Chapter 1: The Call
Mom... Please Come Get Me." A U.S. Army Colonel Rushed To The Hospital After Receiving A Desperate Call From Her Daughter—But Her Husband's Family Never Expected Who Would Walk Through That Door.
I was still dressed in my uniform when I drove away from Fort Liberty that evening.
My black military jacket had been flawlessly pressed. The ribbons and medals pinned across my chest reflected the fading sunlight as I traveled through Charlotte, North Carolina, heading directly for St. Bernard Hospital.
The gold nameplate above my pocket read: COLONEL RACHEL GARDNER.
I entered the emergency department with the kind of determination no one could stand against.
A nurse stepped into my path.
“Ma’am, you can’t go back there...”
“My daughter,” I said. “Where is Abigail Ferguson?”
She lifted her eyes to meet mine.
Whatever she recognized in my expression made her step aside without saying another word.
I found Abigail in a quiet observation room at the far end of the corridor.
She was curled beneath a thin hospital blanket.
One eye had swollen completely shut.
Her lip was split.
Dark bruises resembling fingerprints covered both of her arms.
Her white designer dress was ripped and stained.
My daughter.
The very same little girl who used to call me every evening while I was deployed simply to tell me about the colors of the sunset.
The same child who drew pictures for soldiers and taped them onto the refrigerator whenever I returned home.
Now she could barely raise her head.
“Mom...” she whispered.
I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms.
May you like
Her whole body trembled.
Like a terrified little girl.
