PART 18 – The Questions Were Still Hanging Over Our Family, but I Wanted the Investigation to Follow the Evidence Instead of Anyone’s Opinion

The hospital seemed quieter as the night continued.

There were still people moving through the corridors, but the urgency around Lily's operation had passed.

She had survived.

That was the most important thing.

I held on to that fact whenever my thoughts became too difficult.

I knew recovery would take time.

I knew the doctors had removed a portion of her damaged intestine.

I didn't know exactly what the coming days would look like.

But I wanted to be there for every part of them.

Daniel eventually came closer.

He stood beside me for a moment.

Then he asked whether I had spoken to the officers again.

I told him I had provided the information about the dining room camera.

He looked at the floor.

I waited for him to say something else.

He didn't.

I wondered whether he regretted shouting at me.

I wondered whether he understood how frightening the situation had been.

But I didn't ask.

An apology wouldn't change what Lily had suffered.

And it wouldn't tell us how the magnets had entered her body.

Patricia remained nearby.

She seemed tired.

I remembered the way she had described my online classes earlier.

I remembered how she had spoken about social media as if it explained everything.

I couldn't forget those comments.

They had hurt because they came at a moment when I needed support.

But I didn't want to spend the night arguing about them.

I wanted the officers to establish the facts.

I asked whether they needed anything else concerning the camera.

I repeated that the dining room was covered by the security system.

I wanted the relevant recording checked.

The officers had the information.

I couldn't make the recording speak any faster.

I couldn't decide what it showed.

I could only wait for the investigation.

I looked toward Daniel.

For a moment, I thought about asking him whether he remembered anything unusual before the emergency.

But I stopped.

I had already explained what I knew.

The officers could ask him the same questions.

They needed to hear from everyone involved.

That was how an investigation should work.

I didn't want to become the person making accusations without evidence.

I wanted the same standard applied to me.

I thought again about the surgeon's explanation.

The magnets had been inside Lily for more than a day.

That meant the relevant period began before the two o'clock emergency.

I hoped the officers would keep that in mind.

The timing mattered.

The dining room recording mattered because it might provide information about that period.

I had no idea what it contained.

I wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

I sat back in my chair.

My eyes drifted toward the doors.

I wanted to see Lily.

I wanted to hear her voice.

I wanted to know that she was comfortable.

The thought of her waking up and not finding me made me uncomfortable.

I promised myself that when I was allowed to visit, I would stay as long as the doctors permitted.

Whatever happened next, I wasn't going to let my daughter feel alone.

Click here to continue reading: PART 19: I Had Asked the Officers to Examine the Dining Room Camera, and I Was Finally Ready to Hear What They Had Discovered