A nurse quickly stepped between them.
“Sir, please calm down. We need to understand what’s happening before you take her anywhere.”
Emma shook her head and clutched her shirt tightly. Her lips trembled.
“My mom is here,” she whispered.
The social worker, Rachel, knelt down in front of her.
“Your mom is in the hospital, sweetheart.”
Emma nodded quickly.
“She’s going to save me.”
The man sighed in irritation.
“Don’t listen to her. She imagines things all the time. Emma, come here.”
He tried stepping closer, but Emma curled into herself even more.
“No. I don’t want to go.”
Rachel immediately stood up.
“You can’t take her until we understand what’s going on.”
The man clenched his jaw.
“I’m her father.”
“We’ll confirm that,” Rachel replied calmly.
He looked around the room, clearly annoyed.
“You don’t have the right to keep her here.”
Rachel folded her arms.
“Yes, we do.”
The tension in the room grew thick just as Dr. Andrew walked in holding a tablet.
“We have a patient named Natalie Carter in intensive care.”
Emma lifted her head instantly.
“That’s my mom.”
The man closed his eyes in frustration.
“This has nothing to do with us.”
Rachel ignored him and looked back at the girl.
“Do you want to see her?”