Chapter 2
The room went completely silent.
You could have heard a pin drop.
Diane's face was ashen.
She looked at Lily like she'd just seen a ghost.
"What are you talking about?" she said, her voice cracking. "You didn't see anything."
Lily stepped down one stair.
Then another.
She was clutching her tablet so tightly her knuckles were white.
"I was FaceTiming Mom," she said quietly. "I propped my tablet on the railing. It was recording."
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Ryan walked toward Lily.
He knelt down so he was at her level.
"Can you show me, sweetheart?"
Lily looked at Diane.
Then at me.
Then at Noah, who was still whimpering on the couch.
She nodded.
She tapped her screen a few times.
And held it out.
The video started playing.
There was sound.
Clear, terrible sound.
"Give him to me," my voice said from the screen.
Then Diane's voice, sharp and cold.
"I've had enough of this!"
And then the sound of a baby's cry turning into a scream of terror.
Ryan's face crumpled.
He watched his mother drop our son.
He heard it.
He saw it.
The video ended.
But the silence that followed was worse.
Ryan stood up slowly.
He turned to face his mother.
His eyes were red.
His hands were shaking.
"You did it," he whispered. "You really did it."
Diane started crying again.
But this time, there was no audience to fool.
"Ryan, I was frustrated! The baby wouldn't stop crying! I just needed a moment!"
"You dropped him," Ryan said, his voice rising. "You dropped a seven-month-old baby onto the floor!"
"It was an accident!"
"The video shows you opening your arms and letting go!"
I walked to the couch and picked up Noah.
He was still whimpering, his little face buried in my neck.
I could feel his heart racing.
Lily walked over to me.
She reached out and gently touched Noah's hand.
"Is he okay?" she whispered.
"I hope so, baby," I said. "We're going to take him to the hospital to make sure."
Ryan was still facing his mother.
The anger in his eyes was terrifying.
I'd never seen him like this.
"Get out," he said.
Diane's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Get out of my house. Now."
"Ryan, don't be ridiculous. I'm your mother."
"You just hurt my son. Get out before I call the police myself."
Diane looked at me.
Her eyes filled with hatred.
"This is your fault," she said. "You turned my own son against me."
"Leave," Ryan said, his voice like ice.
Diane grabbed her purse.
She stormed toward the door.
But before she left, she turned back.
"You haven't heard the last of this," she said. "I'll get a lawyer. You'll never see the end of it."
The door slammed behind her.
And then Ryan collapsed onto the couch.
He buried his face in his hands.
And he cried.
I sat down beside him, still holding Noah.
Lily sat on the other side of him.
She put her small hand on his back.
"It's okay, Uncle Ryan," she said softly.
We sat there for a long time.
None of us speaking.
Just trying to process what had happened.
Finally, Ryan looked up.
His eyes were red and swollen.
"We need to take Noah to the hospital," he said. "Right now."
I nodded.
"I'll call my sister to come stay with Lily."
Ryan shook his head.
"Lily's coming with us. She shouldn't be alone right now."
He looked at his niece.
"Is that okay, sweetheart?"
Lily nodded.
"I want to make sure Noah's okay too."
We grabbed our things.
I strapped Noah into his car seat.
He was calmer now, but his eyes were still puffy from crying.
He kept reaching for me.
As if he needed to make sure I was still there.
The drive to the hospital was quiet.
Ryan held my hand the entire way.
But I could feel him trembling.
When we arrived, the emergency room was busy.
But when I told them what had happened, they rushed us back immediately.
The doctor examined Noah thoroughly.
She checked his head.
His neck.
His arms and legs.
She ordered a CT scan to be safe.
We waited in the small exam room.
Lily sat on my lap, her head resting against my chest.
Ryan paced back and forth.
Finally, the doctor came back in.
She smiled.
A genuine, relieved smile.
"He's going to be fine," she said. "No fractures. No head injury. Just a little bruise on his bottom from the impact. He's a tough little guy."
I burst into tears.
Relief flooding through me so strong I could barely stand it.
Ryan sat down beside me.
He put his arms around all three of us.
Me.
Noah.
And Lily.
"Thank you," he whispered to the doctor.
"I do need to ask," the doctor said gently. "How did this happen exactly?"
Ryan and I looked at each other.
We knew what was coming next.
"My mother," Ryan said, his voice breaking. "She dropped him. We have it on video."
The doctor's face grew serious.
"I'm required by law to report this to Child Protective Services and the police," she said.
I nodded.
"I know. We want to press charges."
The doctor squeezed my hand.
"You're doing the right thing. That baby needs to be protected."
She left the room.
Ryan looked at me.
His eyes filled with guilt.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I should have never left you alone with her. I should have known."
I shook my head.
"This isn't your fault. She's your mother. You wanted to believe the best of her."
"I almost believed her today," he whispered. "When she started crying... for a second, I thought maybe you had lost it."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I know," I said. "That's what she does. She manipulates people."
Lily looked up at me.
"Grandma does that a lot," she said quietly. "She says things to make people feel bad. Then she acts like the victim."
Ryan looked at his niece.
"Has she ever hurt you, Lily?"
Lily hesitated.
Then she shook her head.
"Not physically. But she says mean things. About my mom. About me."
Ryan's jaw tightened.
"What kind of things?"
Lily looked down at her hands.
"She says my mom is a bad parent. That I'm spoiled. That if I lived with her, I'd be 'proper.'"
I held Lily tighter.
My heart breaking for this brave little girl.
Ryan stood up.
He looked at me.
And in that moment, I knew.
May you like
Everything was about to change.
"She's never going to hurt any of us again," he said. "I promise you that."
