Chapter 2 - The Woman He Hit
“Don't touch me,” Emily said when Daniel reached for her arm.
He stopped beside the ambulance. Sophie was being examined by paramedics. The stroller sat abandoned at the curb, one wheel bent. Daniel kept looking between the vehicle and the red mark rising on Emily's cheek.
“I thought—”
“You chose,” she said. “There's a difference.”
Patricia came down the driveway carrying Sophie's stuffed rabbit. “Daniel, sweetheart, the child is frightened. We don't need the hired help making things worse.”
“Her name is Emily,” Daniel said.
“I'm aware of her name.”
Emily had worked there nineteen months, since Sophie's mother, Leah, died. She knew which lullaby eased the nightmares and how Sophie liked her apple slices cut into thin moons. Nobody questioned Patricia without paying for it.
At St. Catherine's Hospital, the doctor found bruising but no serious injury. She ordered observation and asked to speak privately with the adults. Sophie clutched Emily's sleeve until Daniel gently separated them for the examination.
“Who was with her?” the doctor asked.
“My mother,” Daniel replied. “And Emily was outside.”
“Does Sophie know what happened?”
“Yes,” Emily said. “And she should be listened to.”
Patricia leaned toward the doctor. “Children repeat whatever the nanny suggests.”
Emily stared at her. “I haven't suggested anything.”
A social worker entered and explained that a report would be made because of the circumstances. Patricia's mouth tightened. Daniel said nothing.
In the hall, Daniel whispered, “I owe you an apology.”
“You owe Sophie a safe home. And you owe me more than a whisper.”
Before he could answer, Sophie's hospital bracelet slipped from his pocket. Attached to it was something she had refused to let the nurse throw away: a short strip of pale-blue ribbon.
“Where did this come from?” Emily asked.
May you like
Daniel frowned. “I don't know.”
Emily did. That ribbon had been tied around the handle of the stroller that morning. She'd seen Patricia cut it off.
