He flinched as if she had struck him.
“I didn’t think—”
“You never did.”
The room went silent.
General Bennett stood near the wall, jaw clenched, letting his daughter speak for herself.
The Truth in the Hospital Room
Claire slowly lifted her hand. A bandage covered her palm, hiding the tiny cuts from the glass.
Ryan stared at it, horrified.
“I crawled,” she whispered. “Do you understand that? I couldn’t stand. I was bleeding. I thought I was going to lose our baby. And I crawled because I knew if I waited for you, we would both die.”
Ryan began to cry.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
Claire’s face did not soften.
“I believed you were selfish. I believed you were weak. But I never believed you were cruel enough to abandon your own child.”
“I love you,” Ryan said desperately.
Claire looked at him for a long time.
