Chapter 7

Ruben, Olivia and Isabella sullenly chewed their sandwiches, thinking longingly of the homemade pizza their father made them, with cheese that melted in your mouth and spicy beef. Lindsay didn't touch her sandwich.

"Listen, I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back," she said, and got up. Not one of the triplets paid any attention to her.

Once in the bathroom, Lindsay groped in her bag for painkillers. As she gulped them down, the familiar feeling of relief swept over her - then it all changed. Suddenly, the bathroom began to swim, and everything went dark. Lindsay cried out, but was silenced as she hit the floor.

Ruben heard his mother screaming and rushed into the bathroom, his sisters behind him. Olivia burst into tears.

"We have to call Daddy!" said Isabella. "He'll know what to do."

--

Danny watched as Aiden got a filthy old rag and began to clean up the pool of blood.

"Aren't you going to help?" said Aiden. He was about to go and get a towel when his cellphone vibrated. Pulling it out of his pocket, he was shocked to see the caller ID read "Montana". He couldn't answer it fast enough.

"Lindsay?"

"Daddy!"

"Isabella? Where's Mommy?" He prayed silently that nothing had happened, that they were all okay…

"Something's happened to her! We heard her screaming and now she's asleep on the floor."

Danny's heart sank; this was all his fault, if anything were to happen…

"Listen, Isabella, can you tell me where you are?"

"A hotel, it's on the same street as the pizza place you took us to last summer."

"Isabella, I need you to call 911. Tell them where you are and that you need an ambulance. Can you be a big girl and do that for me?"

Danny could have sworn he heard Isabella sob. "Yes Daddy."

"I love you, honey."

Danny reluctantly hung up and turned to Aiden.

"What was all that about?" she asked, still mopping up blood.

He clenched his fists. "I'm sorry Aiden. I can't help you anymore. I'm turning you in."

Aiden looked at Danny as though he was crazy. "But - but you said you'd help me! Was this just some trap, so that I would trust you? Were you planning to turn me in all along?" Her eyes were filled with a hatred that Danny had never seen before.

"I was stupid, Aiden," he said. "But because of me, my wife is now almost dead and my kids need me. I'm sorry."

He turned and walked out, feeling like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. Once in the street, he hailed a cab, hoping that Isabella had been able to save her mother.