My mother’s face went pale, each breath she took shallow and panicked. I could almost hear the chaotic rhythm of her heart beat in tandem with mine. I felt a strange mix of fear and relief washing over me, battling each other for dominance. Could this really be the moment when the truth finally broke through the suffocating curtain of lies?
Dr. Aris remained steady, his eyes never leaving my mother’s increasingly strained expression. There was an unspoken understanding in the room, a silent acknowledgment that the charade had gone on long enough. With a quiet, almost reassuring nod to me, he pressed a button on his phone, his voice calm and steady as he spoke to the person on the other end.
“I need a social worker to come down to the ER,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt or negotiation. “We have a situation here that requires immediate attention.”
