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Chapter 7

Author: Sinclair
The papers scattered across the floor.

I grabbed the nurse and asked where Lily had gone. A man had claimed to be her father, she said, and Lily had called him Daddy. Before she could verify who he was, he'd already carried her toward the elevators.

I called Ethan and had the nurse call security at the same time. The phone rang for a long time before he picked up.

"Lily is at home. Come back and we'll talk."

"She has a checkup today! Bring her back right now!"

"I am a top surgeon. I can look after her! There's no need to drag her back and forth. Come home first."

He hung up. I called the police and gave the dispatcher Ethan's name, a description of his car, and the destination he'd just confirmed. I also asked hospital security to save the footage.

The nurse agreed to keep the wheelchair for me. I ran to the parking lot. The sight of the empty car seat in the back of my car sent a jolt of panic through me, and I drove straight to the old house.

When I pushed the door open, Lily was curled on the sofa, shaking all over, holding the bear against her.

"Mom." Her voice was thin.

I put my hand on her forehead and the heat of it frightened me. I pulled out the appointment notice and held it up in front of Ethan.

"She has a fever! The doctor said if she runs a fever, she goes straight to the ER. I'm taking her there now."

Ethan glanced at the page.

"She was talking normally just now. Calm down. You'll frighten her."

"Have you taken her temperature? Have you looked at the wound?"

"Claire, sit down and let's talk this through."

Lily clutched at me, her teeth chattering. I picked her up and headed for the door, but Ethan got there first and blocked it.

"The complaint, the divorce—are you going to keep hiding from me?"

"After she's been seen, I'll talk to you."

"You've got a lawyer, you've got Noah, you've rented an apartment. What is there left to talk about?"

She was burning up and slipping down in my arms. I hitched her up higher and my voice broke. "Get out of the way!"

"Then agree to drop the complaint and stop the divorce first. And stop dragging outsiders into our business."

"I can't agree to that right now."

Ethan's face darkened. I put Lily back on the sofa and propped her up with cushions. As I took out my phone to call for help, he snatched it away and grabbed my wrist.

"Look at me. Have you decided to be with Noah?"

I fought to pull free, keeping my eyes on my daughter. She was shaking harder and her lips had gone white.

"She has a fever! Whatever you want to ask, ask it after she's been seen!"

"I'm her father and I'm a doctor. I don't need you telling me over and over how to care for her."

Lily reached out from the sofa with her left hand. After several tries, she finally caught the hem of his shirt.

Ethan looked down.

"Daddy, look at me. It really hurts."

He answered her, told her to hold on a little longer, and turned back to ask whether I still wanted to be part of this family.

My daughter was a few steps away with her face turned up, waiting for him. I was crying by then, prying at his hand, trying to make him look at her.

"She's calling you, Ethan!" I pulled his hand toward her. "Look down at her. She's in so much pain and you still want me to answer you first?"
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  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 21

    After that, Ethan came when he said he would. He traded shifts ahead of time and helped care for Lily and take her to follow-up appointments. When one of her assistive devices needed attention, he contacted the person responsible, then let me know what had been done.At first, Lily worried he wouldn't come, so I wrote the agreed dates down for her. He showed up on time, once, then again. If anything changed, he told her ahead of time.I kept working as a medical illustrator while Lily drew her favorite animals beside me. Sometimes she filled a whole sketchbook and still didn't want to stop. I looked at her new drawings with her, and sometimes she complained that I'd made a dolphin too fat.My mother was still in treatment at the psychiatric hospital, and Owen remained in the care of child welfare services while they arranged his next placement. I never again had to cancel something I had promised my daughter because of one of my sister's bills.Before Lily's next birthday she dug out h

