Chapter 5 - The Medical Report
At 0200 hours, inside the private pediatric emergency wing of Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Sarah Bennett—a top forensic pediatrician—examined Valerie.
Andrew stood near the window, his arms folded across his chest, his heart breaking every time Valerie flinched as the doctor gently photographed her body.
Under specialized medical lighting, the true extent of the hidden abuse was laid bare.
"Full-body digital mapping completed," Dr. Bennett said, stepping over to Andrew with a tablet. Her face was grim, her eyes burning with professional outrage. "Mr. Salgado... this isn't just recent ruler strikes."
Andrew looked at the screen.
"Look at the X-rays," Dr. Bennett pointed out. "Your daughter has two hairline fractures in her left rib cage that are currently healing. She has deep tissue bruising on her back that was concealed under compression garments, and her body weight is 15% below the healthy baseline for a seven-year-old child."
"She was starving her," Andrew realized, horror choking his throat.
"She was restricting her food intake as a punishment method," Dr. Bennett confirmed. "And she was using professional-grade concealer makeup on the child’s neck and face to hide marks from school staff."
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Dr. Bennett signed the official medical document with a heavy digital pen. "This report has been uploaded directly to the NYPD Special Victims Division and the Family Court registry. No judge in this state will ever let that woman near your daughter again."
"A restraining order isn't enough, Doctor," Andrew said softly, his voice dropping into absolute ice. "I am going to destroy her."
