Chapter 4
Daniel returned to the hospital the next afternoon with flowers and a lawyer. I agreed to see him, but only with my father, my attorney, and a hospital social worker present.
Daniel entered wearing the same clothes from the earthquake. His face looked exhausted, and a bruise darkened his temple. He placed the flowers on a table and looked at my cast.
“Amelia, I am so sorry you were hurt.” I waited. He glanced at the other people in the room. “Can we speak privately?” “No.” “This is our marriage.” “Our marriage was in that building. You carried someone else out of it.”
He lowered his voice. “Vanessa was hysterical. She said she couldn’t feel her foot. I thought you were protected by the beam pocket and that the rescuers would reach you next.” “Then why did you tell them we were fine?” “I was trying to keep them focused.” “On Vanessa.” “On getting one injured person out quickly.”
My attorney slid a transcript across the table. Daniel looked down and saw his own words printed in black ink. My wife said she can wait.
His eyes flickered. “That isn’t what I meant.” “I never said it,” I replied. “I was under extreme stress.” “So was our seven-year-old son.”
Daniel looked toward Mason’s closed room next door. “Let me see him.” “He doesn’t want to see you.” His face crumpled for a moment. “You’re turning him against me.”
The accusation was so familiar that it almost worked. For years, whenever I challenged Daniel, he shifted the focus until I found myself defending my tone instead of discussing his conduct. This time, I did not follow him.
“Mason heard you say we were fine,” I said. “He watched you leave. I haven’t needed to tell him anything.” Daniel sat in silence.
May you like
Then my father spoke for the first time. “You once asked me why Amelia carried an emergency beacon.” Daniel looked at him. “You laughed before I could answer,” my father continued. “You said people who planned for disasters were addicted to drama. Had you listened, you would have known the beacon transmitted medical information, location data, and a family distress code to our command center.”
Daniel swallowed. “I didn’t know your organization had aircraft here.” “You did not know anything about us because learning would have required interest without personal benefit.”
