Chapter 202
Chapter 202:
Hilliard knelt beside her, his hands hovering, afraid to touch her. “Don’t move. I’ll get a doctor p>
“Oh my god!” Charla shrieked from the bed. “The stand — it just fell! It must have been unbalanced! Is she okay p>
Hilliard looked at Cailin. Then he looked at the overturned stand. He studied its position.
It had fallen away from the bed. Toward the door.
Gravity didn’t work like that. Not unless something had pulled it.
He looked at Charla. Her leg was extended from beneath the covers, her foot resting near where the base of the stand had been. She drew it back under the sheet quickly — a fraction of a second too late.
A cold knot formed in Hilliard’s stomach.
“It just fell?” he asked, his voice very low.
𝖣𝘰𝗇’𝘵 𝘮іs𝘀 ո𝗲w 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝖾𝖺𝘀𝖾ѕ 𝗼n ѕ.с𝘰𝗺
“Yes! She touched it and it fell!” Charla cried, tears springing instantly to her eyes. “Hilliard, help her p>
He said nothing more. He slid his arms beneath Cailin and lifted her against his chest. She cried out as the movement jarred her dislocated shoulder.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ve got you p>
He straightened to his full height, holding her close. He looked at Charla one final time. His eyes were dark, filled with a dawning and horrifying suspicion. Then he turned, kicked the door open with his foot, and carried Cailin out into the hallway, shouting for a doctor.
“Doctor! I need a doctor here — now!” Hilliard’s voice boomed down the corridor, startling a nurse at the station.
He ignored the stares. He looked down at Cailin. Her head was lolling against his chest, sweat beading on her forehead. The blood from her split lip had smeared across his white shirt collar.
“Stay with me, Cailin,” he murmured, walking fast toward the Emergency Room entrance. “Just breathe p>
“It hurts,” she whimpered through gritted teeth. “Put me down p>
“Not until we get to a bed p>
Back in Room 304, the silence was suffocating.
Charla lay against her pillows, her heart hammering. She listened to Hilliard’s footsteps fade down the hall. She had pushed it. She knew she had pushed it. The look on his face — he suspected.
The door opened and Gregg slipped back in. He took in the overturned stand, the spilled water, the shattered ceramic, and turned to her.
“What the hell happened?” he hissed, closing the door and locking it behind him.
“She had an accident,” Charla said, her voice unsteady. “Daddy, Hilliard looked at me. He looked at me like he knew p>
“Knew what p>
“That I pulled it p>
Gregg dragged both hands down his face. “You are reckless, Charla. We had the upper hand. Why did you have to p>
“Because I hate her!” Charla hissed. “I want her gone p>
She drew a sharp breath, forcing herself to focus. “We need to be careful. Hilliard is going to start asking questions. We need to make sure there’s no evidence.” Her eyes widened suddenly. “The phone p>
“What phone p>
“Cailin’s phone — the one she dropped earlier, when Mom grabbed her p>