Chapter 2
The ambulance arrived fifteen minutes later, its flashing red and blue lights painting eerie geometric patterns across the white nursery walls. Paramedics moved with practiced efficiency, checking Lily’s vitals and placing a tiny, translucent oxygen mask over her face. Elena rode in the back of the ambulance, holding her daughter's tiny, cold hand, while David followed behind in his sedan. Sarah was left behind in the house, suspended indefinitely, her employment terminated by Elena’s shouted demands before the first siren even wailed.
At the hospital, the bright fluorescent lights of the pediatric emergency ward offered a stark, sterile reality. Dr. Vance, a tired-looking pediatrician with silver-streaked hair, emerged from the examination room after an agonizing hour of waiting. He wiped his hands with a paper towel and looked gravely at David and Elena, who stood side-by-side in the hallway, maintaining a tense, unbroken silence between them.
"She’s going to be physically fine," Dr. Vance said, offering a reassuring nod that didn't quite reach his eyes. "A mild concussion and some bruising along the left temple, but no internal bleeding or skull fractures. We’ll keep her overnight for observation."
Elena let out a breath she felt she’d been holding since the moment she heard the thud upstairs. She leaned against the pale green wall, her knees suddenly weak. David placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, an offering of reconciliation after the violence of the nursery. Elena flinched slightly, the ghost of his grip still burning on her throat.
"Thank God," David murmured, kissing the top of Elena's blonde head. "I'm sorry about earlier, El. I just... seeing her hurt. I lost control."
"You almost choked me, David," Elena whispered, keeping her eyes fixed on the linoleum floor. "That wasn't just losing control. That was terrifying."
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"I was protecting our family," he replied defensively, though his voice lacked conviction. "We need to go home, pack some things for you to stay here tonight, and figure out what really happened with that nurse."
As David walked down the corridor to fetch coffee, Elena walked back toward Lily's room to check on her sleeping form. As she passed the nurses' station, a clipboard caught her eye. It was Sarah’s intake form from the agency—a document Elena had never thoroughly read because of the frantic rush of hiring her two weeks ago. Something about the emergency contact address scratched at the back of Elena’s mind. She flipped the page, her eyes scanning the neatly typed lines until they landed on a neighborhood she recognized instantly: the old industrial district across town, near the abandoned textile mill.
