Chapter 2 - Medical Emergency & The First Alarm
I didn't think; my body acted purely on primal fatherly survival instincts.
I stepped back out of the secret room, pulling the splintered door shut as much as possible, and slid the heavy crowbar into the side pocket of my coat. I turned the corner into the living room just as the front door swung open.
Eleanor walked in.
She looked polished, impeccably dressed in her tailored beige trench coat, carrying designer shopping bags from an upscale downtown boutique. Her hair was styled perfectly, her face radiating the calm, gentle innocence I had fallen in love with six years ago.
When her eyes landed on me standing in the living room, she froze. The shopping bags slipped from her fingers, hitting the foyer rug with a soft rustle.
"David?" Eleanor whispered, her voice wavering between shock and a carefully rehearsed warmth. "You're... you're home early? Your flight wasn't supposed to land until tomorrow morning!"
I stood motionless beside the couch, shielding Lily and Tommy with my body. I looked at the woman I had slept beside for years, searching her face for any trace of the human being I thought I knew.
"Where were you, Eleanor?" I asked. My voice was eerily quiet, cold enough to freeze the room.
Eleanor swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously toward the couch, where Lily was cowering behind my legs. "I... I ran to the pharmacy, David! Tommy had a little fever, so I stepped out for twenty minutes—"
"They haven't eaten in days, Eleanor," I cut in, my voice rising sharply. "Tommy’s breathing is shallow. Lily is so dehydrated she can barely stand! You locked them in this dark house alone!"
Eleanor’s gentle persona cracked instantly. Her posture straightened, her eyes narrowing into cold, calculating slits. "David, don't exaggerate. You've been stressed from work. You're confusing the children—"
"I broke the lock on the storage room," I said flatly.
The air vanished from the foyer. Eleanor’s face drained of every drop of color. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
"I saw the cameras, Eleanor," I continued, taking a slow step toward her, my fists clenched at my sides. "I saw Julian’s photos. I saw the forged documents."
From the couch, baby Tommy let out a faint, gurgling gasp, his chest struggling to rise.
"Daddy..." Lily sobbed, pulling at my trousers. "Tommy’s eyes are closing."
I didn't waste another second confronting Eleanor. My children’s lives were ticking away. I scooped Tommy up against my chest, wrapped my arm securely around Lily, lifting her onto my hip, and charged toward the front door.
"David, wait!" Eleanor screamed, lunging forward to grab my jacket sleeve. "You can't take them! If you leave this house, you'll ruin everything!"
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"Touch me or my children again, Eleanor," I growled, looking her dead in the eyes, "and I will use this crowbar to ensure you never walk again."
She flinched back in terror. I shoved past her, ran out into the cold night air, loaded my weak children into the back of my SUV, locked the doors, and tore down the driveway toward St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, tires screaming against the pavement.
