My In-laws Called Me Paranoid Until My Sil Almost Let My Baby Fall Out Of A Second-story Window. Now They’re Threatening To Sue Me For Cutting Her Off. What Do I Do?
Discharge and Warning
Elena came to check on Lily early the next morning, examining her carefully and asking me questions about how she’d been overnight. I explained that Lily had eaten normally and didn’t seem to be in pain. Elena listened to her heart and checked her reflexes again, then said she was comfortable discharging us.
She sat down and looked at both Keith and me with this very serious expression. She said that based on what we’d told them and what the social worker documented, she was making a strong recommendation that we prevent any unsupervised contact with the person who caused these incidents. She didn’t use Bridget’s name, but it was completely clear who she meant.
Elena explained that the pattern we described wasn’t normal and that our daughter’s safety had to be our top priority. She said if there were any more incidents, the hospital would be required to report it to Child Protective Services because repeated endangerment could be considered neglect on our part if we kept allowing access.
Keith asked what we should do, and Elena said we needed to set firm boundaries and stick to them no matter what family pressure we faced. She handed us discharge papers with instructions about symptoms to watch for and a follow-up appointment for next week.
The Standoff
We pulled into our driveway around 10:00 in the morning, and I felt exhausted in a way that went beyond just lack of sleep. Keith was driving, and he suddenly hit the brakes hard enough that I jerked forward. Bridget was sitting on our front porch with a huge bouquet of flowers and a giant stuffed bear next to her.
She stood up when she saw our car, smiling like nothing had happened. Keith told me to stay in the car with Lily and he got out, walking toward the porch with his shoulders tight. I rolled down my window so I could hear.
Bridget started talking immediately, saying she was so glad Lily was okay and she’d been worried sick all night. Keith cut her off and told her she needed to leave right now. Bridget’s smile faded, and she said she just wanted to apologize and see that her niece was all right.
Keith’s voice was hard when he said she wasn’t welcome here anymore and needed to go. Bridget started crying, tears running down her face, as she said she’d never hurt Lily and we were being so cruel. She said she loved that baby more than anything and couldn’t believe we were treating her like some kind of monster.
Keith didn’t move and told her again to leave. Bridget picked up the flowers and the bear and walked toward the car, trying to hand them through my window. I rolled it up quickly, and she stood there holding them, crying harder and saying we were breaking her heart over an accident.
Keith told her again that she needed to leave our property right now. Bridget set the flowers and bear on the porch steps and crossed her arms over her chest. She said she had every right to see her niece and that I’d poisoned Keith against his own family. Her voice got louder, and she said she wasn’t going anywhere until she saw Lily.
