My fifteen-year-old daughter kept complaining of nausea and severe stomach pain, but my husband brushed

Her face was a mixture of professionalism and a flicker of disbelief. “Mrs. Thompson, may I speak with you alone for a moment?” she asked, glancing at Emma, who was doing her best to appear untroubled despite the fear in her eyes.

My heart hammered in my chest as I stepped into the hallway with Dr. Brooks. Her voice was low, almost reverent, as she spoke. “The scan… it revealed something abnormal. We found a mass, and it’s not small.”

“A mass?” I echoed, the words heavy in my mouth.