She sat in the front and I sat in the back with Eli and held his hand and looked out of the window and told myself this was fine, this was good, this was exactly what needed to happen and the tight thing in my chest was just a mother feeling mother things and not anything to worry about.
Eli looked up at me at a red light.
"Mama are you scared?" he sa
