Julian: Where is Clara Sterling's room?
Nurse: Fourth floor, room 412, sir. The doctor is inside right now.
Julian sprinted down the quiet hospital hallway, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum.
He pushed open the heavy door to room 412, finding Clara resting in the hospital bed.
Monitors clicked and beeped softly around her, displaying her steady vital signs.
Julian: Clara! How are you feeling?
Clara: Julian... you came...
Julian: Of course I came! What did the doctors say?
Doctor Vance stepped forward, holding a digital clip board.
Doctor Vance: Mr. Sterling, your wife suffered minor bruising on her ribs and a mild sprain to her ankle.
Julian: What about the baby? Is there any internal trauma?
Doctor Vance: The ultrasound showed no signs of placental abruption. Your quick catch saved both their lives.
Clara reached out her hand, and Julian squeezed it gently, pressing it against his face.
Clara: I told you he caught us, Doctor.
Doctor Vance: You're a very lucky woman, Mrs. Sterling. A fall from that height is usually fatal.
Julian: What about the sudden shock? Could it trigger early labor?
Doctor Vance: We're keeping her under observation for forty-eight hours to make sure contractions don't start.
Clara: Did the police find Victoria, Julian?
Julian: They caught her trying to escape through the underground wine tunnel.
Clara: Is she in custody?
Julian: She's locked up in the county jail right now. No bail allowed.
Clara: I was so scared, Julian. When she raised her foot... I saw pure evil in her eyes.
Julian: She won't ever hurt you again. I found the documents in her bag.
Clara: What documents?
Julian: She took out a five million dollar life insurance policy in your name two weeks ago.
Clara gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
Clara: She wanted to kill me and take the insurance money?
Julian: She forged your signature on the papers. The police have the whole file as evidence.
Clara: My God... She planned this whole thing.
Julian: The broken glass was just an excuse. She was waiting for an opportunity all night.
Clara: I thought I stumbled into her... but she actually bumped into me first!
Julian: What do you mean?
Clara: I was standing near the railing looking at the painting... She walked right up beside me and dropped her glass on purpose!
Julian: She created a scene so she could push you in the heat of the moment!
Clara: She wanted it to look like an argument that ended in a tragic accident.
Julian: She underestimated how fast I could run.
Doctor Vance adjusted the IV drip hanging beside the bed.
Doctor Vance: Mrs. Sterling needs plenty of rest now. Stress is her biggest enemy right now.
Julian: I'll stay right here beside her.
Clara: Sleep a little, Julian. You look exhausted.
Julian: I'm not closing my eyes until I know you and our baby are completely out of danger.
The quiet hum of the monitors filled the room as Clara drifted off to sleep.
Julian sat in the armchair beside her bed, watching her chest rise and fall peacefully.
He knew the legal fight ahead would be ugly, but for the first time in months, his family was safe.