The venue manager showed me when I came back inside after someone ran out to tell me what happened. I saw everything. The heel on her foot, the kick to her chair, all of it recorded from multiple angles. The color drained from my mother’s face. My father’s defensive posture stiffened further. Monica’s husband returned with paramedics.
They moved quickly, checking my vital signs and preparing to transport me. Daniel knelt again, squeezing my hand. I’m calling this in right now. They’re not walking away from this. The baby, I whispered. Please just make sure the baby is okay. The paramedics are taking care of you both, he assured me, his voice softening when he spoke to me.
