The hospital waiting room was quiet and smelled strongly of sharp disinfectant spray.
Mark paced back and forth across the linoleum floor with his fists clenched tightly.
Hours felt like days as he waited for news from the medical doctors inside.
Finally, a tall doctor in blue scrubs walked out into the waiting lobby.
Mark rushed over immediately, his heart pounding heavily inside his chest.
Mark: Doctor, how are my wife and our baby?
The doctor smiled gently, easing the heavy tension in Mark's chest instantly.
Doctor: Your wife has some bruises, but the baby is completely fine and safe.
Mark let out a huge sigh of relief and covered his face with his hands.
Mark: Thank God, can I go in and see her now?
The doctor nodded and led Mark down the long hallway toward room 204.
Clara was lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to a heartbeat monitor machine.
The steady sound of the baby's strong heartbeat filled the small hospital room.
Mark walked over and wrapped his arms gently around his wife's shoulders.
Mark: I thought I lost you both back at that house today.
Clara reached up and touched Mark's cheek with her soft hand.
Clara: Mark, you need to listen to me carefully right now.
Mark looked at her with a confused expression on his tired face.
Mark: About what? The police are interviewing Evelyn at the house right now.
Clara shook her head slowly and pulled Mark closer to her bed.
Clara: Evelyn didn't push me, Mark.
Mark froze in place, staring at his wife in complete disbelief.
Mark: What are you talking about? I saw her standing over you!
Clara: My foot slipped on the loose runner carpet at the top step.
Clara: Evelyn actually shouted to warn me and reached out to catch me.
Mark stepped back, processing the words his wife had just spoken to him.
He realized he had let his long-standing anger cloud his judgment completely.
Mark: But she has always hated you because of the inheritance money.
Clara: She was terrified for me, Mark, I saw it in her eyes.
Mark sat down in the plastic chair beside the bed, stunned into silence.
He remembered pointing at his stepmother and screaming for the police to take her.
He had accused her of a terrible crime in front of the entire household.
Mark: I made a terrible mistake today because of my past anger.
Clara took Mark's hand and looked directly into his troubled eyes.
Clara: We have to fix this before it ruins everything forever.
Mark pulled out his cell phone to call the police station immediately.
The officer on the line informed him that Evelyn had been brought in for questioning.
Mark stood up from the chair with renewed determination in his chest.
Mark: I am coming down to the station to set the record straight.