Chapter 3 - The Hospital Run
Despite Valeria's claim that it was merely a sedative, Alejandro wasn't willing to take any chances with his daughter's life. He quickly wrapped Sofía in a warm blanket, bypassing the mess on the dining room floor.
"Lucía, come with us," Alejandro ordered, grabbing his car keys. "I need you to tell the doctors exactly what you saw. How much of that powder was mixed in."
Lucía didn't hesitate. She grabbed her coat and followed him out to the SUV. The drive to the private pediatric emergency room was a blur of neon city lights and suffocating anxiety. Sofía, exhausted from crying, had fallen asleep in her car seat, which only made Alejandro press harder on the accelerator, terrified that the drugs were somehow taking effect despite Lucía's intervention.
"I'm so sorry, sir," Lucía whispered from the back seat, her hands trembling as she held Sofía's small hand. "I should have stopped her sooner. I should have paid more attention to the kitchen."
"Do not apologize," Alejandro said firmly, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "You saved her. If you hadn't knocked that plate away, I don't want to think about what would have happened. You are the only one in that house who actually protected her."
At the hospital, they were rushed into a private triage room. Dr. Aris, a trusted family physician, ran immediate blood panels and a toxicology screen. The wait was agonizing. Alejandro paced the small, sterile room while Lucía sat quietly in the corner, a silent guardian.
An hour later, Dr. Aris walked in with a grim expression on his face. "Sofía's blood work is clean. She didn't ingest any of it."
Alejandro let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for an eternity. "And the substance on the plate?"
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"We tested the residue you brought in the plastic bag," the doctor continued, his tone turning severe. "It wasn't a mild sedative, Alejandro. It was a massive dose of an unprescribed barbiturate. For a child her size, even a few bites would have caused severe respiratory depression. It could have been fatal."
Alejandro closed his eyes, the terrifying reality crashing down on him. Valeria hadn't wanted a quiet dinner. She had wanted to erase Sofía permanently.
