I told her no.
I told her she was never in trouble for telling me about something that scared her.
Emma disappeared down the hallway.
When she returned, she carried an orange prescription bottle in both hands.
The clock read 5:36 p.m.
The label did not have Emma’s name on it.
It said Diane Patterson.
The instructions were for an adult dose.
I did not recognize the medication name. I only knew it was a prescription and that my four-year-old daughter had just told me her grandmother gave her one pill every night.
The bottle rattled because my hands were shaking.
I asked Emma how many Grandma had been giving her.
“One every night before bed,” she said.
Then she added that Grandma had told her it was their secret.
