Chương 8
Arthur’s shoulders lowered slightly.
“No fractures?”
“I don’t see signs of one, but we’re ordering imaging of the right wrist because he has tenderness there.”
Arthur nodded.
“There’s more.”
The relief disappeared.
Dr. Shah folded her hands.
“He also has older bruising on the upper arms and back.”
Elena looked down.
Arthur stared at the doctor.
“How old?”
“Different stages of healing.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they likely did not all happen today.”
Arthur’s face emptied.
“Could they be normal?”
The question sounded desperate.
Dr. Shah answered carefully.
“Children bruise.”
Arthur nodded too quickly.
“Exactly.”
“But the location and pattern concern me.”
He stopped nodding.
“What pattern?”
She looked directly at him.
“Some of the bruising on his upper arms is consistent with forceful gripping.”
Arthur sat down.
Nobody spoke.
Dr. Shah continued.
“There’s also a healing bruise near his left shoulder blade that would be unusual from ordinary play.”
Arthur stared at the floor.
“When?”
“I can’t give you an exact date from appearance alone.”
“Days?”
“Possibly.”
“Weeks?”
“Possibly.”
Arthur pressed both hands together until the knuckles whitened.
Elena looked at him but said nothing.
The doctor lowered her voice.
“Leo told me someone grabbed him hard more than once.”
Arthur closed his eyes.
“Did he say who?”
“Yes.”
The hallway noise seemed to recede.
Arthur opened his eyes.
“Victoria.”
Dr. Shah nodded once.
Arthur leaned forward.
For a moment Elena thought he might be sick.
He covered his mouth with one hand.
“What else did he say?”
“I’m not going to repeat every detail to you right now.”
Arthur looked up sharply.
“I’m his father.”
“I know.”
“I need to know.”
“You need to know enough to keep him safe.”
His jaw tightened.
Dr. Shah did not move.
“The rest should be handled through a trained forensic interview so he doesn’t have to tell the same story over and over.”
Arthur leaned back.
His eyes were red.
“I already asked him questions.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Did I mess this up?”
“No.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you’re scared.”
He almost laughed.
“Scared isn’t the word.”
Dr. Shah’s expression remained steady.
“Then choose the word later.”
Arthur looked toward the examination room.
“Can I see him now?”
“Yes.”
He stood.
Then paused.
“What happens after tonight?”
Dr. Shah glanced toward Elena.
“A social worker will speak with you before discharge.”
Arthur’s face hardened.
“Why?”
“Because when a child reports abuse in the home, there are procedures.”
“You think he’s unsafe with me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s what this is.”
“It’s not a judgment.”
“It feels like one.”
Dr. Shah waited for the anger to pass.
Arthur looked away first.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to like the process.”
“I don’t.”
“Most parents don’t.”
Arthur opened the examination room door.
Leo sat on the table with his legs dangling.
The grape ice pop had melted purple along one finger.
Arthur crossed the room and picked him up.
Leo rested his head on his shoulder.
“Am I done?”
“Almost.”
“Can we go home?”
Arthur held him tighter.
The word home had changed.
“Yes.”
Leo looked toward the door.
“Will she be there?”
Arthur closed his eyes.
“No.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
This time he did not hesitate.
Leo curled against him.
Arthur looked over his son’s head at Elena.
She stood in the doorway with Camila beside her.
There was guilt in her face.
There was guilt in his.
Neither of them had the luxury of using it as an excuse anymore.
The social worker arrived twenty minutes later carrying a legal pad and a paper cup of coffee that had gone cold.
Her name was Dana Price, and she spoke to Arthur first without Leo in the room.
Elena stayed with Leo while Camila bought crackers from a vending machine that refused her first dollar bill three times.
Arthur sat across from Dana in a consultation room barely large enough for two chairs and a metal desk.
He looked at the wall clock once and then stopped looking.
Dana asked who lived in the Mercer house.
Arthur gave her the names.
She asked how long Victoria had lived there before the marriage.
Nine months.
She asked who cared for Leo when Arthur worked late.
Arthur looked at the tabletop.
“Mostly Elena.”
“How often do you work late?”
He almost said it depended.
He almost explained the acquisition schedule, the board meetings, the travel, the dinners that were technically work even when people ordered wine.
Instead he said, “Too often.”
Dana wrote something down.
“Has Leo ever expressed fear of Victoria to you?”
Arthur rubbed his thumb against the edge of his wedding ring.
“Not directly.”
“Indirectly?”
He stared at the ring.
“Yes.”
Dana waited.
“He asked if I could stay home more.”
“How did you respond?”
Arthur’s jaw tightened.
“I told him I had responsibilities.”
“What did he say?”
“He said okay.”
“That was it?”
“That was usually it.”
Dana’s expression remained neutral.
Arthur hated neutrality almost as much as he hated accusation.
At least accusation gave him something to fight.
“He’s a quiet kid,” Arthur said.
Dana nodded.
“Quiet children can still communicate.”
Arthur looked at her.
“I know that now.”
She did not rescue him from the sentence.
“What is your plan for tonight?”
“Take him home.”
“To the same residence?”
“Yes.”
“Will Victoria have access?”
“No.”
“Can you guarantee that?”
Arthur leaned forward.
“She was arrested.”
“Arrest does not necessarily mean detention.”
He went still.
Dana continued.
“She may be released.”
Arthur’s face hardened.
“Then she will not enter the house.”
“Does she have keys?”
“Yes.”
“Codes?”
“Yes.”
“Garage access?”
“Yes.”
“Access through household staff?”
“No one will let her in.”
Dana gave him a measured look.
“That is not the same as removing access.”
Arthur understood.
“I’ll change everything.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Who can do that?”
“I can call someone.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes.”
Dana nodded.
“Do it.”
Arthur took out his phone.
It was still powered off.
May you like
He stared at it.
Then he turned it back on.
