Chapter 2 - What Rosie Had Been Told to Say
Nathan drove three blocks before pulling into an empty pharmacy parking lot.
His hands were shaking too badly to continue.
Rosie was buckled into her car seat behind him, crying quietly.
Nathan turned around.
“I’m taking you to the doctor, okay?”
She nodded.
He did not ask her twenty questions.
He had learned enough from his divorce attorney years earlier to know that frightened children could become more confused when adults repeatedly questioned them.
So he asked only what mattered immediately.
“Does anything hurt really bad?”
“My arm.”
“Okay.”
“Aunt Bethany squeezed me.”
Nathan swallowed.
“Did you fall?”
Rosie shook her head.
That was enough for now.
At the emergency department, Nathan told the intake nurse exactly what he had seen and exactly what Rosie had said without adding his own conclusions.
A physician examined her.
The injuries were documented.
Nathan was told what symptoms to watch for and that the marks should be followed up with Rosie's pediatrician.
Nathan also told the staff he had struck Bethany.
He did not hide it.
By the time Rosie was discharged, he had twelve missed calls.
Six from Marjorie.
Three from Frank.
Two from Daniel.
One from Bethany.
He ignored all of them.
Then Daniel sent a message.
Please call me before Mom does something stupid.
Nathan stared at it.
Something stupid had already happened.
He drove Rosie home.
Rosie lived with him full-time.
Her mother, Lauren, had died from complications of an autoimmune illness fourteen months earlier. Since then, Nathan had leaned heavily on his parents for childcare.
Too heavily, he now realized.
Marjorie had picked Rosie up from preschool twice a week.
Bethany sometimes watched her during Nathan’s late meetings.
Frank took her for pancakes on Sunday mornings.
Nathan had mistaken availability for safety.
At home, Rosie refused to sleep alone.
Nathan let her curl up on his bed while he sat beside her.
After almost twenty minutes of silence, she said, “I didn't say the birthday thing.”
Nathan looked at her.
“What birthday thing?”
Rosie picked at a loose thread on her sleeve.
“Grandma said I had to tell the camera I wanna live there.”
Nathan felt something cold settle into his stomach.
“At Grandma’s house?”
Rosie nodded.
“She said it was pretend.”
“Who told you to say it?”
“Grandma.”
“Anyone else?”
“Aunt Bethany.”
Nathan kept his voice level.
“What happened when you didn't want to?”
Rosie pressed herself against his side.
“Aunt Bethany got mad.”
Nathan stopped asking.
He kissed the top of her head and told her she was safe.
Then he walked into the hallway and called Daniel.
Daniel answered immediately.
“Thank God.”
“Why was your phone recording?”
Silence.
Nathan closed the bedroom door behind him.
“Daniel.”
“It was supposed to record Rosie.”
Nathan leaned against the wall.
“For what?”
Daniel exhaled.
“Your mom wanted a birthday video.”
“What birthday video?”
Another pause.
“One where Rosie talked about the family.”
“That’s not what she told Rosie.”
Daniel said nothing.
Nathan’s voice changed.
“She told my four-year-old to say she wanted to live there.”
“I didn't know that part.”
“You expect me to believe you?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me what you did know.”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Your parents have been talking to somebody about Rosie.”
Nathan went still.
“Who?”
“A lawyer.”
Nathan looked toward his bedroom.
Rosie was finally asleep.
“What kind of lawyer?”
May you like
Daniel answered quietly.
“Family law.”
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