"Mommy, my tooth hurts!" Daisy cried.

"Which tooth is it?" asked Alison.

"This one." The little girl put her finger on one of her molars.

"Let me see." Alison looked into her daughter's mouth but couldn't see anything wrong. "When did it start hurting?"

"Just now."

Alison chuckled. "Well, you probably just ate too much Christmas candy. Here, I'll give you a Tylenol." She gave her daughter a children's chewable pill, and Daisy took it.

Alison put the incident out of her mind until after dinner. They were still sitting at the table when Daisy complained about her tooth hurting again.

"Perhaps you should take her to the dentist tomorrow," Alexei suggested. "It is the last day of the week before the weekend."

"I'll call first thing in the morning," Alison promised.

The next morning, she called the dentist's office as soon as they were open. She made an appointment for her daughter to be seen at ten thirty. As it was still winter break, there was no school that day, so she let Daisy sleep in until nine o'clock, then gently shook her awake.

"Wake up, sweetheart," she said softly. "You have a dentist appointment this morning."

Daisy rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"No, sweetie. The dentist will numb your mouth first."

"'K."

Daisy got out of bed and followed her mother into the kitchen. She ate her Apple Jacks, dressed warmly in a purple jog suit, and watched Cartoon Network until it was time to put on her coat and leave the house.

A light flurry of snow was drifting on the breeze, and the snow on the ground crunched beneath their feet as they walked to the car. Alison cranked the car and made the fifteen-minute drive to Dr. Wright's office. They passed many homes which still had Christmas decorations on the lawn.

Alison parked in front of the small red brick building, and she and Daisy went inside.

The waiting room held cheerful blue, yellow, and white padded imitation leather chairs. An aquarium was in one corner, and on the wall above the chairs were three black-and-white sketches of molars.

"That must be so everybody knows this is a dentist office," Daisy remarked.

Alison approached the young brunette sitting behind the counter.

"This is Daisy Kolchin," she said. "She has an appointment at ten thirty."

The receptionist smiled. "Please have a seat and fill out this form. Dr. Wright will be with you shortly."

Daisy watched the fish swim around while her mother filled the form out and turned it in. A few minutes later, a smiling young woman with auburn hair arrived.

"Are you Daisy?" she asked. Daisy nodded. "Hi, I'm Amber. I'll be taking you back to see Dr. Wright now."

Reluctantly, Daisy let Amber take her hand and lead her down the hall while Alison got a paperback novel out of her purse and began reading it. After about thirty minutes, the dental hygienist, Kelly, came out to talk to her.

"The decay went all the way down to the root, so the tooth couldn't be saved," she said.

"Is Daisy all right?" asked Alison.

"She's fine. Amber will be bringing her out in just a little bit."

Fifteen minutes later, Amber appeared with Daisy.

"She did really well," she told Alison. "Would you like to choose a ring?" she asked Daisy. The little girl chose a toy ring with a happy face on it.

"What do you say?" Alison prompted.

"Fank you."

"You're quite welcome," said Amber.

"How do you feel?" Alison asked her daughter.

"Like a fipmunk."

Alison laughed. "That's just the numbing medicine. It'll wear off soon. Do you need some fresh gauze to bite down on?"

Daisy nodded.


"Mommy, something tastes funny!" Daisy called from her bedroom that night. Alison and Alexei had been asleep for several hours and were awakened by their daughter's voice.

"I'm coming, sweetie," called Alison. When she got to Daisy's room, she switched on the light to see blood all over the pillow. It was still streaming down the little girl's chin.

"Oh my God!" cried Alison. She felt weak all over and had to grab the door to keep from swooning.

"What is wrong?" asked Alexei's voice from the hallway. When he reached the room and saw what was going on, he scooped Daisy's body up into his arms. "I must take her to the hospital right away!"

Still in their nightclothes, the panicked parents raced their daughter to the emergency room, where Daisy was taken back on a gurney right away.

"I just don't understand why this happened!" Alison moaned. "I took care of her gum just like the dentist told me to!"

"I am sure it is not your fault," Alexei said soothingly. He put his arms around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But what if they can't stop the bleeding?" she whimpered.

"I am sure it will stop," Alexei said, but he looked just as worried as she felt.

Several hours later, a nurse came out to talk to them.

"The bleeding is under control," she said. "We're giving her Ringer's solution. We tested her blood and found out she has a vitamin K deficiency. The doctor is writing a prescription right now, and you can get it filled at the pharmacy after you leave."

"Thank God!" Alison cried.

Dawn was just breaking when they finally left the hospital. Alexei drove his family home, and Alison and Daisy went back to bed while Alexei went to the pharmacy to get Daisy's prescription filled.

Daisy took the vitamin supplement for two weeks, and then Alison took her to see Dr. Manning for a follow-up exam. Dr. Manning said she was fine, and she never had any more bleeding problems.