Chapter 5 - The White Hospital Walls
The ambulance ride felt like an eternity.
The sirens wailed into the dark Chicago night.
Sophie held my hand tightly.
"Are they taking Uncle Preston to jail?"
I kissed her small knuckles.
"Yes, sweetie."
"He's going away for a long time."
We arrived at Chicago General Hospital.
The doctors rushed her into the trauma bay.
I paced the waiting room until my feet went numb.
After two agonizing hours, a doctor finally came out.
He gave me a reassuring smile.
"Sophie is incredibly brave."
"She suffered a mild concussion and required fourteen stitches."
"The skull is intact, but it was a very close call."
"If that board had hit her an inch lower, it could have been fatal."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
My brother had almost killed my daughter.
Just to prove a point.
Just to publicly humiliate me.
I walked into Sophie's room.
She was sleeping peacefully under a white blanket.
Her head was wrapped in thick white bandages.
I sat in the plastic chair beside her bed.
May you like
I made a silent promise to myself.
I would never let those monsters near us again.
