She stays silent for a few seconds. I’m hoping the urgency of the situation is finally breaking through her shallow brain.
“Ugh, whatever. McKenzie’s out with her car, and I’m not taking the bus. It’ll take too long to get there. Deal with her at the hospital and then drop her off with me. I’ll just have to cancel my plans because your girlfriend doesn’t have an ounce of common sense.”
“Fine.” I hang up the phone, frustrated with her bullshit.
A middle-aged doctor with greying hair walks in wearing green scrubs and a stethoscope around his neck. He walks over to the small sink in our room and washes his hands.
When he approaches us, I can spot his medical I.D. encased in a plastic holder around his neck.
“Well, well, well. I never like hearing such a sweet little one crying this way,” he smiles at Emersyn as she hides her face in my neck, tears still pooling around her eyes. “I think I know what she needs.”
The doctor reaches behind his back and pulls out a juice box and small, brown stuffed teddy bear. It’s holding a heart in his hand that says Get Well Soon, so I’m assuming he grabbed it from the gift shop.
“Dad, is it okay if little--” He looks down at his papers to confirm her name, “Emersyn here has some juice?” I nod my consent and continue to gently rock her. She peeks out from my neck, and her eyes immediately widen at the sweet drink and toy. She reaches over to him, just dampness remaining on her face. He opens the juice for her, sticks the straw inside, and then hands it to her as a peace offering.
Emersyn seems much calmer now, so the doctor pulls up a spinning stool and sits next to us.
He reaches out a hand for me to shake, “My name is Dr. Gentile. I’m the Pediatric Attending Physician at Coney Island Hospital. Sorry it took me a little bit to see you guys.”
“It’s no problem. I’m Jaxon, Emersyn’s dad. I was just a bit overwhelmed with the situation. This is the first time something like this has happened.”
“She’s your first?” I nod in response, and he smiles knowingly, patting her on the back.
“You did the right thing, Dad. Now, why not tell me what happened to our little Emersyn here.” He nods towards my daughter, who is slurping her drink down, wide-eyed and kicking her feet enthusiastically.
I explain exactly what Cameron told me and that it was a complete accident. He doesn’t seem too concerned with foul play, which was something that crossed my mind for sure, so I’m relieved when he just nods and listens to how we ended up here.
“Okay, sounds pretty common. These things happen. I have three boys of my own, although they’re older now. But I’ve been right where you are at this age. If anything, more often because they were a wild bunch. Always getting into some trouble and getting hurt somehow.”
I smile at him, appreciating his understanding. He takes hold of Emersyn’s arm while she’s distracted with her juice and toy and looks it over cautiously, eyeing her reaction.
Once he feels safe to proceed without starting another meltdown, he grabs some medical wipes and a clear liquid and gently pats the area to clean it. He gets a long piece of gauze and a large Band-Aid, covering the affected area with the Band-Aid first and then wrapping it gently with the gauze to make sure it’s secure.
Once he cares for her wound, he brings his attention back to me.
“It’s just a minor, second-degree burn. Although it’ll hurt her for a little bit, it shouldn’t even leave a scar.” Dr. Gentile fills out a small form and hands it to me. “This is a prescription for some Silvadene. It’ll help with the healing and prevent infection. You can give her some ibuprofen for her discomfort no sooner than every eight hours. If she’s still uncomfortable over three hours after the ibuprofen, you can alternate with Tylenol. But I think the Motrin will do the trick just fine.” He rubs her head. “Other than that, she’ll be as good as new.”
I feel a wave of relief knowing she won’t be scarred from this.
“You’re a great dad, Jaxon, and tell your girlfriend it happens to all us parents at least once. Kind of like a rite of passage. It usually affects us, as parents, more than it does our kids.” He shakes my hand again, handing me the discharge papers to sign.
“I hope your family has a Happy New Year.”
“Yeah, thanks. Same to you, Doc.”
Even though Emersyn is much calmer now, I’m still going to drop her off with Gelissa. I need to check on Cam and make sure she doesn’t feel too bad. It doesn’t help that I was practically in shock when all this was happening.
I didn’t want to react irrationally and somehow blame Cameron when obviously this was a complete accident. I know for sure the same thing could’ve happened if it was me in that kitchen. I was so focused on calming Emersyn down and staying calm myself, that to make sure I didn’t say the wrong thing to Cam, I decided staying quiet was the safest option.
I feel much better knowing the burn isn’t bad and will heal in a couple weeks.
So when I get home, I’ll butter Cameron up in all the ways she likes and I love, while Gelissa actually sacrifices something as a parent and takes care of her child.
I knock on Gelissa’s door several times before she finally opens it. She’s wrapped in a long, fluffy white robe, her hair bunched up in a rat’s nest on her head. My eyes widen at her appearance. Her cheeks look sunken in, and her skin looks clammy and pale. There are prominent dark circles under her eyes, and I swear I’d
