The drive to South Muskoka Memorial Hospital felt longer than any two hours I had ever lived through.
Every red light felt personal.
Every slow driver in front of me felt like an obstacle placed there to keep me away from my daughter.
I kept replaying Lily’s voice over and over.
“Dad… I felt both his hands on my back.”
Those words sat in my chest like a weight.
I had spent years teaching Lily how to trust her instincts. How to speak up when something felt wrong. How to never let anyone convince her that her own memories weren’t real.
And yet somehow, when it mattered most, she was alone in a hospital room trying to convince everyone that she knew what happened to her.
By the time I pulled into the hospital parking lot, my hands were shaking.
I rushed through the entrance and immediately saw a nurse behind the front desk.
“My daughter is here,” I said quickly. “Lily Carter. She called me about an hour ago. She said she was pushed into the lake.”
The nurse’s expression changed slightly.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
That bothered me.
“She’s in room 214,” the nurse said quietly. “But before you go in, there’s an officer here who would like to speak with you.”
Of course there was.
I followed her down the hallway, my heart pounding.
Near the waiting area stood a police officer holding a notebook.
“Mr. Carter?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Officer Daniels. I responded to the incident tonight.”
“Incident?”
The word came out sharper than I intended.
“My daughter said she was pushed.”
The officer glanced down at his notes.
“Your daughter believes that happened.”
I stared at him.
“Believes?”
He sighed.
“Sir, your daughter hit her head when she entered the water. She was found disoriented and hypothermic. Your brother-in-law, Mr. Ryan Miller, reported that she slipped while walking near the dock.”
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Did you see the dock?”
