“I can’t believe someone would blatantly lie about another girl regarding such a serious matter. I want to get to the bottom of this”

"You know, Maddy,” Rikki said, “if my mother hadn’t called me home today, I probably would never have known that Chaya was going to the doctor. I wonder if she would have even told me Chaya needs surgery.”

Maddy put her arm around Rikki’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that shouldn’t be the focus here, Rikki.”

Rikki’s shoulders sagged. “You’re right.”

“I bet,” Maddy said, “you’re focusing your emotions on whether your mom would have told you because that’s not as scary as thinking about Chaya’s health.”

“I’m really worried about her. Surgery sounds scary. I can’t even get a shot without freaking out.”

Maddy chuckled. “Chaya’s had this surgery before, and she’ll probably need it again in the future. It’s not serious. But you’ve still got a lot of praying to do. Not just for Chaya, but for your mom. This won’t be easy on her either.”

“I know.”

Her mother pushed Chaya in her wheelchair into the waiting room. “Chaya was so good during the MRI. I was worried she was going to scream for you, but, baruch Hashem, the noise of the MRI machine mesmerized her. Ready to go?”

Rikki stood up. “I can push her if you want.”

Mrs. Levy stepped to the side. “Thanks, sweetie.”

Chaya clapped her hands as Rikki wheeled her to the elevator.

“You okay, Mrs. Rena?” Maddy said.

“Yeah, I just… I didn’t think Chaya would need another surgery so quickly. Poor kid. You know?”