Chapter 3 - The Incoming Call
The phone buzzed against the metal tray, the vibrations rattling the plastic water cup next to it.
Sarah’s name blinked relentlessly on the screen: Sarah Calling.
Officer Reyes glanced at the glowing display, then looked up at me. His expression was neutral, professional, but his eyes carried a silent instruction.
“Do you want to answer it?” he asked quietly.
I looked down at Emily. She had frozen at the sound of the vibration, her eyes wide with terror, her breath catching in her throat. She looked like a trapped animal waiting for a predator to strike. Seeing her fear extinguished any lingering hesitation or sisterly loyalty I might have harbored. Sarah had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. She had violated Emily’s body, lied to medical professionals, and forged my name to do it.
“No,” I said steadily. “I’m not taking her call.”
I picked up the phone, unlocked it, and silenced the ringer before sliding it across the table toward Officer Reyes.
“Actually, officer, can you record this or trace it? She’s likely calling because she realized Emily isn't home yet, or the clinic contacted her about the discrepancy.”
Officer Reyes nodded approvingly. He pulled out his department-issued phone, set it to record, and positioned it near my device as the call went to voicemail, then immediately dialed again.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
On the third ring, I hit speakerphone.
Sarah’s voice spilled into the sterile ER cubicle, shrill, frantic, and dripping with manufactured panic.
“Jessica! Where the hell are you? I’ve been calling for twenty minutes! You told me you’d be home by six to watch her, and now Emily isn't answering her phone either. What kind of guardian are you? If something happens to her—if she runs off because you’re too busy playing corporate hero at that warehouse—so help me God, I am calling child services myself!”
The audacity was breathtaking. She was aggressively projecting her own guilt onto me, trying to construct a preemptive alibi and narrative just in case things went sideways.
Officer Reyes signaled for me to keep her talking. He tapped his pen twice on the table.
“Sarah,” I said, keeping my voice chillingly calm. “Emily is right here with me.”
A sharp intake of breath echoed through the phone speaker. The background noise on Sarah’s end—the faint hum of a television and the clinking of dishes—abruptly stopped.
“What do you mean, she’s with you?” Sarah’s voice dropped an octave, losing its performative fury and turning dangerously sharp. “Why aren't you home? Where are you guys?”
“We’re at St. Jude’s Emergency Room, Sarah,” I replied, my voice steady as a rock. “The doctors are looking over the aftercare packet from the clinic on 4th Street. The one where you forged my signature on the consent form and checked yourself in as the adult present.”
Silence stretched across the line. It was a heavy, suffocating silence that lasted several long seconds.
When Sarah finally spoke, her voice had morphed into a defensive, trembling whine.
“I didn’t... that’s a misunderstanding. Jessica, you don't understand, I had to—the clinic said they needed a guardian signature, and you were working, and it was urgent for her health! I was just trying to help my daughter! You’re blowing this completely out of proportion!”
“You performed an unauthorized, invasive medical procedure on a minor against her explicit consent, using a forged signature and a fake phone number,” Officer Reyes interrupted, picking up his badge and holding it near the phone speaker. “Ms. Miller, this is Officer Reyes with the city police department. Stay where you are. Do not leave your residence. We have units heading to your location right now to take your statement.”
“Wait! No, you can't—listen to me, I’m her mother!” Sarah shrieked before the line abruptly went dead with a sharp click.
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Officer Reyes slid his phone back into his pocket, standing up with a decisive nod.
“Well, that confirms obstruction and tampering,” he said. He looked down at Megan and the social worker. “Let’s get all these files officially duplicated and secured for the district attorney’s office. Ms. Cole, you and Emily are going to need a safe place to stay tonight, because things are about to get very loud.”
