3 years later.

"Mommy!"

Oh the joys of motherhood. "Be right there Baby." I got out of bed sluggishly and looked at the clock. 2:43. Lovely.

I got to my daughter's room and walked over to her bed. "What is it Sweetie?" I asked her. She pointed to her stomach. "Mommy, my tummy hurts."

I sat next to her on her bed. "Does it hurt like you're sick, or like you don't want to go to Miss Lucy's today?"

"It really hurts Mommy. Bad." She really didn't look good. I put my hand on her forehead. "Well, Baby, you don't feel warm."

"Ow!" Samantha cried, leaning forward, wincing. "Mommy it hurts!"

I stood up, unsure of what to do. Okay, she wasn't warm so she didn't have the flu. And I didn't know what else she could have. Let's see, cold, flu, um Appendicitis! Holy crap! Freaking out, freaking out! I was about to start hyperventilating when Samantha started to cry.

I looked at the face of my daughter and I knew, if only for her sake, I couldn't start freaking out.

"Ok, it's going to be okay." I held her hand in mine. "Mommy's going to take care of it, alright Sweetie?"

My little girl nodded, her eyes confident. If I hadn't been freaking out internally, I would be touched at how much she trusted me to take care of her.

I walked out of her room to the living room, where my bed was still pulled out of the couch. I couldn't afford more than a one-bedroom apartment. I could barely afford what we had.

I picked up my phone and dialed the number for the hospital.

"Hello?"

"Hello, my name is Leah Clearwater. My daughter is having severe stomach pains and she doesn't have a fever."

"Okay. On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

"She's three, she wouldn't be able to say, but it looks pretty bad. Maybe 7?"

"Okay, well she most likely has appendicitis. You should bring her in. I'm putting it into the computer right now. Come in and tell whoever's at the desk your name."

"Okay, thank you."

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

I ran into Samantha's room. "Okay, Honey, we're going to the doctor. Do you think you can walk?"

She nodded, then stood up uneasily. She looked like she was in pain, but said nothing.

She must get that from me.

"Oh, baby, you don't have to be strong for Mommy. Here," and with that I picked her up so that her head was resting on my shoulder.

"Come on, Baby, it'll be okay."

-

-

"Mrs. Clearwater?"

I stood up. "It's Ms. Clearwater, but you can call me Leah. How is Samantha?"

"She's going to be fine. The Appendectomy went quite smoothly. She's asleep, but we expect her to wake up any minute."

I grinned. "Oh thank you Doctor! You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. Samantha, she's all I have."

He smiled at me. "It's good that you love her so much."

By now I was in tears. "When she was hurting, I thought it was my fault. I thought I did something that hurt her, and this was my punishment for being a horrible mother, and getting pregnant as a teenager, and running away. I can't lose her. And now, I was talking to the lady here about insurance, and I can't afford this and I don't know what to do."

The kind doctor wrapped his arms around me. "Isn't there somewhere you can go?" he asked.

"I could go home…but I can't do that! The father, he didn't even know I was pregnant when I left. I don't think anyone knew." I shook my head, tears in my eyes. "I can't confront him."

"You can. I've heard that little girl talk about you. Just before we went into surgery, I noticed she didn't seem afraid or anything. I asked her if there was something she wanted to ask. She told me there wasn't. I told her she was being very brave. She told me that she had to be, because she wanted to be just like her mommy, because her mommy was the bravest, specialest person in the whole world. That little girl has faith in you, you should have faith in yourself."

I nodded, wiping tears from my eyes. "I guess I should go see her now. Thanks. Maybe I will go home." I smiled at him.

"Remember, whatever happens, you are an amazing mother. You always have that." He smiled at me, and his voice was sincere.

"Hi Sammy," I said, walking into the her room.

"Mommy!" she exclaimed loudly, her face lighting up. She lifted up her shirt. "See my boo-boo!" She grinned. "It didn't even hurt!"

"I heard you were very brave."

"I was Mommy! I was brave for you!"

I hugged my daughter. "That's wonderful, Sweetie. But you know what would be even better?"

"What?"

I sat on the end of her bed.

"Next time something like this happens, I want you to be brave for you."

"I'll try, Mommy. But it's easier to be brave for you. You're so brave."

I was close to crying again. I seriously needed a subject change.

"Well, you don't have to go to Miss Lucy's now."

"Yay!" Samantha yelled.

"You really don't like Miss Lucy's, do you?" I asked her.

"I'd rather be with you Mommy. The other kids make fun of me because I don't have a daddy. Amanda said that I had a daddy but he didn't want me."

"Oh, sweetie!" I hugged her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to be brave Mommy."

"Oh, sweetie, you don't always have to be brave. Sometimes, it's okay to just be sad."

"Really Mommy?"

"Really Sweetie."

-

-

"Sammy, do you have your stuff packed yet?"

"Uh-huh. I put my dollies in this bag, and my clothes in this bag.

I smiled. "I'm packed too. Are we ready to leave our apartment?"

"Uh-huh!" Samantha jumped up onto my bed, which I was about to fold together. I had arranged for the landlord to give the key to the guys who were moving the furniture to the store I sold it to later. "I'm so excited, Mommy! I'll make new friends!"

"And I'll see some old ones," I said, too quiet for Samantha to hear.