Chapter 2 - The Hospital Corridor
The smell of antiseptic filled the fourth floor pediatric unit.
Ryan walked briskly down the hallway until he spotted Maya sitting outside Room 412.
Her face was pale, and an ice pack rested against her bruised cheekbone.
She looked small in the broad wooden chair, but her eyes snapped up the moment she heard his footsteps.
"How is he?" Ryan asked, dropping to his knees in front of her just as he had done in the nursery.
"The nebulizer helped," Maya said, her voice raspy from crying.
"His oxygen levels are stabilizing."
"The doctors said another ten minutes without his inhaler could have caused permanent damage."
Ryan took her hands into his own, feeling her fingers trembling.
"I am so sorry, Maya," he whispered, anger burning behind his eyes.
"I trusted her around our family."
"I knew she hated me, Ryan," Maya murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"But I never thought she would use Oliver's breath against him."
"It's over now," Ryan swore softly.
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"The police have the video, the file from the wardrobe, and the inhaler they found in her purse."
"She is never coming near us again."
