Chapter 8 - The Night My Mother Stopped Breathing
I had faced Vincent Morgan without backing down.
But nothing prepared me for the terror of watching my mother struggle for air.
I called an ambulance immediately.
Her lips had turned pale.
Her breathing was shallow.
I held her hand while the paramedics checked her oxygen levels.
"Stay with me, Mom."
She tried to smile.
"Emma..."
"Don't talk."
Her fingers tightened around mine.
Then her eyes closed.
"Mom!"
One paramedic guided me back.
"We've got her."
I followed them into the ambulance.
At the hospital, doctors rushed her into an emergency treatment room.
I stood in the hallway, shaking.
For years, I'd been exhausted.
Angry.
Terrified of losing her.
But now I felt something worse.
Guilt.
What if I'd trusted the wrong doctors?
What if I'd missed the signs?
What if someone had been manipulating her treatment all along?
I slid down against the wall.
Then heard footsteps.
Vincent Morgan appeared.
No bodyguards crowding the hallway.
No expensive coat.
Just a frightened older man carrying a paper cup of coffee.
He stopped when he saw me.
"Emma."
I looked up.
"Why are you here?"
"Rebecca called my attorney. She said Helen was hospitalized."
I wiped my face.
"I don't need your money."
"I know."
"I don't need you to fix everything."
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
Vincent slowly sat beside me.
"Because I failed your father."
His voice cracked.
"And I don't want to fail you too."
I looked away.
For a long time, we sat in silence.
Then Vincent said, "I was wrong to throw that cup at you."
I almost laughed.
"That's a strange time to apologize."
"I know."
He looked down.
"I've spent years believing anger was strength."
"And?"
"You reminded me that real strength doesn't require humiliating people."
My throat tightened.
Before I could answer, a doctor approached.
"Miss Carter?"
I jumped up.
"Is she okay?"
The physician, Dr. Laura Bennett, nodded cautiously.
"She's stable."
My knees nearly gave out.
"Thank God."
"But we need to discuss her medical history."
I followed her into a consultation room.
Vincent remained outside.
Dr. Bennett opened a chart.
"Your mother has a serious respiratory condition. However, some of her recent medication changes appear unusual."
I felt sick.
"Unusual how?"
"Several treatments were discontinued without clear documentation."
I gripped the table.
"Could that have made her worse?"
"Potentially. We need to review everything carefully before drawing conclusions."
I nodded.
"Please do."
The doctor studied me.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Your mother has an older medical file that wasn't included in the records sent from Northbridge."
My heart pounded.
"What file?"
"A hospitalization fifteen years ago."
I froze.
"Fifteen years?"
Dr. Bennett nodded.
"Shortly after your father's death."
I stared at her.
"What happened?"
She turned the screen toward me.
"According to this record, your mother was admitted after an alleged poisoning incident."
My blood turned cold.
"Poisoning?"
"That's what the old report suggests. The cause was never fully established."
I could barely speak.
Then Dr. Bennett showed me the admission notes.
The patient had named the person she believed was responsible.
Samuel Price.
May you like
And beside his name, my mother had written one horrifying sentence.
He told me Emma would be next.
