The pregnancy hormone that had accused an innocent man had become something else.
It was now the number telling us our daughter might survive.
Chapter Seven
The Number That Kept Falling
By Sophie’s third treatment cycle, most of her hair was gone.
Daniel helped her shave the remaining strands. He shaved his own head afterward, although Sophie told him it made his ears look enormous.
Eric offered to do the same.
“No,” Sophie said. “One bald dad is enough.”
It was the closest our family came to normal.
The headaches became less frequent. Sophie stopped waking every hour for water, and during a vision test, she saw movement farther to each side than she had before treatment.
Every improvement came with a price. She lost weight. Food tasted metallic. Some mornings, she was too tired to lift her stuffed rabbit.
Still, her hCG fell after every cycle.
The school district completed its review of Daniel. He was allowed to return, but several parents requested that their children be moved from his class.
