“Monica.” I stop next to her and take in the bruise blooming on her cheek and the hold he has on her arm. I want to take pictures. Ask questions. Find out what the hell is going on. But I want my baby more. “Where is she?”
“She’s in there,” she tells me, pointing to the closed door behind us with trembling fingers. “Tell her I’m sorry.”
“Let’s go,” the man holding her arm orders and pushes her in front of him as Monica winces, hissing from his tight hold.
Jasper takes a step toward them, but I grab his arm and shake my head. “Find the cops,” I whisper. “Tell them why we’re here and what just happened.”
“You want me in there with you first?” he asks.
“No. We need the police.”
I take in three more steadying breaths before letting myself in the room where what appears to be a doctor and a nurse are huddled around Maggie.
“Excuse me.”
They both turn, and I get my first look at Maggie, her tear-filled eyes rimmed red, her sleeve torn, and her little arm casted. “Oh, baby...”
“And you are?” the nurse asks, and I walk past her and sit on the bed beside Magnolia.
“I’m her stepmother. Her mother just left.” I open my arms when my baby clumsily climbs into my lap, banging her cast against me, and another crocodile tear falls down her face. “What happened?”
The young doctor steps forward, her face carefully devoid of emotion, hiding everything I want to know. “Magnolia has a distal radius fracture on her forearm.” She points to the x-ray hanging on the wall. “Right here. By her wrist. We’ve set the bone and casted the arm. She shouldn’t need to be in it for more than three to six weeks. Children heal quickly. Much more quickly than adults. Their bones are still growing, so that aspect isn’t as bad.”
“How does something like this happen?” I ask as Maggie rests her head on my shoulder.
“We have a few questions about that. Are you able to answer them for us, Ms....?”
“Adler,” I fill in for them.
“Owie,” Maggie babbles, and my heart breaks.
I brush my lips against her head and look at the doctor. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Jasper walks into the room, and all eyes turn to him, but he just shakes his head.
Guess he couldn’t locate any officers.
I start my mental checklist.
Call Nina. Find out what we know about Monica’s fiancé, assuming that was who was with her. Speak to the police. And I haven’t even spoken to Logan yet. I can’t imagine he’ll even get my text until after his game.
“It looks like her mother has left the hospital, so I’m not sure about those answers.” Jasper comes to stand by my side, and the doctor looks between us.
“Mr. Adler?”
“No,” Jasper answers. “His brother.”
“Her father is out of town for work,” I tell them, dreading what’s going to happen when her father finds out what happened. “And I know he’ll have questions as well. But for now, can you please tell me how to take care of the cast and the pain and when we can go home?”
The nurse hands me a printout, and I resist the urge to cry.
The urge to find Monica and hold her down until she tells me what the hell happened to my baby is a little harder of a battle to win.
LOGAN
Olivia
Hey. I’m assuming you’re not going to see this until after the game. Call me when you can.
