Precious jerked away from Jesse’s touch, and he pulled his hand back. He looked down at her ruined face, and his heart melted. For some time, Precious’ raspy breathing had been the only sound in the room. It was an uncomfortable silence, brought on by Evvie’s retelling of the previous night’s events. Precious only lay in bed with her covers pulled up tightly under her chin, doing her best to avoid Jesse’s gaze. Jesse stood up from the bed and turned to face Evvie. In a soft voice Jesse said, “Let’s go downstairs Evvie, this child needs to rest.” Jesse began to usher Evvie towards the bedroom door. He continued, “We can talk in the living room.” Evvie stopped at the doorway and turned to look at Precious. “I love you baby,” she said. Precious said nothing; she only turned her head to the side. As they exited the room, Jesse asked, “Are you taking her to the doctor today Evvie?”
