Chapter 2 - Unwelcome Visitors
Patricia didn’t look at Colonel Carter at first. She strode straight to the side of my bed, her handbag clutched tightly in both hands like a shield. Her eyes swept over the IV lines in my arm and the monitoring equipment with a mix of skepticism and annoyance, as if she suspected I had staged the hospital equipment just as thoroughly as I had supposedly staged the courtroom collapse.
“Well, Clara,” Patricia said, her voice dropping into that tight, practiced register she used when she wanted to sound reasonable while being entirely cutting. “Daniel is downstairs with his attorney, trying to reschedule the rest of the hearing. Naturally, this little episode has thrown our entire schedule into chaos.”
Colonel Carter stood up slowly from his chair. At well over six feet tall, he towered over Patricia, casting a long shadow across the linoleum floor. He didn't introduce himself, but his military posture and quiet authority instantly commanded the space.
“Ma'am,” Colonel Carter said smoothly, his tone ice-cold. “This ‘little episode’ involved a systolic blood pressure low enough to cause organ failure. If you are here to discuss litigation schedules, I suggest you take it up with the nursing desk outside.”
Patricia blinked, finally registering the uniform and the sheer intensity radiating from him. Her chin lifted defensively. “And who, exactly, are you? Another one of Clara's theatrical acquaintances?”
“I’m a witness to her medical emergency,” Colonel Carter replied, his gaze unblinking. “And given what I saw in that courtroom, I’d be very careful about how I characterized her health in front of a judge.”
He nodded once to me, gave a brief nod of farewell, and walked out of the room, leaving a heavy, charged silence in his wake. Patricia watched him go, her face flushing with indignation. As soon as the door clicked shut, she turned back to me with a sharp breath.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, pulling a chair close to the bed. “You’re dragging strangers into our family business now? Daniel is beside himself. He’s spent thousands of dollars on legal fees, and now you’ve pulled this stunt right when we were about to settle custody.”
“I didn't plan a cardiac event, Patricia,” I said, my voice shaking slightly from exhaustion, but hardening with a sudden, unfamiliar resolve. “Dr. Shah just gave me the diagnosis. I have a serious medical condition. It’s documented. The court is going to see the records.”
Patricia scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh, please. Every doctor misses things when patients know how to exaggerate their symptoms. Daniel spoke to an administrator downstairs. He heard Dr. Shah’s preliminary notes—she called it a rhythm anomaly, not a terminal illness. You can take medication for that, Clara. It doesn't mean you're an invalid, and it certainly doesn't mean you're fit to care for Lily full-time while you're prone to passing out on floors.”
The mention of Lily struck a nerve sharper than any needle in my arm. I sat up a little higher, ignoring the mild protest of my heart monitor. “Lily is afraid to go to Daniel's house because of how you and Daniel talk to her about me. You've spent months telling her that I'm crazy.”
May you like
Patricia’s eyes narrowed, a flash of genuine venom crossing her features. She leaned in close, lowering her voice so it wouldn't carry into the hallway. “We are trying to protect our granddaughter from a mother who can't even stand up straight in public. If you think a cardiologist's note is going to change the fact that you're unstable, you're more delusional than I thought. In fact, Daniel has already found your old college journals—the ones from when you had that breakdown after your father died. We're submitting them tomorrow.”
---
