She threw the papers onto my tablet.
“Karen can’t have children,” she said sharply. “She needs an heir. You’ll give her one of the twins. The boy. You can keep the girl.”
For several seconds, I couldn’t understand what she’d just said.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I murmured. “They’re my children.”
“Stop acting like a hysteric,” she snapped, heading toward Noah’s crib. “You’re clearly overwhelmed. Karen’s waiting downstairs.”
When her hand reached out to him, a primal force stirred within me.
“Don’t touch my son!”
Ignoring the throbbing pain of my scar, I sat bolt upright. She whirled around and slapped me. My head hit the crib rail with a thud.
“Ungrateful wretch!” she hissed, lifting Noah, who started to cry. “I’m his grandmother.” “I’m the one who decides what’s best for him.”
My fingers trembling, I pressed the alarm button mounted next to my bed.
The alarms blared instantly. Moments later, hospital security burst in, led by Chief Daniel Ruiz.
Margaret’s demeanor changed completely in the blink of an eye.
“She’s unstable!” she exclaimed emphatically. “She tried to hurt the baby!”
Chief Ruiz took in the scene: my split lip, my fragile state after the surgery, and then the elegantly dressed woman clutching my crying son in her arms.
His gaze met mine.
It froze.
“Judge Carter?” he whispered.
Silence fell in the room.
Margaret blinked, confused. “Judge? What are you talking about? She doesn’t even work.”
Chief Ruiz straightened immediately, removing his cap out of respect. “Your Honor… are you injured?”
I kept my voice calm. “She assaulted me and tried to take my son out of this secure facility. She also made a false accusation.”
The chief’s demeanor changed abruptly.
“Ma’am,” he said to Margaret, “you have just committed assault and attempted kidnapping in a secure medical wing.”
She lost her composure. “That’s absurd. My son told me she works from home.”
“For security reasons,” I replied calmly, wiping the blood from my lip, “I’m keeping quiet. I preside over federal criminal cases. Today, I just happen to be the victim.”
I met Ruiz’s gaze.
“Arrest her. I’m going to press charges.”
As the officers handcuffed her wrists, my husband, Andrew Whitmore, rushed into the room.
“What’s going on?” “
She tried to take Noah,” I said evenly. “She claims you gave your permission.”
Andrew hesitated for a moment, but that was enough.
“I don’t approve,” he said quickly. “I… I didn’t object. I thought we could discuss it.”
“Discuss giving up our son?” I asked.
“She’s my mother!”
“And they’re my children.”
Leave a Comment