Twenty-Eight Days Too Late

Maybe it was some kind of father-daughter intuition. Dan had been blowing up my phone since yesterday—call after call, text after text.

He kept pressing me about Ruby's condition, swearing up and down that he'd come back right away to donate the marrow.

But I couldn't even bring myself to look at his messages. I tossed my phone aside and left it there.

She was gone. His belated promises were cheaper than the cold air in that morgue.

The next morning, I dragged myself to the hospital to make arrangements for Ruby.

I barely made it through the front doors when I heard shouting—a familiar voice that made my entire body go rigid.

Dan.

I looked up and saw him holding Theo tightly in his arms, his face dark with rage. He was laying into a group of nurses and doctors.

"Theo's leg is injured, and this is the sloppy excuse for care you're giving him? If he ends up with permanent damage, who's going to take responsibility? I want your best doctor, your best room, and the best medication—now!"

Theo rested against his chest, his eyes a little red. It looked like nothing more than a minor scrape. But Dan was cradling him like the world was ending.

I stood there, watching, and felt a wave of absurdity wash over me.

When Ruby was fighting for her life in that hospital bed, one more day didn't matter to him. But Valerie's son gets a tiny scratch, and suddenly the sky is falling.

Pathetic.

In the middle of his tirade, Dan's eyes caught mine. He froze for a second, then hurried over to me, Theo still in his arms. His voice carried that same familiar, dismissive tone—the one he always used to smooth things over.

"Lynn. How's Ruby doing? Look, don't be upset. I wasn't trying to blow this off.

"Theo got hurt on the way back. He's just a kid—his bones are still growing. If I don't handle this carefully, he could have lifelong problems.

"Just let me get him settled, and then I'll go straight to donate for Ruby. I swear—I won't delay her treatment."

My eyes burned, but I swallowed the pain down deep.

Ruby was already dead. What was the point of getting angry now?

I just stared at him—no tears, no yelling, none of the pleading he was used to.

He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, rubbing his neck. Then he told me, awkwardly, to take good care of Ruby.

And with that, he turned and followed the medical staff to get Theo checked in for a full workup.

I finished the paperwork not long after. Then Dan came back—alone.

He approached me with that hesitant look he got whenever he had bad news to deliver.

"Lynn, listen... Theo's tests came back. He's lost a lot of blood. The blood bank is running low, and we happen to have the same type.

"I need to give him transfusions this week. I can't do Ruby's transplant yet. You're going to have to wait a little longer."

Wait? How much more waiting did he think I had left in me?

I'd already waited until Ruby missed her window. I'd waited until she slipped away forever. And he still wanted me to wait.

He must have seen something darken in my face, because he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

"Here—I picked this up for Ruby at Disneyland. Give it to her, okay? Tell her to hang in there for me.

"I've been thinking about her every day. Once Theo recovers, I'll come see her right away."

He turned and hurried off before I could respond.

I watched him disappear down the hall. Then I looked down at the doll in my hands.

It still had a "complimentary" sticker on the box.

My heart went cold. I wiped my eyes, took a breath, and finally spoke.

"Dan, you've been back this whole time. Don't you want to see Ruby?"