“My brother?”
My brother, Nathan, lived in Seattle. We spoke often, but after the birth, I had not wanted to worry him. He had sent flowers, baby clothes, and nearly fifty messages asking if Ryan was helping.
I had lied and said yes.
Daniel pulled the chair closer to my bed and sat down.
“Nathan couldn’t reach you. He said your messages stopped suddenly. He tried Ryan, but Ryan didn’t answer. He knew I was in Denver for work, so he asked me to swing by.”
I closed my eyes.
Nathan.
My brother had saved me from two states away.
Daniel’s voice became quieter.
“When I got there, the front door wasn’t locked.”
I remembered Ryan leaving in a rush.
“I heard the baby first,” Daniel said. “He was crying, but weak. Then I found you.”
His jaw tightened.
I knew he was seeing it all again.
Me on the floor.
The blood.
Ethan crying alone.
“You were barely breathing,” he said. “I called 911. I picked up Ethan. I didn’t know if I should move you, but the dispatcher told me what to do until the ambulance arrived.”
Tears slid down my temples and into my hair.
“You saved him.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I got there in time. That’s all.”
“No,” I whispered. “You saved us.”
He looked away.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then I asked the question I was afraid to ask.
“How long was I there?”
Daniel’s hand tightened around the coffee cup.
“About six hours.”
Six hours.
Not three days.
Ryan had left me to die, but Daniel had found me before night came.
“What does Ryan know?” I asked.
Daniel’s face shifted.
“Nothing. Not yet.”
My pulse quickened.
“What do you mean?”
“The hospital couldn’t get him. Your brother told the police what happened after I called him. Detective Bennett advised us not to contact Ryan directly until they knew where he was and what he’d say.”
I stared at him.
“So Ryan thinks…”
Daniel met my eyes.
“He came home today. He found the blood and the empty bassinet.”
A cold numbness passed through my entire body.
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