Chapter 5 - The Texts That Burned
|
Kara took the clipboard back and scanned my handwriting. Her eyes widened, and her hands froze over her keyboard.
"Did... did you witness this happen?" Kara asked in a hushed whisper.
"No," I replied, staring straight ahead at the white trauma doors. "But everyone else in that kitchen did."
My cell phone had been vibrating in my coat pocket continuously since I arrived at the hospital.
Mom calling.
Vanessa calling.
Dad calling.
Mom calling.
I pulled the phone out and muted the ringer, but I kept the screen facing up. I wanted to see every single notification. I wanted the evidence.
At 9:26 a.m., the doctor finally emerged from Trauma Room 2. He pulled off his surgical mask, looking weary but relieved.
"She is stable," the doctor announced. "We’ve sedated her to manage the pain. She has a severe concussion and second-degree burns along her left cheek and jawline. Fortunately, there is no internal bleeding in her brain."
I let out a ragged, shaking breath, sinking into a plastic chair. "Thank God..."
"Because of the nature of the injury and her age," the doctor added, his tone becoming serious, "hospital protocol requires us to notify Child Protective Services and local law enforcement. A social worker will be here shortly."
"Good," I said without hesitation. "Call them."
My phone vibrated on my lap again. It was a phone call from my father.
This time, I pressed answer and put it on speaker.
"Rachel," my father’s quiet, cautious voice came through the speaker. "Your mother thinks everyone needs time to calm down before you go making wild accusations to doctors."
"I didn't make accusations, Dad," I whispered, my voice dripping with ice. "I wrote down the exact truth."
"You were upstairs when it happened, Rachel," my father pleaded softly. "You didn't see it."
"Was the pan thrown, Dad? Answer me."
Silence heavy as lead stretched through the line. He breathed into the phone, but he didn't say a word.
"Vanessa has Lily to think about," my father finally muttered. "You're going to ruin this family."
I hung up the phone.
May you like
A second later, a text message notification popped up on my screen. It wasn't from Vanessa or Dad. It was from my mother.
The preview on the screen read: I told Vanessa to handle Emma before you came downstairs.
