Chapter 3 — Emergency
1468 Words
Derrick did not wait for the gurney. He ran through the sliding doors with Daisy in his arms. Her body was light and shaking. Her breath came in small, sharp sounds against his neck.
“Help!" he shouted. “She fell down the stairs!"
A nurse hurried over with a cart. “Room four," she said. “Lay her here."
Derrick set Daisy down like she was glass. She gripped his sleeve with both hands. Tears ran down her face.
“Will I be lame?" she asked, voice small and thin.
“No," he said at once. “I won't let that happen. If it does, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
Her eyes filled again. “It hurts," she whispered.
“I know," he said. “Hold on."
Alpha Greenland strode in behind them. He put a hand on Daisy's hair and looked at the nurse. “Fix her," he said. “Now."
“We're doing everything we can," the nurse answered. “Doctor is coming."
They rolled the cart through the double doors. Bright lights hung over the bed. A doctor came with a tablet and touched Daisy's leg with careful hands.
“Tibia," he said after the X‑ray. “Non‑displaced fracture. Splint tonight. Cast tomorrow. No weight for six weeks."
“She will walk?" Alpha asked.
“She will," the doctor said. “She needs rest and follow‑up. Pain meds will help."
Relief loosened something in Derrick's chest. “Thank you," he said. “Thank you."
They moved Daisy into a small room. The nurse raised the bed and pushed medicine into a clear tube. The monitor beeped. The room smelled like antiseptic and plastic.
Audrey stood in the doorway. Her hair was cut short. Her clothes were torn from the struggle at home. She stared at the bed and then at Derrick. She did not cry. She did not speak.
Alpha turned and saw her. He walked across the room. He did not ask a question. He swung his hand and slapped her hard across the face. The sound cracked in the room. Audrey's head snapped to the side. A red mark rose on her cheek at once.
“You bully your sister," Alpha said in a cold voice that filled the space. “You are cold and cruel. Having a daughter like you is a shame to this family."
Audrey faced him again. Her eyes were clear. “She lied," she said. “She jumped."
“Enough," Alpha said. “Say one more word, and I will have security throw you out."
Derrick stepped between them. “Father, please," he said. Then to Audrey, softer, trying for calm: “This is not the place. Daisy needs quiet."
Audrey stood still. “Truth does not make noise," she said. “Lies do."
Daisy reached for Derrick with a tremble in her hand. “Don't fight," she whispered. “Please. I'm sorry I fell."
“You did nothing wrong," Derrick said, leaning close. “You're safe now."
Amanda came in, face tight with worry. “How is she?" she asked.
“The leg is broken but will heal," Derrick said. “We'll bring her home tonight."
Amanda looked past him and saw Audrey. Her lips pressed into a line. “Out," she said sharply. “You've done enough."
Audrey stayed where she was. “I found my cat skinned in the garden," she said, steady and plain. “Daisy smiled at me from the window. When I came upstairs to speak, she let go of the rail and threw herself down."
“You expect anyone to believe that?" Derrick asked. His voice rose. “Audrey, look at her. She's hurt."
“I am looking," Audrey said. “For the first time, so are you."
Alpha took one step toward her. “You will apologize," he said. “You will say you pushed her. You will beg for forgiveness. Do it now."
“I won't lie," Audrey said.
“If you refuse," Alpha said, “you will go to the disciplinary camp at dawn. This discussion is over."
Derrick lifted his hands in a calming motion. “Father, give me a minute with her," he said. “Please."
Alpha stared at Audrey for one long second. “One minute," he said, and left the room with Amanda to sign papers.
The door clicked shut. The nurse pretended to check the IV and then slipped out too. Only the three of them remained: Derrick, Audrey, Daisy.
Derrick drew a breath. “Audrey," he said, trying to sound like a brother and a leader at once, “this can stop now. Say you're sorry. I will stand in front of Father. I will keep you out of the camp."
“I won't say a false thing," Audrey said. “Not again."
“It's one sentence," he said. “A small one. It keeps the family from tearing itself apart."
“You want the house quiet," she said. “Not the house honest."
He pointed at the bed. “You were at the top of the stairs. We found her below. What am I supposed to think?"
“You are supposed to think," Audrey said. “Not just pick the easy story."
Daisy's voice came faint from the bed. “Don't be cruel, Audrey," she said, soft as a child. “Please don't make them upset. I already said it was my fault."
Audrey looked at her. “Say the real fault," she said. “Say you jumped."
Daisy's lashes fluttered. Tears slid down her cheeks. She turned her face toward Derrick. “It was an accident," she whispered. “I tripped. I'm sorry."
Derrick felt the pull of the picture he had lived with for years: Daisy gentle, Audrey wild. It fit too well. It was neat. It kept peace. He tried to hold the two versions in his hands and felt them tear at each other.
“Audrey," he said, voice going tight, “I am offering you a way to stay home."
“You sent me away," she said. “You are still doing it. You just want me to do it to myself with the word sorry."
His temper flared. “You never bend," he said. “You never meet anyone halfway. You always think you're the only one who knows the truth."
“I know what I saw," she said. “I know what she has done for years. Broken things. Flooded the basement. Smiled when I bled. You never looked."
“I looked," he said. “I saw you at the top of the stairs."
“And you stopped looking," she said.
The door opened. Alpha came back with discharge papers. Amanda followed. “We're leaving," Alpha said. He faced Audrey. “Last chance. Apologize to your sister."
“No," Audrey said.
Alpha's jaw worked once. He lifted his arm as if to strike again, then lowered it. “Elevator," he said to Amanda. “Get the chair."
Amanda went to fetch the wheelchair.
Derrick tried once more, desperate now. “Say you're sorry," he said in a hard whisper. “Say it for me."
“For you?" Audrey asked. “You don't deserve it."
Derrick's face changed. Cold moved into his voice. “Then this is on you," he said. “You brought this on yourself."
The nurse rolled in a wheelchair. Alpha lifted Daisy from the bed and set her down in it. She gasped, then nodded, brave again for show. They pushed toward the door.
In the hall, people watched. A guard at the exit turned his head. A mother with a toddler stared. It did not slow Alpha's steps. He wanted to be seen taking care of his own.
Derrick paused at the threshold and looked back at Audrey. The red print of Alpha's slap still burned on her cheek. She stood very straight. She did not ask for mercy.
“Come," Alpha said. “Now."
Derrick stepped into the hall. The elevator chimed. The doors slid open.
Daisy clutched the arms of the chair and spoke in a tiny voice made to be heard. “I'm sorry, Audrey," she said. “I fell. I didn't mean to make trouble."
“Say you jumped," Audrey said. Her tone did not rise. It cut clean.
Daisy's eyes shone. No words came out. Amanda bent over her, murmuring, “Brave girl, almost over."
The elevator waited with an empty, open mouth.
Derrick felt the moment closing. Duty pulled at him like a rope. He reached for the story that would hold the family together, whether it was true or not.
He looked at Audrey and chose. “You should be sent to the camp," he said. “You deserve it."
- Writer
