Claire looked at him again.
CLAIRE: "Are you hurt?"
James gave a small smile.
JAMES: "I'm okay."
CLAIRE: "You were fighting with him."
James lowered his eyes.
JAMES: "I just wanted him to stop grabbing you."
Claire's fingers tightened slightly around his hand.
CLAIRE: "I was so scared."
James nodded.
JAMES: "I know, Mom."
CLAIRE: "Everything happened so fast."
JAMES: "You're safe now."
Claire looked toward the ceiling.
For a moment, she seemed unable to process everything.
Then she turned toward James.
CLAIRE: "I thought I was going to lose you."
James shook his head.
JAMES: "No, Mom. I'm here."
He leaned closer.
JAMES: "You're going to get through this."
A nurse approached and checked the monitor.
NURSE: "Mrs. Morgan, how are you feeling?"
Claire looked at her.
CLAIRE: "A little tired."
NURSE: "That's understandable. We want you to rest while the doctor completes the evaluation."
James stepped slightly aside.
The nurse adjusted the equipment and checked Claire's condition.
NURSE: "If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, please let us know."
Claire nodded.
James remained beside the bed.
He did not want to leave her alone.
After the nurse finished, Claire looked toward him again.
CLAIRE: "Did you call Margaret?"
James nodded.
JAMES: "Yes. She's helping with the police report."
Claire looked worried.
CLAIRE: "I don't want her getting into trouble."
JAMES: "She isn't doing anything wrong. She witnessed what happened."
Claire remained silent.
James looked at her.
JAMES: "Mom, she recorded part of it."
Claire's eyes widened slightly.
CLAIRE: "She did?"
JAMES: "Yes. The police are reviewing it."
Claire looked down.
For a moment, she seemed uncertain.
CLAIRE: "I don't want this to happen to anyone else."
James squeezed her hand.
JAMES: "Then we need to make sure the truth comes out."
Claire nodded slowly.
Her eyes became watery.
CLAIRE: "I was only trying to finish the garden."
James looked toward the window.
Outside, the afternoon light was beginning to fade.
He remembered the plants Claire had been trimming.
He remembered her yellow gloves.
He remembered the way she had smiled earlier that day.
Now she was lying in a hospital bed because an encounter outside her own home had become violent.
James felt a mixture of sadness and anger.
But he knew his mother needed him to remain calm.
He pulled a chair closer to the bed.
JAMES: "Get some rest. I'll be right here."
Claire closed her eyes.
James sat beside her.
For the first time since the confrontation began, he felt that she was out of immediate danger.
But he also knew that the investigation was only beginning.
***
Later that evening, Margaret called James again.
He stepped into the hospital corridor before answering.
JAMES: "Hello, Margaret."
MARGARET: "How is Claire doing?"
JAMES: "She's awake. The doctors are still monitoring her."
Margaret sounded relieved.
MARGARET: "Thank goodness."
JAMES: "She's tired, but she's talking."
MARGARET: "I was so worried about her."
James nodded, even though Margaret could not see him.
JAMES: "Thank you for helping us."
MARGARET: "Of course. I also wanted to tell you that Sergeant Bennett has taken my statement."
JAMES: "What did she say about the recording?"
MARGARET: "She asked me to preserve the original video. She said it may be important for the investigation."
JAMES: "Did she watch it?"
MARGARET: "Yes. She watched it carefully."
James looked down the corridor.
JAMES: "And what about Ryan?"
Margaret hesitated.
MARGARET: "He's still being questioned."
James took a breath.
JAMES: "I want to know why he approached my mother in the first place."
MARGARET: "I understand."
JAMES: "There was no reason for him to grab her like that."
MARGARET: "I saw it myself."
James remained quiet.
Then Margaret added something.
MARGARET: "James, there's something else."
JAMES: "What?"
MARGARET: "When I watched the recording again, I noticed something I hadn't paid attention to earlier."
James straightened.
JAMES: "What did you notice?"
MARGARET: "The officer was already holding Claire before you even came out of the house."
James closed his eyes.
JAMES: "I know."
MARGARET: "And she wasn't trying to attack him. She was standing there looking confused."
James nodded.
MARGARET: "I think the recording may help establish how the whole thing started."
JAMES: "Please make sure they get the original."
MARGARET: "I will."
The call ended.
James returned to Claire's room.
She was resting.
He sat down again and looked at her.
He remembered that morning.
She had told him she wanted to finish trimming the plants before the weekend.
She had even asked whether he could help move a few flowerpots later.
It had been an ordinary conversation.
Nothing suggested that the day would end in an emergency room.
James looked toward the window.
The sky had become darker.
He knew that the next few days would involve medical appointments, statements, and difficult conversations.
But he was determined not to let the incident disappear without a proper explanation.
***
The following morning, Claire's condition had improved enough for the medical team to continue her evaluation outside the emergency department.
She was still tired and required monitoring.