Chapter 3 - The emergency department
Emily was dehydrated.
Hungry.
Bruised.
Not critically injured.
The emergency physician said that sentence carefully, knowing relief does not erase what caused the visit.
She had bruising around both upper arms.
A small abrasion at her ankle.
Bruised knees.
No fractures.
No head injury.
No evidence of sexual abuse.
I include that because people asked later.
And because fear fills blank spaces with the worst possible things.
Dr. Samuel Price said:
“Physically, I expect full recovery.”
I nearly folded over.
Emily was given fluids to drink rather than an IV because she could keep them down.
Crackers.
Applesauce.
Then half a turkey sandwich.
She ate too fast.
A nurse slowed her gently.
“No rush, sweetheart.”
Emily looked at me.
“Can I have more?”
“Yes.”
The nurse said:
“Absolutely.”
I wanted to kill Derek for making food sound uncertain.
I did not say that.
A hospital social worker named Maren Cole came in.
She asked Emily whether she wanted me to stay.
“Yes.”
Then asked me to let Emily answer without help.
I agreed.
“How did you get in the cage?”
Emily looked at her hands.
“Derek put me.”
“Why?”
“I saw him doing bad stuff.”
“What bad stuff?”
“The pool.”
Her breathing changed.
Maren said:
“You don’t have to tell everything at once.”
Emily nodded.
“Did he lock the cage?”
“Yes.”
“Did he say when you could come out?”
“When Mom came home.”
“Where was Mom?”
“Work.”
Laura was a pediatric respiratory therapist at St. Anne’s Medical Center.
Twelve-hour shift.
She had left before seven that morning.
Derek was supposed to take Emily to school and pick her up.
“Did you go to school today?”
Emily shook her head.
“Why not?”
“He said I was sick.”
“Were you sick?”
“No.”
My stomach twisted.
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Toast.”
“Lunch?”
She shook her head.
“When were you put in the cage?”
“I don’t know.”
“Before or after lunch time?”
“Before the mail truck.”
Mrs. Harris later said mail arrived around 12:40.
Four hours or more.
Maybe five.
Again:
Not starvation.
Still deliberate deprivation.
Then Maren asked:
“Emily, you told your dad not to look at the pool. Why?”
Emily looked at me.
I nodded once.
Not pressure.
Permission.
May you like
She whispered:
“Derek said people who look in there disappear.”
