“Max pushed you?” I asked, keeping my voice soft, measured.
Lily nodded, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. “He wanted my lunch money. I said no. He shoved me. Then he laughed when I cried. He said his dad is rich. He can do whatever he wants.”
The room seemed to close in on me. The words hung in the air, heavy and damning. They thought they could break my little girl. They didn’t know what they had just awakened. They didn’t know who they were dealing with.
“And the teachers?” I asked.
“They were in the break room,” Lily answered, her voice small. “Max told everyone I tripped.”
I stood up, my fists clenched at my sides. Anger surged through me, hot and dangerous. I kissed Lily’s forehead, smoothing the blanket over her fragile body.
“Rest now, Lily. Grandma is coming to sit with you.”
“Where are you going, Mommy?” Panic flashed in her eyes. “Are you going to get fired?”
“No, sweetie,” I said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “No one can fire Mommy. I’m just going to… clarify some rules at your school.”
I turned and walked out of the room, the sound of my heels clicking sharply on the linoleum floor, each step resonating like the ticking of a clock. Time was running out. The hospital seemed to stretch on forever as I passed the nurses’ station, my mind racing, heart burning with fury. I pulled my phone from my purse, dialing a number I knew by heart.
