Chapter 2 - The Medical Standoff
Terrence felt the cold rain soaking through his uniform as the paramedics hesitated.
He knew giving the syringe back to Douglas would destroy the only physical evidence of the crime.
The lead EMT demanded the syringe, stating that a child's life took priority over police protocol.
Terrence firmly refused, stating that the syringe was an empty vessel used to administer poison, not a cure.
He ordered the medics to load Delilah into the rig and transport her to the hospital immediately.
Douglas tried to push past the officer, using his medical credentials to assert authority over the scene.
Terrence placed his hand squarely on the doctor's chest and shoved him backward.
He warned Douglas that interfering with a police investigation would result in immediate arrest.
The paramedics quickly loaded a pale, groaning Delilah onto a stretcher and rushed her into the back of the ambulance.
Charlotte clung tightly to Terrence's leg, refusing to let her father come anywhere near her.
Terrence told the medics he was riding with them and slammed the ambulance doors shut in the doctor's face.
As the siren wailed and the vehicle sped away, Terrence finally took a breath.
He looked down at Charlotte, asking her if her father had given Delilah medicine from a normal bottle.
Charlotte shook her head slowly, her eyes wide with fear.
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She whispered that their daddy never used a bottle.
She said he injected the clear liquid into a piece of strawberry candy and forced Delilah to chew it.
