Chapter 2
The ambulance doors opened under flashing red and blue lights.
A paramedic knelt in front of Natalie. His name tag said Tyler. His partner, Jess, moved quickly but gently, placing a blood pressure cuff around Natalie’s arm while Tyler examined the burns without touching them.
“Ma’am, can you tell me your name?”
“Natalie Morgan,” she said. Her voice sounded thick, like it belonged to someone else. “I’m pregnant. Six months. Is my baby alive?”
Jess lifted Natalie’s shirt and placed a fetal Doppler against her belly.
For one horrifying second, there was only static.
Then a fast, steady rhythm filled the night.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
“Heartbeat is strong,” Jess said. “Around one-fifty. That’s good.”
Natalie started crying, but the tears burned as they crossed her wounds.
“Who did this?” Tyler asked.
“My husband,” she whispered. “Blake. He threw it on me.”
Tyler’s expression did not change, but his jaw tightened.
“Where is he now?”
“He left.”
Mrs. Davidson climbed into the ambulance after them before anyone could stop her.
“She is not going alone,” she said.
No one argued.
The ride to Sacred Heart Hospital took twelve minutes. Natalie knew because she counted every second between waves of pain. Jess kept asking questions to keep her conscious.
“What do you do for work, Natalie?”
“Third grade teacher.”
“What’s your favorite part of teaching?”
Natalie understood what Jess was doing. She held on to the question like a rope.
May you like
“When a child finally understands something,” she said. “Their whole face changes.”
Jess’s eyes softened. “I bet you’re a wonderful teacher.
