Chapter 3
The emergency room was chaos.
Flashing monitors.
Doctors rushing by.
The smell of antiseptic burning my nose.
Sarah lay on a gurney, her hand gripping mine so tight my fingers went numb.
A nurse had hooked her up to an IV.
Another monitor tracked the baby’s heartbeat.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The sound was the only thing keeping me sane.
“Mrs. Carter,” a doctor said, stepping beside the bed. She was in her late thirties, with dark hair pulled back and a calm, steady voice. “I’m Dr. Chen. We’re going to run some blood work, check your medication levels, and do an ultrasound. How are you feeling?”
“Scared,” Sarah whispered.
Dr. Chen nodded.
“That’s completely understandable. But the baby’s heartbeat is strong. That’s a very good sign.”
She turned to me.
“Mr. Carter, the police called ahead. They told us what happened. We’re going to treat this as a potential poisoning case. We’ll need to take samples of the soup as well.”
I nodded.
I’d brought the container with me.
Handed it to a nurse.
For the next two hours, we waited.
Sarah fell asleep from exhaustion.
I sat beside her, watching the monitor.
Every time the line dipped, my heart stopped.
Every time it steadied, I breathed again.
My phone buzzed.
It was my father.
“Daniel,” he said, his voice tight. “Your mother just called me from the police station. She said you had her arrested.”
I stood up and walked to the hallway.
“Dad, she was putting Sarah’s pregnancy medication in her food. I caught her in the act.”
Silence.
Then, “She said she was just trying to help. That Sarah wasn’t taking her medicine properly.”
“Dad, she stole the medication. She’s been sneaking it into Sarah’s food for weeks. Sarah fainted last week because her levels were all messed up. She could have lost the baby.”
My father sighed.
It was the sound of a man who’d spent thirty years making excuses for my mother.
“Your mother can be… intense. But she loves you, Daniel. She loves that baby.”
“Love isn’t drugging someone, Dad.”
“I know. I know. But we need to handle this as a family. Not with police and courts and—”
“No.”
The word came out harder than I intended.
“Dad, she tried to hurt my wife. My child. There is no ‘handling this as a family.’ She needs to face what she did.”
“Daniel, think about what this will do. To all of us. To your mother’s reputation. To the family name.”
I felt my blood boil.
“The family name? Dad, Sarah is family. Our baby is family. Mom just tried to destroy them. If you’re more worried about what the neighbors will think than about my wife and child, then I don’t know what to say to you.”
I hung up.
I leaned against the wall.
My hands were shaking.
I’d always known my father was weak when it came to my mother.
But I’d never thought he’d choose her over his own grandchild.
Dr. Chen found me in the hallway.
“Mr. Carter? We have the results.”
I followed her back to the room.
Sarah was awake now.
“Sarah,” Dr. Chen said gently. “Your blood work shows elevated levels of your progesterone medication. Not toxic levels, but higher than they should be. That explains the dizziness and the fainting spell.”
Sarah’s hand went to her stomach.
“The baby?”
“The ultrasound looks perfect. Strong heartbeat. Good movement. All measurements are on track. As far as we can tell, the baby is completely healthy.”
Tears streamed down Sarah’s face.
I sat on the bed and held her.
“Thank God,” I whispered.
“But,” Dr. Chen continued, and my heart sank. “We need to monitor you closely from here on out. Any more fluctuations could cause preterm labor. I want you on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. No stress. No surprises. Just rest.”
Sarah nodded.
“Okay. Whatever you say.”
Dr. Chen patted her arm.
“I’ll have the nurse bring you some discharge papers. You can go home this evening. But Mr. Carter—your mother is not to be anywhere near your wife or this baby. Do you understand me?”
“I understand.”
She left.
Sarah looked up at me.
“Daniel, we can’t go back there. Not after what happened. Not if she has a key.”
I’d been thinking the same thing.
“We’ll change the locks. Tonight. Before we even go inside. And I’ll get a security system installed tomorrow. Motion sensors. Cameras. Everything.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
“What if she comes back? What if she tries something else?”
I kissed her forehead.
“She won’t get near you. I promise. I’ll sleep in the living room if I have to. I’ll hire a guard. Whatever it takes.”
But I knew.
My mother wasn’t going to go away quietly.
She’d made that clear at the police station.
And my father’s reaction told me everything I needed to know.
This was going to get worse.
Much worse.
Before we left the hospital, a detective called me.
Detective Alvarez.
“Mr. Carter, I’m handling your mother’s case. We’ve got the bottle, the soup container, your statement. We’re pressing charges for attempted poisoning and theft of a controlled substance.”
“Okay,” I said.
“There’s something else. Your mother is asking to speak with you. Says she has something important to tell you.”
I looked at Sarah.
She was sleeping again.
“I don’t want to talk to her.”
“Understood. But I should tell you—she’s claiming your wife knew about the medication. That it was some kind of arrangement between them.”
My blood ran cold.
“That’s a lie.”
“I know. But we need to be prepared. She’s already talking to a lawyer. This could get messy.”
I hung up.
I stared at my wife.
My beautiful, innocent wife.
My mother wasn’t just going to fight this.
May you like
She was going to destroy Sarah to save herself.
And I had no idea how far she’d go.
