Chapter 4 - The Confession Slip
Patricia’s chest rose and fell in shallow, frantic gasps. Her carefully constructed facade of aristocratic control was melting away, revealing the panicked, cornered predator underneath.
"I... I heard them talking about it earlier!" Patricia stammered, her voice shaking violently as she clutched her handbag. "Everyone knows those cheap baby monitors lose connection all the time! I didn't mean—"
"Officer," Dr. Aaron Blake’s voice cut sharply through the tension as he stepped out of trauma bay two, removing his blue latex gloves. His face was grave, etched with exhaustion and profound sorrow.
Emily’s heart stopped beating. The world around her tilted sideways.
She dropped the phone, letting it clatter against the linoleum floor, and rushed toward the doctor, her voice a desperate, broken whisper. "Dr. Blake... please tell me she’s breathing."
Dr. Blake stepped forward, placing a gentle, calloused hand on Emily’s shoulder. His eyes were heavy with empathy.
"We worked on her for forty-five minutes, Mrs. Miller," Dr. Blake said quietly, the words feeling like physical blows to Emily's chest. "We managed to restore a brief secondary rhythm, but the cranial trauma was catastrophic. Her brain activity ceased a few moments ago. I am so, so sorry. Your daughter didn't make it."
Emily let out a sound—half gasp, half sob—that didn't even sound like human suffering. Her knees buckled under her, and this time, there was no one to catch her as she slid down the cold hospital wall, burying her face in her hands as the grief tore her apart from the inside out.
Above her, Daniel let out a hollow, choked cry, staggering backward into the arms of a nurse.
But Patricia didn't cry.
Even in the face of her granddaughter’s death, Patricia’s first instinct wasn't mourning. She looked down at Emily crumpled on the floor, and a cold, calculating look crossed her face.
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"Well," Patricia said, her voice chillingly devoid of emotion as she adjusted her coat. "It’s a tragedy, of course. But perhaps it's for the best. The child was sickly, and now everyone can finally get some sleep."
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