Chapter 3

A void opened in Charlotte' s mind. Her heart stopped. Everything stopped.

Then, a primal scream ripped from her lungs. She thrashed against the guards, a wild thing of pure, unadulterated agony. She broke free, scrambling, falling, crawling toward the door.

She ran. Down the hallway, past stunned nurses and doctors, down the stairs, her legs tangling beneath her, sending her sprawling. She got up, her body a symphony of pain, and kept running.

She burst out into the courtyard just as the paramedics were lifting a small, broken body onto a gurney.

Julianne.

The strength left Charlotte' s limbs. She collapsed onto the cold pavement, the world tilting on its axis.

Then, she saw her. Kaylynn Cline. Dressed in surgical scrubs, walking with purpose toward the emergency entrance where they were taking Julianne.

"No," Charlotte whispered. A new, terrifying strength surged through her. She scrambled to her feet and ran, grabbing Kaylynn's arm.

"Get away from her," Charlotte snarled, her voice a low growl. "You will not touch my daughter."

Kaylynn looked at her, her face a mask of professional concern, but her eyes held a spark of triumph. "Mrs. Spears, I understand you're upset. But I'm a doctor here. I'm the on-call trauma specialist. I need to get to my patient."

"You are not a surgeon! You're a researcher! You're not qualified for this!" Charlotte pleaded, turning to Everett, who had followed them out. "Everett, please. Don't let her do this. Get Dr. Evans. He' s the best."

Everett hesitated. For a fraction of a second, she saw a flicker of the old Everett, a ghost of the man who had loved them.

But then Kaylynn turned to him, her eyes welling with crocodile tears. "Everett, darling, she doesn't trust me. After all you've done for me... for my research... she thinks I would harm her own daughter?"

The flicker was gone. His face hardened.

"Let her go, Charlotte," he said, his voice flat and final. He pushed Charlotte away, his hand rough on her bruised arm.

He and Kaylynn walked into the ER, the doors swinging shut behind them, leaving Charlotte alone in the sterile hallway, the red light above the door a malevolent, pulsing eye.

She remembered how Everett had helped Julianne with her art school applications, staying up late to review her portfolio, telling her she was the most talented artist he' d ever known. He had been so proud.

How could this be the same man?

The wait was an eternity. Each tick of the clock was a hammer blow to her heart. Finally, the light went off. The doors opened.

Kaylynn emerged, stripping off her bloody gloves with a practiced air of weary competence. Everett was right behind her.

"She's alive," Kaylynn announced, a smug little smile playing on her lips. "But the damage was extensive. Severe spinal and head trauma. She'll live, but... she'll be in a permanent vegetative state."

"What?" The word was a choked gasp. "No. That's not possible. The fall wasn't that high."

"Are you questioning my professional diagnosis?" Kaylynn asked, her voice sharp. "You're not a surgeon anymore, Charlotte. Remember? You resigned."

Charlotte stared at her, speechless. She sought out other doctors, old colleagues who still looked at her with pity. They reviewed the charts, the scans. They all confirmed it. The surgery had saved Julianne's life, but there were... complications. Subtle, irreversible damage. Her daughter was gone, a breathing shell left in her place.

Barbara was awake when Charlotte returned to her room. The older woman's face was a mask of grief.

"It's my fault," Charlotte wept, her bodyFinally shaking with sobs. "I should have protected her. I brought him into our lives." She dug her nails into her own arms, wanting to feel pain, any pain, to distract from the chasm in her soul.

"No," Barbara said, her voice weak but firm. She grabbed Charlotte' s hand, stopping the self-harm. "This is not your fault. It is his."

Barbara's eyes, usually so warm, were hard as flint. "We have to leave, Charlotte. We have to get away from him."

"We can't," Charlotte whispered. "He'll find us. He controls everything."

"Your father... he was a diplomat. He had connections," Barbara said, her voice low and urgent. "He always had contingency plans. For us. There is a way out. I promise you. I will get us out."

A tiny, fragile seed of hope took root in the barren wasteland of Charlotte's heart.

As she was helping Barbara pack a small bag, she overheard two nurses whispering in the hallway.

"Did you hear about Cline's surgery? The one before the Spears girl?"

"The one where she nicked the splenic artery? Yeah. The patient almost bled out on the table. They said she was reckless. Panicked."

The world stopped. Kaylynn wasn't just unqualified. She was incompetent. She was dangerous.

And Everett had let her operate on their daughter.