  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 20

    Ethan started over with very short visits. Either I or a staff member supervised him the entire time.At first, he didn't even know which side to put Lily's water bottle on. She reached for it twice with her left hand before he hurried to move it closer. He also had someone adjust the wheelchair's cup holder so she could reach it. Once, when he put her sketchbook too high, he came straight back to get it as soon as she called."I'm sorry. Daddy put it in the wrong place."Lily bent over the sketchbook, and he sat beside her and waited while she found the page she wanted.At a rehabilitation session a while later, Lily wore her adjusted brace but stopped after a few steps. Ethan went over and asked her where it hurt.Another parent encouraged her kindly, saying she was doing well and could manage a little more. Lily looked at her father. "Daddy, if I don't walk any more today, will you be angry?"I tightened my grip on the papers, remembering the birthday party and how she'd kept saying

  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 19

    After Ethan served his full two-year sentence, our first meeting was still arranged through the lawyer.It had been about three years since the crash. Lily was almost ten and it was time to adjust her devices again. I walked into the conference room with the cost breakdown. Ethan stood up to pull out a chair for me, then stopped mid-reach and drew his hand back.He handed me a list of his property, cars, and investments and said all of it was going to be sold."I'll keep making the payments we agreed on. The rest will go to you too. I want to give Lily some extra security and buy you both a home that's easier for her to get around in."The lawyer had already itemized what he owed. I read through the list and asked whether what he was handing over was everything he had left."All of it," he said."What do you want me to agree to?"Ethan looked up, and I went on. "If giving us the house and money means I'll still have to do what you say, I won't accept them.""It won't." He turned to the

  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 18

    Ethan heard about the attack from Paul and wrote to ask whether Lily had been hurt and whether she was sleeping at night. At the end of the letter he mentioned Owen and said the agency should handle his placement instead of leaving it to me."I always thought giving Vivian more money meant I was doing right by David. Even when she went too far, I wouldn't admit it. I kept telling you and Lily to give in. I made her think that whatever she did to you, I would fix it for her."I folded the letter. If he had thought that way once in all those years, neither Lily nor I would have had to wait this long.Later, to settle the arrangements for Lily's ongoing care and expenses, I went to see him once. Lily stayed home.When they brought him in I almost didn't recognize him. His hair was short, and he'd lost a lot of weight. The first thing he asked was whether my shoulder had healed."It has.""And Lily?""The scrapes healed. She still cries when a car horn suddenly goes off."He put a hand on

  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 17

    For the next few days, any noise outside the door had Lily calling for me. I moved my computer to the bedside, drew with her during the day, and handled the paperwork that needed to be filed after she was asleep.The police established that my mother had been waiting outside the hospital for more than one day. When she saw us arrive for the appointment she told Vivian she would hold me there.My mother knew my daughter was in that wheelchair, and she heard the child beg her to let go, and she did not let go.An officer asked whether I had anything to add, and I repeated everything my mother had said that day. When I got to "Don't interrupt," I stopped, drank some water, and finished.After my mother was admitted for observation, she sent word that if I admitted I had driven my sister to her death, the family could give me another chance. I didn't go.A few days later the hospital contacted me about her medical history. She stayed awake all night, saying my sister's surgery wasn't finis

  • He Chose My Sister Over Our Daughter   Chapter 16

    Sam and I pulled at the same moment and dragged the chair toward the glass doors.My mother lost her grip and she stumbled toward the edge of the drive. Another staff member reached her, took her arm, and hauled her aside.Tires shrieked against the pavement. Lily squeezed her eyes shut and cried for me. As I pushed, I looked down and told her I was there. I told her to keep her back against the seat.As the chair went between the stone bollards in front of the doors, my shoulder slammed into the frame. Pain made my vision go black, but I didn't dare let go until Sam took the handles and got her inside.I looked back. Vivian's car had reached the entrance. She saw us go through the doors and was still turning the wheel to come after us when the front of the car slammed into a concrete pillar.The crash shook the ground under my feet, and debris scattered everywhere. The staff pulled me away from the glass, and I dropped to the floor beside the chair. I immediately cupped my daughter's

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