CHAPTER 2 – THE FIGHT FOR HER LIFE
"No... no, Lily, please..."
My knees hit the floor as I held my daughter against my chest. Her little body was limp, her skin colder than it should have been.
I screamed for someone to call 911.
Nobody moved.
Guests stared from the hallway, frozen in disbelief.
Then Brooke sighed dramatically.
"Oh, stop overreacting. She's sleeping."
I looked at Lily's blue lips again.
"She's not breathing!"
Finally, one guest reached for his phone.
Before he could dial, Brooke slapped it out of his hand.
"Don't embarrass this family over nothing."
Something inside me snapped.
I ran toward the stairs with Lily in my arms.
Margaret stepped in front of me.
"You're making Hazel's birthday a disaster."
"My daughter is dying!"
Margaret grabbed my shoulder.
"Put her down."
I shoved past her.
Just as I reached the front door, Brooke grabbed a wine bottle from the dining table.
The crash echoed through the house.
Glass exploded across my head.
The room spun.
Warm blood ran into my eyes.
I collapsed to one knee—but I never let go of Lily.
A retired firefighter named Daniel, one of Hazel's neighbors, rushed forward.
He gently took Lily from my arms.
"I know CPR," he said firmly.
Everyone stepped back.
Thirty terrifying seconds passed.
Then another.
Daniel continued chest compressions.
Finally—
Lily gasped.
A tiny, fragile breath.
May you like
The sound was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.
Outside, the wail of approaching sirens filled the neighborhood.
