Chapter 13 - The Hospital Room
The flashing red and blue lights of the ambulance cast chaotic shadows across the sterile walls of the emergency room.
Raquel lay on a gurney, wearing a pale blue hospital gown. The pain medication was finally beginning to dull the sharp agony in her back. A team of nurses worked quickly and gently, documenting every single bruise, cut, and welt with a digital camera. The forensic evidence was irrefutable.
Guillermo stood silently in the corner of the room, his arms crossed, watching the procedure with a heavy, guilt-ridden heart.
An older obstetrician walked in, holding the results of an ultrasound. She smiled warmly at Raquel.
"Your baby is a fighter," the doctor announced. "The heart rate is strong, and the placenta is completely intact. Despite the severe trauma to your back, your defensive posture protected the uterus perfectly. Your daughter is going to be just fine."
Raquel let out a long, shuddering breath, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "Thank God."
The doctor left to finish the paperwork. Guillermo stepped forward and gently took his daughter's hand.
"I am so sorry, Raquel," he whispered, a tear escaping his eye. "I should have been there to protect you. I should have never let this happen."
Raquel looked at him. The resentment she had carried for eight years seemed trivial compared to the hell she had just survived. He had flaws, but he had answered the call.
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"You came when I needed you," Raquel said softly, squeezing his hand.
Guillermo’s expression hardened into pure steel. "Rest now. Tomorrow, my team goes to work. I am going to tear their empire down to the bedrock, and I will hand you the ashes."
