Chapter 1 - I CALLED THE POLICE FROM THE HOSPITAL HALLWAY
I pulled out my phone.
Patricia’s expression changed immediately.
“Emily.”
I dialed 911.
Daniel stared at me.
“What are you doing?”
I looked directly at his mother.
“Reporting what happened.”
Patricia stepped closer.
“Oh, for God’s sake. Your baby is in there fighting for her life and you’re worried about blaming somebody?”
The cruelty of that sentence almost stole my breath.
I did not answer her.
The dispatcher picked up.
I gave my name.
Riverside Methodist Hospital.
My three-week-old daughter had suffered a serious head injury after my mother-in-law slapped me while I was holding her.
I heard Daniel inhale sharply.
Patricia said:
“That is not what happened.”
I continued speaking.
Security arrived before the police.
A nurse moved Patricia farther down the corridor.
Daniel tried following me when another doctor asked to take me into a consultation room.
I stopped.
“Not yet.”
His face crumpled.
“Emily.”
“You hesitated.”
“What?”
“When Lily hit the floor.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Your mother said I dropped her, and you looked at me like you were deciding whether she might be right.”
“I was confused.”
“Our daughter was unconscious.”
His eyes filled.
“I know.”
I turned away.
There would be time for Daniel later.
If there was a later.
Right now, Lily was behind two closed doors with strangers pressing on her chest.
Dr. Blake came back almost twenty minutes later.
His expression had changed.
“Mrs. Miller.”
I stood so quickly the chair moved backward.
“Lily?”
“We got her heartbeat back.”
My knees weakened.
The nurse beside me grabbed my elbow.
Dr. Blake continued.
“She has a pulse. She is breathing with assistance. We’re moving her to pediatric intensive care.”
I covered my mouth.
Alive.
One word.
That was all I could understand.
Alive.
Then he said:
“She is still critically ill.”
I nodded even though I barely heard him.
“There is swelling around the brain. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours will be extremely important.”
“Can I see her?”
“Soon.”
I started crying.
Behind the glass doors, I saw Daniel put both hands over his face.
Patricia sat rigidly in a chair.
She did not look devastated.
She looked trapped.
May you like
For the first time since she slapped me, I realized those were not the same thing.
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