Chapter 3 - The Emergency Room
Mark sprinted toward his pickup truck parked in the driveway, holding Lily tightly wrapped inside his navy blue jacket.
He sped down the rain-slicked Massachusetts highway, running two red lights to reach St. Jude’s Children's Hospital in suburban Boston.
The emergency room doors slid open, and a team of nurses immediately swarmed Mark as he carried his freezing daughter inside.
"Severe hypothermia! We need warm IV fluids and thermal heating blankets in Room 4 right now!" a doctor barked into his intercom.
Mark held Lily's small, ice-cold hand as the medical team worked frantically to raise her core body temperature.
Her pale cheeks slowly began to regain a hint of color under the thick thermal layers.
Outside the trauma room, two Boston police officers stepped off the elevator, their eyes scanning the hallway for Mark.
"Mark Vance?" Officer Thomas asked, pulling a small notepad from his tactical vest pocket.
"We received a 911 call from an older woman claiming you committed aggravated assault in your garage," the officer stated firmly.
May you like
Mark looked at the officers with a cold, unwavering glare, pulling out his smartphone to show them the freezer padlock.
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