“They were supposed to be with their mother. She told me she’d be somewhere with no signal and asked me not to call. Today my son called and said his sister wouldn’t wake up and there was no food.”
“Do you share custody?”
“Yes. Week by week. This was her week.”
“We’ll need to file a child abandonment report, Mr. Carter.”
“Do whatever you need to do. I just want to know if my daughter is okay.”
Later, the doctor came back.
“She’s stable. She has a mild intestinal infection from dehydration and not eating. We’re keeping her for observation. You got here in time. One more day and this could have ended very differently.”
Ryan finally let out the breath he’d been holding. Ethan squeezed his hand.
“Can I see her?”
“In a little while. She’s sleeping now, but she’s okay.”
Ethan nodded, then asked, “And Mom?”
Ryan swallowed hard.
“We’re going to find out.”
A few hours later, a nurse approached him.
“Mr. Carter, police just sent over a report. Your ex-partner was admitted to General Hospital early Saturday morning after a car accident. She was with a man who fled the scene. She didn’t have ID, but they’ve identified her now.”
“Is she alive?”
“Yes. Stable, but sedated. She has fractures and a head injury.”