Chapter 2 - The Stolen Child
Liam stared at the papers in absolute disbelief.
He violently shook his head and shoved the documents back into the detective's hands.
"This is a complete lie manufactured by my mother," Liam shouted.
The detective looked at Liam with a hardened, skeptical expression.
"We have to investigate every piece of evidence, sir," the detective replied neutrally.
Paramedics interrupted the tense conversation to load Sarah onto a rolling stretcher.
Her skin was completely pale, and she was slipping in and out of consciousness.
Liam gently placed Leo into a portable car seat and followed the stretcher outside.
He rode in the back of the ambulance, holding his wife's hand the entire way.
The emergency room was chaotic when they arrived at the local hospital.
Nurses rushed Sarah through a pair of heavy swinging doors to evaluate her head trauma.
Liam paced the waiting room for hours, clutching his sleeping newborn tightly.
A young doctor finally walked out and informed Liam that Sarah had a severe grade-three concussion.
She would need to stay overnight in the intensive care unit for observation.
Liam breathed a massive sigh of relief, thankful that she was going to survive.
Suddenly, two strangers in sharp gray suits approached him from across the lobby.
A woman with a stern face held up a silver badge.
"Mr. Liam, we are with Child Protective Services," she announced loudly.
Liam instinctively pulled Leo closer to his chest, his heart hammering in his ears.
"We received an anonymous tip and medical evidence regarding child endangerment," she continued.
"We have an emergency court order to take temporary custody of your son."
Liam backed away, his eyes wide with sheer panic and fury.
"You are not taking my baby!" Liam roared, shielding the car seat.
Two hospital security guards immediately stepped forward and grabbed Liam's shoulders.
They forcefully pinned his arms behind his back despite his violent struggling.
The CPS agent reached out and took the car seat from his hands.
Leo woke up instantly and began crying for his mother.
Liam screamed and thrashed, tears streaming down his face as they walked away.
The agents disappeared into the crowded hospital corridor with his only child.
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He collapsed to his knees, utterly defeated by his mother's ruthless trap.
Suddenly, the deafening sound of a flatline alarm echoed from Sarah's recovery room.
