Page 41 of Gene

She leaned her head against his chest and took a deep breath in.

“Now, let’s get you in bed.” Daddy stepped away.

He led her to her bed, pulling back the covers and letting her climb in in. Daddy tucked her in, kneeling on the floor right beside her.

“How are you going to get me to sleep?” she asked as her eyes started to droop.

“Like this,” he gently said, his hand moving to her head.

She moaned as he slowly started to run his hands through her hair, gently massaging her scalp as he went.

“Oh,” she whispered. “That feels good.”

“I’m glad. Now, just focus on falling asleep. Daddy will be right here,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

SAMMI

“Let’s get this continuous glucose monitor on and hook it up to your phone so you can keep track of your blood sugars,” Daddy said. “Do you want to put it on your arm or thigh?”

“Arm?” It sounded more like a question than an answer.

Sammi was still surprised that she had fallen asleep last night. She was certain she would be tossing and turning like normal, but she hadn’t. Maybe it was knowing that Daddy was there in case something happened. Or maybe it was from the head scratches he gave her. Those were divine.

“From everything I read, we’re going to clean the part of your skin where we’re going to attach it, let it dry for a couple of seconds, and then place the applicator there and press down. I read online that you may feel a little pinch where it sticks you but that it’s not too bad,” Daddy explained. “Also from what I’ve read online, this patch will last for seven to fourteen days.”

“How will I know when it dies?” Sammi asked, already feeling like she was underwater.

This was so much to take in, and she didn’t know how much she needed to fully comprehend. Was she ever going to understand everything she needed to in order to live? The little she had looked up since her diagnosis made her want to cry and give up. There were so many things to remember.

“It will alert you when it’s getting low,” Daddy said. “I also read that it’s not fully accurate on the first or last day. So, we’ll need to watch carefully on those days to make sure you’re okay.”

“How am I going to do this?” Sammi whispered to herself.

Daddy cupped her face and gently ran his thumb over her cheek, trying to comfort her.

“We’re going to get through this together. I wasn’t lying when I said I would be there to help you with everything. I mean it. I want you to know that. It’s a lot of information to take in, especially since you’re the one with diabetes, so you’re going to rely on Daddy heavily right now to help you.” He kissed her forehead. “I don’t know everything, but I’ve been doing some research. We’re going to get through this together. Slowly, you are going to recognize what to do, but you need to give yourself grace.”

Tears pooled in her eyes at his words. He was just solidifying that he really was going to stay by her side through everything.

“When can I go back to work?” she asked, filling in the silence.

Work probably shouldn’t be on her mind, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to earn money for brother’s the debt. How was she supposed to do that when she was stuck at home?

“Let’s not worry about that right now. First, we need to get a handle on this, but I’m not going to fire you, understand?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good. Now let’s get this CGM on and hook it up to your phone.” Daddy took his hands off her face.

Sammi pulled up her shirt, freeing her right arm for him to clean and put the device on.

“How much do I owe you for all of this?” she asked.

Right before she had stopped looking at things this morning, she looked up the cost of everything. Some insurances covered things like this, but some didn’t. If her insurance didn’t, it was going to get costly. Sammi was hoping that her insurance did because she didn’t know if she would be able to afford it on top of the debt.

She really needed to talk to her brother about how much he still owed. Were they almost done, or did they still have a lot left? They hadn’t talked in a while about it to know if he had repaid any of it.

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