The door burst open. Robert poked his head in, looking impatient.
“Are you finished?”
Allison sat up, hiding her concern behind a professional expression.
“I need to talk to you for a few minutes, Robert. Alone.”
Emily closed her eyes, as if the mere sound of her father’s voice was enough to shatter her completely.
The doctor understood that this was only the beginning… and that what she was about to discover could be far worse than she imagined.
The doctor led Robert to a small adjoining room, away from the examination table where Emily was trying to stifle her sobs. She closed the door carefully, without rushing. Her tone was firm, but measured.
“I found something on the ultrasound,” she began. “Emily is pregnant.”
For a moment, Robert showed no reaction whatsoever. No surprise, no worry, no anger. Just a slow blink.
“I see,” he replied, too calmly.
A chill ran through Allison. That reaction wasn’t the natural one for a father who had just received such news.
“I need to ask your daughter some questions unsupervised,” she continued. “It’s a medical and legal requirement. And I have to notify social services. It’s protocol.”
Robert’s face hardened.