No One Touches My Girl Chapter 2

Nora suddenly lifted her head from my chest, tear stains glistening on her eyelashes.

"Mister, my daddy didn't take dirty money! He called the farm uncle and asked if it could be cheaper for us. I heard him!"

Rick froze for a beat, then let out a sharp bark of laughter. "Your daughter already learned how to lie for you? Talk about the apple not falling far from the tree."

The surrounding parents joined in, their mockery pressing in from every direction.

Nora’s face turned bright red with panic. She squirmed against my shoulder. "I'm not lying! I was standing right next to Daddy when he made the call! He said we were all kids and asked them not to charge too much!"

Rick shoved his phone forward, pressing the camera almost right up against Nora's nose.

Nora broke down completely, sobbing hysterically. "I'm not lying! I'm not lying! I'm not lying!"

Her voice grew weaker with every scream, as if draining the last bit of strength from her small body.

"Listen to that, folks," Rick sneered to his camera. "Dad taught her so well, she doesn't even blink when she lies."

A fury roared straight to my head. I reached out and slammed my hand over his phone, gripping it tight.

"Point that camera at my daughter one more time, and I promise you won't walk out of this building today."

The phone in his hand wobbled under my grip. He tried to yank it back twice, but couldn't budge it. His face flushed a dark, mottled red. "You dare touch me?"

I shoved him back hard, my eyes locked on his face. "You pointed a camera at a seven-year-old child and dragged her through the dirt. If anything happens to her mental health because of this, touching you will be the least of your worries—I will personally tear your mouth apart!"

I pulled Nora tight against me and leaned down to her ear. "Daddy believes you. You don't have to argue with them. They're the ones being unreasonable."

"But... but they don't believe me," she sobbed into my neck.

The words stabbed straight into my heart, dull and excruciatingly painful.

Ms. Gable let out another long sigh. "Nora's dad, why don't you just apologize? Just bow your head, let this go, and make it easier for everyone."

Before I could speak, Nora suddenly curled up tightly in my arms.

"Daddy..." Her voice was paper-thin, barely a whisper. "My tummy hurts so bad..."

I looked down. Her small face was chalky white, her forehead glistening with a layer of cold sweat.

"Nora? Nora, what's wrong?" Panic hit me like a physical blow. I squatted down and laid her gently on the bench, pressing my hand to her forehead. It was ice-cold and drenched in perspiration.

Rick let out a loud scoff from the side. "Keep acting. Look at you two, a pair of professional actors."

Nora curled inward like a tiny shrimp, her lips turning a faint, alarming shade of purple.

"Rick, shut the hell up!" I roared, scooping Nora up in my arms and sprinting for the exit. "Call an ambulance!"

Rick stood stunned for a second, then instinct took over—he raised his phone again, following me out. "Look at this, everyone! She was totally fine a second ago, now she's pretending to be sick because I asked for an apology—"

Before he could finish, Nora let out a violent gasp and vomited all over the floor.

The dining hall fell dead silent.

A second later, another child nearby clutched her stomach and collapsed onto her knees. "Teacher... my tummy hurts..."

I spun around. It was Sadie, sitting at the adjacent table.

Rick's raised phone slowly dropped. The smug arrogance on his face froze, turning step by step into pure horror.

"Carter? Carter, what's wrong with you?!"

Carter was squirming on the floor, clutching his abdomen, white foam clinging to the corners of his mouth.

"Daddy... it hurts..."

Rick let out a blood-curdling shriek and dove to the floor to grab his son.

Ms. Gable went pale as a sheet. Her phone slipped through her fingers and smashed against the tile. "W-what is happening?!"

I bolted out the doors carrying Nora, her tiny body trembling violently in my arms.

"Nora! Nora, look at Daddy, open your eyes!" I screamed as I ran, my voice cracking completely.

Her eyelids fluttered once, then drifted shut.

At the entrance of the farm, the wail of sirens grew louder in the distance.

Three hours later, in the Emergency Department of the City Children's Hospital.

The hallways were packed with terrified families. Over twenty children were split across two observation rooms on IV drips—some were still dry-heaving, while others had collapsed into exhausted sleep.

Nora lay on a gurney, a cannula taped to the back of her hand. A faint trace of color had finally returned to her face. She was asleep, dry tear tracks still visible on her eyelashes.

I sat at her bedside, holding her small, cold hand tightly in mine.

The attending physician walked over holding a thick stack of lab results. Parents swarmed him immediately, blocking the corridor.

"Doctor, how is my kid?"

"When can we leave?"

"Everyone, please quiet down," the doctor said, holding up his hands. His voice was exhausted but firm. "We are administering IV fluids and antibiotics to all the children. Currently, there are no critical cases, but they need to remain under close observation."

He cleared his throat. "Our preliminary diagnosis is acute bacterial food poisoning. The lunch served to the children tested positive for Salmonella, with bacterial counts exceeding safe limits by a massive margin."

The hallway erupted.

"Food poisoning? How could it be food poisoning?"

"They only ate one meal! Didn't the farm say all the food was locally grown and fresh?"

"Ms. Gable! What kind of place did you bring our kids to?!"

Ms. Gable’s face was ghost-white. She rubbed her hands together frantically. "It... it was Carter's dad who arranged it! He said his relative owned the place, so I didn't think twice..."

In an instant, every glare in the hallway locked onto Rick Henderson.