Chapter 4 - The Medical Truth
Ten minutes later, the family dining room was filled with the warm glow of portable space heaters brought in by the emergency medical team.
I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, holding all four of my daughters in my arms. I had wrapped them in thick wool blankets and my own heavy winter coat. Dr. Elena Rostova, a trusted family pediatrician who had arrived with the emergency team, was quietly evaluating their vitals.
Emma, the oldest by three minutes, rested her head against my shoulder. She was staring at a bowl of warm, fresh chicken soup one of the paramedics had prepared in the kitchen. She hadn't touched it yet.
"Why aren't you eating, sweetheart?" I asked gently, kissing the top of her soft, hair.
"If we eat it all... will Mama Vanessa come back and hit Lily again?" Emma whispered, her eyes wide with an ancient, unnatural fear.
My heart shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding them tighter against my chest.
"Mama Vanessa is never coming back, Emma," I promised, my voice thick with emotion. "No one is ever going to hurt you, scare you, or take your food away ever again. I swear it on your mother's memory."
Dr. Thorne finished her examination and gestured for me to step into the hallway for a moment. I carefully tucked the blankets around the girls, gave each of them a forehead kiss, and stepped outside, closing the door slightly.
"How are they, Elena?" I asked, my voice trembling.
Dr. Thorne looked at me with deep, grave concern. "They are suffering from moderate hypothermia, severe vitamin deficiencies, and acute malnutrition, Julian. Their weight charts show they haven't gained a single pound in five months. In fact, they've lost nearly fifteen percent of their body mass."
I leaned my head against the cold wood paneling of the corridor, letting out a ragged breath.
"There's something else," Dr. Thorne added, pulling a small glass vial from her medical kit. "While testing their blood for nutritional markers, I found trace amounts of a mild, long-acting synthetic sedative."
I snapped my head up, my eyes wide with shock. "Sedatives?!"
"Yes," Dr. Thorne confirmed grimly. "A pediatric sleep suppressant. It explains why they were so passive and lethargic when you found them. Someone was systematically slipping sedatives into their water to keep them sleeping for sixteen hours a day so they wouldn't cry or ask for food during the afternoons."
A dark, terrifying stillness settled inside my mind.
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Vanessa hadn't just neglected them to save money for parties. She had deliberately poisoned and sedated four five-year-old children to keep them quiet while she lived like royalty in my house.
"Keep the blood samples sealed, Elena," I commanded, my tone dropping into an absolute, lethal calm. "Send a certified copy directly to the District Attorney's office. I want attempted murder added to her indictment."
