Dr. Lawson’s expression remained calm.
“It became my professional concern the day you asked whether surrendering your thirteen-year-old daughter would save you the cost of treating her cacer.”
Karen’s face went pale. Several people nearby turned toward us, and Thomas lowered his voice as though the volume of the conversation was suddenly more offensive than its history.
“We were exploring options.”
Susan spoke before I could.
“You surrendered custody.”
Thomas looked toward her.
Susan didn’t move.
“You didn’t lose Emily because of paperwork or misunderstanding. You signed the documents.”
For once, nobody could rewrite what had happened. The doctor remembered, the social worker remembered, Laura remembered, and most importantly, I remembered.
Karen’s eyes filled with tears.
“We thought you would come back to us eventually.”
