The woman who had shaved her daughter’s head as a joke… was now fighting for her life.
I drove to the hospital with Emma still asleep in the backseat. The sky was barely light. The parking lot was chaos—families rushing, nurses hurrying. Noah met me at the door, pale and shaking.
He collapsed into my arms. “Mom… I don’t know what to do.”
“What exactly happened?” I asked.
“We were cleaning last night… she had some wine… then early this morning she couldn’t stand, then collapsed. They think she ingested something toxic.”
“Ingested?” I stiffened. “From what?”
He shook his head hopelessly. “I don’t know. Maybe mixed products without noticing. Mom, I know you’re angry about yesterday, but please… I can’t lose her.”
For a moment, he wasn’t a grown man defending his wife—he was the scared boy I raised.
I squeezed his shoulder. “I’m here. I’m not leaving.”
A doctor approached. “Mr. Carter? We have questions. There are signs your wife came into contact with concentrated cleaning chemicals. Anything stored outside its container?”
Noah blinked. “No… unless she used something from the party prep.”
My chest tightened. “What did she handle?”