What She Needs (Steve)

          "Nooooooooo." It's 8:00 in the morning. Caitlin rose reluctantly as I helped her slip into some clothes. I poured some cream of wheat into a bowl and asked her to eat it. She pushed it away. That was odd. Normally, she loves cream of wheat. I offered it again. She pushed it away again. Right. It needs toppings. I found the sugared strawberries and placed them in a bowl near the untouched cream of wheat. I did the same with some brown sugar. Caitlin still would not eat. "I'm not hungry."
          "You need to eat." Cream of wheat contains iron, so it would help to build her blood. "So eat."
          "I told you I'm not hungry." Caitlin would not eat. "I'm tired. I want to go back to bed." Food would help her energy levels. I shoved a spoonful of cream of wheat with a strawberry into her mouth. She swallowed reluctantly and then got to her feet, saying she felt dizzy. I supported her and allowed her to sleep some more. I ended up giving the cream of wheat to our dog, Hutch. Hutch leapt onto the bed and curled up near Caitlin where she slept. I decided to text Andrew.

Me: I'm really worried about Caitlin.
Andrew: What is the problem?
Me: More like an onslaught of problems.
Andrew: Bring her in.

I picked Caitlin up and, to my surprise, she did not stir. I carried her to Andrew's office. Several other patients waited there. Andrew came in to see us. I woke Caitlin, who looked at me annoyedly.
          "What seems to be the problem?"
          "I'm tired and I have this never-ending headache." She rubbed her eyes, struggling to stay awake. Andrew turned to me.
          "Well, why would I need to do testing on her?" I handed him a list of symptoms.
          "A technician will be in to see you. This looks pretty bad." The technician came through the door as promised with vials. Caitlin tensed and insisted on burying her face in my shirt. I could see why. She has an intense, persistent fear of needles. Where it comes from I don't know. Caitlin released me, shielded her eyes, and braced herself for the needle. After saying she didn't feel well, she vomited on the technician and fainted. Apparently, the technician was used to this. She took the vials unperturbed and left to clean up. A janitor came in to clean the remainder of the mess. Caitlin lay there, collapsed into my arms. Andrew came back to take a look at her, noting her unusual pallor and lethargy. "It's most likely anemia. The tests will come back with low iron levels. I guarantee it." Caitlin shifted. Andrew handed her a bottle of iron supplements. "Take two each day starting now. You may get a bit of an upset stomach, but that's normal. Take them with food in your system and up your intake of iron-rich foods like meat, spinach, and cream of wheat." Caitlin nodded and rubbed her eyes. I took her home to let her get some rest.

The next day, she didn't even wake up. Her test results came back and, sure enough, she did have anemia. Well, thank you Respect Ability Minecraft. Your words hurt more than someone's feelings. I sat up stroking Caitlin's hair, which smelled like strawberries. Her little hands felt cold, so I rubbed them. I entered some grades for my students and let Caitlin sleep on me the entire time. It made her feel safe and, more than ever, she needed that. I just hoped that I could provide it day in and day out.