I pulled away.
Adrian raised his hand as if he intended to strike me.
Then headlights flashed through the front windows.
A vehicle stopped outside.
He turned toward the glass.
I heard a knock.
“Police!”
The color drained from his face.
For the first time that night, I smiled.
“Too late, Adrian.”
The next hour felt like a lifetime.
Paramedics entered the house and examined Maya while two officers separated Adrian and me.
My daughter was awake but lethargic, and the medical team immediately recommended transporting her to the emergency department.
Adrian tried to interfere.
“She’s fine. My wife is having some kind of nervous breakdown.”
One officer, a tall woman named Detective Lauren Hayes, watched him carefully.
“Sir, the medical team will make that determination.”
“I’m her father.”
“And she is a child who needs an examination.”
Adrian opened his mouth, then closed it.
I followed Maya into the ambulance.
