“Okay, I’ll let Nevaeh know the game plan. She’s going to have so much fun with you. She already thinks you’re so cool. I think you’ll be moved from fresh status to super cool status.” I joked.
For the duration of summer, Nevaeh spent every waking moment she could in his swimming pool when she wasn’t at Lorraine and Tyrone’s. My relationship with my family was getting better—just as long as I didn’t mention the “D” name. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out how to pay off Nevaeh’s medical bills while trying to afford her medication and come up with enough cash to buy her school clothes for the fall. I never dared told Dale just how bad my financial struggle was; I was too proud to admit that I needed help.
The school year was a new beginning for Nevaeh. She quickly reunited with all of her friends and told them all about her summer, leaving out the part of her new condition. She bragged to her friends about her mommy’s new boyfriend and his enormous house and swimming pool. Her friends gathered around as she described her swimming lessons and told them about all of the exciting places she’d gone with Dale and I.
With her specialist appointment fast approaching, my nerves began to get the best of me. It was almost time to find out exactly how far Nevaeh’s disease had progressed and figure out our next steps in her treatment plan. In less than a week, we’d know the answers. In need of support, I invited Dale to the appointment; he gladly accepted.
“Nevaeh Harris,” the receptionist called.
We made our way down a corridor into a room, stopping along the way to take Nevaeh’s current height and weight. “If you’ll just have a seat in here, Dr. Newton will be with you shortly.”
I nervously looked around the room as a question-filled Nevaeh asked what everything was. Dale reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it with reassurance as he grinned at me.
“Hello, Nevaeh, Ms. Harris,” the doctor said as he entered the room. “Are you the father?” he asked, directing his question toward Dale.
I spoke on his behalf. “No, this is my boyfriend. He helps care for Nevaeh,” I explained, which wasn’t all that untruthful. Dale and Nevaeh began to develop a beautiful relationship; almost like a father-daughter bond.
Their days in the pool and outings were enough to bring the two nearly as close as Dale and I. He was the first man who ever developed a strong relationship with Nevaeh. I was so happy with the way they accepted each other; it made me proud. Maybe I finally found the right guy. Out of all the guys I’ve ever dated, he has made a difference in both of our lives. I don’t know anyone else who would’ve taken us on mini vacations or taught her how to swim, and he did it with patience… and love. Did I just say love? Of course, he loves her, who wouldn’t? I wonder if he loves me.
The doctor began probing about Nevaeh’s medical history after reviewing her chart. “Now Ms. Harris, it appears that Dr. Herber treated Nevaeh’s AS for the last few months. Can you tell me how she responded to the medications that he prescribed for her?”
“Yes, she’s responded quite well. She takes prescription-strength NSAIDS and methotrexate.”
“Has she had any complications that you’re aware of?”
“Not that I’ve noticed.”
“Good. What I’d like to do is schedule her for an x-ray and an MRI. Once we have the results of those tests, we can determine how much the AS has affected her. Our hopes are that the methotrexate and NSAIDS keep her symptoms to a minimum for as long as possible.”
“What happens if her symptoms return or worsen?” Dale asked.
“If that should happen, we’ll have to bring her back in for more testing and decide how we’d like to approach things. But right now, everything looks good. Nevaeh, would you like a sucker?” the doctor asked her as he ordered the labs for her testing.
Even though I didn’t receive the answers I was looking for at the appointment, I was relieved that the testing was scheduled. Nevaeh was set to have her diagnostic testing within two weeks from the date and had a follow-up appointment with the specialist the following month to go over the results.
As we were leaving, Dale asked me, “Do you feel better now that things are heading in the right direction?”
“I guess so.”
“What do you mean you guess so? I think the appointment went as well as could be expected,” he squeezed my hand.
By the end of September, I pulled Nevaeh out of class to take her to get her testing done, which also meant I had to juggle my hectic work schedule. One of my coworkers traded days with me to avoid my boss giving me too much grief for missing any more work. Nevaeh was a bit nervous, but so was I. As we made our way into the hospital, Nevaeh refused to go inside.