Chapter 2 - Officer Vance’s Arrival
Before Patricia’s fingers could graze the screen, a heavy hand firmly caught her wrist, halting her in her tracks.
It wasn't Emily who stopped her. It was a tall, broad-shouldered police officer in a crisp dark uniform who had stepped quietly out of the waiting area alcove just seconds earlier. Officer Vance looked down at Patricia with sharp, professional scrutiny, his badge glinting under the harsh emergency room lights.
"Ma'am, I'd advise you to keep your hands to yourself inside a medical facility," Officer Vance instructed, his voice low and authoritative. He released Patricia’s wrist and turned his attention directly toward Emily, who was still holding the active call. "You called dispatch, Mrs. Miller? I was already responding to an emergency signal logged from this hospital campus."
Emily nodded, her gaze never leaving Patricia’s panicked face. "Yes, Officer. I want to formally report an assault and severe child endangerment resulting in critical trauma."
Patricia’s composure completely shattered. Her voice rose into an indignant, screeching hysteria that echoed down the quiet medical hallway. "She’s lying! She’s mentally unstable! She dropped her own baby in the hallway at home and now she's trying to frame me because she can't handle the guilt!"
"Shut up, Patricia," Emily said, her tone cutting through the noise like a scalpel.
Officer Vance turned his gaze between the three of them, his professional training immediately reading the toxic dynamics in the room. He flipped open his notepad and clicked his pen. "Let's start from the beginning. Who witnessed what happened?"
"I did," Emily said evenly. "My mother-in-law struck me across the face while I was holding my three-week-old daughter. The impact caused me to lose my balance, and my baby slipped from my arms onto the hardwood floor. When we arrived here, the doctors informed me my daughter was in cardiac arrest."
May you like
Daniel stared at Emily in absolute horror, his mouth opening and closing without producing a sound. He looked at his mother, expecting her to deny it with the same calm authority she always used to control their household, but Patricia was trembling, her eyes darting toward the security cameras mounted near the double doors.
---
