Daniela looks at me first.
“This is your call,” I say softly.
“I want to know,” she whispers.“I just…don’t want him to see me as broken.”
My chest caves.
“You're the strongest person I’ve ever met,” I say, my voice low, uneven.“Nothing you face makes you broken.”
She shivers.I want to wrap her in my arms and carry her out of here, far away from anything that can take her from me.
Dr.Pickway gives a sympathetic smile.“We’ll go step-by-step.By the end of this session, you’ll both understand what to expect emotionally, physically, and practically.And we’ll set up resources for support if either of you needs it.”
Daniela nods.A tiny motion.Barely there.
I keep holding her hands.
Because she’s holding me together.
Dr.Pickway turns slightly toward Daniela.“A negative result is the most straightforward.It means you did not inherit the expanded HTT gene.You won’t develop Huntington’s, and you can’t pass it on to any children you may have in the future.”
Daniela exhales next to me, a tiny shift of air against my arm.Not relief—just a momentary loosening of fear.
“And a positive result,” Dr.Pickway continues, her tone careful, “means youdidinherit the expanded gene.That means you’ll eventually develop symptoms, though not right away.Sometimes not for many years.The test can’t predict onset age or severity.”
My chest tightens.I already know the facts, but hearing them spoken out loud, directed at Daniela, hits me with the force of a tornado.
“But people live long, meaningful lives before symptoms appear,” Dr.Pickway adds quickly.“And a positive result gives you the opportunity to plan.Not just emotionally, but medically andfinanciallyas well.Many people find that empowering rather than limiting.”
Empowering.
Sure.If I weren’t imagining worst-case scenarios stacked end to end.
Dani sits perfectly still, tension radiating off her.Like she’s holding her breath inside her own skin.
“And then,” Dr.Pickway says, “there’s an intermediate result.”
I look at her sharply.“Intermediate?”
“Yes.It means the number of CAG repeats isn’t high enough for the gene to cause Huntington’s in Daniela, but it could expand in the next generation.She’d be healthy her entire life, but any children she has could inherit a fully expanded gene.”
Dani’s fingers twitch in her lap.I slide my hand over hers, threading our fingers together, grounding her even as something icy crawls up my spine.
Dr.Pickway folds her hands together.“That’s why I said this isn’t a sentence.Each possible result carries different implications.Some are frightening.Some are comforting.Some fall into a gray area.But all of them give you information, tools to make decisions that feel right for you.”
Dani looks down at her lap, eyes distant.I wish I could take her chin in my hand and force the world to stop scaring her.But I don’t move.Not yet.
“And whatever the results are,” Dr.Pickway finishes, “you won’t navigate them alone.”
Daniela wipes a few tears from her cheeks.She nods at Dr.Pickway’s words, but she doesn’t look convinced.
One thing I know for sure…
Shewon’thandle this alone.
Not while I’m breathing.
* * *
