Chapter 2: Secrets in the ICU
Chapter 2: Secrets in the ICU
Rain hammered against the hospital windows as the ambulance rolled beneath the emergency entrance.
The doors flew open.
"Thirty-four-year-old female," Sarah Chen called out as the trauma team rushed forward. "Fall from approximately twenty feet. Suspected spinal cord injury. Patient reports complete loss of sensation below the waist."
Doctors and nurses surrounded me before I could say another word.
Bright lights blinded my eyes.
Someone cut away the remains of my dress.
Another nurse placed oxygen over my face.
"Bridget," a doctor said, leaning into my view. "I'm Dr. Emily Carter. We're taking you for imaging immediately. Stay with me."
"I can't feel my legs."
"I know. We'll find out why."
The ceiling lights rushed past as they wheeled me through the hall.
The pain in my back had become unbearable, yet everything below my waist remained frighteningly silent.
Minutes later, I was inside the CT scanner.
No one spoke while the machine circled around me.
When it finally stopped, Dr. Carter looked at the images on the monitor.
Her expression changed.
She immediately called someone.
"I need Neurosurgery in Trauma Room Two. Right now."
My heart sank.
Something was terribly wrong.
Outside the trauma unit, Detective James Morrison waited patiently.
Tyler arrived twenty minutes later with our parents.
His shirt was still stained with dirt from kneeling beside me.
His eyes were red.
Anyone watching would have believed he was a devastated brother.
Morrison didn't.
"You should've stayed home," the detective said.
Tyler frowned.
"My sister is in surgery."
"Not yet."
Morrison stepped closer.
"So let's talk."
Harold Walker cleared his throat.
"My attorney has advised us not to answer any questions tonight."
"I haven't accused anyone."
"You don't need to."
The detective studied Harold for several seconds.
"Interesting response."
Before anyone could reply, Lauren hurried through the hospital entrance.
She looked exhausted.
Her mascara had run from crying.
She stopped the moment she saw Tyler.
He gave her a warning look.
Barely noticeable.
But Detective Morrison saw it.
"So," he said calmly, "you were at the party."
Lauren nodded.
"Yes."
"You saw Bridget fall?"
"I..."
Her voice caught.
"I heard people scream."
"Did you see anyone touch her?"
Tyler interrupted immediately.
"Lauren was inside getting drinks."
"I asked her."
Harold placed a hand on Tyler's shoulder.
"Enough."
Lauren looked between them.
Then at the detective.
Finally, she whispered, "I... I don't remember."
Tyler let out a slow breath.
Morrison noticed.
So did Lauren.
She hated herself for lying.
An hour later, Dr. Carter walked into the waiting room.
Everyone stood.
"How is she?" my mother asked.
The doctor removed her glasses.
"Your daughter has suffered a severe spinal injury."
Silence filled the hallway.
"We won't know the full extent until the swelling decreases."
My father asked the question no one else could.
"Will she walk again?"
Dr. Carter hesitated.
"I honestly don't know."
My mother's hand covered her mouth.
Tyler lowered his head.
His performance deserved an award.
I woke several hours later in the Intensive Care Unit.
Machines beeped steadily around me.
My mouth felt dry.
My back burned.
Sarah Chen was sitting quietly beside the bed.
"You stayed?"
She smiled.
"My shift ended."
"You didn't have to."
"No."
She looked toward the hallway.
"But I wanted to."
Before I could respond, Detective Morrison entered.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I lost half my body."
He nodded sympathetically.
"I need to ask a few questions."
Sarah stood.
"I'll give you some privacy."
As she reached the door, Morrison stopped her.
"You can stay."
She looked surprised.
"This interview is being recorded."
He placed a recorder on the bedside table.
"Bridget Walker, do you understand that you're giving a formal statement?"
"I do."
"Tell me exactly what happened before you fell."
I closed my eyes.
"Tyler asked me to meet him on the deck."
"What time?"
"Around eight-thirty."
"What did he say?"
"He wanted to congratulate me."
"For inheriting your grandmother's estate?"
"Yes."
"What happened next?"
"He smiled."
I swallowed hard.
"Then he asked me if Grandma had changed her mind at the last minute."
"What did you tell him?"
"I said no."
"And then?"
"He leaned closer."
My hands began trembling.
"He whispered..."
I stopped.
"What did he whisper?" Morrison asked.
I forced the words out.
"'You should've shared it.'"
The detective remained silent.
I continued.
"I told him Grandma made her own decision."
"And then?"
"He smiled again."
Another pause.
"He said..."
My throat tightened.
"'Dead people can't change wills.'"
The room fell silent.
"He pushed me immediately afterward."
Detective Morrison slowly turned off the recorder.
"Thank you."
As he stood to leave, his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression hardened.
"What is it?" I asked.
He looked back at me.
"We just received the preliminary report from the forensic team."
My pulse quickened.
"What did they find?"
"The fingerprints on the broken railing..."
He paused.
"They aren't yours."
"They belong to Tyler."
And for the first time that night...
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Detective James Morrison believed he had enough evidence to request an arrest warrant.
To be continued...
