It was dim but not dark when Billie opened her eyes. She knew this room; it was where the nurses and sometimes the doctors took naps when they had long shifts. Mom brought her here when Ms. Hillard couldn’t take her sometimes.
For a moment, everything seemed normal and quiet, and then the awful memory exploded: Dr. Huang telling her—”No,” she said, and her voice broke. “No, no no—”
“Oh, honey,” said a voice. Billie turned to look, and it was Nurse Huang, sitting up now from the cot where she’d been resting. She came over to sit beside Billie. “Honey, I’m sorry, it’s—”
“I want Mommy,” Billie sobbed. Nurse Huang pulled Billie into a hug. Billie wanted to push her away, like before.
She’d yelled and pushed Nurse Huang and for a second, everything had seemed very strange. But Mom hadn’t sa
