Chapter 2 - The Red Stain
The sight of blood paralyzed David for a split second before instinct took over. Paramedics burst through the front door, their gear clattering against the polished hardwood. Elena immediately retreated into the corner of the grand hallway, her posture melting from smug arrogance into sudden, calculated helplessness. She buried her face in her hands, letting out a dry, theatrical gasp.
""Please, you have to help her!"" Elena cried out, her voice pitching into a fragile whimper for the benefit of the two uniformed police officers following behind the medics. ""She just slipped! I tried to catch her, officer, I swear I tried!""
David ignored her entirely, his eyes glued to the paramedics working frantically over Clara. ""Her name is Clara Vance,"" David said, his voice cracking despite his efforts to steady it. ""Fourteen weeks pregnant. Blunt impact to the head and spine. There's bleeding.""
The lead paramedic, a burly woman with focused gray eyes, checked Clara's pupils with a penlight. ""GCS is low. We need her stabilized on a backboard now. Start an IV and get the monitor running.""
As the crew lifted Clara onto the gurney, David moved to follow, but Officer Miller stepped between them, notepad in hand. ""Sir, I need you to stay back and give us a statement. What happened here?""
""My sister pushed her,"" David said coldly, pointing a finger directly at Elena. ""Elena Vance. She shoved my pregnant wife violently after an argument about money. I witnessed the entire assault.""
Elena looked up, her dark eyes welling with fake tears. ""Officer, that's absurd! My brother has been stressed and erratic for months. He wasn't even in the room! Clara lunged at me over a family misunderstanding and lost her footing on the hardwood!""
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Officer Miller glanced between the two siblings, clearly unsettled by the diametrically opposed accounts. ""Sir, we will take formal statements at the station, but right now you can ride in the front of the ambulance.""
David didn't waste another breath on Elena. He sprinted out the door behind the gurney, the cold wind whipping his face. Inside the ambulance, as the doors slammed shut and the siren shrieked to life, David held Clara’s limp hand. The cardiac monitor beeped rhythmically, but suddenly, the steady tone shifted into an erratic, rapid alarm.
