Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of ableism.

Melody’s parents go to the hospital with Penny. Mrs. V helps Melody get out of the car. She puts Penny’s toy Doodle on Melody’s tray, having found it on the ground outside. Melody touches the toy and begins to cry. Mrs. V determines to put the toy in the laundry, so it is nice and clean when Penny comes home. Melody is not convinced things will work out that way.

Mrs. V tells Melody that what happened was not her fault, but Melody angrily disagrees with her. She was in a bad mood, she was angry with her sister, and she insisted that her mother take her to school. If she hadn’t done that, Penny wouldn’t be hurt. Mrs. V tries to reassure Melody that “Toddlers are very resilient, you know” (279), but Melody is worried that her sister hit her head and that she will be “messed up” (279) just like her.

When Melody tells Mrs. V that she should have been the one to be injured, Mrs. V turns on her ,saying, “My whole world would fall apart if something happened to you.