Chapter 2 - The Bruises
By sunrise, Lily was in pediatric intensive care.
Machines surrounded her tiny body.
Emily sat beside the bed, holding two fingers against Lily's hand.
She had not slept.
She had barely blinked.
Daniel sat across the room.
Patricia was gone.
The police had taken her to the station for questioning.
Detective Marcus Reed arrived at 7:40 a.m.
He was in his early forties, calm and deliberate.
He didn't ask Emily to repeat everything immediately.
Instead, he looked through the medical reports.
“Mrs. Miller, I need to ask about the bruises.”
Emily swallowed.
“I don't know.”
“Were you alone with Lily?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did you ever hurt her?”
Emily stared at him.
“No.”
“I'm asking because we need to rule everything out.”
“I understand.”
Detective Reed nodded.
“That question will be asked again by someone else. Possibly in a much less respectful way.”
Emily appreciated his honesty.
He turned a page.
“There are bruises around her upper arms.”
Emily looked at Lily.
“I've never seen those.”
“There are also injuries on her back.”
Emily's stomach twisted.
“Could they have happened during the birth?”
“The doctors don't believe so.”
Daniel suddenly spoke.
“My mother helped with the baby.”
Emily looked at him.
“So did you.”
“I know.”
“Did you see Patricia hurt Lily?”
“No.”
“Then why mention her?”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“Because she was the one home most often.”
Emily stared.
“You told me you were working.”
“I was.”
“Then who was watching Lily?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Detective Reed noticed.
“Mr. Miller?”
Daniel looked up.
“My mother.”
Silence.
Emily felt something cold move through her.
She remembered little things.
Patricia taking Lily from her whenever she cried.
Patricia insisting Emily was holding the baby incorrectly.
Patricia refusing to let Emily use the pediatrician Emily had chosen.
Patricia constantly saying:
“She likes me better.”
Emily had thought it was irritating.
Now it felt sinister.
A nurse entered.
“Mrs. Miller?”
“Yes?”
“The doctors want to speak with you.”
Emily followed.
Dr. Blake stood beside another physician.
“We reviewed the imaging.”
Emily braced herself.
“The fall caused a serious brain injury,” Dr. Blake said.
“However, some of the injuries predate tonight.”
Emily closed her eyes.
“Can she survive?”
“We don't know yet.”
Her voice broke.
“What do you need?”
“Time.”
Emily returned to the room.
Daniel was standing beside Lily.
He looked devastated.
For the first time, Emily saw genuine grief on his face.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Emily stared at him.
“For what?”
“I should have listened.”
“To what?”
His eyes filled.
“My mother.”
Emily's chest tightened.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel looked toward the hallway.
“She warned me about you.”
Emily felt numb.
“What?”
“She said you were overwhelmed.”
“She said you weren't bonding with Lily.”
“She said you were becoming unstable.”
Emily stared at him.
“And you believed her?”
“I didn't know what to believe.”
“You believed the woman who hit me.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Emily stepped closer.
“You don't know.”
Her voice trembled.
“You don't know what it feels like to be awake every two hours feeding a baby while your husband sleeps because his mother says you need to rest.”
Daniel looked away.
Emily continued.
“You don't know what it feels like to hear your mother-in-law criticize everything you do.”
“You don't know what it feels like to wonder whether your own husband thinks you're dangerous.”
Daniel whispered:
“I do now.”
Before Emily could answer, Detective Reed returned.
“We searched the house.”
Emily looked at him.
“What did you find?”
“A camera.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Where?”
“In the nursery.”
Daniel's face went white.
“That's impossible.”
Detective Reed looked at him.
“It's hidden inside a stuffed rabbit.”
Emily stared.
Patricia had given Lily that rabbit.
The detective continued.
“The camera was transmitting to a private cloud account.”
“Can you access it?”
“Yes.”
“What's on it?”
Detective Reed hesitated.
“That's why I'm here.”
He turned his tablet toward Emily.
A video played.
The nursery.
Lily sleeping.
Patricia entered.
She stood over the crib.
Then she leaned down.
The footage showed her picking Lily up.
Emily stopped breathing.
Patricia whispered something.
The audio was faint.
But audible.
“Your mother doesn't deserve you.”
Emily's hands went cold.
May you like
Then Patricia turned toward the camera.
And smiled.
