Mandatory reporting kicked in. The hospital staff did what they had to do. Police were notified. Statements were taken. The wheels of the system began to turn.
I didn’t want vengeance. I wanted boundaries, consequences, and safety.
When Lily was stable and finally sleeping under warm blankets, I stepped into the hallway and made a single call. Not to the military, not to my contacts in uniform. I called Emily.
She picked up on the first ring. “John? I had a weird feeling. Is Lily okay?”
“Lily’s alive,” I said. “She’s stable. But it was close.”
Emily went silent. “What happened?”
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