Page 29 of Power Play

My heart softens, and I can’t help but smile at her in admiration. At this point, my whole world orbits around my little girl, and honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We will be fine as long as we have each other.

We will be fine.

Chapter 11

Hey, Layla

LAYLA

Now, August

I walkinto Dr. Hernandez’s exam room, sit down in a chair, and beckon Maya over to me. She pauses beside the door, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger. Hesitant and a bit nervous, she looks around the room. The scene makes my heart swell in my chest.

“Sweetie, come here.”

Maya meets my gaze and reluctantly comes closer. She’s not a fan of doctors. She never has been even though we’ve never had a bad experience. It’s just that, for whatever reason, she’s very wary of them. “I want home.”

“We will go home once Dr. Hernandez checks your eyes.”

“My eyes okay. I want home.”

I push a smile onto my face, trying hard not to show her how worried I am. The picture I took yesterday, when she was watchingPaw Patrol, bothers me to no end. “Dr. Hernandez is great. She’s always so kind and attentive to you. Everything’s going to be all right.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Maya.”

Sighing deeply, Maya climbs onto the chair beside me. She stares ahead of her, hands resting on her lap. Then she turns to me, a shy smile blooming on her lips. “I saw Bon-Bon today.”

“Really? What does she look like?”

“She’s a?—”

The door opens, making Maya fall silent. “I’m so sorry for making you wait,” Dr. Hernandez says as she walks toward her stool. She sits down and peers at Maya and me. “How have you been?”

“Good,” I tell her. She’s in her fifties, with beautiful, dark brown skin and bright green eyes. An open smile plays on her lips as she asks Maya to hop up onto the exam table.

After helping her on to the table, Dr. Hernandez asks, “How do you feel, Maya?”

“I’m okay.” She lowers her gaze to her lap, tracing a flower on the skirt of her dress.

Dr. Hernandez nods and focuses her gaze on me. “So what brings you in today? You mentioned something about her eyes?”

“Lately, she’s started rubbing them a lot, a lot more than she was before,” I mutter, then fall quiet. Dammit, I’m rambling. Taking a deep breath, I tell myself,Everything’s going to be all right.Focus. And then I continue. “Since she was little, she’s often rubbed her eyes, and she blinks a lot. I talked about it with her previous doctor in Michigan, and he said I have nothing to worry about. That she’s fine. Then we moved here, and lately, it’s gotten worse. She rubs her eyes, she blinks, and last week I looked at her when she was watching TV and noticed that her right pupil didn’t look the same as her left one.”

I close my mouth as I reach for my purse. I dig out my cell, unlock it, and find the picture I want to show Dr. Hernandez. “I took this picture yesterday.”

Dr. Hernandez takes my phone in her hand and stares at the screen. She pinches the screen, resizing the picture a few times. The focused look on her face makes me anxious.

Everything’s going to be all right. I’m being paranoid. Maya is fine.

“Well, honestly, I’ve never seen anyone be able to catch it in a picture. You did a great job, Ms. Benson, because this will help us move forward way faster.” She puts my cell on the exam table, holding my gaze. “I’ll definitely refer you to an ophthalmologist because this is not my specialty. But from my experience and knowledge, I’m certain Maya has strabismus. We need to find out which kind so we can determine the best course of treatment.”

My hands become limp as I gawk at Dr. Hernandez in stunned silence. “What causes it? Are you sure it’s strabismus? Will we need surgery?”

“Ms. Benson, please, you don’t need to worry. It’s curable, and it’s possible Maya won’t need to do anything except some exercises and wearing glasses. The ophthalmologist will explain everything more thoroughly and in greater detail than I can.” Then she reassures me. “From what I see now, Maya’s eyes are fine. So I might assume it’s intermittent exotropia. That means that it’s not present all the time, and it might happen when she’s feeling tired or sick. If I’m right, it means that you are a very attentive and caring mom since you’ve been able to notice it yourself.”

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