Chapter 6 - Eleanor’s Demands
At 7:00 AM, the door to my hospital room swung open with a violent click.
I was half-asleep, drifting between the haze of painkillers and the rhythmic beeping of the IV pump. Avery was asleep in the recliner across the room.
My mother stood in the doorway, dressed in black slacks and an expensive cashmere sweater, her designer sunglasses pushed up onto her hair. Despite the sleepless bags under her eyes, her posture was stiff and combative.
"Out," she snapped at Avery.
Avery jolted awake, blinking against the fluorescent light. "Aunt Eleanor? You can't be in here—"
"I said get out, Avery. Before I call your father and tell him how you betrayed your own flesh and blood for social media clout."
"She stays," I said, struggling to sit upright. The cracked ribs flared, a searing white-hot spike that took my breath away. "Say whatever you came to say, Eleanor. Then leave."
Mom stepped inside and shut the heavy wooden door behind her, locking the latch. Avery immediately stood up, positioning herself between Mom and the bed.
"Look at you," Eleanor said, folding her arms, her gaze sweeping over my bruised face and the IV line taped to my wrist. "Look at the mess you’ve made. Grant spent the night in a concrete cell with criminals. He has an arraignment in five hours, and the district attorney is talking about a felony indictment without bail. A felony, Maya! Do you have any idea what that does to his life?"
"He shoved me into a table, Eleanor," I said, staring directly into her cold eyes. "He assaulted me."
"He was frustrated!" she hissed, taking a sharp step forward. "He has sacrificed his entire twenties watching me take care of you! Every family trip, every dollar, every ounce of attention has gone to your crippled body! He made one mistake after having a couple of drinks, and you want to ruin his entire future out of spite!"
"He owes seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars to loan sharks," I said flatly. "And you used your house as collateral. That wasn't about frustration. It was about stealing my medical trust."
Eleanor froze. Her lips parted slightly, the blood draining from her cheeks before her face hardened into pure spite.
"That money belonged to this family before your spine snapped," she snarled, dropping every trace of maternal warmth. "Your grandfather built that business with Grant in mind. You were supposed to be married and have children. Instead, you sit in that chair collecting checks while your brother drowns. That trust should have saved the Vance name!"
"That money is the only reason I can afford physical therapy, my catheters, and my specialized van," I replied, my voice shaking with fury. "And you wanted to throw me into a state-run facility to save Grant’s worthless skin."
"You listen to me, you ungrateful little bitch," Eleanor hissed, leaning in over the bedrail, ignoring Avery who reached for the emergency nurse call button. "You are going to call the prosecutor's office right now. You are going to sign an affidavit stating that Avery's video was taken out of context, that Grant was helping you practice standing, and that you slipped. If you don't, I will sell your van. I will change the locks on the family house. I will testify in probate court that you are unstable and delusional, and I will drag your name through every courtroom in this state!"
The nurse call button chimed loudly through the intercom.
"Step away from the patient!" a harsh voice barked from the doorway.
May you like
Two hospital security guards and the charge nurse strode into the room, followed immediately by Uncle Robert and an unfamiliar man wearing a tailored navy suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
"Eleanor Vance," the man in the suit said calmly, pulling a legal document from his folder. "I am David Sterling, legal counsel for Maya Vance. You have just violated a temporary emergency protective order signed by Judge Martinez twenty minutes ago. Step away from the bed, or these officers will arrest you on site."
