Chapter 2 - The Hospital Vigil(Word count target: ~1,800 words)
The emergency room waiting area of St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital smelled of industrial disinfectant and stale coffee. The harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sickly glare across the linoleum floor.
I paced the length of the private family waiting room, my heels clicking like a ticking clock. My hands were still stained with dried rust-colored spots from the kitchen towel. Every time I looked down at my knuckles, I saw Lily’s face as her head hit the tile.
The door swung open, and James walked in. He looked completely drained, his eyes red-rimmed and hollow, but he managed a faint nod.
"How is she?" I rushed to him, grabbing his hands. "What did the CT scan show?"
"She has a hairline fracture at the base of her skull," James said, his voice cracking slightly. "And a moderate brain contusion. The neurosurgeon said there’s no active internal bleeding requiring surgery right now, but they're keeping her in the pediatric ICU for forty-eight hours for observation."
I let out a long, ragged breath, resting my forehead against James’s chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, trembling.
"She asked for you, Becca," James whispered into my hair. "When she woke up for a few seconds, she asked why Grandpa was mad at her. She thought she was in trouble."
A wave of white-hot fury surged through my chest, replacing the exhaustion. "She didn't do anything wrong. I am going to make sure Gerald never sets eyes on her again. I don't care if I have to spend every penny we have."
Before James could reply, the heavy wooden door to the waiting room opened. My brother, Travis, walked in. He was wearing his work boots and a grease-stained jacket, his face flushed with righteous anger.
"Rebecca," Travis barked, swinging the door shut behind him. "What the hell are you doing?"
I straightened up, turning to face him. "Excuse me?"
"You had Dad locked up in county jail!" Travis shouted, stepping into the room. "Mom is at home having a panic attack! Do you have any idea what this looks like? The neighbors saw him being put in the back of a squad car in handcuffs!"
James stepped between Travis and me, his posture stiffening. "Back off, Travis. Your niece is in the ICU with a fractured skull."
"It was an accident!" Travis argued, waving his hand dismissively. "Dad was stressed! It was his birthday, he’d been drinking beers near the grill all afternoon, and Lily startled him! Kids get hurt, James! Dad raised three of us, and none of us died from a belt!"
"No," I said, stepping around James so I was looking Travis dead in the eye. "We didn't die, Travis. But you learned to punch holes in walls when you're angry, Vanessa learned to lie to protect abusers, and I spent eight years putting men like our father behind bars. He swung a heavy leather belt at a three-year-old child. That is not discipline. That is felony child abuse."
"He’s your father!" Travis yelled, his voice echoing off the hospital walls.
"He lost the right to be called my father the second he hurt my daughter," I replied coldly. "And if you defend him again in my presence, Travis, you can leave now and never speak to me or my family again."
Travis stared at me, his fists clenched at his sides. "Mom wants you to drop the charges."
"I don't control the charges," I told him with a sharp, humorless smile. "The District Attorney does. And as a former prosecutor, I can assure you I will personally deliver the evidence to the prosecutor assigned to this case."
"You're a monster, Becca," Travis spat, turning toward the door. "You're destroying this family over a mistake."
"The family was already destroyed, Travis," I said as he grabbed the door handle. "You just didn't notice until now."
He slammed the door behind him.
May you like
James looked at me, taking a deep breath. "He's going to get a lawyer, Becca. Your mother has money in savings."
"Let him get a lawyer," I said, pulled my phone out of my purse and opening my contacts. "Because I'm calling the best victim advocate in the state tonight."
Related Stories
